2 weeks ago
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
South Australia Police investigating discovery of body at Adelaide beach
Police and paramedics were called to the O’Sullivan beach boat ramp after a body was seen floating in the water just before 10.30am this morning, police said.
The 29-year-old man from Christie Downs was brought to shore but could not be revived.
The death is not being treated as suspicious and police are preparing a report for the Coroner, police said.
Man rescued from Kosciuszko national park after becoming unwell
Specialist Alpine Operations police were involved in the multi-agency rescue overnight, New South Wales Police said.
Facing snow and high winds, 10 police, paramedics and SES search and rescue members went to the aid of the group of 11 hikers who called for assistance about 9.30am yesterday, police said in a statement.
On arrival near the Illawong Hut within the national park, a 20-year-old man was assessed and evacuated from the location using a specialist alpine sled. A second hiker also suffered a shoulder injury.
The rest of the group returned to Guthega, near Perisher resort.
Police reminded Kosciuszko park visitors to prepare and monitor weather forecasts closely. They also advised using online national parks and Wildlife Services Trip Intention Forms and personal locator beacons.
Penny Wong welcomes European court of human rights’ ruling on Russia’s responsibility for downing of Flight MH17
Writing on X today, the foreign minister said it was “another historic moment for the 298 victims and their loved ones, including the 38 victims who called Australia home.”
She added:
This ruling follows the ICAO Council’s decision in May that Russia is responsible and must negotiate with Australia and the Netherlands on full reparations. We again call upon Russia to face up to its responsibility and make reparations for this horrific act.
Read more here:
Rafqa Touma, thank you for your great work today – and on all other days, as this was your last time leading our news blog. Best of luck with your new role in our multimedia team!
Hello readers, I’m Daisy Dumas and I’ll be with you for the rest of the afternoon.
Rafqa Touma
Thank you for joining me on the blog today. Handing over now to Daisy Dumas who will keep you posted into the afternoon. Have a good one.
One dead, three hospitalised after vehicle 'lost control'
One pedestrian has died and two are in hospital after a vehicle lost control in Wantirna South, Melbourne, this afternoon.
The vehicle struck three pedestrians before driving through a fence on Coleman Rd about 12:20pm, Victoria Police said in a statement. They believe the vehicle “lost control”.
One of the pedestrians died at the scene. A second was hospitalised in a critical condition, and a third with serious injuries.
The driver of the vehicle was not seriously injured, but has been hospitalised.
“The exact circumstances surrounding the collision are yet to be determined and Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives will investigate,” police said. They ask anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam footage or information to contact Crime Stoppers.
Recording device found in toilet at major hospital
A man is under arrest after a recording device was found in a toilet at a major hospital.
Police say a phone was found at a restricted toilet for staff inside the The Austin Hospital in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburb of Heidelberg on July 3.
Investigators believe it was there for “for some time” before workers became aware of the device and reported it to police.
A 27-year-old Heidelberg West man, reportedly a trainee surgeon, was arrested on Thursday morning and is being interviewed by detectives.
A spokesperson for the Austin Hospital confirmed police had been contacted.
“We take the safety and wellbeing of our staff extremely seriously and recently made a formal report to Victoria Police,” they said.
“As this matter is now with the police, we are not able to share more information about the nature of the report.”
- Australian Associated Press
Discovery of invasive aquatic weeds in NT ‘an urgent wake-up call’
The Invasive Species Council is warning that one of the world’s worst aquatic weeds has been spotted in the Northern Territory.
“The discovery of Amazon frogbit in the Northern Territory is an urgent wake-up call,” the council said in a statement.
Frogbit spreads rapidly and creates an impenetrable layer on the surface of water that can cause a choking effect for aquatic and bird life and degrade water quality, the statement said.
Reece Pianta, the advocacy manager at the Invasive Species Council, is calling on the federal government to intervene to stop invasive plants from being spread across borders:
This is one of the world’s worst aquatic weeds – and now it’s at the doorstep of Darwin’s drinking water. Amazon frogbit is already restricted in NT, NSW and WA, yet it’s still being sold and traded in Queensland where it was first detected more than a decade ago.
As long as people can buy it online, at aquarium stores or at markets, every state and territory is at risk.
We are urgently calling on the federal government to deliver a plan for a nationally consistent approach to stop high-risk invasive plants like frogbit from being bought, sold or spread across borders.
For most of Australia this is an early-stage invader – if we act now, we can stop frogbit from becoming the next waterweed catastrophe. If we don’t, we’ll be dealing with the same costly, persistent infestations that are already impacting biodiversity, irrigation infrastructure and waterway health across Queensland.
