Summary
What we learned today, Friday 24 October
That’s where we’ll leave our live coverage today. Here’s what we learned:
The Australian Defence Force faces new class action over allegations of widespread sexual abuse.
The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, said ‘true’ conservatives would back net zero to tackle global heating.
Former ACCC chair Graeme Samuel, said he was ‘bitterly disappointed’ with Coalition’s stance on the reform of federal environmental laws.
A new taskforce has taken over control of the search for alleged Porepunkah killer Dezi Freeman.
The NSW government will allow up to 10 major cultural events at Royal Randwick Racecourse every year in addition to race days.
Australian scientists have observed signs consistent with bird flu in elephant seals during a voyage to the sub-Antarctic Heard Island.
Emergency management minister Kristie McBain said this week’s wild weather a ‘wake-up call’ before bushfire season.
A pedestrian in Sydney died after he was allegedly struck by an e-bike earlier this week.
NSW police have resumed the search for body in infamous cold case of Indigenous teenager Colleen Walker-Craig, who was killed in 1990.
Thanks for joining us! Until next time.
Lambie to undergo spinal surgery and will miss final weeks of parliament
Jacqui Lambie will undergo spinal surgery in coming weeks, her office has advised, saying her health has been deteriorating since August.
In a statement, the Tasmanian senator’s office said her doctors have ordered bed rest and minimal movement until the operation. She will miss the final sitting weeks of the year.
The statement does not give further details about what lead to the spinal injury.
Updated
Graeme Samuel ‘bitterly disappointed’ with Coalition’s stance on environmental law reform
Graeme Samuel, the former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Competition (ACCC), has been interviewed on the ABC about the government’s attempts to overhaul federal nature laws amid Coalition and Greens opposition.
Samuel was the author of a review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act handed to the Morrison government five years ago – when the opposition leader, Sussan Ley was environment minister – which inspired Labor’s changes.
Asked for his view on Ley’s late reversal of her stance of being open to deal with Labor, Samuel says:
What I am prepared to say is I am bitterly disappointed … if it is beyond posturing I am disappointed, frustrated and a bit angry. This is not just for me, because the review was not about me or the group or the department, it is about future generations of Australia knowing the degradation of the environment will cease and we’ll start to restore it.
Updated
Heatwave warnings for Queensland and Northern Territory
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued heatwave warnings through the weekend for the Northern Territory and large parts of Queensland, with temperatures from the high 30s to the low-to-mid 40s expected.
The BoM has advised the conditions, which follow the record-breaking heat in the south-east this week, are expected to last from today through to Monday, before starting to ease. It said:
Severe heatwave conditions are building over northern, central and eastern Queensland, and are expected to persist until a milder southerly change contracts the severe heatwave conditions to the far north of the state early next week.
Similar conditions are expected in northern and western parts of the NT, with residents advised to seek a place to keep cool, close windows and draw blinds early in the day to keep the heat out.
Updated
Call for joint federal and state government action on plastic waste
The NSW government says the reduction in plastic litter has been achieved through bans on single-use plastic items, an expansion of the return and earn scheme and litter prevention grants.
Return and earn, which launched in 2017 under the former Coalition government, has seen a 73% reduction in littering of bottles and cans accepted under the scheme. From 2027, it will include wine bottles.
Jeff Angel, director of the Total Environment Centre, has praised the Minns government’s passing of legislation to force battery suppliers to manage handling and disposal.
But he says federal and state governments could be doing more to address plastic waste:
We’re yet to see an effective decision on a global plastics treaty. Australia joined the high ambition group on the global plastics treaty. And whatever happens globally, we need to have high ambition at home, and that involves both federal and state governments doing as much as they can.
Updated
NSW reduces plastic litter by 45% since 2019 amid warnings Sydney landfill running out
New South Wales has reduced its plastic litter by 45% since 2019, the state government says, as it targets a reduction of 60% of all litter by 2030 amid concerns Sydney’s landfill could run out by then.
