Victorian government introduces life sentences for ‘evil’ youth crime recruiters
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, held a press conference to announce new laws will be introduced to parliament today that will impose life sentences on crime figures who use children to carry out crimes such as arson and carjackings.
The bill creates a new aggravated offence of recruiting a child to commit a serious crime, which carries a life sentence. The legislation also removes the requirement for the offender to know that the child was underage.
It comes after the government increased the maximum penalty for child recruitment from 10 to 15 years in November last year. She said:
Hiring kids to do their dirty work is just pure evil, and Victorians are rightly horrified by the behaviour of organised crime figures who are using kids, particularly some with intellectual disabilities, to carry out crimes, particularly in the area of arson.
So today we are introducing legislation into the Victorian parliament to create a new aggravated offence of recruiting children to commit serious crimes, and perpetrators of these crimes will be facing life in prison. This offence will apply whether the crime has been carried out or not.
Two more men charged with murder after death of Baghsarian
Two men have been charged with murder following the death of Chris Baghsarian, 85, who police say was mistakenly kidnapped from his home in February.
NSW police said they executed a search warrant in the Sydney suburb of Shalvey on Tuesday morning, where they arrested a 19-year-old man. A short time later, they arrested another man, 21, in Silverwater.
Both have since been charged with murder and taking or detaining in company with the intent to ransom, occasioning actual bodily harm. They were refused bail and will appear before local court today.
Four other people have previously been charged in connection with Baghsarian’s death. They remain before the courts.
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Childcare workers avoid major pay cut as government funds $3.6bn retention payment extension
The government will spend another $3.6bn to extend funding for a critical pay rise for 60,000 childcare educators, due to expire later this year, avoiding a major pay cut for the industry, following sustained pressure from the sector.
Labor said the funding for a 15% increase in childcare salaries will be tied to providers limiting their fee increases.
The decision comes weeks before a union coordinated walk off of up to 20,000 childcare workers across the country. The united workers union had warned staff were facing a pay cut of between 4% and 15% cut if the government did not extend the payment.
Labor promised educators a 15% pay rise over two years in 2024 also at the cost of $3.6bn, which it hoped would align with a staged pay rise for the sector under the Fair Work Commission’s gender undervaluation decision. But the commission rejected a push to front-load the increases meaning the government has had to fund the gap.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese says:
[Early educators] do incredibly important work and they deserve to be fairly paid for it.
Only childcare centres who agree to limit their fees for parents will be eligible to receive funding for this wage increase for workers.
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Shadow treasurer says most Australians won’t see RBA decision as ‘good news’
Tim Wilson, the shadow treasurer, said the RBA decision yesterday to leave interest rates on hold would not be seen as “good news” by many Australian households still struggling with the high cost of living.
Wilson spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying the government needed to “take pressure out of the economy” and stop inflation so interest rates can be cut once more. He went on:
My much bigger concern on the current trajectory is that the Treasury is trying to crash the economy, which is only going to lead to higher unemployment. And of course, it doesn’t even mean that interest rates will go down …
If you want to build out the future of the economy, encourage [and] incentivise growth, and most importantly, get a pathway so all Australians look to the future with hope and confidence.
Wilson said everyone was waiting to see how the temporary Iran deal will play out when it comes to the global economy, and if the cut to the fuel excise in Australia should continue, but “we’re all cautious for a reason”.
What we don’t want is the government to give money back to Australians with one hand, then just take it in inflation with another, which will mean not just inflation, less in your red basket at the supermarket, less at the trolley, but also, of course, higher interest rates as well.
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Kyle Sandilands to start his own show and share revenue with ARN
ARN Media told the ASX this morning it had entered a binding settlement with Kyle Sandilands, which terminated all claims and counter claims in the federal court.
The agreement includes $1.5m in advertising for Sandilands’ new independent broadcast in return for the radio host sharing 19.9% of any revenue for three years with ARN Media.
The financial agreement means Sandilands has severed all ties with ARN, and will not be able to appear on any radio stations which compete with Kiis FM for nine months, the company told the ASX.
Sandilands and his co-host on Kiis FM’s Breakfast Show, Jackie “O” Henderson, took separate legal action against ARN after the company terminated their 10-year contracts a year in.
Sandilands and Henderson were seeking $85m and $82m respectively, and a date had been set down for a lengthy and costly trial.
While the Sandilands matter has been settled the company announced the Henderson proceedings remain ongoing.
The settlement agreement provides for the full and final resolution of all claims and counterclaims between the parties, including those relating to the previously announced Federal Court proceedings.
