Espionage costing Australia $13b a year: ASIO chief
Lifting the lid on some recent plots, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation chief Mike Burgess revealed in one case a foreign spy stole branches off a rare fruit tree while sneaking around a secret horticultural centre.

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Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Perth Now
Aussie murder suspects transferred to notorious Bali prison
The Australian trio being held as murder suspects in Bali have been transferred to the island's notorious Kerobokan Prison. Local police confirmed the move is a sign they are nearing the end of their investigation and will soon lay formal charges. If the charge is 'planned murder' as expected, prosecutors can pursue the death penalty. Police late on Saturday said the case files were in the process of being transferred to prosecutors. 'After the reconstruction process went smoothly and according to plan, today we handed over or deposited the three suspects to Kerobokan Prison for further detention,' Badung Police Chief, AKBP M. Arif Batubara said. The Australian trio being held as murder suspects in Bali have been transferred to the island's notorious Kerobokan Prison. Credit: Supplied Darcy Jensen, 27, Coskun Mevlut, 23, and Midolmore Pasa Tupou, 37, were earlier this week taken back by police to a villa resort near Munggu Beach, about 15km south-east of Seminyak, for a re-enactment. Police said this was conducted to 'clarify each suspect's role in the incident, which resulted in serious injuries, and as part of the ongoing investigation'. The three are suspected of the alleged torture and murder of Melbourne man Zivan Radmanovic. His 34-year-old friend Sanar Ghanim was also shot and beaten but survived. The Australian trio being held as murder suspects in Bali have been transferred to the island's notorious Kerobokan Prison. Credit: Supplied Police in a statement talked up how their deposition process had been conducted under tight security given the sensitivity of the case and the suspects' status as foreign nationals. 'The Badung Police affirmed their commitment to handling this case professionally and transparently in accordance with Indonesian law,' they said. 'Meanwhile, the Badung Police have urged the public to remain calm and leave the handling of this case to the authorities.'


West Australian
5 hours ago
- West Australian
Australian murder suspects in Bali transported to notorious Kerobokan Prison
The Australian trio being held as murder suspects in Bali have been transferred to the island's notorious Kerobokan Prison. Local police confirmed the move is a sign they are nearing the end of their investigation and will soon lay formal charges. If the charge is 'planned murder' as expected, prosecutors can pursue the death penalty. Police late on Saturday said the case files were in the process of being transferred to prosecutors. 'After the reconstruction process went smoothly and according to plan, today we handed over or deposited the three suspects to Kerobokan Prison for further detention,' Badung Police Chief, AKBP M. Arif Batubara said. Darcy Jensen, 27, Coskun Mevlut, 23, and Midolmore Pasa Tupou, 37, were earlier this week taken back by police to a villa resort near Munggu Beach, about 15km south-east of Seminyak, for a re-enactment. Police said this was conducted to 'clarify each suspect's role in the incident, which resulted in serious injuries, and as part of the ongoing investigation'. The three are suspected of the alleged torture and murder of Melbourne man Zivan Radmanovic. His 34-year-old friend Sanar Ghanim was also shot and beaten but survived. Police in a statement talked up how their deposition process had been conducted under tight security given the sensitivity of the case and the suspects' status as foreign nationals. 'The Badung Police affirmed their commitment to handling this case professionally and transparently in accordance with Indonesian law,' they said. 'Meanwhile, the Badung Police have urged the public to remain calm and leave the handling of this case to the authorities.'

Sydney Morning Herald
9 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australians are working more hours, and it might be hurting our living standards
Australian workers could be putting in nearly half the hours they were 45 years ago but have instead tended to work longer hours to upgrade their lifestyles, sacrificing work-life balance for more income. Productivity Commission research economist Rusha Das found average working hours for Australians had shrunk only modestly from about 34 to 31 hours a week over the past few decades, while incomes had risen significantly. 'Overall, Australians have opted to use their [increased productivity] to upgrade their lifestyles, like buying fancier coffee and taking more expensive holidays, rather than shorten their workdays,' Das said in the commission's June bulletin. She noted that, with the growth in productivity since 1980, Australians could have instead worked an average of 15 hours less each week without lowering consumption levels. But given productivity – the amount of goods and services produced for a given level of resources, including hours worked – has stagnated over the past decade, Australians may be compensating by putting in more legwork. Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who has said productivity is the primary focus of his second term in government, will host a roundtable this month in Canberra with representatives from industry, unions and government to find ways to lift the country's living standards. The Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation have called for shorter working hours and more annual leave in return for productivity gains ahead of the roundtable. AMWU national secretary Steve Murphy told The Australian that 'productivity can't be at the expense of the wellbeing of workers'. Cronulla real estate agent Domenico Santaguida, 24, works 7am to 6pm on weekdays and 7am to 5pm on Saturdays while fielding calls and questions from buyers and sellers around the clock.