Research by the state’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), which collects and measures litter in urban waterways and on select remote beaches along the NSW coast, shows plastic litter has almost halved since 2019, a greater reduction than the government’s 30% target.
While plastic litter has reduced, the EPA has warned that greater Sydney’s landfill space is expected to run out by 2030 unless urgent action is taken. Plastic contributes 75% of NSW’s landfill.
The NSW environment minister, Penny Sharpe, says:
Landfill waste continues to grow, but you’ve got to remember that over that period of time, our population is growing as well.
It’s about making sure that we’ve got facilities that are there. It’s about supporting the manufacturing and the processing of recycled material. It’s about putting in within our procurement the use of recycled material in road base and those kind of things.
Updated
Union expresses ‘deep disappointment’ after cohealth closures force thousands to find new GPs
The Australian Services Union (ASU) has written to the federal and Victorian health ministers to express “our deep disappointment and concern at the proposal to close community cohealth services” in December at the Collingwood, Footscray, Kensington and Niddrie sites.
Thousands of Victorians with complex health needs will be forced to find new GPs and allied health care such as counselling after a sudden announcement earlier in October that certain clinics and services will close.
The ASU letter says at least nine counselling service workers alone have been made redundant and staff “have expressed that they have been blindsided by this proposal”.
“Any moves to alter the service delivery will be profoundly damaging to the community,” the letter says.
The ASU Victoria/Tasmania branch secretary, Tash Wark, said: “This is a heartless and shortsighted decision that will pull the rug out from under hundreds of the most vulnerable people in the community”.
Community health services, including counselling, are for the people that need to access it most – people on low incomes and at high risk.
Updated
More details on the ADF class action suit
Female members of the military shouldn’t have to fight off their colleagues on a daily basis, a lawyer for four women told the AAP.
JGA Saddler lawyer Josh Aylward said the legal case is a demand for action, accountability and real change, as sexual violence and discrimination continue to plague female ADF members. He went on:
The threat of war often isn’t the biggest safety fear for female ADF personnel, it is the threat of sexual violence in their workplace.
They have signed up to defend their country, not to fight off fellow ADF personnel on a daily basis, all while simply trying to do their job.
Aylward noted these were not historical cases and some incidents had occurred within the last 12 months.
Read more here:
Updated
That’s all for me. Penry Buckley will be your guide into the weekend. Take care, and enjoy the rest of your Friday.
Two childcare workers charged on allegations of assaulting a toddler
NSW police have charged two childcare workers for allegedly assaulting a toddler multiple times at a Sydney childcare centre in the city’s western suburbs.
Officials said officers received reports on Monday that multiple workers had allegedly assaulted the child earlier this month. They were told the pair, a woman, 28, and a woman, 54, had allegedly committed the offences several times on 13 October.
After inquiries, both women were charged with five counts of common assault.
The have been issued court attendance notices and will appear in December.
Updated
Shadow immigration minister Paul Scarr on the ‘mass migration’ myth – Australian Politics podcast
In the aftermath of former frontbencher Andrew Hastie’s fighting words, the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, continues to struggle with persistent internal tensions in the Coalition over its direction on immigration policy.
Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to shadow minister for immigration Paul Scarr about why he rejects rhetoric about “mass migration” and argues that those seeking to inflame emotions are hurting the national interest.
Updated
Woman charged with murder after Queensland house fire killed three
A woman has been charged with murder and arson after a devastating house fire that killed a woman and two boys, AAP reports.
Jordana Johnson, 36, her 12-year-old son, Jordan Norris, and his friend Chazz Mather, also 12, were killed in the 15 October blaze that destroyed a two-storey home at Gladstone in central Queensland.
After a week-long investigation, police said they believed the blaze was deliberately lit, charging a 37-year-old Toolooa woman with three counts of murder and two counts of arson. She is expected to face a bedside hearing in hospital on Friday.
The devastated family spoke publicly for the first time earlier in the week as the Gladstone community planned to remember the trio at a beachside gathering.
