Latest news with #Yamba
ABC News
16-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Wayne and Noah Smith gun deaths inquest calls for licensing reform
A coronial inquest has heard of the need for reforms to NSW gun licensing after a mentally unwell man was handed back his guns less than six months before he used one to kill his son and then himself. Warning: This story contains details that readers may find distressing. Wayne Smith killed his 15-year-old son Noah as he lay sleeping in their Yamba home in the early hours of June 1, 2023, before turning the weapon on himself. State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan has heard testimony from doctors, police and the NSW Firearms Registry about the circumstances that led to the 58-year-old being reissued with his gun licence despite having a history of mental illness. In her closing statement to the inquest, Counsel Assisting, Donna Ward SC, made several recommendations to improve gun licensing processes, including making it mandatory for GPs to report concerns about patients who own a gun. Ms Ward said there had been a breakdown in communication between the health professionals who had been treating Mr Smith. "We don't have any simple solutions to that problem," she said. The inquest also heard about a lack of community and hospital options in northern News South Wales for mental health treatment. Ms Ward said that at the time of Wayne and Noah Smith's deaths there were deficiencies in NSW Firearms Registry processes. Since then, the Firearms Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 has enacted new laws relating to gun ownership and licensing. Ms Ward made a series of proposed recommendations for the Minister for Police and the Police Commissioner to consider in the post implementation review of those reforms. These included a standard question during GP consultations about whether a patient held a gun licence, and a statutory obligation for GPs to report to police if they had safety concerns for a patient who held a gun licence. She also proposed two separate mental health risk assessments for anyone who had experienced suicidal ideation in the previous five years. Ms Ward proposed gun licence holders be required to give a good reason for acquiring any additional firearms, and the Firearms Registry be more rigorous in assessing hunting and vermin control as the genuine reason for the issue of a gun licence. Family of Wayne and Noah Smith made submissions to the inquest in closed court this afternoon. The Coroner will hand down formal recommendations arising from the inquest in coming months.
ABC News
10-06-2025
- ABC News
Yamba father who killed son before taking own life had gun licence renewed, inquest hears
A father who killed his teenage son and then himself was reissued a gun licence after a doctor declared he did not pose a risk to the public, an inquest has heard. Warning: This story contains details that readers may find distressing. The inquest before New South Wales Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan heard the 58-year-old Yamba man used the rifle to shoot his 15-year-old son as he lay sleeping in their home in June 2023, before turning the gun on himself. The court heard the man had been on anti-depressants for almost 20 years and that his mental health had been fluctuating in the lead-up to the incident. His mental health declined after the death of his father and a lawn mower accident in which he he injured his hand, the inquest was told. Counsel assisting, Donna Ward, said the man's son had long been aware of his father's mental health issues and threats of self-harm. "What a terrible burden for a not-yet-13-year-old to have," she said. The court heard the man suffered an acute mental crisis in 2020 and that the family separated in 2021. The boy opted to stay living with his father. Throughout those years the man received treatment from two general practitioners, a private psychologist, a psychiatrist and some counselling services. The inquest heard that in 2021 the man's application to renew his gun licence was denied after he answered in the affirmative to a question relating to mental health issues. The police went to his house and confiscated his three firearms. Later that year a doctor providing a medical report to the NSW Firearms Registry listed the man's patient history and stated he had "recovered quickly with appropriate psychological interventions". The court heard the doctor found the man was "not a risk to public safety should he possess firearms". In October 2022 a firearms officer recommended the man be reissued his licence. In December police returned the guns, which the man was planning to use to teach his son how to hunt. The inquest heard the man had stopped taking his medication in mid- to late-2022, although he resumed taking it a few weeks before the incident. That week the boy was constantly checking in with his father, sending texts saying, "Love you, Dad", "How are you going?" "Are you having breakfast?" and "Are you going to nan's?" "It seems [he] was back on suicide watch," Ms Ward said. The inquest continues until Friday and will hear from the NSW Firearms Directory associate director and medical professionals who treated the man. The court heard family members would also have a chance to make statements about the pair, who were "so loved and who so dearly loved each other but still died in such tragic circumstances".
Time Out
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
These two Aussie spots were just named the best new restaurants in the world
Australians are pretty lucky to have many of the world's greatest restaurants right on our doorstep. With new venues swinging open their doors each month, we're almost too spoilt for choice. We've always known our restaurant scene is world-class, and so do the reviewers at Condé Nast Traveller. Last week, the award-winning travel publication dropped its 2025 Hot List of the best new restaurants that have opened (or reopened) in the past 12 months – and two of our very own Aussie venues made the cut. The first is Saint Peter at the Grand National, a revolutionary 'nose-to-tail' seafood restaurant by Australia's most celebrated chef, Josh Niland, and his wife, Julie. Unsurprisingly, this restaurant also features on our list of the best restaurants in Australia – and you can check out the full round-up here. In mid-2024, Saint Peter found a beautiful new home in Paddington's Grand National Hotel, which also features a walk-in bar and a 14-room luxury boutique hotel. The restaurant was previously located in a much smaller venue, just down the road on Oxford Street. While the second act of Saint Peter has found a new address, the game-changing dishes very much remain – think coral trout bone noodles, John dory liver pâté tarts, 12-day dry-aged yellowfin tuna, and even a sweet fudge made from the tuna's bone marrow. The Nilands are proving unstoppable too, having just opened another brand-new restaurant, Catseye Pool Club, this week. Located at The Sundays – a sparkling new $30 million hotel on Hamilton Island – the venue stays true to Saint Peter's nose-to-tail ethos, while expanding the menu to feature premium land-based proteins and fresh produce from the Queensland coast. The second Australian venue included in Condé Nast's list of the hottest new restaurant openings from the past year is Supernormal Brisbane – an Asian-influenced riverside eatery by hospo legend Andrew McConnell (the mastermind behind Gimlet, Apollo Inn, Marion, Builders Arms Hotel). While it shares its name with McConnell's beloved Melbourne original, which opened a decade ago, Supernormal Brisbane has been given a tropical makeover to match its breezy riverside setting. Melbourne favourites, like the famous New England lobster rolls, have made their way onto the menu, but there's also plenty of new dishes to try, including roast Yamba prawns with a tangy shio koji sauce and a slow-cooked Szechuan lamb shoulder served with spiced chickpea and coriander. Hungry? You can check out Condé Nast's pick of the 33 best new restaurant openings below. Here are the best new restaurants in the world: 19 Saint Roch, Paris Acamaya, New Orleans AngloThai, London Arami, La Paz, Bolivia Clandestina, São Paulo Clara, Quito, Ecuador Banng, Delhi NCR Bar Vitrine, Copenhagen Bungalow, New York City Caleña, Ávila, Spain Ciel Dining, Ho Chi Minh City Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi, Washington DC Esperit Roca, Girona, Spain Il Carciofo, Chicago Jan Franschoek, Franschoek, South Africa Jee, Hong Kong Kaia, Boston La Tapa del Coco, Panama City Le Veau d'Or, New York City Mr Panther, Lagos, Nigeria Notori, Mount Fuji, Japan OpenHouse, Kuala Lumpur Osip, Bruton, UK Rua Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda Saint Peter at the Grand National, Sydney Somma, Singapore Stüvetta, St Moritz, Switzerland Sufret Maryam, Dubai Supernormal, Brisbane Terrāi, Hyderabad Vinai, Minneapolis Voraz, Mexico City Sunny's, Miami
