Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.
The immigration minister, Andrew Giles, has revealed the government is using drones to track people released from detention as Labor deals with the fallout of some serious criminals being given their visas back by an independent tribunal.
Giles has been under fire this week due to the revelation at Senates estimates that at least two murderers or attempted murderers in a cohort of 153 people released as a result of the high court’s ruling on indefinite detention in November are not required to wear electronic ankle bracelets.
But Giles told Sky News that the cohort are being monitored, saying: “There is so much being done for this cohort: spot checks, random house checks, as well as the use of drones.”
Top news
Police investigating Samantha Murphy’s disappearance end targeted search | Victoria police have ended their search of farmland south of Ballarat amid forensic testing of “items of interest”, after finding a phone at a dam during their investigation into the missing woman Samantha Murphy. Murphy’s phone last pinged off a tower in Buninyong tower at 5pm on the day she went missing in February.
Public servants call on government to cease supplying weapons to Israel | More than 300 Australian public servants from across state and federal agencies have signed an open letter calling for the federal government to “immediately cease all military exports to Israel”.
Ticketmaster yet to confirm if Australian customers affected by alleged data breach | Ticketmaster is yet to confirm whether it has experienced a major data breach or if Australians are impacted, after a notorious hacker collective claimed it had the personal details of millions of global customers for sale. The Australian government confirmed it was aware of a cyber-incident affecting Ticketmaster and had engaged the ticketing giant to understand the details.
China lifts most remaining trade bans on Australian beef exports | China has lifted suspensions from Australian beef exporters, removing almost all of the $20bn worth of trade sanctions it imposed. The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, said Beijing on Wednesday night lifted the bans, with immediate effect, for five different abattoirs.
Date-rape drug ‘bute’ increasingly linked to sexual assaults in Australia | Thousands of litres of a dangerous drug linked to sexual assaults and overdoses have been seized in Sydney after being smuggled into the country in beauty products and food items, authorities say.
Four-time Olympian drops selection appeal | Lisa Weightman has reluctantly given up on her dream of contesting a record fifth Olympic Games marathon, with a last-minute change of heart that keeps the door open for Commonwealth champion Jess Stenson to complete a remarkable comeback in Paris.
John Lennon guitar sells for US$2.9m, breaking Beatles record | A guitar used by John Lennon has sold for US$2.9m (A$4.3m), setting what organisers have called a new world record for the highest-selling guitar at auction in Beatles history. The 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar, used in the recording of the Beatles’ 1965 Help! album and film, had not been seen or played for more than 50 years.
PNG officials say they do not expect to find survivors under rubble | Officials in Papua New Guinea have said they do not expect to find survivors under the rubble of a massive landslide in the country’s remote north, with the exact number of dead under almost two storeys of debris and mud still unknown.
In pictures
Archibald prize finalists: Julian Assange, Tony Armstrong, Chloé Hayden and more
The finalists for the 2024 Archibald prize have been revealed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The $100,000 prize is awarded to the best portrait of a person “distinguished in art, letters, science or politics” painted by an Australian resident. A winner will be announced on 7 June.
A portrait of the Indigenous rapper Baker Boy by Matt Adnate has won the $3,000 packing room prize in the annual Archibald prize.
What they said …
***
“The root of the crisis remains totally intact.” – Green senator Mehreen Faruqi
After the release of new data which shows residents in the seat of Melbourne have the highest amount of student debt, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, the deputy leader of the Greens and spokesperson for higher education, took aim at Labor’s student debt relief policy, announced in the federal budget, labelling it as a “tokenistic farce”.
Before bed read
My first time at a burlesque class: ‘Could I thrust with a force that could kill a man?’
In her fortnightly review of fitness and wellbeing activities, the comedian Jennifer Wong overcomes her apprehension of “whorish vagina dancing” – and then the gloves come off.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: EFF. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter.
And check out the full list of our local and international newsletters, including The Stakes, your guide to the twists and turns of the US presidential election.