“Three beautiful souls were tragically taken from us,” they said in a statement posted on social media, writing:
The impact of this horrific event is being deeply felt not only by our family but by the Gladstone community and across the nation.
Our lives, and all those that loved and knew Jordana, Jordan and Chazz are forever changed.
Police are expected to provide a further update on the investigation on Friday afternoon.
Updated
Air New Zealand flight met by emergency services after landing at Sydney airport
An Air New Zealand plane was met by emergency services this morning after the plane reported a technical issue while in flight.
NZ221 was travelling from Christchurch to Sydney, and landed safely just before 8.20am.
Nathan McGraw, the chief safety and risk officer for the airline, said in a statement:
NZ221 from Christchurch to Sydney reported a technical issue while in flight. Emergency services met the aircraft on arrival as a precaution.
The aircraft landed safely, and our engineering team will now carry out inspections to ensure the aircraft is safe to return to service.
ADF faces new class action over allegations of widespread sexual abuse
Women alleging widespread and systemic sexual abuse, harassment, discrimination and victimisation during their employment within the Australian defence force (ADF) have launched a class action in an unprecedented legal step against the commonwealth, AAP reports.
There are four applicants in the class action, whose names are withheld for legal reasons, but any woman subjected to sexual violence, sexual harassment or discrimination while working in the ADF between 12 November 2003 and 25 May 2025 is eligible to participate.
The first applicant from the air force was the only woman on her training course with eight to 12 men and one of two women in a building of about 200 people. She alleges comments from her sergeant during her training included “women shouldn’t be paid as much as men because they are not as strong” and “women aren’t pulling their weight in the air force”.
She also alleges several sexist and hostile comments along with number of inappropriate conversations, as well as being shown unsolicited photos of pornography.
In a statement, a Defence spokesperson said the ADF was developing a comprehensive sexual misconduct prevention strategy. The spokesperson said:
Defence acknowledges there is work to be done and that is why the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide which relate to sexual violence are being implemented as a priority.
All Defence personnel have a right to be respected and deserve to have a positive workplace experience in the ADF.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, was contacted by the AAP for comment.
Updated
GPs vow to fight Melbourne clinic closures and protect vulnerable patients
The peak body for GPs is vowing to ramp up the pressure on government to save the cohealth clinics set to close, leaving some of Melbourne’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged patients without care.
The Collingwood service will close its doors entirely, while the Fitzroy and Kensington services will close their general practice services and maintain some of their allied health offerings.
This afternoon, the Royal Australian College of GPs Victoria chair, Dr Anita Muñoz, will attend an emergency meeting at Fitzroy Town Hall. She urged citizens to attend or consider writing to their local MPs.
Muñoz said:
We won’t give up on this cause. Mark my words – we’ll fight these closures every step of the way.
It’s unconscionable to leave these patients behind. We need cohealth patients to have timely access to a GP they know and trust. Otherwise, they’re more likely to end up in hospital with a serious condition, or come in to contact with law enforcement, particularly for those seeking care for conditions such as schizophrenia.
At a time of high cost of living pressures, I fear many patients will delay or avoid care.
You can read more about the situation in the story we wrote when the news broke last week:
Updated
Map shows just how far avian flu would need to travel from sub-Antarctic islands to Australia
Earlier, we reported that Australian scientists have recently observed signs consistent with H5 avian influenza, or bird flu, in elephant seals during a voyage to Heard Island in the sub-Antarctic.
Experts have expressed concern that the virus, which has already spread over thousands of kilometres to reach the French sub-Antarctic islands of Kerguelen and Crozet earlier this year, could spread to islands closer to Australia, including Macquarie Island.
This map shows just how far that would be. Heard Island, more than 4,000km south-west of Perth, is about 500km away from Kerguelen. Macquarie Island, about 1,500km south-east of Tasmania, is about 5,300km from Heard Island.
