Police probe possibility of mistaken identity in 'cowardly attack' on farmer
A Yea farmer who was doused in petrol, blindfolded and assaulted may have been targeted in a case of mistaken identity.
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Sky News AU
18 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Shock link between Brittany Higgins and Bec Judd revealed as former Liberal staffer signs with talent agency
Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins has signed with celebrity talent agent 22 MGMT, the same management company which oversees AFL WAG Rebecca Judd's media presence. The company made the announcement in a post to Instagram, and said it is 'thrilled' Ms Higgins will be joining. '22 will be exclusively managing all Brittany's speaking and media enquiries (both here and overseas) as she continues on her journey advocating for change,' the post read. 'We are proud to represent such a strong woman who has endured so much, so publicly, but remains a powerful voice in the fight against gender-based violence.' 'It is an honour to provide her with the support she rightly deserves.' The company also manages talent such as Sophie Monk, Emilee Hembrow and Heston Russell. Ms Higgins said she's overjoyed with the signing, as she enters the next part of her life. 'Thank you so much for being a support and having me as part of the 22 MGMT family,' she said on Instagram. The community shared their support for Ms Higgins in the comments, and said the announcement is 'incredible' and 'brilliant news.' It comes one month after the former political advisor announced she had accepted a public affairs director position, rejoining the workforce after four years. Ms Higgins oversees strategic advocacy and reputation management in the role, with her clients including non-profit organisations, women's advocacy and support groups, and female leaders at large organisations. Ms Higgins was paid about $2.4 million by the Commonwealth in compensation in 2022 after she was raped by Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House in 2019. The multi-million dollar payout by the government was in recognition of lost earnings after she was diagnosed as 'medically unfit' to work due to the impacts of the rape.
ABC News
32 minutes ago
- ABC News
Coalition demands rewrite of laws to re-detain NZYQ members
Unused laws to re-detain former immigration detainees released under the High Court's NZYQ ruling should be rewritten, the Coalition has said, after the government conceded it had not been able to use them. The federal government rushed "preventative detention" laws through in late 2023 with the Coalition's support, after a High Court ruling caused the release of dozens of people with serious criminal convictions who had served their time but remained in immigration detention. The laws enabled the government to apply to have high-risk members of roughly 300 people released from the NZYQ ruling placed back in detention, if they were deemed to pose a threat to community safety. After an ex-immigration detainee allegedly murdered a 62-year-old man at Footscray mall while on bail and wearing an ankle monitor, scrutiny has again returned to how the government is handling the NZYQ cohort. Shadow Immigration Minister Paul Scarr said the government had failed to use powers it had been given 16 months ago. "We were told that the work was underway, evidence was being collected … and then we have the shocking admission 16 months later that it wasn't practical to make applications," Senator Scarr said. "We should be looking at how to amend the legislation." The Coalition supported the government's 2023 Community Safety Orders, and moved its own amendments to that legislation. Senator Scarr acknowledged that, and did not offer proposals for how the scheme could be rewritten. But he said until the weekend, the government had been assuring it was in the process of applying to re-detain the cohort. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Sunday that the legislation had set a high bar for people to be placed back in detention and none of the cohort had yet met it. "The reality is the legal thresholds we are stuck with because of some of the decisions of the High Court are more difficult to reach than I wanted them to be," he said. The minister said he had not given up on that effort, but his preference now was to see the group deported. The government is wary of a further loss in the courts that could again restrict its legislative ability — the ruling in NZYQ that overturned two decades of precedent was that indefinite ongoing detention was punitive in nature, and therefore unlawful. There is a risk for government that detaining people who have not committed an offence, or applying overly harsh punishments to offences such as a breach of curfew or monitoring conditions, could also be thrown out in a High Court challenge. The Law Council of Australia said at the time of the laws being passed that preventative detention should only be allowed in exceptional circumstances and imposed after a fair hearing by a court.
SBS Australia
32 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
Authorities search for a motive after deadly ambush of US firefighters
WARNING: THIS STORY MAY BE DISTRESSING FOR SOME LISTENERS "Lots of sirens. Things are happening." It was supposed to be an ordinary day for firefighters in the US state of Idaho, who had come to tackle a blaze on Canfield Mountain, an area popular with hikers near the city of Coeur d'Alene. Coeur d'Alene is a picturesque city of 55,000 residents near the border with Washington state, and the mountain is covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails that lead into a national forest. But it quickly became a horror scene. About 300 law enforcement officers were deployed to the Mountain as a siege unfolded, including technical and tactical teams from the FBI. "Someone get here right now, there's an active shooter zone. They're shot - BC1's down, BC-3's down. Everyone's shot up here." Idaho governor Brad Little - and Kootenai County's Sheriff Robert Norris - says multiple firefighters were attacked with a barrage of gunfire over several hours in what he called a "heinous" assault. The shootings left two firefighters dead. "We got the first call at 1.21 and we have reports that they were taking shots at about 2 o'clock. I don't know what time they arrived on scene. I don't know what time the firefighters arrived on scene... Oh no, we're taking rapid fire." When it was all over, US authorities found the body of a man who was quickly identified as the person suspected of being responsible for shooting at the fire crew. A law enforcement official has identified the suspect as 20-year-old Wess Roley. His grandfather, Dale Roley, told CNN that he had worked as an arborist and wanted to be a firefighter. He says they had no reasons to believe he would be involved in a situation like this. The Sheriff says they believe the gunman was the only shooter involved. "Based on the preliminary information, we believe that is the only shooter that was on that mountain at that time. So there is no threat to the community at this time." 911 calls from the scene also make it clear the man was also suspected of starting the blaze that brought the fire crews to the mountain. "It's clear to me that this fire was intentional to draw us in." A third firefighter was badly wounded in the ambush. Sheriff Norris says that person has been taken to hospital. 'We did lose a Coeur d'Alene firefighter, and we did lose a firefighter from the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. We have another firefighter that just came out of surgery from the Coeur d'Alene fire department.... He just came out of surgery. He is fighting for his life, but is in stable condition.' The motive for the shooting is not known. But it's raised questions once again about serious gun violence which is common across the United States, where many states have few barriers to the purchasing of firearms, despite widespread support for greater gun control. The Gun Violence Archive group says there have been 189 mass shootings in the United States this year, which it defines as four or more people shot. Meanwhile, back in Idaho, firefighters are back at the scene of the blaze where the attack happened. It has scorched about 10 hectares but no structures have been damaged, Residents are being advised to be prepared to take further action if required.
