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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Caitlin Cassidy, Krishani Dhanji and Mostafa Rachwani

Star shares plunge to all-time low; hundreds of dead mackerel off WA coast – as it happened

The Queen’s Wharf precinct and Star casino in Brisbane
The Queen’s Wharf precinct and Star casino in Brisbane. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

What we learned today, Friday 10 January

With that, we will wrap the blog for the day. Enjoy your evenings and stay safe and dry out there, east coasters.

Here were the major developments of the day:

  • Rain, severe thunderstorms and possible flooding is forecast for much of east coast this weekend, including areas around Sydney and parts of Queensland.

  • Labor Friends of Palestine says party members and the broader community “hold deep concerns” about an upcoming week-long trip by the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, to Israel, urging the federal government to “clarify the purpose” of his visit.

  • Shares in Star Entertainment plunged by more than 19% to an all-time low of 10.5 cents on Friday, building on the 20% decline suffered on Thursday, after a state government shut down talk of a lifeline.

  • The 23-year-old hiker who was lost in the NSW Snowy Mountains for 13 days has been discharged from Cooma hospital.

  • And ANZ has brought forward its forecast for the first rate cut to take place in February, while maintaining borrowers will see only two rate cuts in the coming cycle. It comes as a new report from the competition watchdog estimates retail gas prices are beginning to ease but structural shortfalls in supply could emerge from 2027.

Updated

Man charged with torture and murder after Queensland death

A 31-year-old has been charged with murder, torture and kidnapping following the death of a 52-year-old man earlier this week.

Queensland police allege the man was assaulted near Rudyard Street in Inala about 6.30pm last Sunday. Several hours later, police were called to Logan hospital after the man presented with significant head injuries.

He transported to a specialist care facility but died from his injuries on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old Birkdale man was arrested at a residence in Griffin this morning. Police further allege the two men were known to each other.

He has been charged with one count each of murder, grievous bodily harm, armed robbery and two counts each of torture and kidnapping.

He is due to appear before Brisbane magistrates court on Saturday.

Updated

Hundreds of dead mackerel reported off WA coast

Turning to Western Australia, and investigations are under way into a fish kill possibly involving several hundred scaly mackerel, floating lifeless south-west of Perth.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development officers have gathered information and samples following the reports of floating dead mackerel, located between the Woodman Point Ammo jetty and the Omeo wreck.

With onshore winds, fish have already started washing up on Coogee Beach and could come up on other beaches in the area.

The department has advised people not to swim in areas with large numbers of dead and decomposing fish, warning it could have high levels of bacteria and odour, as well as not to fish in the waters and not to use the dead fish for bait or consumption.

Updates will be issued if further information becomes available. In the meantime, people are reminded to stay safe around fish kills and follow this general Department of Health advice.

Updated

ANZ joins CBA in predicting February interest rate cut

ANZ has brought forward its forecast for the first rate cut to take place in February, while maintaining borrowers will see only two rate cuts in the coming cycle.

The news, announced today, follows better-than-expected results from November’s monthly CPI indicator released on Wednesday.

ANZ now joins CBA in expecting the first RBA cash rate cut in February, while NAB and Westpac are both still forecasting the first cut will be in May.

NAB is expecting the greatest relief for borrowers with five cuts, compared with ANZ’s forecast for only two cuts.

Canstar.com.au data insights director Sally Tindall said a rate cut in February was increasingly likely, but with more than five weeks to go until the next board meeting, this could change.

The RBA knows just how tough it’s been for people with a mortgage. It wants to deliver rate relief as soon as the data allows.

Just one rate cut could reduce monthly repayments by approximately $92 per month. That’s not exactly in line with winning Lotto, but for some households even this small amount of relief will help them make ends meet.

If you’ve got a mortgage, be prepared for every possibility.

Updated

String of southern Sydney burglaries alleged

In Sydney, police are appealing for public assistance following a string of alleged break and enters in the city’s south this week.

Almost nine homes were allegedly targeted between Tuesday 7 January and Wednesday 8 January, including four homes in Sans Souci and five homes in Bexley.

Police said:

About 2.05am on Wednesday 8 January 2025, a number of people gained entry to a home [in] Bexley, where two sets of keys were taken. About 2.40am, a number of people gained entry to a home [in] Bexley, and left a short time later, taking three handbags, an e-bike and a set of keys.

About 3.30am, officers … were called to … Bexley after a number of people attempted to gain entry to a further two homes … Police were told a number of people – one armed with a screwdriver – walked towards the door of a home before retreating.

A short time later, the group then entered the backyard of a nearby property on the same street, before an occupant of the house was awoken and chased the people on to the street.

Officers believe the incidents are linked. There have been no reports of injuries.

Updated

‘Monumental shift’ in climate policy needed to safeguard future

Climate activist Anjali Sharma says “future generations deserve decisive, strong action now” following confirmation 2024 broke more temperature records.

Sharma was the lead litigant in the high-profile 2021 Sharma v Environment Minister climate court case against the federal government. She has been calling for a duty of care to be enshrined in Australian law to compel governments to consider the impact of climate harm on young people in their decision-making.