Updated
Bowen challenges ‘true’ conservatives to back net zero
The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, says “true” conservatives would favour science over “ideological zealotry” in a pointed message to his political adversaries to back action to tackle global heating.
As the debate over net zero threatens to tear the Liberals and Nationals apart, Bowen ventured into somewhat hostile territory on Friday to argue the case for why conservatives should “care deeply” about climate change.
In a speech to the Centre for Independent Studies, a conservative thinktank, Bowen said a “true” conservative would not ignore the settled science of human-induced climate change and would fight to protect the planet from its worst impacts.
He said:
A conservative conserves. And there is nothing more important than conserving our environmental balance.
And so, should a conservative who accepts the science of climate change accept net zero by 2050? Well, yes, because one flows from the other.
Net zero emissions is not an amorphous concept dreamed up by politicians.
It is the bare minimum action to avoid the impacts of the world warming by more than 2C as found by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Updated
Is it a critical mineral or a Tolkien invention? Take the quiz
Do you know your ores from your orcs? Are you more familiar with rare earths or with Middle-earth?
We’re hearing a lot about critical minerals at the moment but their names all sound as though they were made up by Tolkien.
With this in mind, we recommend you take what is probably Guardian Australia’s nerdiest refresher quiz yet.
But be warned – as Gandalf once said, You Shall Not Pass! Take the quiz here:
New taskforce takes over control of search for Dezi Freeman
A new taskforce will take over control of the search for wanted fugitive Dezi Freeman, police say.
In a statement today, Victoria police said Taskforce Summit, to be based in the Greater Alpine Region, would “officially take primacy” for the search. The taskforce will be led by a detective inspector from Victoria police’s anti-gangs division.
The search for the suspected Porepunkah police killer, also known as Desmond Filby, is about to hit the two-month mark. He has been on the run since 26 August after he allegedly shot and killed two officers who were part of a group executing a search warrant at his residence in Victoria’s north-east.
Victoria police said the homicide squad will continue to lead the investigation into the alleged murders of detective leading senior constable Neal Thompson and senior constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart.
Victoria police assistant commissioner Martin O’Brien said the investigation was “far from over”.
However, we do believe it will only be brought to resolution through assistance from members of the public. I strongly urge anyone with any information at all, no matter how small you think it may be, to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers.
This could be sightings of Freeman, information you’re hearing in your local communities, even suspicious activity on your property – whatever it is, we want to hear from you. As always, this can be done anonymously.
A reward of up to $1m remains for information leading to Freeman’s arrest. Mount Buffalo national park, where much of the search has focused, will fully reopen to the public today, police said.
Updated
No time for sleep or a shower: endurance runner covers 764km over five gruelling days to win world title
Over nearly five days, with little time for sleep let alone his personal hygiene, Phil Gore, a West Australian endurance runner, proved himself a class above the rest of the field in one of the world’s premier endurance running competitions.
Gore ran 764km to win the Backyard Ultra World Championship in Tennessee, completing 114 laps of a 6.7km course.
At the finish line was his wife Gemma, who met him with tears and a kiss – and told him he stank. “You’re done, that’s it,” she said.
“Forever,” Gore replied, adding:
I’m just tired, I just want to sleep. There’s been a lot of time throughout this event where I’ve been really confused, like I was out running on the road by myself and I was like ‘how did I get here, what am I doing?’
Read more here:
Expert says H5N1 virus ‘catastrophic for wildlife’ around the world
Dr Michelle Wille, an expert in avian influenza viruses at the University of Melbourne, said the H5N1 virus was “catastrophic for wildlife – it is killing animals in droves”.
The virus was causing a global animal animal pandemic, she said, and had spread to all corners of the globe except Oceania. Australian scientists now suspect its presence in elephant seals on Heard Island, an Australian territory about 4,000km west of Perth in the Southern Ocean.
Wille said the virus entered the Antarctic in the 2023-24 season, with the first detections in South Georgia and then the Antarctic peninsula.
