AAP Rolling News Bulletin for May 28 at 1530
NZ Budget (WELLINGTON)
New Zealand has unveiled a stripped-back budget with few voter incentives ahead of what is shaping up to be a tightly contested election, as policymakers focus on preserving fiscal firepower amid rising risks linked to the Iran conflict.
"This budget takes careful steps to support New Zealanders now while strengthening the economy for the years ahead," Finance Minister Nicola Willis said in a statement on Thursday, as she warned the war in the Middle East was stoking inflation and threatening the recovery in the trade-dependent economy.
Willis vowed to boost capital spending on defence, schools and hospitals while keeping a tight grip on new operating spending, flagging deeper cuts across the public service that could put thousands of jobs on the line.
Legal: Griffith (BRISBANE)
One of Australia's worst pedophiles, childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith, has launched a bid to slash the life sentence he received for abusing dozens of young children.
Lawyers for the notorious predator on Thursday argued in the Queensland Court of Appeal that the 27‑year non‑parole period he was handed in 2024 was "manifestly excessive" as they sought leave to appeal.
Griffith is behind bars after a horrifying history of abuse stretching almost two decades was exposed.
He pleaded guilty to 307 child sex offences against 65 victims aged between one and nine.
It included 28 counts of rape against girls mainly aged three to five at Queensland childcare centres between 2007 and 2022.
Griffith used his trusted role to prey on toddlers and preschoolers as they slept or by taking them into isolated corners of childcare centres, often while their parents believed they were safe in his care.
PFAS (MELBOURNE)
Australia has launched an extraordinary multibillion-dollar lawsuit over widespread contamination of defence sites with "forever chemicals".
The federal government is suing manufacturer 3M for more than $2 billion to recover costs from per- and poly-fluoroaklyl substances (PFAS) contamination in firefighting foam at 28 defence bases across the country.
The claim, lodged in the Federal Court, alleges 3M withheld a range of information and misrepresented the effects of its aqueous film-forming foam, including environmental risks.
"This is the largest legal claim ever brought by the Commonwealth," Attorney-General Michelle Rowland told reporters on Thursday.
Recouped money would be used to cover past and future expenses incurred in investigating and managing contamination resulting from the historical storage and use of the foam.
It has already cost Australian taxpayers more than $1 billion to investigate, remediate and mitigate PFAS contamination on defence estates.
Terror Aust (CANBERRA)
A woman linked to Islamic State has been charged with terrorism offences on her return to Australia.
Two groups of women, often referred to as "ISIS brides", and their children returned to Sydney and Melbourne in May after years of detention in Syria's Al Roj camp.
The camp is for families of killed or detained former Islamic State fighters.
The latest cohort, made up of six women and their children, landed in Australia on Tuesday.
The Australian Federal Police on Thursday said one female returnee had been charged with terrorism offences by officers attached to Operation Kurrajong.
The agency is due to provide more details at a media briefing.
Operation Kurrajong is a joint operation of the AFP, domestic spy agency ASIO, and state and territory police focused on investigating individuals alleged to have travelled to Syria during the reign of the Islamic State caliphate.
Mideast (GAZA)
Dozens of Palestinians have carried the body of Hamas' armed wing chief through the streets of Gaza City in a funeral procession, a day after Israel killed him as it moves to eliminate the militant group's top brass despite a ceasefire.
The Israeli military said Mohammad Odeh was killed in a targeted attack on Tuesday night, just over a week after his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, was killed in an Israeli strike on a Gaza apartment block.
The deaths mean there are few militant leaders left in Gaza to lead the group's armed wing, at a time when Israel and Hamas are deadlocked in US-brokered talks to advance President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza's future.
Hours after Odeh's funeral, the Israeli military said it targeted two Hamas militants in a strike in northern Gaza, without disclosing their identity.
Ukraine (KYIV)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has announced plans for further counter-strikes deep inside Russian territory following talks with his military leadership.
In his evening video address released in Kyiv, Zelenskiy said the attacks were intended to show Moscow it would "have to pay for the war with its own losses".
Russian oil industry facilities remain a particular focus of the strikes, he said, as Kyiv seeks to reduce Moscow's energy export revenues, which are considered crucial to financing Russia's war economy.
It comes as Anne Keast-Butler, head of the UK's intelligence agency GCHQ, asserted that Russian President Vladimir "Putin is going backwards on the battlefield".
New data shows "almost half a million Russian soldiers have now been killed since the conflict began," she added.
Tax (CANBERRA)
Controversial changes to capital gains tax concessions and negative gearing will be introduced to parliament despite warnings they will worsen Australia's productivity problem.
The proposals to rein in investor tax breaks will be bundled up alongside a $250 a year tax rebate for workers and a $1000 standard tax deduction in a single bill that Treasurer Jim Chalmers will submit to the House of Representatives on Thursday.
The treasurer has said the changes will help level the playing field for many young Australians who have been locked out of the housing market by a system that taxes income earned from labour at a higher rate than income derived from investments.
