Australia news live: two MPs cleared in Jacinta Allan manure investigation; search for couple missing in Tasmanian light plane called off

Victoria parliament’s new integrity watchdog clears MPs in manure investigation

Benita Kolovos

The Victorian parliament’s new integrity watchdog has botched its first investigation – into the manure dumped out the front of premier Jacinta Allan’s office – by issuing defective notices.

In a report tabled on Tuesday, the Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission made no finding of misconduct by Liberal MPs Bev McArthur and Nicole Werner, who assisted an angry farmer to deliver a box of cow manure to the door of Allan’s parliament office on 20 May.

Bev McArthur. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

They said the duo cooperated fully with their investigation. However, the commission midway through “became aware of a technical issue” with their investigation request notices as they were approved by a commissioner but issued by their staff:

Consequently, in the interests of transparency, fairness, and accountability, the commission has decided not to consider the evidence collected through the original request notices.

The commission decided not to reissue the notices because “repeating investigative interviews and evidence collection is not proportionate to the nature of the alleged conduct”.

The Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission was established in late 2024 to investigate all bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and victimisation complaints made against sitting MPs.

According to its 2024/25 annual report, tabled on Thursday, it has received 13 referrals since 1 January. Of those, seven were dismissed because they did not fall within the jurisdiction of the watchdog.

Updated at 08.16 CEST

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

Palestinian foreign minister says delegation ‘should have been’ in New York to witness state recognition

Dr Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Palestine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, says she is frustrated that a Palestinian delegation could not attend the UN General Assembly in New York because their US visas were denied.

Speaking with the ABC a short time ago, she said:

This was an historic moment and we would have loved to be joining the meeting in New York and celebrating this historic moment … we should have been there.

She said recognition was “long overdue” and was a legal, moral and ethical reward for Palestinians.

It’s their right to have a state of their own. That right is enshrined in international law. And today most of the world is saying yes to recognition and yes to the rights of the Palestinians and yes to the right of people to self-determination and yes to compliance with international law.

She said nonrecognition was a “reward to the extremists who do not [recognise] the two-state solution”. But the priority, she said, was a ceasefire, “because our people are being slaughtered on a daily basis”.

Search for Tasmanian light plane called off

Tasmanian police have formally suspended a search for a light plane that went missing last month in the state with two people on board.

Tasmania police inspector Craig Fox said extensive search operations had been conducted for the missing plane since 2 August in Tasmania’s north:

Considerable search efforts have been undertaken, utilising resources such as the Tasmania police helicopter for aerial searching and police vessels out on the water, but unfortunately the light plane, and its two occupants and their dog, have not been located.

Gregory Vaughan and his partner, Kim Worner. Photograph: Tasmania Police

Gregory Vaughan, 72, and his partner, Kim Worner, 66, from Deloraine, were in a light sport aircraft that took off from George Town airport about 12.45pm on Saturday, 2 August. The plane did not arrive at its destination in central NSW as scheduled, prompting family members to raise the alarm.

Fox said no new search areas had been identified and inquiries suggested the two missing people had not been in contact with anyone or aviation authorities since they left George Town.

A report will be prepared for the coroner, police said.

Updated at 08.27 CEST

Victoria parliament’s new integrity watchdog clears MPs in manure investigation

Benita Kolovos

Bev McArthur. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Consequently, in the interests of transparency, fairness, and accountability, the commission has decided not to consider the evidence collected through the original request notices.

The commission decided not to reissue the notices because “repeating investigative interviews and evidence collection is not proportionate to the nature of the alleged conduct”.

Updated at 08.16 CEST

Police dog and handler injured after freeway collision in Melbourne

Adeshola Ore

A Melbourne police dog named Rocco survived a freeway collision after being ejected from a patrol vehicle on Monday night.

Victoria police charged a man over the collision, in Melbourne’s north-west, which left Rocco and his handler injured.

Police alleged a white Mercedes-Benz collided with the rear of a police vehicle in Tullamarine at about 10.45pm last night. During the incident, Rocco the German shepherd was ejected from the police car.

The dog is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries and his handler was treated at the scene for minor injuries and taken to the hospital for observation.

The driver of the Mercedes, a 19-year-old man, stopped at the scene and was unharmed. A passenger in the vehicle, a woman, 21, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The man has since been charged with reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, driving in a dangerous manner, unlicensed driving and probationary driver using a prohibited vehicle.

He was bailed and is due to appear in court in January.

A man has been charged following a collision in Tullamarine that left a police dog and his handler with injuries last night. Photograph: Victoria policeShare

Updated at 08.03 CEST

Benita Kolovos

Two Labor MPS will not recontest their seats in next election

Two Victorian Labor MPs have announced they will not recontest their seats at the 2026 state election.

Bayswater MP Jackson Taylor and Melton MP Steve McGhie both announced their plans on Tuesday afternoon.

Both MPs were first elected at the 2018 “Danslide” election, with Taylor winning the eastern suburbs seat off the Liberals for the first time since 2006 after having served the local community as a police officer, a police prosecutor and a councillor.