ARN said it had agreed to pay Sandilands a cash settlement sum of $12.09m with $3m payable in July 2026 and the balance payable monthly until June 2029.
Mr Sandilands has advised ARN that he intends to pursue independent media opportunities. As part of the settlement, ARN will provide Mr Sandilands with advertising services on ARN’s partner platforms of $1,500,000 over the next three years.
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Coogee shark victim Gofundme raises $340,000 as swimmer drowns at Manly
A massive wave of community support continues to build for Coogee shark attack survivor Leah Stewart, with a Gofundme campaign surging past $340,000 within just two days of its launch.
The mobilisation of funds comes as Sydney’s coastline continues to face a grim week, with a fresh tragedy on the Northern Beaches yesterday.
A man died after being pulled from the water at Shelly Beach at Manly yesterday afternoon.
Emergency services were called following reports two swimmers had been caught in a rip and then pulled from the water with one man unconscious.
Police officers and NSW Ambulance paramedics commenced CPR on a man in his 40s, before he was taken to hospital in a critical condition, where he later died. The other swimmer, a 20-year-old man, was uninjured.
It is believed the deceased man is a US national and was spear fishing.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
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Sandilands settles with KIIS FM for $12m
Kyle Sandilands has settled his legal dispute with ARN Media with a $12m cash payment over three years, but Jackie O Henderson’s $82m claim against the broadcaster will continue.
The shock jock agreed to drop his $85m lawsuit against KIIS FM, in return for a cash payment and $1.5m in advertising contra on ARN’s stations for a new broadcasting venture yet to be announced.
“Restraints prevent Mr Sandilands from engaging with ARN’s direct competitors for a maximum period of up to nine months from the date of settlement, expiring in March 2027,” ARN said.
Greens refer Labor public housing tower redevelopment to ombudsman
The Victorian Greens have referred the state Labor government’s plan to demolish and redevelop the state’s 44 high-rise public housing towers to the state ombudsman and will use parliament today to try to expedite an investigation.
The party’s housing spokesperson, Gabrielle de Vietri, confirmed she wrote to the ombudsman seeking an investigation into several issues including the condition of towers awaiting demolition, the treatment of residents, the impact of relocations on their wellbeing, the adequacy of alternative housing offered and whether the relocation practices are compatible with residents’ human rights.
She has also asked the ombudsman to specifically examine the impact on older Victorians living in public housing towers earmarked for demolition.
The Greens will also move a motion in the upper house on Wednesday, which if passed, will require the ombudsman to report back within six months.
It follows the government’s release of its response to a parliamentary inquiry into the redevelopment, in which it supported only four of the 21 recommendations.
De Vietri said:
The inquiry heard evidence of residents being pressured to relocate, deceived about their rights and fearful of losing their homes and communities. Those allegations are serious, but Labor’s response shows they haven’t taken them seriously … They don’t care what the experts say or what people think. We’ve had to send in the Ombudsman to hold Labor to account before they do irreparable damage.
The Greens will also use their time in the upper house on Wednesday to introduce their better rights in police custody bill, which creates a mechanism to safely reduce prison overcrowding when correctional facilities reach dangerous capacity levels.
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Mark Butler says it’s time to ‘get on’ with NDIS changes
Health minister Mark Butler said it’s time to “get on with the work” of changing the NDIS, saying he believes the proposed legislation is ready to be debated next week.
Butler spoke to RN this morning ahead of the release of a Senate committee report into the proposed changes, with the health minister set on passing the legislative changes during the next sitting period. That report is due to be released on Friday, just days before parliament returns on Monday.
Butler said he believes the “broad direction” of the NDIS changes are “absolutely the right” move, reflecting years of work. He went on:
I’m absolutely convinced the plan I announced eight weeks or so ago is the right plan for the NDIS. But there will also be some things that we are looking at, as I said from the debate in the house of representatives, some of the crossbenchers’ proposed amendments just to improve things like transparency and some other things like that. …
This work has been going on for three years to get the NDIS back on track. It is time for us all to get on with the work of implementing it.
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Good morning, it’s Nick Visser here again to take you through the morning’s news. Let’s get to it.
Allan said that ignoring such messaging normalised hostility, adding that she wanted her son and daughter to grow up in a world where public service did not subject women to gendered degradation.
When grilled by Sarah Ferguson over the criminal infiltration of the Construction Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) into Victoria’s infrastructure projects, a portfolio Allan managed directly prior to becoming premier, she disputed the figure reported by Rotting from the Top that estimated systemic corruption and inflated procurement costs had cost Victorian taxpayers $15bn.