While the majority of economists and business groups have acknowledged the need for tax reform, and the changes are likely to be passed with the support of the Greens, the government has taken flak in particular for the proposed changes to the capital gains discount.
Iran (TEHRAN)
Iran would restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month in a framework deal with the United States that also includes plans for withdrawing US forces from Iran's vicinity, Iranian state television reports.
The report said the US would end a naval blockade of Iranian shipping, citing a memorandum of understanding being negotiated between the two sides to end the war which has choked global energy supplies through the strategic waterway.
Iranian state TV said it had obtained an unofficial draft of the MOU though it was not final and may not be agreed.
State TV said the framework, which excludes military vessels and envisages Iran managing ship traffic through the strait in co-operation with Oman, was not yet finalised and that Iran would take no steps without "tangible verification".
In finance ...
Legal: Star (SYDNEY)
A proposed $1.3 million penalty against Star's former head could be derailed by the corporate watchdog's decision to settle negligence cases against two other executives for much smaller amounts.
Former Star chief executive Matthias Bekier failed to inform the board of suspicious conduct committed by Chinese junket operator Suncity in 2018 and 2019, the Federal Court found in March.
Mr Bekier and former Star general counsel Paula Martin have been successfully sued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for breaches of their duties.
The watchdog is seeking a $1.3 million fine against Mr Bekier and a $1.1 million fine against Ms Martin.
But Mr Bekier's barrister Justin Williams SC pointed out on Thursday this was much higher than penalties imposed of $180,000 on former chief casino officer Greg Hawkins and $60,000 on former chief financial officer Harry Theodore.
Legal: Rex (SYDNEY)
A regional airline's claim that it was on track for a profit as it hurtled towards a nearly $32 million operational loss was "not tenable" for a responsible listed company, a court has heard.
The corporate regulator is suing former directors of Rex after accusing them of misleading and deceptive conduct over a February 2023 market statement touting an upcoming full-year profit.
The statement wasn't altered until June 20, 10 days before the financial year ended, when the company warned of an ultimate pre-tax $31.7 million operational loss.
Rex had incurred operational losses in the preceding periods leading up to February, including more than $21 million by the end of March, Australian Securities and Investments Commission barrister Michael Borsky KC argued.
In entertainment ...
Legal: Perry (LOS ANGELES)
A personal assistant who injected Friends star Matthew Perry with a fatal dose of the hallucinogenic drug ketamine has been sentenced to three years and five months in federal prison, bringing to a close the prosecution of five people who admitted to playing roles in the actor's death.
Judge Sherilyn Garnett delivered the 41-month sentence for Kenneth Iwamasa, the person who found Perry floating face down and lifeless in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home in October 2023.
Federal prosecutors said Iwamasa injected Perry with ketamine at the actor's request before leaving the residence to run errands.
Perry was dead when Iwamasa returned.
An autopsy report concluded that Perry died from the "acute effects of ketamine," which combined with other factors in causing him to lose consciousness and drown.
Galitzine (LONDON)
Masters Of The Universe star Nicholas Galitzine wants his modern take on superhero He-Man to feel "accessible" and have a "sensitivity" to him that the macho character did not have in the original series.
The British actor, 31, stars in the upcoming reboot as Prince Adam who, after being sent to live on earth as a baby, uncovers his destiny as superhero and alter ego He-Man, the protector of his home planet Eternia.
Centring around the origin story of He-Man, it follows the superhero as he prepares for battle to defend his planet from the forces of evil, which include villain Skeletor, played by Suicide Squad's Jared Leto.
The upcoming film is a reboot of the 1987 original which starred Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren and was based on the franchise from entertainment company Mattel, which created a number of animated series and comics.
In sport ...
RL Origin (SYDNEY)
A shattered Kalyn Ponga has admitted he feels responsible for Queensland's State of Origin collapse after his dramatic send off late in the series opener.
Ponga fronted the media with blood dripping from his ear after the Maroons' 22-20 loss to NSW at Accor Stadium, where he became just the seventh player sent off in Origin history.
The Newcastle superstar has avoided a ban for the shoulder charge on Tolu Koula, instead able to pay a $6900 fine for the shoulder charge that shaped the match.
But he felt pain enough watching on as the Maroons surrendered a 20-6 lead, as the Blues pulled off the biggest comeback in Origin history.
"I'm not proud of it," Ponga said.
"The boys had to work a lot harder because of me being off the field so that is something I am not proud of. But shit happens.
AFL Bombers (MELBOURNE)
Dean Solomon has rejected the notion an "Essendon person" needs to coach the club while insisting he won't consider putting his hand up for the full-time role before the end of the season.
Solomon, who served as a club director last year before stepping down to join the coaching panel, said he had no influence on the board's decision to sack Brad Scott this week.
The 46-year-old has taken the reins as interim coach for the rest of the season, starting with the Bombers' clash with West Coast in Perth on Sunday.
But the full-time role isn't on his agenda.
"I won't even consider that," Solomon said on Thursday.
"While I'm doing this job, I think it's really the wrong thing to do for me to even entertain any thoughts in and around that.
Ends Bulletin
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