The observation came in a decision dismissing the refugee appeals of an Indian Sikh couple whose original NZ$56,000 loan allegedly grew to nearly NZ$336,000, amid threats from an unlicensed moneylender and legal proceedings in India.

As per Awaaz, in its 29 October decision, tribunal member B L Burson identified indebtedness to private and unlicensed moneylenders as a structural feature of the Indian economy, noting that harassment by debt recovery agents was common.

He observed that migrants who borrow heavily to fund overseas education or employment were increasingly bringing similar protection claims before the tribunal.

The couple’s financial difficulties began in Punjab, where the wife planned to pursue further education overseas.

It is reported that in December 2015, she borrowed money from a bank to finance her studies. Her father-in-law provided land ownership documents as security, while the family also borrowed from relatives.

After her New Zealand student visa was approved in January 2016, her husband and father-in-law borrowed the equivalent of NZ$56,000 from an unlicensed moneylender in March that year to repay earlier debts.

The loan carried interest of two per cent a month and was expected to be repaid within two years. The husband joined his wife in New Zealand in May 2016.

However, the debt remained unpaid. By 2018, the lender had begun demanding repayment, with requests for money allegedly escalating into threatening phone calls and messages.

The husband’s father eventually signed an affidavit disowning the couple from his property. In March 2024, the moneylender allegedly assaulted the father and threatened to kill him and his son.

Following a complaint to the local village council and police, a compromise was reached under which the lender agreed to stop pursuing the father and deal only with the husband.

The following month, the lender sent the husband a calculation showing that the outstanding amount had increased to nearly NZ$336,000.

The couple applied for refugee protection in New Zealand in April 2024.

The husband continued receiving threatening messages from the lender, who claimed to have powerful connections across India. The lender also threatened to initiate multiple court cases and prevent the husband from leaving prison.

The moneylender subsequently initiated proceedings in India after two cheques issued by the husband were dishonoured because of insufficient funds.

However, the tribunal dismissed the couple’s appeals without an oral hearing, finding them manifestly unfounded.

Burson concluded that the dispute arose from a loan default rather than persecution connected to a ground recognised under the Refugee Convention. He also found insufficient evidence that the couple faced a real risk of serious harm meeting the legal requirements for refugee or protected-person status.

In considering the threats, Burson reasoned that killing the husband would undermine the lender’s efforts to recover the debt.

The tribunal also considered that the couple could seek protection from Indian police and pursue legal remedies through the country’s legal system.

While acknowledging the couple’s difficult circumstances, Burson said New Zealand’s international protection obligations were not intended to address every form of hardship.

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As per SMH, Simexwell Cyril was arrested by NSW Police Homicide Squad detectives at Parramatta Police Station on Tuesday and charged with publishing false or misleading material to obtain an advantage and making a false representation that resulted in a police investigation.

Police allege Cyril claimed he had been struck by shrapnel during the attack but was not injured and was not in Bondi Beach when the shooting occurred.

The NSW Government established a $35,000 lump-sum support payment for eligible victims of the December 14 attack, which killed 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl, and injured dozens of others.

Cyril was granted conditional bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court on November 18. However, Australian Border Force officers took him into custody after he was found to have overstayed his visa.

He was transferred to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre and faces deportation after his criminal matters are finalised, according to media reports.

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The accident occurred on the morning of October 28, when a high-speed train operated by Spain’s state-owned Renfe struck the rear of an Iryo train that had stopped on the tracks. The collision derailed carriages, with some tumbling down an embankment, leaving severely damaged train cars and debris scattered across the accident site. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise as emergency crews continued searching for victims.

The two trains were carrying a combined total of approximately 544 passengers. The Renfe service had 397 people on board, while the Iryo train was carrying 147, according to regional authorities. Dozens of people were injured, and rescue workers, medical teams and emergency personnel were deployed to assist survivors and recover victims.

Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente said a failure in the train safety system was among the factors being examined following the collision. Authorities are investigating how the Renfe service was cleared to continue its journey and the circumstances that led to it striking the stationary Iryo train. The precise sequence of events and any contributing technical or operational failures remain under investigation.

The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of Spain’s railway safety arrangements, particularly as the country is still dealing with the aftermath of another deadly high-speed rail collision near Adamuz in January 2026. That accident killed 46 people when a derailed Iryo train collided with an oncoming Renfe service.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cancelled his scheduled engagements following the latest crash, while King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia expressed their condolences to the victims’ families and support for those injured and the emergency personnel responding to the disaster.

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Federal Court documents reportedly show Hamas is seeking to invalidate or render inoperative the regulations that placed the entire organisation on Australia’s terrorist list in March 2022, or alternatively force the federal government to determine a further application for delisting.

