Latest news with #Dandenong
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Shock twist after park boss was sacked over her four-minute foul-mouthed rant - despite 21 years of 'unblemished service'
A gift shop manager will be able to keep her job after she was sacked following a four-minute verbal tirade where she swore at and 'humiliated' another worker. Helen Woodlock has worked for Parks Victoria for 21 years and manages the gift shop in the Dandenong Botanical Gardens. But her employer had fought to have her sacked after an incident with a staff member from the adjacent Café Vireya in August 2023. Ms Woodlock had decades of 'unblemished service' until she erupted at the café worker for leaving the site unattended while several customers waited to be served. Countless complaints had been made about the café to Ms Woodlock who shouted 'f***' upon entering the store to find it empty. Soon after, the café attendant showed up, Ms Woodlock said: 'Jesus Christ, what the s***'s going on? 'People have been waiting here for f***ing 45 minutes. People are asking for food. Where are you?' The café worker replied that he had walked to the nearby IGA to get more paper for the EFTPOS machine. Ms Woodlock told the staffer he'd been gone for an hour and customers had been waiting even longer. 'Do you know what? And again I am sorry to diss you in front of customers but I've got these people coming up and I want to look after them,' she said. 'We've walked around for perhaps thirty minutes. The other man walked in and I'm like "hello, hello". 'These are our customers into our gardens, and where are you? So yes, I am upset because this is our gardens.' The café worker then said: 'Can you please stop yelling at me?' Ms Woodlock told the attendant he needed to speak to his manager. The incident was then investigated following a complaint about Ms Woodlock from the cafe's operator, with the CEO of Parks Victoria proposing she be fired. Ms Woodlock to the matter to the Fair Work Commission (FWC), claiming her proposed termination was unfair. She argued she walked into the café because she had safety concerns due to complaints about service delays and a gas smell. The FWC rejected her arguments, finding that her actions were the 'hallmarks of bullying' and therefore warranted termination. 'The nature of this conduct was degrading and humiliating,' the Commissioner found. 'It amounted to abuse and mistreatment of (the café worker) in circumstances of a power imbalance caused by the group aspect of the behaviour.' Ms Woodlock then successfully appealed the findings. In considering Ms Woodlock's appeal, the FWC heard that after 21 years of unblemished service, she was given 'unsolicited praise' from customers and had glowing performance reviews. Ms Woodlock claimed her job was 'part of my identity', that she was remorseful, and personal issues like the recent deaths of her step father and father-in-law, along with a 'serious respiratory illness' played a role in her behaviour. The FWC bench found that the previous Commissioner had relied on an incomplete draft record of an interview of the attendant. The FWC bench said Ms Woodlock subjected the worker to 'brutal public humiliation'. But there were numerous and 'significant countervailing considerations in the team leader's favour'. 'What took place was an uncharacteristic outburst of frustration and anger lasting four minutes, which, as we have noted, was partly explained by the poor emotional state [the team leader] was in as a result of her personal circumstances,' the bench found. 'We are also of the view that the personal difficulties she was suffering were exacerbated on the day of the incident, as a result of the respiratory illness that she was recovering from, the many incidents involving the café that she had been required to deal with over a lengthy period, and her distress at having to deal with angry customers of the café immediately prior to the incident.' It noted that while Ms Woodlock's conduct was serious, in their opinion 'dismissal is not disproportionate to the seriousness of her conduct'. 'We are satisfied that there is no risk of a repetition of the misconduct, and Parks Victoria will continue to receive the good service [Ms Woodlock] has provided for many years,' the bench found. It was also heard that the worker who was the subject of the abuse would suffer no unfairness from Ms Woodlock's continued employment because he no longer worked at the café. 'On the other hand, for [Ms Woodlock], the loss of her job would be a heavy, life changing penalty from which it is unlikely she would recover given that her prospects of gaining other employment are limited,' the bench said. 'In all of the circumstances, we consider that dismissal would be unfair.'
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Man faces jail after allegedly threatening to cause 'serious harm' to Anthony Albanese
A man accused of threatening to cause 'serious harm' to Australia's Prime Minister and making a 'menacing' social media post about him has faced court. Dale Byrne, 42, appeared at Dandenong Magistrates Court, in Melbourne 's southeast, on Thursday after being charged with two Commonwealth offences in March. He is on bail and the court was told his conditions include that he cannot come within 100metres of state or federal politicians, including Anthony Albanese. Court documents revealed Byrne is charged with threatening 'to cause serious harm to a Commonwealth Official, namely Australian Prime Minister, the Honourable Anthony Albanese' on February 7. This charge, if proven, carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, the documents say. The second charge alleges Byrne used a carriage service 'in a manner that a reasonable person would regard as menacing' when he made an X post 'towards' the PM. A commonwealth prosecutor asked for the media's application for access to charges to be decided at the next hearing 'so the charges can be finalised once there's been discussions with defence'. 'Because at the moment the charges are put in the alternative, and they haven't been settled yet,' she told the court. However, Magistrate Fran Medina approved their release under the Opens Courts Act and noted the charges were only allegations at this stage. She asked media to state the two offences were the 'subject of negotiation'. The Australian Federal Police initially alleged the man was charged with making death threats and anti-Semitic comments to a Commonwealth member of parliament. 'The AFP will allege the man used social media to contact a Commonwealth MP multiple times between 7 January, 2025, and 19 February, 2025, making death threats and anti-Semitic comments,' it said at the time he was charged on March 18. None of these details were aired during a brief hearing on Thursday morning, where upcoming dates were set to allow the parties time to negotiate. Byrne's bail was extended and he will return to court on July 10.