Funeral insurance provider fined $3.5m for falsely claiming Aboriginal ownership or management
ACBF Funeral Plans Pty Ltd has to pay another $3.5m penalty for misrepresenting that the funeral expenses insurance provider was Aboriginal owned or managed when it was not, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission said in a statement.
The multimillion dollar penalty handed down by the federal court today comes on top of a $1.2m penalty ordered in September 2023 related to a seperate misrepresentation “that consumers would receive a lump sum payment when this was not the case,” the Asic statement continued.
ACBF are facing a total $4.7m of penalties.
“Today’s penalty is a strong deterrent to anyone who tries to mislead Aboriginal consumers by falsely claiming Aboriginal ownership or management,” Asic chair, Joe Longo, said.
It is one of ASIC’s enduring priorities to tackle misconduct targeting First Nations people and our work in this case shows exactly why.
Asic’s statement continued:
In handing down his decision, Justice Goodman agreed with ASIC’s submission that the making of the representation that ACBF was Aboriginal owned or managed when it was not was deliberate and callous and involved egregious conduct.
Today’s penalty decision comes after ASIC’s successful appeal to the Full Federal Court overturning part of an earlier Federal Court decision in relation to ACBF and Youpla Group Pty Ltd (Youpla) handed down on 29 February 2024. The matter was remitted to the Federal Court for a decision on the appropriate penalty which was delivered today.
ACBF Funeral Plans Pty Ltd is in liquidation.
Body recovered near Northern Territory waterfalls
The body of a 57-year-old man has been recovered from Edith Falls, Northern Territory, after he went missing on Tuesday.
Police recovered the man’s body near one of the waterfalls a short time ago, NT police said in a statement. He had not been seen since entering a plunge pool at Edith Falls around 3pm on Tuesday.
Police believe the death was not suspicious, and was a result of a medical incident. A report will be prepared for the coroner. Their statement continued:
The Northern Territory Police Force would like to pass on our condolences to the family and thank the members of the public, Parks and Wildlife, NT Life Saving, Department of Climate Change, Energy and the Environment and Water for their support.
The upper and lower pools of Edith Falls and the walking track to the upper pool are expected to remain closed for the rest of the day.
Pedestrians hit by vehicle in Melbourne
Multiple pedestrians have been hit by a vehicle on Coleman Road, in Wantirna South, Victoria, police understand.
Emergency services are at the scene of the collision, which “is not believed to be intentional,” police said in a statement.
The patients’ conditions are still being assessed.
UN report will be a critical test of Great Barrier Reef’s health
The Great Barrier Reef’s world heritage status is under pressure as the UN committee orders a full report on efforts to protect the marine wonder.
The federal environment minister, Murray Watt, is in Paris for the world heritage committee’s 47th session where the committee adopted a draft decision from Unesco released in May. It recognises sustained action Australia has taken to protect the reef and delivering on past commitments.
The decision also requests Australia provide a state of conservation report by February, a more comprehensive review than the progress reports it has been asked to produce in recent years.
Should progress on protecting the world heritage site be deemed inadequate after the state of conservation report, it could be recommended for inscription on the ‘in danger’ list in 2026.
“The full review in 2026 will be a critical test,” said Dr Lissa Schindler from the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
Climate change remains the biggest threat to the complex ecosystem and the driver of repeat mass coral bleaching events.
Land-based runoff from nearby towns, industry and agriculture can further damage the marine landscape, including by contributing to outbreaks of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish.
Coastal flooding following natural disasters in Queensland’s north have also been exacerbating water quality problems.
Flooding impacted more than 700km of the reef.
- Australian Associated Press
Josh Butler
Coalition backs antisemitism plan but accuses Labor of a ‘lack of leadership’
The Coalition opposition has backed Jillian Segal’s plan to tackle antisemitism, but claims the Labor government has demonstrated a “lack of leadership” on the issue.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, noted Anthony Albanese had not directly committed to implementing any specific measures from the antisemitism envoy’s recommendations. She said Australians “deserve some clarity” on the government’s plans.
“This report shows antisemitism is not just a problem of security or law enforcement. It’s a cultural and societal cancer that needs attention through our schools, universities, media, and even the arts,” she said.
The shadow attorney general, Julian Leeser, who is Jewish, also accused Labor of a “lack of commitment”.
“Fighting the tidal wave of antisemitism cannot be left to the envoy alone, it needs the prime minister’s commitment, not just to hear the envoy’s advocacy, but to action her policies,” he said.
In such an environment we want to see the prime minister leading the fight on antisemitism and being accountable for the outcome. It’s time his actions matched his words.
The shadow home affairs minister, Andrew Hastie, called for “a whole-of-government response”, demanding “the full weight of the commonwealth’s resolve, starting with the prime minister”.
