What we learned: Friday, 4 July
This is where we’ll leave the blog for the evening. I hope you have a great night, wherever you are. Here were today’s top stories:
Police were investigating after two men were found dead in a house in inner-city Sydney. The men, yet to be identified, were believed to be in their 70s and 80s. Detectives had spoken to a 63-year-old woman who lives at the same house.
The jury deliberations in the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson will continue into a sixth day. The jury will meet again tomorrow to consider a verdict on Saturday at the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell.
The deputy police commissioner, David Hudson, appeared before the NSW inquiry into antisemitism, where he was asked about 14 incidents over the summer in Sydney, which included arson attacks on a childcare centre and a synagogue, and which the Australian federal police subsequently revealed they believed to be a “con job” by organised crime to influence prosecutions.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese made a veiled criticism of Trump’s America First policies in the US. In a keynote speech at News Corp’s Economic Outlook event earlier today, Albanese said Australia “does not need to go looking overseas”.
The federal education minister, Jason Clare, said federal childcare centre investigators would have the ability to do spot checks and unannounced visits as part of new laws to be introduced in response to shocking allegations of child sexual abuse this week.
A man was shot dead at a rural Victorian property during a siege after police said he fired at them with an alleged “homemade firearm”. Police said they were called to Menzies Drive in Daisy Hill, near the town of Maryborough, following a report that a man discharged a firearm.
Qantas said it would soon finish informing 6 million customers whose data was stolen by cyber criminals exactly what type of personal information was harvested. The airline said it remained unclear who was responsible for the cyber-attack and that it had not receive a ransom request.
And two teenagers were charged over the alleged fatal stabbing of a man in western Sydney last week, New South Wales police said. Police said they believed 21-year-old Luke Manassa may have allegedly been killed in a case of mistaken identity.
Updated
Patterson jury deliberations to continue into a sixth day
The jury in the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson have finished their deliberations for today, but will meet again tomorrow to consider a verdict on Saturday at the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell.
Patterson, 50, is charged with three counts of murder and one of attempted murder over the alleged poisoning of four lunch guests with beef wellingtons served at her house in Leongatha on 29 July 2023.
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to murdering the relatives of her estranged husband, Simon Patterson – his parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and aunt, Heather Wilkinson – and attempting to murder his uncle, Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband.
The jury retired to consider its verdict on Monday after a 10-week trial.
Updated