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Teens on the run after a series of shocking attacks
Police are hunting for a pair of teenagers who were allegedly involved in two serious attacks overnight. Victorian Police are currently investigating a series of assaults by the two boys in Melbourne 's south-eastern suburbs which began at 5pm on Friday evening. A 70-year-old man was first allegedly assaulted by the pair in a chemist at a Keysborough shopping centre in Dandenong North. The elderly man had attempted to stop the boys from leaving the store with items which he suspected they were trying to steal. Following the assault the man was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Just hours later a 16-year-old boy was allegedly attacked by the teenagers while waiting for a bus in Dingley Village at 7pm. The victim was approached and stabbed in what police called an unprovoked attack. As he attempted to flee, the two teens continued their assault, police said. The 16-year-old was also taken to hospital with serious injuries. Police are now on the lookout for the two teens responsible for the attacks. They fled the scene after assaulting their second victim and detectives have dispatched dog squads to aid local police in their hunt. The boys have yet to be located and an investigation into the assaults has been launched by the local Dandenong and Moorabbin Crime Investigation Unit.
News.com.au
13-06-2025
- News.com.au
Victoria Police search for two teens after alleged assault and stabbing in Melbourne
Two teenagers are on the run after a series of shocking alleged attacks in Melbourne's southeast overnight. Victoria Police detectives are investigating a stabbing and assault by two boys that they believe to be linked. In the first incident, the two teens assaulted a 70-year-old man in a chemist shop at a Keysborough shopping centre in Melbourne's southeastern suburbs, the police said on Saturday morning, just before 5pm on Friday. The elderly victim was allegedly assaulted by the pair when he attempted to stop them trying to leave the story with suspected stolen items. Paramedics took the 70-year-old from Dandenong North to hospital with serious injuries. Two hours later, the police say the teenagers attacked a 16-year-old boy who was waiting at a bus stop in Dingley Village. He was approached by the teens and then stabbed in what police have called an unprovoked attack. The victim attempted to flee and was assaulted as he tried to leave, the police added. He was then transported to hospital with serious injuries. Police are now hunting for the teens after they fled the scene. Detectives, local police and dog units have participated in the search, however the pair have so far evaded police. The local Dandenong and Moorabbin Crime Investigation Unit detectives have an ongoing investigation into the incidents.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Footy star Changkuoth Jiath reveals he would have either died or became a child soldier if it wasn't for his parents
Hawthorn defender Changkuoth Jiath has opened up about his turbulent childhood in Africa, revealing that he would have either died or became a child soldier if it wasn't for his parents. Before he was born, the footy star's mum and dad fled South Sudan on foot as a violent civil war erupted around them. They walked frantically for a week in search of safety and a better future, with no idea of where they would end up. Jiath, known as 'CJ', was born in an Ethiopian refugee camp and would go on to spend his next six years there, waiting to be accepted by a country. They eventually resettled in Australia in 2011, with the family moving to Dandenong on Melbourne's eastern outskirts among a sizeable South Sudanese community. 'This world that is happening in Sudan is so different to Ethiopia, but then also, the refugee camp in Ethiopia is so different to Australia. It's three different worlds,' Jiath said on Channel 7's Unfiltered. 'It's not always guaranteed that you're going to live if you flee Sudan, because most of the time, you don't know where you're going. 'You're trying to find somewhere to survive and get away from what's happening there. 'It's definitely not always a guarantee you'll live.' Jiath says he owes his parents everything for making the decision to leave. 'If my parents stayed in Sudan, I wouldn't be here today. It's either you become a soldier, or you die, that's it,' he said. 'To have the Australian Government grant us as refugees was a special day for us.' '... I want to celebrate how fortunate I have it here in Australia and how fortunate we are as a family.' Sport became a big part of the youngsters life and he soon found himself kicking around a Sherrin on the playground. 'It was so much fun,' said Jiath. 'Obviously looking at the ball it was the weirdest shape ever. Like nothing I've ever seen in my life. '...from when I first played footy, I just fell in love with it.' The young gun later played for the Morewell Tigers, Gippsland Power and later Xavier College. The Hawks signed him in 2018 as a Category B Rookie and the rest is history. Jiath says the biggest turning point of his footy career was in 2020 when new coach Sam Mitchell pulled him aside and asked him why he wasn't playing 'consistent AFL footy'. 'That was the turning point of my career,' Jiath said. 'I went away from that conversation, (took) a hard look at myself, and really tried to understand how come I'm not.