She said current and future generations deserved a duty of care “and a monumental shift in policy to safeguard the health and wellbeing that decades of climate denialism has caused”:

While politicians and fossil fuel companies sit idly by as these devastating figures come through, the world that future generations will inherit becomes bleaker. We are placed at a critical moment in history.

Either political leaders find the courage to finally take a stand at another astonishing broken climate record, or we allow these records to define our repeated complacency.

Updated

East coast faces more showers with NSW and Queensland flooding possible

Rain, severe thunderstorms and possible flooding is forecast for much of east coast this weekend, including areas around Sydney and parts of Queensland.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Miriam Bradbury said the wet weather was being driven by a moist, easterly flow pushing against the east coast, bringing widespread showers and storms.

A flood watch has been issued for the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley in expectation of the storms, and parts of south-east Queensland.

For the remainder of Friday, thunderstorms are possible across much of eastern Australia. Severe storms are possible … across parts of south-east inland Queensland … as far south as the Southern Tablelands [in NSW].

From Saturday, Bradbury said, the wet weather would extend to Victoria and parts of Tasmania, before easing into next week.

Severe thunderstorm warnings were active for the south coast, southern tablelands, ACT and parts of Illawarra, north-west slopes and plains, south-west slopes, Snowy Mountains and northern tablelands in New South Wales, and for large parts of south-east Queensland including Toowoomba and Somserset.

Severe storms in these areas bring the risk of heavy falls that could lead to flash flooding … damaging wind gusts and large hail are also possible … That risk of storms ramps up a little bit through the south-east [on Saturday] … that could quickly bring water over the roads leading to possible road closures. We may even see the inundation of some properties.

Updated

Cinema tickets and Black Friday fuel household spending rise

High-profile movie releases, along with Black Friday promotions and discounting, helped drive the 0.4% increase in discretionary spending in November, in the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ monthly household spending indicator.

As well as extra spending on clothing and footwear and household equipment and furnishings, new car purchases were also strong, especially for SUVs.

The ABS head of business statistics, Robert Ewing, said Black Friday boosted sales in recreation and culture by 0.9%, making it the largest contributor to overall spending growth.

Spending in cinemas continued to grow strongly, with major releases such as Wicked, Gladiator II and Moana 2 all opening in November.

Overall spending rose 0.4% in November, a smaller rise than the 0.9% increase in October. In September, the indicator fell 0.2%.

While still experimental, the household spending indicator covers a wide range of spending areas, drawing on bank card transactions, supermarket payments and new vehicle sales figures.

While spending momentum has been picking up, Commonwealth Bank economist Harry Ottley said this was to be expected given real household disposable incomes were finally increasing and interest rate cuts were approaching.

CBA is tipping a February start to interest rate cuts, a view now shared by ANZ.

– AAP

Updated

Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said 2025 “must be game on for climate action in Australia”.

When the alarm bells are ringing, you act immediately. Slashing climate pollution this decade is critical to safeguard our children’s future. This is the challenge for our political leaders this election year.

She said Australia had started to make real progress with an energy grid that was more renewable than ever, a record number of electric vehicles hitting the market, and “a bumper year for big clean energy and storage projects”.

Global climate experts and the residents of Los Angeles have just shown us exactly what’s at stake: lives, livelihoods, community safety and our way of life. We need to act before our kids’ futures go up in smoke.

Updated

Slashing climate pollution ‘critical’ over coming decade

The Climate Council says slashing carbon pollution over the next decade is critical following confirmation that 2024 was the planet’s hottest year on record, with the global average temperature eclipsing the 1.5C warming barrier for the first time.

Climate councillor Prof David Karoly said:

These are not the records any climate scientist wants to see broken. When it comes to rising temperatures, rising sea levels and rising damage bills from unnatural disasters, every fraction of a degree matters.

The average temperature in 2024 was 1.6C above preindustrial levels, data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) shows – 0.12C above the previous record set in 2023.

The Paris agreement to try to limit warming to no more than 1.5C is measured over 20-30 years, so the data does not mean the target has been missed. But as my colleague Damian Carrington writes, it shows the urgency of the climate crisis continues to intensify.

Karoly said the agencies and scientists behind the latest findings “remind us the future is in our hands”.

Slashing climate pollution this decade is critical. The further and faster we’re able to cut climate pollution this decade, the better the prospects for our kids’ future.

Updated

Star shares fall to all-time low as Crisafulli dismisses casino bailout

A casino giant may be wishing on a shooting star if it expects to be bailed out of financial trouble, after a state government shut down talk of a lifeline, AAP reports.

Shares in Star Entertainment plunged by more than 19% to an all-time low of 10.5 cents on Friday, building on the 20% decline suffered on Thursday. The embattled casino operator opened Brisbane’s $3.6bn Queens Wharf hub in the city’s CBD late last year.

The former state Labor government had ruled out a lifeline for the company’s Brisbane casino in the form of a tax deferral for Star after its financial woes spelt trouble for the new Queens Wharf precinct.

