Moments after killing two police officers on their property at Wieambilla in Queensland, Gareth and Stacey Train huddled together in the dark and recorded a video.
“They came to kill us and we killed them,” Gareth said. The video was uploaded on Monday night on a now-deleted YouTube account as well as another online conspiracy site. The prime minister is urging media outlets not to publish the video.
“This is a shocking and devastating crime and I would encourage media outlets and others do not publish in any way such material that I have not seen and are not aware of the nature of,” Anthony Albanese said.
The video is the latest disturbing revelation as details continue to surface surrounding the ambush, and the lives of the three shooters.
Top news
Labor lifts ban on citizenship ceremonies | Local councils will be permitted to hold citizenship ceremonies outside of Australia Day. The move lifts a Coalition-era ban prohibiting councils from moving the date of ceremonies. “The days of citizenship being used as a culture war are over under this government,” Labor minister Chris Bowen said.
Covid wave still with us | … but at varying trajectories. Victoria saw its numbers fall from the previous week, with 84 deaths, 675 in hospital and 27,790 new cases reported. New South Wales steadied at 74 deaths, 1,606 in hospital and 40,194 new cases. But numbers are rising in Queensland, with deaths more than doubling in the past week and cases increasing by more than 3,000. The state recorded 33 deaths, 515 in hospital and 16,600 new cases this past week.
Michael McCormack falls ill after Pacific drink | The Nationals MP was in Micronesia when he drank kava – a ceremonial drink also known as Sakau. “In a bid to show my respect to local traditions I drank the whole bowl of Sakau,” he said. That decision landed McCormack in hospital for treatment. He fortunately rode through the hazy phase, later tweeting he was “feeling much better now”.
Administrative Appeals Tribunal abolished | The federal government has been applauded for its decision to abolish the tribunal, which attorney general Mark Dreyfus dubbed “a disgraceful exhibition of cronyism by the Liberal party”. The body, which was originally designed to provide an independent review of government decisions, was stacked with Liberal MPs and associates – at least 85 over the last nine years. The Greens and the Australia Institute welcomed the decision.
Chips shortage | Coles has imposed a limit on sales of frozen chips because of a potato shortage. Farmers are blaming a cold and wet winter for the shortfall, which is likely to persist until January. Coles customers will be temporarily limited to two items.
Malaysia landslide kills at least eight | The landslide engulfed a campsite about 50km north of Kuala Lumpur, falling in the early hours of this morning. A child and a woman were found among the dead, with 53 people so far rescued. The campsite is located on an organic farm not far from the Genting Highlands hill resort, a popular tourist destination with theme parks and Malaysia’s only casino.
Deadly Peru protests | The death toll in Peru has climbed to 12 amid ongoing protests sparked by the removal of president Pedro Castillo from power last week. A judge has ordered Castillo to remain in preventive detention for 18 months pending trial on charges of rebellion for his attempt to shutter congress and rule by decree. The country’s new government declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday, deploying the army on the streets and suspending the right to gather and move freely.
Twitter suspends journalists | Twitter has suspended accounts of several journalists from CNN, Mashable, the Washington Post and the New York Times, all of whom had reported on Elon Musk. It comes a day after the platform banned an account tracking the billionaire’s private jet. It’s the latest move seemingly contradicting Musk’s claims of being a champion of free speech.
Full Story
The most pivotal stories of the year – with Lenore Taylor and Mike Ticher
A new government, floods, Covid and a cost-of-living crisis – we take a look at the pivotal stories that shaped 2022 in this 23-minute episode.
What they said …
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“That sort of shrill response is just laughable. I understand chief executives’ desire to maximise their profits. We have a different job. Our job is to act in the national interest … to protect Australian industries, to protect Australians.” – Chris Bowen
Bowen was hitting back at complaints from the Santos chief executive that the price caps on coal and gas were “Soviet-style policy”.
In numbers
Bernie Sanders was one of 11 senators who voted against the defence bill, tweeting: “At a time when we spend more than the next 11 nations combined on defence, we should invest in health care, jobs, housing and education – not more weapons of destruction.”
Before bed read
Didi Conn, the actor who played Frenchy in Grease alongside Olivia Newton-John all those years ago, has remembered her co-star and friend in this touching tribute.
“She would always send me beautiful orchids on my birthday. This year I got very sick and was in the hospital for two months. When I got home I called her and she said: ‘I heard from so-and-so you were sick. Why didn’t you tell me?’ The next day, I got beautiful orchids from her. Well, the day before she died, one of those orchid buds fell down, and I just had a feeling that that meant something. Then sure enough I got the call that she had gone.”
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