A “massive global expansion” followed the next year, she said, with the virus spreading to Marion Island and the French Kerguelen and Crozet sub-Antarctic islands, located about 500km from Heard and McDonald Islands. Wille said:
The virus spread thousands of kilometres over the ocean to get to these islands. So it is very conceivable that the virus could theoretically spread from where it is now, into Australian [and] New Zealand sub-Antarctic islands like Macquarie Island. And from there it’s not very far to get to Australia itself.
If it enters Australia proper, it could similarly be catastrophic for our wildlife, as well as our industry - the poultry and potentially even the dairy cow industry.
Spring was a high risk period, when thousands of seabirds, like shearwaters, migrate thousands of kilometres from the northern to the southern hemisphere and the Antarctic to forage.
Updated
Which departments are the most and least trustworthy according to the public?
Just 71% of Australians who voted on election day had trust in the processes of the Australian Electoral Commission, according to the government’s yearly scorecard of trust and satisfaction in the Australian public service.
Despite record levels of voter enrolment, overall trust and satisfaction of the AEC is 75% – lower than at the last election where it was 86% (however, the report notes the two figures aren’t directly comparable due to recent methodology changes).
Australians trust the Department of Foreign Affairs, Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits scheme the most (each scoring over 80% in trust and satisfaction), while the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS), Centrelink and child support services had the lowest trust scores of 66%, 65% and 62% respectively.
Overall trust in the public sector is 62%, and improvement from last year’s score of 58%. The report also found more men (66%) trust public services over women (59%) and more Australians living in metropolitan areas (65%) trust public services than Australians living in regional areas (56%).
The minister for the public service, Katy Gallagher, said there have been steady improvements in the public service:
These results show we’re making progress, and we’ll keep working to maintain and strengthen that trust.
Updated
NSW government will move to lift cap on major events at Royal Randwick Racecourse
The NSW government will move to allow up to 10 major cultural events at Royal Randwick Racecourse every year, in addition to race days, in what it says will be a “major boost” to the economy and city vibrancy.
The Minns government said the events, which will host between 5,000 and 15,000 people, are expected to inject more than $19m into the state economy and “transform the iconic venue into a year-round destination for concerts, cultural festivals, exhibitions, and community gatherings – giving locals and visitors more reasons to enjoy world-class entertainment in the city”.
The racecourse had previously been limited to a single culture event of more than 5,000 people.
The NSW government has also lifted concert caps at the Sydney Cricket Ground and in Centennial Park.
The first events at the Randwick site are expected from late 2026.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said in a statement:
Sydney is a global city – it should be buzzing not just on our premier race days, but all year round. By unlocking this iconic venue to host more events, Royal Randwick is helping drive new life back into our city, supporting jobs, local businesses, and fun.
Updated
Victoria police investigating burglary at home of Gold Walkley-winning journalist Nick McKenzie
Police are investigating a burglary at the home of Nick McKenzie, a prominent investigative journalist who has won 20 Walkley awards.
The Age, where McKenzie works, said it was working closely with authorities in an effort to respond to the “concerning incident”. Patrick Elligett, the editor of the Age, said in a statement to the paper:
Any effort to silence or intimidate a reporter is an outrageous attack on the freedom of the press, and we condemn it in the strongest terms.
Victoria police said detectives, with assistance from Taskforce Hawk, are “investigating a burglary at a residential address in the northern suburbs” of Melbourne that took place last week. The force added:
It is believed an offender gained access to the roof of the residential property, tampering with the CCTV cables some time on Wednesday 15 October.
Nobody was home at the time of the incident.
Police have appealed to the public for information.
Updated
Defamation case involving Rebel Wilson to get first mention
A defamation case involving Rebel Wilson is expected to get its first mention in court today with the Australian actor and comedian accused of defaming an up-and-coming actor, Australian Associated Press reports.
The actor Charlotte MacInnes appeared in Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb, a musical about a country town debutante ball, which was screened at the Toronto International Film festival in September 2024 but which has not been seen since.