Now with the shares of the parent company falling and concerns around the future of the infant restaurant and bar hub in Brisbane, Liberal National premier David Crisafulli has vowed to save jobs but not the casino. He told reporters on Friday:

I want Queenslanders to know that we’re not in the business of being concerned about the corporate suits who sit around a company. Our focus is on the people who work there.

If you’re asking me whether or not I think it is a good use of taxpayer money to prop up individual companies, I would suggest to you the focus should be on individual workers.

Regardless of what happens with the ownership, our focus has to be on making sure there’s jobs.

Updated

Man arrived at Annerley address ‘completely randomly’, police say

The police spokesperson said the investigation into the incident remained “very active”, including the lead-up to the incident itself. The 26-year-old appeared to arrive at the address “completely randomly”, he said.

I would highlight that policing is an extremely dangerous profession. It involves officers attending jobs such as this where a simple job can very quickly escalate into something that becomes a life-threatening situation.

Our thoughts go out to the officers concerned. I attended both the scene in the hospital, I spoke to the two officers involved and the senior constable is in good spirits, he is receiving the best treatment there.

There will be two parts to the investigation – ethical standards and a criminal investigation – which will take “some time”.

I will just reinforce that it is a very fluid situation in relation to the investigation and having occurred just a few hours ago, we are still piecing together the exact circumstances.

Updated

‘Very agitated’ man bit officer after being shot, police say

The Queensland police spokesperson described the situation as “very dynamic” and “very traumatic” for all involved, including witnesses.

He said straight after shots were fired, the first-year constable applied a tactical first aid to the injured officer before additional officers arrived and “dealt with the male”, who was “still in a very agitated position” after being shot twice in the stomach.

Those officers were forced to actually deploy a Taser to take that individual into custody which was finally achieved … During the incident, the first-year constable received a bite from the male, who is a 26-year-old male, and also received first aid treatment.

All three parties were transported to hospital.

The 26-year-old male is now undergoing surgery and is in a serious condition, while the 40-year-old senior constable is in a stable condition and also receiving treatment. The first-year constable has been treated for their bite injury and released.

Updated

Police speaking to media after two men shot in Brisbane altercation

Police in Queensland are addressing the media after the shooting of a police officer and another man in Brisbane earlier today.

Police alleged a 26-year-old man was creating a disturbance in the back yard of a property at Annerley before the arrival of police. He was allegedly armed with a piece of timber.

The owners of the property did not know that individual at any stage. Police responded shortly after and two officers, a senior constable who is 40 years old and a first-year constable, approached the male in the back yard, who was armed with a piece of timber.

Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation by engaging … however the male approached the officers and a struggle commenced, in which case the offender lunged for a firearm … during the struggle for that particular firearm, the firearm discharged and the senior constable received a gunshot wound to the left inner thigh … the struggle continued and the first-year constable was then forced to discharge their firearm and has struck the male on two occasions in the resulting altercation.

Continued in next post.

Updated

Officer suspended and charged with unlawfully accessing police database

A Sydney police officer has been charged over the alleged unauthorised access of the police computer system.

In April last year, an investigation was launched into reports alleging an officer had illegally accessed private information of individuals held on the police computer database over a period of three years.

Following inquiries, the 29-year-old constable attached to a command in Sydney’s north-west was arrested at his home this morning and taken to Penrith police station.

A search warrant was issued, and investigators seized electronic devices, mobile phones and documents to be forensically examined.

He was charged with public office misconduct and ten counts of unauthorised access to or modification of restricted data.

The man was suspended from duty and refused bail to appear before court today.

Updated

Labor pro-Palestine group calls on Dreyfus to clarify purpose of Israel visit

Labor Friends of Palestine says party members and the broader community “hold deep concerns” about an upcoming week-long trip by the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, to Israel, urging the federal government to “clarify the purpose” of his visit.

In a statement, the group pointed to the ICC arrest warrants issued against Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, and said any message from Dreyfus should be consistent with international law, positions taken at the United Nations and in bilateral statements.

The attorney general needs to emphasise Australia’s unwavering support for the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination. This should include immediate recognition of the State of Palestine in line with official ALP policy.

We call on the federal government to inform the Australian people about the purpose of Mark Dreyfus’ Israel visit. The only justification could be to deliver this clear message: that Australia stands unequivocally with international law, and Israel must immediately cease its genocidal actions or face comprehensive sanctions.

In a press conference this week, Anthony Albanese said it was “appropriate” that Dreyfus was the one travelling to Israel.

The attorney general is an appropriate person to visit Israel. A range of others have visited Israel in recent times.

Updated

US lawmaker says Congress maintains bipartisan support for Aukus ahead of Trump inauguration

A leading US lawmaker has reassured bipartisan support for the Aukus partnership in a “powerful signal to naysayers,” less than two weeks out from Donald Trump’s inauguration, AAP reports.

Under the agreement, Australia has been promised at least three Virginia-class submarines from the US in the early 2030s, with a new class of nuclear-powered boats to be built for delivery from the 2040s.

Democratic congressman Joe Courtney, co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Australia Caucus, said in an opinion piece for The Australian the passage of the National Defence Authorisation Act through Congress last December demonstrated strong support for the trilateral partnership.

