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Erin Patterson has begun giving evidence in court today, telling the triple murder trial she had begun feeling some distance with her estranged husband’s family before the alleged murders.
Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to poisoning her four lunch guests – relatives of her estranged husband, Simon Patterson – with a beef wellington served at her house in Leongatha on 29 July 2023.
When asked what was not going well in her life in 2023, Patterson said: “I had felt for some months that my relationship with the wider Patterson family and particularly Don and Gail perhaps had a bit more distance and space between us. We saw each other less.
“Partly it was a consequence of I no longer lived in the same town as Don and Gail,” she said. “I’d come to have concerns that Simon was not wanting me to be involved too much in the family. Perhaps I wasn’t being invited to so many things.”
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In pictures
Thousands have gathered at the Mullewa recreation grounds in Western Australia’s mid-west for the town’s annual muster and rodeo. The event showcases traditional rodeo contests including bull riding, saddle bronc and barrel racing alongside live country music.
What they said …
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“Australians are the least optimistic in the world about AI, and we struggle to believe its rewards will outweigh the risks.”
In a report released on Monday, The Business Council of Australia called for “clear, practical and risk-based” regulation to encourage AI innovation. The report also noted Australia has “AI anxiety”, which the lobby group said could lead to over-regulation.
In numbers
The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has demanded Australia increase its defence spending to 3.5% of GDP. Australia currently spends about $53bn a year on its defence budget, a figure that’s expected to grow to an estimated $100bn by 2033-34. Anthony Albanese reiterated that Australia would make its own decisions on how best to invest in defence.
Before bed read
At 22, singer and reality TV star JoJo Siwa has lived most of her life in the limelight. What’s it like to be managed by your mother, run a billion-dollar business in your teens and be dismissed as “the lesbian” by a Hollywood legend? Siwa unpacks it all.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: HIM. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
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