Surfer dies after alleged stabbing at Coffs Harbour beach

Man, 22, believed to have been stabbed at Park Beach Reserve moments after leaving the water with police launching a murder investigation

A surfer has died after being found with stab wounds near a beach in Coffs Harbour on the mid-north coast of New South Wales.

The 22-year-old is believed to have been allegedly stabbed moments after leaving the water and was found in Park Beach Reserve at about 6.40am on Thursday.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

‘Quiet and respectful’ Sydney teenager part of group wanting to stab non-Muslims, court told

Court told during bail hearing that 15-year-old wanted to ‘do an attack’ and had ‘hatred’ for ‘kuffar’

A “quiet and respectful” 15-year-old being held on terrorism charges was allegedly part of a group chat in which he professed to wanting to “stab” and “attack” non-Muslims, a court has heard.

The messages were revealed in Parramatta children’s court on Wednesday as part of the teenager’s application for bail, after he was arrested and charged after recent counter-terrorism raids.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Australia news live: Pauline Hanson ‘plainly targeted’ Greens senator with well-known racist phrase, court told

Final submissions begin in racial discrimination case brought by Mehreen Faruqi against Hanson. Follow the today’s news live

As we flagged earlier, the treasurer Jim Chalmers will today announce foreign investment changes, with approvals to be made quicker and greater scrutiny to be placed on potential risks.

You can read all the details on this from Peter Hannam below:

Right now, we treat investments from right around the world more or less the same. We want to streamline it for the less-risky investments so we can devote much more time and energy and resources to screening the sorts of investments that we’re seeing in critical industries – like critical minerals, critical infrastructure, critical data, and the like.

This is all about strengthening the foreign investment framework to make sure that investment is in the national interest. We want to maximise the right kind of investment, but we want to minimise risk and that’s what these changes I’ll announce today are all about.

Continue reading...

More than 90% of marine animals caught in NSW shark nets over summer were non-target species

Exclusive: New documents reveal NSW government division over controversial program as data reveals death toll

More than 90% of marine animals caught in shark nets off New South Wales beaches over the summer were non-target species, with new documents revealing division within the government over the controversial program.

More than half of the 208 non-target species – such as turtles, dolphins and smaller sharks – that were caught in the nets over the past eight months were killed, data obtained by conservationists show.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Albanese heckled at Canberra rally to end violence against women – as it happened

This blog is now closed

Dai Le says funding for domestic violence prevention more important than a royal commission

Asked about social media platform Twitter and Elon Musk’s claims that efforts to ensure a video of a stabbing of an Assyrian priest be taken down globally would constitute a threat to “free speech”, Dai Le says supports the government’s effort but has concerns about potential overreach:

Honestly, how can we not stop images of violence?

What I think government needs to do is to get the funding and target that to communities. Communities are experiencing high domestic violence. Getting it implemented … ,making sure that we don’t alienate one group from another [is important].

It’s just not something people can take. It is very emotional for people and me as a person who escaped Vietnam and being a child who ran from the war, it’s very traumatic for me and very traumatic for people in my community.

I think that everybody, from my understanding, would like a two-state solution.

Continue reading...

Terrorism label puts multicultural communities ‘on edge’, independent MP Dai Le warns

Police and intelligence agencies should consult with multicultural communities before designating an incident an act of terror, Fowler MP says

Authorities need to consult multicultural communities to ensure labelling violent crimes a terror act does not alienate people, an independent MP says.

Dai Le, who represents the western Sydney electorate of Fowler where a bishop was stabbed during a sermon, called for police to be culturally aware of what declaring a terrorism incident could do to a community.

Continue reading...

Two dead in separate stabbings in NSW

Police are investigating after the deaths of a 16-year-old boy in Dubbo and a 28-year-old man in Sydney’s Quakers Hill

Two people have died after separate stabbings in New South Wales overnight.

Police are investigating the death of a man found with stab wounds in Sydney’s north-west, and the stabbing death of a teenager in the state’s west.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Taylor Swift makes Arias history; Tucker Carlson and Clive Palmer to headline ‘Australian freedom conferences’ – as it happened

This blog has now closed

As we reported, X has provided an update on its legal challenge against Australia’s eSafety commissioner, stating it had complied with a direction to remove content from the Wakeley church stabbing.

However, underneath the post from the platform’s global government affairs team (which we quoted in our previous post), the video is available to watch in a reply to the post, as of 7.45am AEST.

The eSafety Commissioner required X to remove posts containing a video of the attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, filmed by an innocent bystander. [The bishop] has expressed his desire for the video to remain online.

X believes it has complied with the notice issued by eSafety, and with Australian law, by restricting all the posts at issue in Australia.

Continue reading...

Sussan Ley ‘really disappointed’ with Elon Musk – as it happened

This blog is now closed

Hundreds gather in Sydney for Anzac Day dawn service

AAP has the details on Sydney’s dawn service where hundreds of people – including veterans – gathered under a full moon and clear skies for a solemn service in the CBD.

You who have loved will remember the glow of their glad young years, as you stand today to salute them in silence, with pride and with tears.

The best thing about the ceremony this morning is to see the number of people that come early in the morning.

Continue reading...