In the same year congress was marred with record low productivity and high levels of division, the AUKUS mission still saw real momentum among lawmakers in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle.

Anthony Albanese said he was confident Trump could be convinced against imposing tariffs on the nation’s exports due to the trade surplus the US has with Australia.

He told 96FM Perth radio on Friday tariffs would actually disadvantage the United States.

I had a constructive first discussion with Donald Trump and I’m confident that we’ll continue to act in both our countries’ interests.

Updated

Thanks for following along on the blog with me today! I’ll leave you now with Caitlin Cassidy. Have a fabulous weekend.

What to do if you’re lost in the Australian bush

This week Hadi Nazari was found alive after being lost in the remote Kosciuszko national park for almost two weeks.

Nazari survived in some of Australia’s most unforgiving terrain by drinking creek water, foraging for berries and – fortuitously – finding two muesli bars in a remote hut.

We asked the experts how to prepare for a hike, and what to do if you become “geographically embarrassed”.

Updated

Cold-case murder accused allegedly disappeared after interview with detectives

Continued from previous post:

The Queensland Homicide Cold Case Investigation Team obtained an arrest warrant for Keith Lees in July 2023 after he allegedly disappeared after an interview with detectives in Victoria.

Meaghan Rose’s body was discovered on 18 July 1997 at the base of Point Cartwright cliffs at Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The disability and aged care nursing assistant had previously moved from Victoria to Queensland with Lees, who was more than 20 years her senior.

The death was initially ruled a suicide, but investigators reopened the case in 2009 and a $500,000 reward for information was announced in June 2023.

In charges dropped by prosecutors yesterday, NSW police alleged Lees spent roughly 18 months evading an arrest warrant by using a fake identity.

Queensland detectives travelled to Victoria in June 2023 and spoke to Lees, before his car was found abandoned at Portland on the state’s south-west coast the following day.

Lees was later spotted in Geelong and Shepparton in Victoria before being arrested in Dural in NSW.

Queensland police have confirmed the $500,000 reward remains on offer for information that leads to a conviction for Rose’s murder.

“In addition to the reward, an appropriate indemnity from prosecution will be recommended for any accomplice, not being the person who actually committed the crime, who first gives such information,” they said in a statement yesterday.

Read more here:

Australian Associated Press

Updated

Cold-case murder accused to remain in custody

A man extradited to face court over the alleged murder of his partner almost 30 years ago will remain in custody after the case was heard for the first time.

Keith Lees, 72, was flown from NSW to Queensland yesterday in the company of detectives after being arrested in a rural area north of Sydney on 2 January and accused of the murder of Meaghan Louise Rose, 25, on the Sunshine Coast in 1997.

Lees was not required to appear in Brisbane magistrates court today during a brief mention of his murder charge.

Lee’s defence solicitor, Zane Playle, applied for the case to be transferred to Maroochydore magistrates court within four to six weeks. Police prosecutor Harry Coburn told magistrate Lewis Shillito that four weeks “was more than sufficient” and it could be done within two weeks.

The magistrate ordered the case be next heard on 24 January at Maroochydore magistrates court and remanded Lees in custody.

More to come in the next post.

– Australian Associated Press

Updated

Police officer and another man shot in Brisbane altercation

A Queensland police officer has been taken to hospital after being shot in an incident on Brisbane’s south side on Friday morning.

Officers were called to reports of a disturbance at Tamar St in Annerley at about 9:13am.

Queensland police said there was a physical altercation between a male constable and a man. Both men were shot during the encounter.

They were both taken to hospital for treatment.

The matter will be investigated by the Ethical Standards Command, with oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission.

Updated

Kyrgios says Australia treated Djokovic ‘like shit’ during Covid deportation saga

Tennis player Nick Kyrgios said Australia treated Novak Djokovic “like shit” when it deported the Serbian during the pandemic in 2022.

Djokovic has revived the controversial period this week in the lead-up to the Australian Open in Melbourne, saying that he still carries trauma from his ordeal and claiming he was '“poisoned” while he stayed at a quarantine hotel.

Kyrgios has previously criticised Australia’s treatment of the 24-time grand slam champion, and said on Friday morning that, although he hasn’t heard the Serbian’s latest accusation of poisoning, Djokovic’s visa saga was not handled well.

I haven’t spoken to him about that, I didn’t even know that …

But yeah, I mean, we treated him like shit, that’s for sure, we shouldn’t have done that.

Kyrgios is in Melbourne preparing for his first-round singles match against the UK’s Jacob Fearnley in the tournament that gets under way on Sunday.

Updated

Monash university apologises for underpaying casual academics

Continuing from our last post …

NTEU national president, Dr Alison Barnes, said it was “disgusting” staff were continually being underpaid by their employers while vice-chancellors earned more than $1m a year.

We need an urgent federal parliamentary inquiry into the rotten governance in universities that has fuelled a wage theft epidemic, rampant casualisation and obscene executive pay.

In an email to all Monash staff, the acting vice-chancellor and president, Prof Susan Elliott, said the affected casual academics had been paid incorrectly to their minimum engagement period or because they were compensated at incorrect rates.