He issued a statement on social media saying it was the “right time to step back” ahead of the birth of his second child. Taylor wrote:

Being in politics and public office has given me incredible opportunities to work with our community and achieve things together that I’m immensely proud of. But it has also meant a lot of time away from my family. This hasn’t been an easy decision, but after nearly 10 years in public life, including my time on council – it feels like the right time to step back.

Steve McGhie. Photograph: Christopher Hopkins/The Guardian

McGhie, meanwhile, won the western suburbs seat – and fended off challenges since – after 13 years leading the Victorian ambulance union. He wrote on social media that it was time to “pass the baton and create space for fresh energy and new ideas to the next generation”:

From the moment Dan Andrews encouraged me to put my hand up, it has been an absolute privilege to serve. I am grateful to have worked under the leadership of strong Labor Premiers, first Daniel Andrews and now Jacinta Allan.

Allan issued statements thanking both men for their service. Both will serve until the election. Labor will begin the process of preselecting candidates next week.

Updated at 07.12 CEST

Nick Visser

That’s all for me. Adeshola Ore will take it from here. Enjoy your Tuesday!

ShareJordyn Beazley

Sydney’s Night Stalker rapist pleads guilty to 13 charges over attacks against women in 1990s

A man accused of terrorising women in the early 1990s across Sydney, who was dubbed the Night Stalker, has pleaded guilty to 13 charges.

The man appeared before Downing Centre local court on Thursday, weeks after the serial rapist was unmasked as Glenn Gary Cameron. His identity had remained a secret since he was arrested more than 18 months ago due to suppression orders.

Cameron, now 61, was accused of assaulting at least eight women while in his 20s between 1991 and 1993 in Sydney’s inner-west and eastern suburbs, specifically Moore Park.

Centennial Parklands in Moore Park. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Cameron was arrested in February 2024 at Sydney airport after a breakthrough in forensic technology helped police progress the 30-year-old cold case.

He had initially faced 36 charges, including 19 counts of aggravated sexual assault involving a threat to inflict actual bodily harm on a victim with a weapon and eight counts of indecent assault.

ShareAndrew Messenger

Queensland’s premier declares he’s ‘not interested in fairweather friends’ from big corporates

David Crisafulli is giving his first state of the state address, an event organised by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia.

The premier repeated an oft-heard line about the state being “open for business”, but said that “should not be misconstrued as a chance for corporations to transfer their liabilities and the business downside to Queensland and to the Queensland government”.

David Crisafulli. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

The state government is currently under pressure by the resources sector to slash coal royalties after a string of coalmine closure announcements last week the mining lobby blamed on the state’s progressive royalties scheme. Crisafulli said:

We’re not interested in fair-weather friends who come running for the dollars when things are good, then abandon Queensland … in the name of shareholder profits when the going gets tough.

Meanwhile, Glencore has also threatened to close its giant Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery.

The state and federal governments recently presented the company a bailout plan. Crisafulli said “we will leave nothing in the tank to get this deal done”:

But it can’t be one-way traffic. Glencore needs to be prepared to amend their business model and commit to investing in the asset to ensure the continuity of a business – whoever may run it in the future. It’s a partnership. It’s two way street.

Updated at 06.35 CEST

Sarah Basford Canales

Australia’s aerial fire-fighting fleet to ramp up soon

The National Emergency Management Agency’s acting head, Joe Buffone, says Australia’s aerial fire-flighting fleet will ramp up significantly from next month ahead of the summer.

Buffone told a media briefing this morning there was just one Black Hawk helicopter in the national fleet at the moment, but the remaining 161 aircraft promised in May last year would begin filtering in from early October.

Photograph: John Crux Photography/Getty Images

NEMA’s boss said it was important that aircraft in the fleet could be utilised for different weather responses. For example, he said, a helicopter last year dealt mostly with flood responses despite having a primary responsibility for fire-fighting.

In response to some criticisms about the federal government not yet accepting recommendations from the 2020 bushfire royal commission, Buffone said:

The important thing is that we have the aircraft, the right mix of aircraft, for the season ahead and, in particular, as we said, our focus is shifting to this multi-use capability, which allows us to have aircraft for longer periods of time, more effective and [which can] actually can be used across multiple hazards.

Updated at 06.31 CEST

Jordyn Beazley

Police officer charged with assault after Hannah Thomas injured at pro-Palestine protest in Sydney

A New South Wales police officer has been charged with assaulting Hannah Thomas, who sustained a serious eye injury after she was arrested at a protest in June.

Thomas was arrested and charged alongside four others at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney on 27 June that was attended by about 60 people at SEC Plating.

Hannah Thomas. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

The 35-year-old was taken to hospital and underwent two rounds of surgery to her right eye and will soon undergo a third.

Earlier this month, the office of the director of public prosecutions (DPP) dropped all three charges against Thomas.

Share

Source

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today