Synthetic opioids: warning issued in NSW after nitazenes cause cluster of overdoses

NSW Health investigating after powerful drugs detected in samples related to overdoses in Nepean Blue Mountains local health district

A cluster of 20 drug overdoses in New South Wales has prompted the state’s health department to issue a public warning about the danger of synthetic opioids, which are often substantially more powerful than heroin.

Called nitazenes, the drugs are often mixed into other substances such as MDMA and heroin without the user’s knowledge.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Seven juveniles with alleged ‘violent extremist ideology’ arrested in Sydney counter-terror raids

NSW police deputy commissioner says more than 400 police were involved in the raids

Seven juveniles have been arrested as part of extensive counter-terrorism raids across south-western Sydney, with police alleging they adhere to a “religiously motivated violent extremist ideology”.

New South Wales police said 13 search warrants were executed on Wednesday, leading to the arrest of seven “juveniles” including 15, 16 and 17-year-olds. Five others are assisting police with their inquiries.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Sydney counter-terror raids – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

Inspired by similar protests in the United States, students from Sydney University established a protest on the quad in support of Palestine last night, stating they will remain until the uni cuts ties “with Israeli universities and weapons manufacturers”.

In the US, dozens of students have been arrested at pro-Palestine demonstrations at Yale University and New York University amid similar protests:

For six months now, we have watched bombs rain down on Gaza. These bombs hit their civilian targets because of the research carried out by universities like Sydney University... Students have a responsibility to stand up and refuse to be complicit in genocide.

Continue reading...

Molly Ticehurst: review ordered into court decisions made before Forbes woman’s alleged murder

Chris Minns to announce details of review after court hears the man charged with her murder was on bail for other offences

The New South Wales government has ordered a review of the decisions a court made to bail a man facing charges of raping and stalking Molly Ticehurst, and who has subsequently been charged with her murder.

The premier, Chris Minns, said he would announce the details of the review on Wednesday after Daniel Billings was charged with the domestic violence murder of his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend.

Continue reading...

Beau Lamarre’s lawyer flags mental health defence to murder charges

Outside court in Sydney, John Walford says he is ‘not sure’ how his client will plead to alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies

The lawyer for former police officer and accused double murderer Beau Lamarre has suggested the charges could be defended on mental health grounds.

John Walford said on Tuesday the charges against his client – who is accused of murdering Jesse Baird, 26, and Luke Davies, 29 – could be defendable on mental health grounds.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Man charged with domestic murder of Forbes woman Molly Ticehurst was on bail for other offences

Queenslander Daniel Billings was on bail for earlier charges including stalking and cruelty before arrest for alleged murder, NSW court hears

A man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend in regional New South Wales while on bail for rape and stalking charges against her will remain behind bars.

Daniel Billings has been charged with the domestic violence murder of Molly Ticehurst, 28, whose body was found in a Forbes homes in the early hours of Monday.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Senator’s X account removed – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

Anglicare says government spending eight times more on private investors than building housing itself

The Anglicare Australia executive director, Kasy Chambers, says the government must step up and intervene, instead of leaving housing to the private sector:

We found that the government spends eight times as much propping up private investors as it does on building housing itself. This approach is wrong, and it’s supercharging rents and house prices.

Housing cannot be left to hobby landlords and private developers. Only our government can ensure that rentals are affordable by building homes itself, and by fixing Australia’s unfair tax system.

289 rentals (0.6%) were affordable for a person earning a full-time minimum wage.

89 rentals (0.2%) were affordable for a person on the age pension.

31 rentals (0.1%) were affordable for a person on the disability support pension.

3 rentals (0%) were affordable for a person on jobseeker.

0 rentals (0%) were affordable for a person on youth allowance.

This is not hyperbole. It is Australia’s new normal.

Continue reading...

Sydney church riot: images of 12 men released as police look for up to 50 people

Four men have been charged and police are searching for more after violence outside the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church in Wakeley following the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel

Multiple men allegedly captured on video outside a western Sydney church are among 50 people police are seeking after a riot which injured dozens of officers.

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and Father Isaac Royel were stabbed during a livestreamed sermon at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church in Wakeley last week.

Continue reading...

Driver in ‘highly disordered mental state’ slammed into Sydney home and killed sleeping occupant, court told

Batoul Sleibi El Dirani sped into home of Robyn Oxley, throwing her out of bed and through her back window, court hears

A woman was in a “highly disordered mental state” when fleeing the scene of an accident after her speeding SUV slammed into a western Sydney home, killing the occupant, a court has heard.

Robyn Oxley was asleep in her St Marys residence when a Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Batoul Sleibi El Dirani barrelled through the front of the home on 8 October 2022.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Man dead and several injured after car crashes into bus following police pursuit near Dubbo

Police attempted to stop the vehicle but a short time later it hit the bus on the Mitchell Highway

A man has died and multiple people have been injured in a crash between a car and bus near Dubbo in the central west of New South Wales.

Police said they had launched a critical incident investigation into the crash, which occurred on the Mitchell Highway on Saturday morning.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Second person charged with rioting outside Sydney church after bishop stabbing

Man charged over alleged involvement in incidents outside Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church in Wakeley

A second person has been charged with rioting outside a Sydney church after the stabbing of bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on Monday.

A man from Fairfield Heights in western Sydney was charged on Friday with riot and “threaten violence, cause fear” after he was allegedly involved in wild scenes outside the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church on Monday night.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...