These incorrect payments were unintentional and are deeply regrettable. As a university, we apologise to all staff, past and present, who have been affected. So far more than 3.4 million timesheets have been analysed as part of this review and 3.6% of these reviewed timesheets were identified as requiring remediation.

She said affected staff would be remediated before the end of March.

Updated

Union calls for federal inquiry into university wage theft

The National Tertiary Education Union is calling for an urgent federal parliamentary inquiry into university governance after Monash University admitted to underpaying staff an additional $7.6m.

The university today released the results of an ongoing quality assurance review, detailing approximately $7.6m in underpayments, averaging $760 per staff member, in addition to $10m previously admitted to since 2016. Monash is currently before the federal court over alleged underpayments for unpaid consultation hours.

The NTEU said the national university wage theft tally was now at $265m, affecting more than 140,000 university staff.

The NTEU Monash branch president, Dr Ben Eltham, said the wages and superannuation had been “unlawfully withheld from hard-working teachers”.

We wrote to Monash’s governing council in November about the crisis of wage theft at our institution. They haven’t bothered to get back to us. We urgently need a thorough and independent investigation into governance at Monash.

Updated

PM says US bushfires highlight need for climate action

Anthony Albanese is asked whether he’s worried Australia might not receive the bushfire support we usually rely on during our peak season, while fires burn in the northern hemisphere’s winter. He says:

It’s one of the issues that we need to be cognisant of …

If the seasons are increasingly extended, and bearing in mind that the 2019 events began earlier, they didn’t begin in January or over the Christmas period, they began much earlier and then built up. What we have here is an event that is unseasonal and it is something we need to be conscious of.

Albanese then brings the issue back home, with his election pitch that Labor will do more on climate change than the Coalition.

It’s why we can’t afford to say ‘stop acting, don’t do anything until the 2040s and we will build you a nuclear power station down at Collie’ – that makes no sense in terms of what we need to do.

Updated

Albanese says moderates an ‘endangered species’ in Liberal party

The prime minister has also taken aim at the declining number of moderates in the Liberal party.

Two of the most senior moderate Liberals, Simon Birmingham and Paul Fletcher, announced late last year they’d be stepping down from parliament at the next election.

Anthony Albanese says the moderates are now an “endangered species”:

Increasingly the Liberal party is becoming a hard-right dominated party and we are seeing that under Peter Dutton’s leadership.

The commentary also follows reports conservatives are lobbying for Warren Mundine to run in the seat of Bradfield, which is being vacated by Fletcher.

Updated

Albanese ‘won’t respond’ to Djokovic’s claim he was ‘poisoned’ during Covid detention

The prime minister is asked about Novak Djokovic’s claim that he was “poisoned” by the food served to him in hotel detention during his 2022 deportation saga.

I haven’t seen those comments. I am not going to respond to comments that I haven’t seen. I wish Mr Djokovic very well, all the best on the court over the period of the Australian Open.

Updated

Anthony Albanese is speaking to reporters in Perth

The PM is near the end of his multi-state, pre-election tour.

Asked about the graffiti on the Sydney synagogue, Albanese says those responsible should face the “full force of the law”:

They are hateful and [there is] no place in Australia, our tolerant multicultural community, for this sort of criminal activity. Australians should respect each other and overwhelmingly do, regardless of their faith. We are a multicultural nation, we need to be inclusive and cohesive and that’s what my government is determined to support.

Updated

Minister says new watchdog will look at university salaries and conflicts of interest

The high salaries of university leaders and conflict of interest concerns will be on the agenda for a soon-to-be-established watchdog announced by the education minister.

The independent expert council, to provide advice to the government on the tertiary sector, was a key recommendation in the Universities Accord, handed down last year.

Jason Clare said the council would be tasked with developing more “rigorous and transparent remuneration policies” for university leaders.

Vice-chancellors have come under scrutiny for presiding over salaries in excess of $1m at the same time as major staff layoffs, underpayments and course cuts. Clare said:

It’s clear we need to strengthen governance arrangements in our universities and that’s why we are establishing an expert governance council.

This will provide advice to ministers about how universities can develop more rigorous and transparent remuneration policies and settings for senior university staff, including considering issues around external roles and conflicts of interests.

Updated

Hiker Hadi Nazari leaves hospital

The 23-year-old hiker who was lost in the NSW Snowy Mountains for 13 days has been discharged from Cooma hospital.

The hospital had been treating Hadi Nazari for dehydration, and the NSW southern local health district said in a statement he would continue his recovery at home.

Updated

Victoria police investigate fatal shooting in Melbourne overnight

Victoria police say they’ve identified the victim of a fatal shooting in Caroline Springs as a 33-year-old male, Hawre Sherwani, who had links to organised crime.

Emergency services were called to Heysen Parkway at about 10:30pm last night, after reports of shots being fired.

Sherwani was found with gunshot wounds by police and subsequently died in hospital.

Det Supt Janet Stevenson of the crime command told media they believe the attack was targeted:

Sherwani is known to police and has organised crime links and at the moment we have tried to piece together exactly what happened.

What we know is this is a targeted attack. There is nothing for the local residents to fear, it was absolutely targeted so [we’re] still trying to piece that together.