MacInnes is suing Wilson for defamation over comments made on social media in July 2024. Wilson claimed on Instagram that MacInnes had told her she had been subjected to inappropriate conduct by a producer who asked to bathe with her.
MacInnes has denied the allegations. MacInnes also claims Wilson said that MacInnes had been given a job by the producer and secured a record deal.
The defamation case is set to hit the federal court for the first time today, a month after MacInnes lodged proceedings. Wilson is defending the case.
Updated
Three men in alleged ‘kill crew’ charged with kidnap and murder of Sydney mother
Three men accused of being part of a “kill crew” have been charged after a mother was brutally kidnapped and murdered, AAP reports.
The body of Thi Kim Tran, 45, was found in a burned-out car in Beverly Hills in Sydney’s south-west on 17 April.
The men – aged 20, 21 and 32 – have each been charged with murder and other offences, including conspire and agree to murder any person.
A fourth man, 29, was charged in August with murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm over the attack police and remains before the court.
Updated
Scientists see elephant seals with signs of H5 bird flu on sub-Antarctic island
Australian scientists recently observed signs consistent with H5 avian influenza, or bird flu, in elephant seals during a voyage to Heard Island in the sub-Antarctic.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) said officials had not made a confirmed detection of bird flu but said the findings “reinforces the need for Australia to remain focused on preparing for an outbreak”. Australia is the only continent that does not have the highly contagious strain of H5 bird flu.
DAFF said if the cases on Heard Island, more than 4,000km south-west of Perth, are confirmed, they would not “substantially increase the risk to Australia”. DAFF said in a statement:
Scientists observed unusual levels of mortality in elephant seals on Heard Island in recent days. There were no observations of unusual levels of mortality in other species present on the island, including penguins and other seabirds.
Seeing signs consistent with H5 bird flu in wildlife on Heard Island is not unexpected.
It will take several weeks to get results from samples that were collected from wildlife.
Updated
Tertiary education union condemns job cuts at UTS
The National Tertiary Education Union has condemned “heartbreaking” job cuts at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) after the institution confirmed it would slash more than 370 roles.
In an email to staff on Thursday, the vice-chancellor of UTS, Prof Andrew Parfitt, said the university’s proposals in their current form would lead to the loss of 344 FTE roles and 32.7 casual academics, with savings of $85m. Initially 400 full-time equivalent (FTE) roles were flagged to be cut.
The president of the NTEU, Dr Alison Barnes, said the restructure at UTS was a “prime example” of why the federal government’s recently announced governance reform into universities was needed.
These unjustified cuts will cause major long-term damage to UTS and the community its meant to serve. It’s a heartbreaking assault on a university. It’s staggering to think about what’s at stake: courses, subjects and so much irreplaceable expertise.
Parfitt said the university was faced with making “difficult decisions” to ensure financial savings and it had taken a “considered approach” to reviewing how it best delivered on its core commitment to public education.
Updated
Emergency management minister says this week’s wild weather a ‘wake-up call’ before bushfire season
Kristy McBain, the minister for emergency management, said the extreme heat and damaging winds seen around the country this week were a “wake-up call” about the threat of bushfires as we head into summer.
McBain spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying:
Obviously Wednesday was a real wake-up call for those across New South Wales and Queensland with really hot, dry conditions and a number of bushfires that did spark earlier this week.
We ask that people plan and prepare for the season ahead. Make sure you’ve got your emergency plan in place, that you can assist people who may be more vulnerable in your community preparing for what may take place and just heeding those warnings from our emergency services.
She noted the government had invested $50m in the national aerial firefighting fleet, which are positioned across the country in case of a bushfires.
Updated
Opposition says Australia already ‘very hard’ place to do business and revamped environmental laws would make it harder
Andrew Bragg, the shadow minister for productivity, said the Coalition is “open-minded” but did not support any effort to make investment or business harder in Australia, which could include plans to revamp national environmental laws.