The legal action does not change Hamas’s current status. Hamas remains a listed terrorist organisation under Australian law.

Australia listed Hamas in its entirety under the Criminal Code on 4 March 2022, more than 18 months before the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023. Before that decision, only its military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, had been listed under the Criminal Code, having first been proscribed in November 2003.

The Albanese Government also reaffirmed its position on Hamas this month when Foreign Minister Penny Wong re-listed eight Hamas-linked people and an entity under separate counter-terrorism financing sanctions. The government described the October 7 attacks as “abhorrent acts of terror” that killed about 1,200 people, including Australian citizen Galit Carbone.

The latest court case reportedly challenges the basis for treating Hamas’s political, administrative and military components as one terrorist organisation.

Hamas argues that its broader activities include the administration of health, education, water, disability and other civilian services in Gaza and contends those functions should not themselves be treated as terrorist acts.

It also disputes the proposition that every death or event associated with the October 7 attacks can automatically be attributed to Hamas as a terrorist act and argues that it poses no direct threat to Australia.

That latter point partly reflects the Australian Government’s own published statement of reasons, which says there are “no known direct links between Hamas and Australia” and that Hamas has not specifically threatened Australians or Australian interests.

But the same government assessment concludes there are insufficient grounds to treat Hamas’s military and political structures as genuinely separate.

The Department of Home Affairs says Hamas’s military wing sits within the organisation’s broader structure and notes significant overlap between political and military leadership. It also cites statements from Hamas leaders describing the organisation and its armed wing as parts of the same body.

Under the Criminal Code, the responsible minister may list an organisation where satisfied on reasonable grounds that it is directly or indirectly engaged in, preparing, planning, assisting or fostering terrorist acts, or advocates terrorist acts.

Being listed carries serious legal consequences in Australia.

Offences include directing a terrorist organisation, membership, recruiting, training, providing funds or resources and intentionally providing certain forms of support. Some offences carry penalties of up to 25 years in prison. Australian law also contains an association offence, subject to exceptions including humanitarian assistance and legal representation.

The latest proceedings follow a lengthy series of attempts to challenge Hamas’s designation.

Documents released by the Department of Home Affairs under freedom of information laws show a delisting application had been lodged in August 2024. An internal government brief signed in July 2025 said the application had initially been overlooked because of an administrative error before being considered as Federal Court litigation was under way.

Hamas subsequently lodged its own application seeking removal from the terrorist list in late 2025 after an earlier effort to intervene in proceedings brought by Indigenous activist Robbie Thorpe was rejected.

Mr Thorpe and solicitor Daniel Taylor then pursued a separate challenge to the government’s refusal to delist Hamas.

Federal Court Justice Graeme Hill dismissed that case in February 2026.

The court found, among other things, that the minister’s decision was not legally unreasonable, that the applicant was not owed procedural fairness in the manner argued and that the decision did not breach constitutional limits relied upon by the applicants.

Importantly, the court was not being asked to make its own political assessment of whether Hamas should be removed from the terrorist list.

Australian government guidance makes clear that the listing system is an executive and regulatory process established under Division 102 of the Criminal Code. Judicial review generally concerns whether government decisions were lawfully made rather than allowing a court simply to substitute its preferred policy decision.

The new action is understood to be represented by Sydney solicitor Daniel Taylor, who was also involved in the earlier litigation.

According to the latest court material, Hamas is seeking either a declaration that the regulations underpinning its listing are invalid or inoperative, or an order compelling the government to act on its latest delisting application.

The dispute has drawn an angry response from Jewish community organisations.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said Hamas had no basis to be removed from the terrorist list and described the latest challenge as displaying “breathtaking” audacity.

“Hamas can engage as many lawyers as it likes, but no amount of legal argument can erase the atrocities of October 7,” Mr Leibler said.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin also condemned the action, warning that removing Hamas from the list would have serious consequences for the way Australian terrorism laws apply to the organisation.

Jewish organisations have previously argued that attempts to delist Hamas minimise both the October 7 attacks and the organisation’s longer history of attacks against Israeli civilians.

Hamas and its legal supporters have argued, by contrast, that the Australian designation improperly treats its political and civilian functions as indistinguishable from its military wing and restricts political discussion and engagement connected with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The government has consistently rejected those arguments.

Home Affairs’ published assessment says the majority of Hamas terrorist attacks have been carried out by its military wing but that Hamas political leaders have acknowledged and supported the armed wing’s activities and that the organisation cannot be neatly divided for the listing.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke, who previously served as Home Affairs Minister and was involved in the earlier delisting dispute, was dismissive of the latest action, telling the Herald Sun:

“If people that bad hate me, it’s a badge of honour.”