Updated

Synagogue vandals should face ‘full force of the law’, Jewish peak body says

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has responded to the vandalism of a Sydney synagogue overnight.

Co-chief executive of the council, Alex Ryvchin, wrote in a statement that those responsible should face the “full force of the law”:

The community expects swift arrests to be made and for those who deface houses of worship with the symbol of genocide to face the full force of the law. As long as these people evade justice for trying to terrorise Australian citizens, it will continue.

We’re also calling on our fellow Australians, particularly those in positions of influence across society, to end the silence and publicly denounce this behaviour as repugnant to our national values and a threat to us all.

Police say they’re investigating the offensive graffiti on the synagogue.

Updated

Australia stands ready to help fight California fires, Jenny McAllister says

Australia is ready to send firefighting assets to the US if authorities request help to contain California blazes, the federal minister for emergency management, Jenny McAllister, has said.

McAllister told Sky News the federal government had contacted its US counterparts with the offer as fast-moving fires continue to burn across Los Angeles.

At least five people are dead, about 200,000 homes have been destroyed and almost 180,000 people forced to evacuate their homes in the unfolding disaster.

We are yet to receive any response for assistance [from US authorities], but of course, as always, we stand ready to assist our friends in the United States …

We’ll do everything we responsibly can should a request come before us.

And there’s a long history of cooperation between our countries on firefighting. We actually had personnel in the US over the course of 2024, and of course, we’ve received great benefit from US personnel coming to Australia in previous years as well.

With the California fires raging during Australia’s summer, the federal government is facing questions about whether it can afford to send firefighters to the US given the risk of bushfires here.

Asked if Australia had assets to spare during its own fire season, McAllister said: “It would depend on the nature of the request”.

We’d assess it. We’d assess, of course, our own needs. But we’ll do everything we, as I say, responsibly can to help our colleagues in the United States if they ask us.

The federal government has budgeted a record $96m over two years to boost the national aerial firefighting capability, which includes funding for one large air tanker and three multi-use helicopters.

The other large air tankers used during bad fire seasons are leased.

McAllister defended the leasing arrangements, saying fire chiefs had advised it was the best option to “secure a sufficiently flexible fleet to meet a changing fire environment”.

The government has commissioned a review into Australia’s firefighting needs, with the findings due later this year.

Updated

Police escalating resources to protect synagogues in Sydney

Police have told reporters they’re still in the early stages of investigating offensive graffiti that vandalised a synagogue in Sydney overnight.

Assistant commissioner Peter McKenna said a crime scene has been set up at the location.

We are investigating this under Operation Shelter which has dedicated police resources into protecting this community and other Jewish communities because of the ongoing attacks we have seen of this nature …

We had crime scenes out there already, led by a detective response … the counter-terrorism team will also be looking at this with us.

Photos in Sydney media show the graffiti included a swastika.

Updated

And with that, I leave the blog with Krishani Dhanji. Thanks for reading.

Updated

While acts of hate are on the rise across the country, naming and recording them is proving challenging, as my colleague Tory Shepherd reports:

Updated

NSW premier denounces synagogue graffiti as ‘a horrifying hate-filled attack’

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has stepped out to address the police investigation into offensive graffiti found on a synagogue in Sydney overnight:

The southern Sydney synagogue was vandalised in a horrifying hate-filled attack by individuals who have hate in their heart and determined to divide our communities. The painting of a swastika on a Jewish building shows how appalling these individuals are … it’s disgusting and disgraceful.

It’s around the corner from my house, I know the people I represent and the community I live in completely repudiate that kind of horrifying vandalism, that horrifying violence in our community.

We have lived with the southern Sydney synagogue for many, many years, it’s been in our community for decades, it’s much loved and much revere by members of the local community, whether they’re of the Jewish faith or not.

Having spoken to the president and the vice-president from the synagogue, I know they’re appalled but they don’t believe this is representative of the communities’ acceptance and closeness to the Jewish community in southern Sydney.

Updated

‘We need more people to go to Tafe and more people to go to university’, says education minister

The education minister, Jason Clare, has said Australia needs more young people going to both university and Tafe.

Clare was on Sunrise alongside the deputy leader of the opposition, Sussan Ley, who argued yesterday in an op-ed that young people shouldn’t be pushed into going to university.

But Clare took a more diplomatic position:

The truth is we need both. We need more people to go to Tafe and more people to go to university. More and more jobs that are going to be created in the years ahead are going to require people go to uni or to Tafe, and that’ll include sometimes people doing a little bit of Tafe and a little bit of university.

At the moment, we’ve got six universities that are also Tafe providers and I think we’ll see more of that. I’m trying to break down the barriers between Tafe and uni to make it easier for people to move between the two.

The real thing that keeps me up at night is that we’re now seeing a decline in the number of kids finishing high school, particularly in public schools. We’re not going to get more people to go to Tafe and become apprentices and get the skills we need unless we do something about that. The former Liberal government ripped the guts out of funding for schools and for Tafe. What we’re saying is we need to invest in our schools, we need free Tafe, and we want to cut the cost of university degrees by 20%. And they’re all things the Liberal party opposes.