But she did not clarify whether she or her department had requested an official calculation of the true taxpayer cost, instead saying that 88 criminal charges had been laid by Victoria police and about 150 construction industry licenses had been cancelled by the Labor Hire.
Jacinta Allan pressed on collapse in Labor’s support
In a bruising interview on ABC’s 7.30 last night, Victorian premier Jacinta Allan grappled to answer questions about the collapse in Labor’s support and allegations of escalating multi-billion-dollar union corruption, just five months out from the state election.
A new poll released last week showed Labor trailing in third place on primary votes at just 21%, behind the Coalition and a surging One Nation. With her personal net approval rating sitting at an all time low, Allan upped the government’s ante on working from home, saying it was a human right.
She said a state consultation survey of 37,000 people found that “thousands and thousands” had said their work-from-home requests had been denied by their bosses.
The premier also addressed the appearance of mobile billboards driving through Melbourne depicting her in AI-generated images wearing a black witch’s hat alongside the slogan “Ditch the Witch” – a revival of the phrase used against former prime minister Julia Gillard. The $105,000 campaign was funded by a group of local business owners, including Franco Puleo, the owner of the Gotham City brothel in South Melbourne.
Allan linked the extreme political rhetoric to the physical safety of female politicians.
“There is absolutely no place for gendered attacks on any woman in any workplace. You have to take a stand. You have to call this out.”
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Pauline Hanson to address National Press Club for first time in her political career
Pauline Hanson will address the National Press Club in Canberra for the first time in her three decades in politics today.
Monash University’s head of politics Zareh Ghazarian said Hanson’s address should give an overview of what her party would be like, in addition to its broad policies and aspirations.
“One Nation is at a transition point from being a minor anti-establishment party to potentially being on the cusp of a major political breakthrough,” he told AAP.
“There’s a lot riding on this speech. It’s going to be closely watched by media, but a lot of other Australians as well as the political parties.
“Hanson has to perform well to convince those on the fence, that her party and leadership is something to get behind.”
Consistent polling has shown One Nation has become Australia’s most popular political party, and has a substantial lead over the Coalition on primary voting indication.
Polls show Hanson is also now the preferred prime minister.
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US military stockpile to be kept in Melbourne then moved to rural Victoria, report says
The Australian stockpile, expected to reach full capacity by 2028, will be kept in Melbourne before being moved to US warehouses to be constructed next year at an Australian military base at Bandiana in rural Victoria, tender documents show, according to AFP.
“Marine Corps activities in Australia support integrated global sustainment by maintaining ready-for-issue equipment and supplies for operations and exercises across the Indo-Pacific,” a US Marine Corps spokesperson told AFP.
The spokesperson declined to comment on contract details or force planning assumptions but said Marines equipment is kept at “high readiness”.
Contracting arrangements and the operation of the facility would be made in close coordination with Australia’s Department of Defence.
“These activities improve responsiveness, strengthen interoperability with allies and partners, and support a range of missions across the Indo-Pacific,” the spokesperson said, using an alternative description for the Asia-Pacific region.
US army trucks were left at the Bandiana base in 2023 after an Australian war game involving US troops held every two years. The marines stockpile at Bandiana, approved last July, is separate.
“Marine Corps and Army equipment programmes are designed to support their respective service requirements and are managed under separate authorities and processes,” the marines spokesperson said.
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US military plans war-ready weapons stockpile in Victoria – report
The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps in Victoria beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender documents show according to Agence France-Presse.
The development of the stockpile, a first for the Marine Corps in Australia, comes as the United States is keen to leverage the continent’s strategic location in the South Pacific to counter China’s rapid military build-up, analysts said.
The US Marine Corps began global prepositioning of military supplies during the Cold War – using floating stores on ships and caves in Norway where weapons, ammunition and vehicles to sustain thousands of troops are kept.
The first land stockpile in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to open this year in the Philippines, close to potential flashpoints in the South China Sea.
Documents published by the US Navy this month show advanced planning for an even larger Australian stockpile, with US$30m allocated to build warehouses and offices in Victoria for “critical forward provisioning”.
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Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action.
The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps in Victoria beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender documents show according to reports this morning.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan was given a tough grilling on ABC’s 7.30 last night when she struggled to answer questions about the collapse in Labor’s support and allegations of union corruption. More coming up.
And One Nation founder Pauline Hanson will address the National Press Club in Canberra today for the first time in her three decades in politics, as her party hits record poll highs.