The case comes less than a month after Australia again imposed counter-terrorism financing sanctions on people and entities linked to Hamas’s international investment network.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said profits from that network were used to finance Hamas’s terrorist activities.

The latest challenge therefore sets up another test of the boundaries between executive power, judicial review and Australia’s counter-terrorism laws.

But unless and until a court makes orders affecting the designation, the legal position remains unchanged: Hamas in its entirety is a listed terrorist organisation in Australia.

The matter is expected to return to the Federal Court for an interlocutory hearing in May.

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The analysis by digital marketing firm seobacklinks.com examined Google Maps ratings for 126 Australian public hospitals with at least 100 reviews and found Werribee Mercy averaged 2.19 stars from 1,233 reviews. About 66 per cent of reviewers gave the hospital one star.

Victoria also accounts for three of the four lowest-rated hospitals nationally. Northern Hospital in Epping ranked second-lowest at 2.42 stars, while Casey Hospital in Berwick was fourth at 2.46. Fairfield Hospital in New South Wales ranked third at 2.44.

The rankings were compiled from Google Maps listings collected on October 5 and matched with public hospitals reporting emergency department activity to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Exact averages were calculated from each hospital’s one-to-five-star review distribution rather than Google’s rounded display score.

Private hospitals, specialist children’s, women’s and eye hospitals, and separate emergency department listings were excluded.

The rankings do not measure clinical outcomes, patient safety or the medical quality of treatment. They reflect what patients and visitors say publicly about their overall hospital experience, including waiting times, communication, facilities and staff interactions.

That distinction is particularly important in emergency departments, where patients are treated according to clinical urgency rather than arrival time.

Even so, the complaints at Werribee Mercy reflect longstanding pressure on a hospital serving one of Melbourne’s fastest-growing areas.

One reviewer complained that people arriving at 9:30 pm were not seen until 5 am or later the following morning, while another described the waiting time as “ridiculous”.

Official data confirms the hospital is handling heavy demand. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare recorded 54,192 emergency department presentations at Werribee Mercy in 2024–25.

A 2024 Victorian Auditor-General’s Office investigation also found demand was exceeding the capacity of the hospital’s emergency department. The audit cited an internal 2023 briefing warning that growing demand was contributing to poor patient experiences and negative community perceptions.

Wyndham City has separately argued hospital infrastructure has failed to keep pace with population growth and says the municipality could require more than 1,200 additional public hospital beds by 2046.

Werribee Mercy is now undergoing a major emergency department expansion intended to relieve some of that pressure. The project will increase treatment spaces from 33 to 67, add dedicated paediatric and adult mental health areas and allow the hospital to handle another 25,000 emergency presentations each year.

The Victorian Government has allocated $95 million in the 2026–27 budget to support the opening and operation of the expanded department.

Werribee Mercy is also among 12 hospitals included in Labor’s $1.5 billion election commitment to expand emergency departments, add 250 beds and recruit 1,500 healthcare workers, including 750 nurses.

The Carroll Labor Government has separately announced a $169 million package for hospital equipment and infrastructure upgrades across Victoria.

Under the package, $87 million will go to the Medical Equipment Replacement Program for 21 health services and facilities. Projects include an MRI upgrade at Shepparton, a replacement digital X-ray system at Barwon Health’s McKellar Centre and replacement heart imaging equipment at St Vincent’s Hospital.

A further $82 million will go to 25 health services through the Engineering Infrastructure Replacement Program, funding projects including a new nurse-call system at Mercy Hospital for Women, electrical upgrades at Echuca Regional Health and upgraded air-handling systems at Mildura Base Public Hospital.

The government says the latest funding takes total investment through the two programs to more than $402 million for medical equipment and $386 million for engineering infrastructure, with more than 700 projects delivered since 2015.

Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the upgrades were aimed at replacing ageing equipment and improving access to care.

“We’re delivering world-class care for all Victorians through dedicated funds to replace ageing medical equipment,” Ms Stitt said.

“Better equipment can mean faster care closer to home. These upgrades will make a real difference in hospitals across Victoria.”

Labor has also used the funding announcement to attack Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, arguing Liberal fiscal plans would result in $40 billion in cuts and threaten frontline services. That remains a political claim made by Labor rather than a finding of the hospital review analysis.

The Google review data suggests dissatisfaction is broader than Werribee.

Northern Hospital averaged 2.42 stars from 1,459 reviews, Casey Hospital 2.46 from 1,236, Sunshine Hospital 2.74, Dandenong Hospital 2.77, Latrobe Regional Hospital 2.83 and Monash Medical Centre 2.94.

Across the 28 Victorian hospitals included in the ranking, the average was 3.22 stars, the second-lowest among the six states.

