Good afternoon. A police officer who fatally shot a 95-year-old woman in a nursing home with a Taser because she refused to put down a sharp knife has been convicted of manslaughter in the New South Wales supreme court.
A jury heard Sen Const Kristian White was called to a nursing home in Cooma in May 2023. After Clare Nowland refused instructions to put down the sharp, serrated knife over several hours, the court heard White discharged his Taser, knocking the great-grandmother backwards, during which she struck her head. Nowland died a week later from bleeding on the brain.
White’s barrister had argued that White’s use of the Taser was a reasonable use of force against an imminent threat, while crown prosecutors argued White’s utterance of “nah, bugger it” before discharging the stun gun showed he was “fed up, impatient” with the 95-year-old.
White will remain on bail until he is sentenced, with Justice Ian Harrison to hear arguments from the prosecution and defence on Friday.
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Coalition boasts it’s ‘running the immigration system’ | The shadow home affairs and immigration minister, Dan Tehan, made the claim after the opposition struck a deal to pass all three of the Albanese government’s controversial migration bills, in return for minor safeguards on new powers to ban travellers from whole countries and tougher scrutiny of protection visa applications.
ABC chair admits ‘poorer’ state of output | A funding reduction of $150m a year over the past decade has taken a “very real toll” on the broadcaster’s output – especially in drama, children’s programming, documentaries and regional coverage, Kim Williams has told the National Press Club.
Man charged over meth-soaked cow onesie | US authorities allege a California man tried to smuggle more than 1kg of the drug into Australia by soaking it into more than a dozen items of clothing packed into checked baggage for a flight bound for Sydney.
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In video
Fiery exchanges as Hanson calls for citizenship investigation of Fatima Payman; Thorpe gives Senate the finger
An extraordinary row erupted in the Senate as Pauline Hanson attempted to table documents alleging Fatima Payman, who was born in Afghanistan, had not shown sufficient evidence she had revoked that citizenship. In response, Payman labelled Hanson “vindictive, mean, nasty” and said she brings “disgrace to the human race”. After Hanson was allowed to table the documents, independent senator Lidia Thorpe threw papers at the One Nation leader, flipping her middle finger as she stormed out of the chamber.
What they said …
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“We are determined to prove you wrong.”
South Australia’s First Nations Voice has delivered its inaugural address to state parliament, with presiding member Leeroy Bilney delivering a defiant message to critics of the advisory body and those who voted no to the federal voice to parliament.
“Those of us who have been elected to the Voice realise just how incredible this moment is … so do not be discouraged, for today is a great day to be a First Nations [person] in SA.”
In numbers
The Victorian government has released the 56 out of 116 VCE exams affected by the VCE “cheat sheet” bungle, which saw the publication of sample cover pages containing hidden text of exam questions weeks before the tests were sat.
The affected exams included popular subjects such as biology, history, maths and English, which is compulsory for almost all year 12 students.
Before bed read
Joys of the flesh: eight delightful recipes to make the most of cheap mangoes
No Australian summer is complete without mangoes. And though the season is in its early days, prices are cheap at about $2 to $3 each – and the quality is good. Whether you like to eat them sweet, savoury or somewhere in between, here’s how to make the most of the tropical fruit.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: YAR. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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