Updated

Up to 120 EV chargers could be installed every week in NSW if legal changes allowed it, study finds

As many as 120 electric vehicle chargers could be installed on power poles in NSW every week, a study has found, if national rules were changed to allow them.

Energy Networks Australia also found the chargers could be funded for less than the price of a cup of coffee added to Australian electricity bills each year, or the cost billed back to users.

The industry body released its findings in a report on Friday that investigated whether Australia’s electric vehicle charging network could be boosted by kerbside hardware rolled out by energy distributors.

But the program, similar to a proposal by Ausgrid, will require legal changes to the Australian Energy Regulator and faced opposition from local councils during a NSW government inquiry.

The Street Smart report, prepared after Energy Networks Australia released a study into lowering energy bills, found the nation had fallen further behind other countries in electric vehicle charger availability.

The number of chargers for each electric vehicle in Australia had fallen from one for every 32 cars to one for every 68, Energy Networks Australia chief executive Dominique van den Berg said, and the issue was affecting vehicle sales and repeat purchase intentions.

“In Australia, because we’re so far behind on EVs, there’s a massive chicken-and-egg scenario,” she told AAP.

“You haven’t got enough EVs to really warrant commercial-scale chargers being rolled out and you haven’t got enough chargers to really encourage the uptake of EVs.”

Kerbside chargers mounted on power poles could provide a significant boost to EV-charging infrastructure, the report found, due to a faster deployment and lower costs.

Electricity distributors would take as little as two hours to install an EV charger on a power pole, it found, allowing each company to install 40 chargers a week.

In NSW alone that could equate to 120 additional EV chargers installed in a week, van den Berg said, and distributors in Victoria and Queensland were also keen to adopt the approach.

– via AAP

Updated

Offensive graffiti found at Sydney synagogue overnight

NSW police are investigating after offensive graffiti was found painted on a synagogue in Sydney’s south-west overnight.

In a statement, they said they believe the incident occurred between 3.55am and 4.30am today.

Police are investigating the incident and as inquiries continue, anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Updated

‘Father of modern photovoltaics’ recognised with Sydney ferry naming

Sydney’s newest ferry has been named after solar panel pioneer Prof Martin Green.

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, and the transport minister, Jo Haylen, are expected to make the announcement this morning, with the newest ferry to be added to the fleet called the Martin Green.

It will be the fourth of seven new Parramatta River Class vessels which will replace the 30-year-old RiverCats. It will serve on the F3 Circular Quay to Parramatta route, has a 200-person capacity and uses 40% less fuel than the vessel it replaces.

Green is the founding director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics at UNSW. Over a career spanning more than 50 years he pioneered solar technology development in Australia, and is often described as “the father of modern photovoltaics”.

In a statetement, he said the recognition was a “testament to the dedication of my team.”

I never imagined I would one day have a ferry named after me – what an incredible honour!

This recognition is not just personal; it’s a testament to the dedication of my team at UNSW Sydney who have been at the forefront of solar development for half a century. This year, Australia will generate more than 20 percent of its entire electricity supply from solar, and this figure will continue to grow rapidly.

Updated

Missing seven-month-old found safe in NSW

NSW police have announced that a missing seven-month-old has been found safe.

Officers attached to Lake Illawarra Police District were notified yesterday that the child could not be located, and began a search.

Following extensive inquiries, the child, and a 43-year-old woman he was with, were located today.

Updated

Nine people in hospital in Hobart after suspected carbon monoxide exposure

Nine people have been hospitalised after a hazardous material incident at a business in Hobart yesterday.

Tasmania police said a number of people in a building in Glenorchy, Hobart, had been exposed to what is believed to be carbon monoxide, and needed hospitalising.

The dangerous gas has no taste or smell but can be lethal in large amounts.

In a statement, the Department of Health said “nine people were transported to the Royal Hobart hospital this morning in relation to suspected exposure to carbon monoxide”.

Updated

Djokovic claims he was 'poisoned' by Melbourne hotel food in 2022

Novak Djokovic was “poisoned” by the food he ingested while detained during his 2022 Australian Open visa saga, the former world number one told GQ, in an interview released on Thursday.

The Serbian 24-times major winner had his visa cancelled ahead of the tournament following days of drama over Australia’s Covid-19 entry rules and his unvaccinated status, and was detained in a Melbourne hotel shared with asylum-seekers.

“I realised that in that hotel in Melbourne I was fed with some food that poisoned me,” said Djokovic, who is known to monitor his diet strictly.

I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discoveries that I was, I had a really high level of heavy metal. Heavy metal. I had the lead, very high level of lead and mercury.

GQ said Australia’s Department of Home Affairs had declined to comment on the matter, citing privacy reasons.

Djokovic told Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper this week that he still has trauma from his experiences three years ago and feels stress arriving at the city’s airport.

The 37-year-old begins his campaign for a record-extending 25th major title at the Australian Open next week.

– via Reuters

Updated

Key swimming spots in NSW polluted

Beachwater NSW is advising against swimming at multiple Sydney beaches after storm water raised pollution levels.