Bragg spoke to RN Breakfast after the opposition leader, Sussan Ley, called proposals to overhaul the laws a “red light” for jobs and a “handbrake” on investment. He said:
I think we’re open-minded but the reality is that the government says that they are focused on trying to improve productivity, and to cut red tape and cut green tape, but we don’t see any tangible outcomes here.
If the legislation is going to propose new bureaucracies, new agencies, I just think it’s going to make it so much harder to get things done in this country. I mean, it’s a very hard country to do business in.
And so one of the main issues with EPBC is that it duplicates state-based regulations. So if you want to do something in this country, you’ve got to get a state approval, a federal approval.
Updated
Pedestrian dies in Sydney after allegedly being hit by e-bike
A pedestrian in Sydney has died after he was allegedly struck by an e-bike earlier this week.
NSW police said emergency services were called to the suburb of Toongabbie just before 10pm on Wednesday. On arrival, authorities found a man, 65, with injuries and were told the rider of the e-bike had allegedly left the scene.
The older man was treated by paramedics and taken to Westmead hospital in critical condition but he died yesterday.
Police later arrested the alleged rider of the bike, a man, 45, in the suburb of Seven Hills. He was taken to the police station and has since been released without charge, pending further inquiries.
Updated
Dramatic slow-motion snake bites reveal clues about how fangs and venom kill prey
Venomous snakes must strike fast to sink their fangs in prey before they startle – as quickly as 60 milliseconds when hunting rodents.
New research has captured – in slow-motion footage – the differences in how venomous serpents bite their targets.
Scientists studied 36 species of venomous snake, filming them at 1,000 frames a second as they struck an object made of ballistic gel that resembled the structure of human skin and muscle.
The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, documented the bites of three snake families: vipers, elapids and colubrids.
Read more:
Updated
Good morning, we’ve made it to Friday. Nick Visser here to take over the blog. Let’s get to it.
The workplace tribunal system is being swamped by an “unsustainable” number of unfair dismissal claims as employers blame workers trying to win payouts rather than settle grievances.
Citing figures from the Fair Work Commission, the Fin Review reports this morning that the number of unfair dismissal claims is now 27% higher than five years ago.
“This is unsustainable within our current operational, performance and funding structure,” the commission’s president, Justice Adam Hatcher, told an industry event earlier this month.
Employers say the rise is being driven by employment lawyers who are using broad unfair dismissal claims to seek payouts from companies through the tribunal system rather than through courts.
Employers want the government to reform the law to reduce the number of vexatious claims.
Police to resume search for body in infamous cold case of Indigenous child killed in 1990
Detectives from the NSW homicide squad investigating the murder of Colleen Walker-Craig from Bowraville in 1990 have begun a two-day search for her remains.
Colleen was just 16 when she was last seen in Bowraville in September 1990.
Her family reported her missing, and her weighted down clothes were later found in the Nambucca River.
Although Colleen’s body has never been found, the NSW coroner found she had died and had most likely been murdered. She was one of three Indigenous children killed over a five-month period in 1990.
The remains of two of the children – Evelyn Greenup, 4, who was Colleen’s cousin, and Clinton Speedy-Duroux, 16 – were discovered within months.
The three alleged murders were originally investigated separately before being linked by the homicide squad.
Detectives returned to Bowraville a year ago to continue the search for Colleen.
According to a police statement on Friday strike force investigators – with assistance from Marine Area Command – will commence a water search in parts of the Nambucca River in both Bowraville and Macksville today and tomorrow
A $1m reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Colleen’s murder remains in place, as well as for information leading to the location and recovery of Colleen’s remains.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
NSW police are resuming the search today in an infamous cold case murder investigation: they will be combing the Nambucca River in Bowraville for the remains of Colleen Walker-Craig, one of three Indigenous children killed over a five-month period in 1990.
Also today: the workplace tribunal system is being swamped by an “unsustainable” number of unfair dismissal claims as employers blame workers trying to win payouts rather than settle grievances, according to reports.
And we’re likely to hear more in the political tug-of-war over Labor’s proposed new environment laws.
