Tributes are flowing for two police officers slain in an extraordinary ambush in rural Queensland which left six people dead. “All Australians are shocked and saddened by this tragic loss of life,” the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said. The Queensland police commissioner, Katarina Carroll, says it may take “weeks to unravel” precisely what happened, but here’s what we know so far:
Four police officers were sent yesterday to a property in Wieambilla – about four hours west of Brisbane. Carroll says the officers were ambushed when they arrived, with constables Matthew Arnold, 26, and Rachel McCrow, 29, killed in the gunfire.
Neighbour Alan Dare, 58, described by a local as “lovely”, was also killed when he went to investigate the shooting.
The officers were searching for a missing New South Wales man – 46-year-old Nathaniel Train, a former principal at a primary school in Walgett, NSW. NSW education confirmed Train died in the shooting.
Gareth Train, Nathaniel Train’s brother and the owner of the property, had posted regularly in an online conspiracy community before the shooting, including expressing a mistrust of police. In one post, he wrote: “If you are a conservative, anti-vaxx [sic], freedom lover, protester, common law, conspiracy talker, alternative news, independent critical thinker, truther, Christian, patriot etc etc expect a visit from these hammers.”
Gareth, Nathaniel and a woman yet to be identified were killed in an operation involving 16 tactical police about six hours after the shooting began.
Top news
PM leads Queensland police tribute | Albanese and the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, led a chorus of tributes to the two officers killed. The premiers of Queensland, NSW and Victoria also paid tribute, as did the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, who is the local MP for Wieambilla. “I grew up in Chinchilla, it’s my home town, and I know that the community out there has been rocked by this. We feel numb,” he said.
Violet Coco granted bail | The climate activist jailed for 15 months after a protest on the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been released from jail after a judge approved her bail appeal. Coco was the first person to be jailed under controversial laws passed in NSW earlier this year which introduced a possible two-year prison sentence or $22,000 fine for people who block major roads, bridges or ports. Coco’s sentencing was roundly condemned by human rights groups, local politicians and the UN.
2GB radio host sacked | Nine Entertainment and Sky News Australia have sacked 2GB broadcaster Chris Smith following his alleged drunken treatment of women at a Sydney venue after a Sky News Australia Christmas party. The recent incident involved inappropriate behaviour toward Sky colleagues at the Establishment, an upmarket bar in the Sydney CBD.
Australia and Vanuatu sign security agreement | “We’re deeply proud to be the Vanuatu principal security partner of choice,” the foreign minister, Penny Wong, said from Vanuatu. Wong is leading a bipartisan delegation that includes Coalition MPs Simon Birmingham and Michael McCormack to strengthen ties amid growing regional competition with China. Wong says the details of the agreement will be made public.
Former FTX CEO arrested in the Bahamas | Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to be extradited to the US to face criminal charges. The arrest happened just 24 hours before the founder of cryptocurrency exchange was to testify before Congress. FTX filed for US bankruptcy protection last month and Bankman-Fried resigned as chief executive.
Elon Musk booed | The world’s richest man could not get a word in when he appeared on stage alongside Dave Chappelle in San Francisco as the crowd booed and jeered. Watch the video. Musk’s Twitter turmoil is only deepening, with the company dissolving its Trust and Safety Council – an advisory group made up of nearly 100 independent civil, human rights and other organisations to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform.
Jacinda Ardern caught on hot mic | The New Zealand PM has been caught calling the leader of a minor opposition party an “arrogant prick”. During question time, the leader of the libertarian Act party, David Seymour, asked Ardern if she could “give an example of her making a mistake, apologising for it properly, and fixing it”. After ending her reply, Ardern sat down next to her deputy and quietly said “such an arrogant prick”. Watch the video.
Peru turmoil | Ousted Peruvian president Pedro Castillo – who was removed from office last week – has derided his successor, Dina Boluarte, as a “usurper” and “snot and slobber of the coup-mongering right”. Castillo was detained after attempting to shut Peru’s widely loathed congress and rule by decree. Unrest has escalated in the country ever since, with Boluarte giving in to protester demands for early elections.
Ash Barty wins prestigious tennis medal | The tennis champion Barty has hailed her record fifth consecutive Newcombe medal as the ideal exclamation mark on her decorated career. “It’s obviously an amazing way to cap off what has been an incredible journey,” she said.
What they said …
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“For [energy companies] to claim this is a shock, or to threaten the nation, effectively, by saying they’ll walk away from a heads of agreement they walked into, I think they will need to consider their steps very carefully.” – Ed Husic
The minister for industry and science made the remarks after fossil fuel giant Shell said it would suspend its role in a gas supply deal designed to prevent shortfalls on the east coast next year. Energy companies complaining of a price cap were simply “trying to maintain their profits in extraordinary times,” Husic said.
In numbers
We seem to be an optimistic bunch, considering a year of cost-of-living stress, war in Ukraine, fossil fuel companies pocketing billions while wages struggle, floods and more floods, endless Covid waves (and every other cold bug). Or maybe I’m too much of a nihilist. The results are from our latest Essential poll.
Before bed read
Looking for a new book to read? How about Nicolas Rothwell’s novel Red Heaven, which has just won the 2022 Prime Minister’s Literary award for fiction? It’s set mainly during the political upheaval of eastern Europe in the 1960s and largely told from the perspective of a young boy deeply influenced by two matriarchal women. Or Mark Willacy’s nonfiction winner, Rogue Forces: An explosive insiders’ account of Australian SAS war crimes in Afghanistan.
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