Good afternoon. An inquest into the disappearance of toddler William Tyrrell will examine a police theory that his foster mother loaded his body into a car and disposed of it close to where he died.
The inquest has been reopened for a fifth round of evidence, with counsel assisting Gerard Craddock SC saying the prevailing theory was that the boy’s foster mother found him already deceased after a fall from the balcony at the Kendall property on 12 September 2014.
Police believe she then alerted a neighbour to the boy’s alleged disappearance, before driving down the road to dispose of his remains in some undergrowth, the deputy NSW coroner, Harriet Grahame, heard.
The inquest into William’s disappearance began in March 2019 but was adjourned in October 2020. No one has been charged in the case and there remains a $1m reward for information.
Top news
Federal police search PwC office over tax leaks scandal | PwC Australia’s CEO told staff AFP officers may be searching the firm’s Sydney headquarters for “several days” in relation to an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct by former staff, after confidential Treasury information was shared in breach of disclosure laws.
Mineral Resources boss ordered to step down | Chris Ellison has been fined $8.8m and will leave the company within 18 months as part of an “orderly transition” after the board found the billionaire chief executive had at times used company resources for his personal benefit.
Flight upgrade debate continues in estimates | The secretary of the transport department has claimed “it’s standard practice” for senior bureaucrats to have Qantas Chairman’s Lounge memberships. Meanwhile, independent MP Allegra Spender said she had cancelled her Qantas and Virgin VIP lounge memberships and called for an end to free flight upgrades.
Family of slain rapper denies gang links | The brother of Pal Bidong, who died outside a North Melbourne nightclub on Saturday, said rumours of “gang stuff” surrounding the shooting were based on a “false narrative” about African people in Australia.
Search for boy swept out to sea | A search has resumed for an 11-year-old boy who was swept out to sea on the NSW Central Coast on Sunday, with a local life-saver saying not even an Olympic swimmer could have swum against the “treacherous” current.
Support for nuclear will evaporate, Chris Bowen predicts | The climate change and energy minister said that, while some voters were open to nuclear plants being allowed in Australia, he believes Australians would probably vote in favour of more renewable energy at the next election.
Harris campaigns two days out from poll | Campaigning in Michigan, Kamala Harris pledged to “do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza”, as she attempted to appeal to the state’s large Arab American and Muslim American population, but dodged a question on whether she voted for a controversial California tough-on-crime measure.
UN says Israel bombed Gaza vaccination centre | At least three children were injured after a polio vaccination centre and the car of a UN aid official came under fire while a vaccination campaign was under way, the director of Unicef said.
Pro-western incumbent wins Moldova election | With 97% of votes counted, Maia Sandu appears to have defeated her Russia-leaning rival in a runoff to win a second term in office, marking a significant boost for the country’s EU aspirations and a rebuke to Moscow.
In video
Coldplay’s Chris Martin falls through stage at Melbourne show
Just weeks after the US pop star Olivia Rodrigo fell through the stage at a different Melbourne venue, the Coldplay singer was talking to the crowd at Marvel Stadium when he walked backwards into a large open hole in the thrust stage. A shocked gasp was heard from the audience before Martin said: “That’s uh, not planned, thank you for catching me, so much. Thank you guys, holy shit.”
What they said …
***
“I shouldn’t have left, I mean honestly, we did so well” – Donald Trump
At a rally in Pennsylvania, the former US president said he should have never left the White House after his defeat in 2020, and joked darkly he would be fine with reporters getting shot. Later in the day, at a rally in Georgia, Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric, saying he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1790, under which Japanese, Italian and German Americans were interned during the second world war.
In numbers
The proportion of all doctors’ visits that are bulk billed has increased by 1.7 points from 75.6% in October last year to 77.3% this October, according to figures released by the health minister, Mark Butler. It follows the November 2023 move to triple the incentive for GPs to bulk bill pensioners, concession card holders and children.
Before bed read
Three things with Jennifer Wong: ‘The painting is truly the respect that persimmons and Bachelor Girl deserve’
In Guardian Australia’s weekly interview about objects, the writer and comedian tells us about a friend’s sweet artwork – and her fondness for newsboy caps.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ANTI. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know with our Morning Mail newsletter.