Sites across Sydney and the Central Coast have been affected, after several days of rain led to a higher likelihood of contaminants being flushed into the city’s waterways.

Beachwater NSW has an online map users can access, where it lists several key spots in Sydney as having “possible” or “likely” contamination.

That includes beaches in the east, including Tamarama Beach, Malabar Beach, Frenchmans Bay, Brighton Le Sands Baths and Bronte Beach, as well as sites along Sydney Harbour including Murray Rose Pool in Double Bay, Rose Bay Beach, Parsley Bay, Clifton Gardens, Queenscliff Beach, Hayes Street Beach, Greenwich Baths, Northbridge Baths, and Woolwich Baths.

Beachwater NSW is advising swimmers to stay alert before they swim:

Before you swim, check for signs of pollution such as flowing drains, open lagoons, murky water, unpleasant odours, litter and debris in the water.

Man fatally shot in Caroline Springs in Melbourne’s west last night

Victoria police are investigating a fatal shooting in Caroline Springs last night.

Emergency services were called to Heysen Parkway at about 10:30pm last night, after reports of shots being fired.

A man, who is yet to be formally identified, was located with a gunshot wound a short time later.

He was taken to hospital and subsequently died.

Police have cordoned off the area and a crime scene has been established.

Updated

Warning issued over abandoned campfires after Cape Otway blaze causes evacuation of more than 150 people

Victoria police are warning about the dangers of unextinguished campfires, following an incident in Cape Otway earlier this week that led to a bushfire.

Emergency services responded to reports of a bushfire at Blanket Bay Road and Red Hill Track at about 2:20am on Wednesday.

More than 150 people had to be evacuated from nearby campsites, with drop-in centres opened at Apollo Bay Community Hall and Apollo Bay Youth Hall to accommodate displaced campers.

No one was injured during the incident.

The fire was brought under control by 9am on Wednesday, not before about 14 hectares was bunt.

Investigators from Forest Fire Management, Colac Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) and the Arson and Explosives Squad determined that the cause of the fire was an unattended campfire which appears not to have been extinguished.

Police are now treating the bushfire as a criminal investigation and detectives from Colac CIU are appealing for any witnesses.

Police are reminding campers that a recklessly lit fire can have the same outcome as a deliberately lit fire, including significant loss of life, serious injury and property damage.

Updated

Good morning, Mostafa Rachwani with you to take you through the morning news.

Updated

Murder charge

A 72-year-old man is expected to appear in court in Brisbane today after he was extradited to Queensland and charged with the alleged murder of his former partner almost 28 years ago. For more, read our story:

Updated

Rescued bushwalker Hadi Nazari will rest when he returns home to Melbourne after 13 days lost in the Australian Alps but is keen to go for another hike, Australian Associated Press reports.

His cousin Hussain Ali told reporters outside Cooma hospital that he had tried to talk him out of another trek:

When he’s completely fit and fine then we’ll see how he goes.

When we found him … he was keen to go for another hike. I was like, “No more hiking for you, that was it.”

Nazari was found by a group of hikers on Wednesday afternoon, near Blue Lake in the Kosciuszko national park, after he was last seen by friends descending the Hannels Spur trail on Boxing Day.

Updated

Retail gas prices begin to ease, watchdog says

Retail gas prices are beginning to ease but structural shortfalls in supply could emerge from 2027, a new report from the competition watchdog shows.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s latest report into Australia’s gas supplies, released Friday, shows the outlook is mixed, noting price drops in gas are still well above the costs before 2022.

The ACCC said high international gas and oil prices – caused in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – were still keeping domestic supply costs high but prices under longer-term supply agreements had moderated.

The watchdog said agreements in the first six months of 2024 for 2025 supply were still two times higher than 2021 at about $14.70 a gigajoule. But the price had reduced from the 2023 supply, which was about $12.10 to $20.40 a gigajoule and as high as $30 to $35 a gigajoule in some cases.

The energy minister, Chris Bowen, said the Albanese government’s introduction of an extra 600 petajoules of gas into the east coast market during its term had put downward pressure on prices and secured east coast gas supplies until 2027:

We are making sure our energy grid is reliable and working for Australians by delivering cheaper energy with more renewables coming online and gas ready to firm it when needed.

Under the government’s gas code, energy companies are exempt from the price cap on gas of $12 a gigajoule for the domestic market if they agree to supply commitments to the east-coast market.

The ACCC’s report said the gas code would have minimal influence on east coast gas prices this year but there were significant supply increases forecast from 2026.

The report noted, however:

In the longer-term, further significant volumes of additional supply will be required to avoid shortfalls.

Updated

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has had a look at gas prices and supply in a new report and, while it has short-term good news on the former, it has some longer-term bad news on the latter. More on this in a few minutes.

Showers are expected to continue for Sydney and Brisbane throughout much of the coming week but summer isn’t over yet, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. This week south-east Queensland and eastern New South Wales will be “tipping towards wetter conditions”, the bureau says.

And the rescued bushwalker Hadi Nazari will rest when he returns home to Melbourne after 13 days lost in the Australian Alps but remains keen to go for another hike, a relative says. More on that soon too.

Updated

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