At the other end of the table, Rosebud Hospital was Victoria’s highest-rated public hospital at 3.88 stars from 129 reviews, ranking sixth nationally. St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne followed at 3.82 stars, Sandringham Hospital at 3.77, The Alfred at 3.76, and Angliss Hospital at 3.71.

Nationally, Busselton Health Campus in Western Australia topped the ranking at 4.58 stars.

Oliver Weston, founder of seobacklinks.com, said hospital reviews often reflected highly stressful experiences, with waiting times, uncertainty and communication among the most common complaints.

He also noted that some one-star reviewers still praised individual doctors and nurses, underlining the difference between dissatisfaction with the overall hospital experience and criticism of clinical staff.

Google reviews are therefore an imperfect measure of hospital performance. People with negative experiences may be more likely to post reviews, while star ratings do not account for clinical outcomes, case complexity or medical standards.

But with more than 1,200 reviews at Werribee Mercy, the rating provides a substantial snapshot of public sentiment.

For the Victorian Government, the challenge is now whether major investments in capacity, staffing, equipment and infrastructure translate into a better experience for patients at the front door of the hospital system.

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The 49-year-old woman from Pascoe Vale South and two men, aged 31 and 40, were arrested on 20 October following an investigation by the Victorian Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (JOCTF).

Australian Border Force (ABF) officers detected anomalies in the consignment on 9 October and used X-ray examination to locate 120 packages of suspected drugs concealed inside the furniture. Presumptive testing indicated the substance was cocaine.

The shipment was referred to the JOCTF, which removed the drugs and arranged a controlled delivery to a storage facility in Essendon as part of the investigation.

Police allege the woman was the consignee and attended the storage facility on 20 October to coordinate the collection and movement of the shipment.

Investigators identified the two men during the controlled delivery. Police allege the 31-year-old drove the consignment from Essendon to an address in Keilor, where the shipment was opened and separated.

AFP Detective Superintendent Ray Imbriano said organised crime groups continued to use different concealment methods in attempts to smuggle illicit drugs into Australia.

“Criminal syndicates are constantly looking for ways to smuggle illicit drugs into Australia to make a profit, but the AFP and our law enforcement partners remain committed to identifying and disrupting those attempts.”

Victoria Police Detective Superintendent Dave Cowan said the arrests had disrupted an alleged drug-trafficking operation and prevented the drugs from reaching Victorian streets.

Australian Border Force Acting Superintendent Peter Alderson said officers’ targeting expertise and cargo examination capabilities had played a critical role in detecting the suspected cocaine.

Part of the consignment was allegedly transferred to a second vehicle and taken to an address in Glenroy, where the 40-year-old was arrested. The 31-year-old allegedly drove the other vehicle to an address in Rockbank, where police intercepted and arrested him. The woman was subsequently arrested at an address in Pascoe Vale.

All three have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug.

The trio appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 21 October. The two men were refused bail, while the woman was granted conditional bail.

All three are due to return to the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 10 February 2027. The offences carry maximum penalties of life imprisonment.

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International students can work in Canada only if their study permit includes conditions authorising them to work on or off campus. Those eligible to work off campus are generally limited to 24 hours per week while classes are in session.

Working more hours than permitted is a violation of study permit conditions. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), students who breach these conditions can lose their student status, have future study or work permit applications refused, and may be required to leave Canada.

Students should check the conditions attached to their permits and confirm their eligibility before accepting employment or taking on additional shifts.

International students who want to remain employed in Canada after completing their studies must obtain a work permit. Some graduates may qualify for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP), while others may be eligible for a different type of work permit.

Graduates who have applied for a PGWP may be allowed to work full-time while awaiting a decision, provided they meet specific conditions. These include having held a valid study permit when they applied, completing their study programme, and having been eligible to work off campus while studying without exceeding the permitted hours.

Those who do not meet these conditions must wait until their work permit is issued before starting a new job.

IRCC warns that working in Canada without the required authorisation is illegal.

International students can check the official Canadian government guidance on working on campus, working off campus and post-graduation work permit eligibility to understand the rules that apply to their circumstances.

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Assoc. Prof. Ruban Thanigasalam used a console at Sydney’s Chris O’Brien Lifehouse to control a Toumai surgical robot in Shanghai, guiding its instruments as they cut and stitched a demonstration kidney. No patient was involved in the Australian-first demonstration.

“This is groundbreaking surgery,” Thanigasalam told 7NEWS.

“Australia is such a large country and there are many cities and communities that don’t have access to highly trained robotic surgeons.”

He said remote surgery could help bridge that gap, potentially allowing patients to undergo procedures in their home towns rather than travelling to major cities for specialist care.

“Often patients are moving to Sydney to have their operations, but this enables them to stay in their home town and us to potentially operate on them.”

For regional families, the technology could mean fewer long-distance trips, less time away from home and better access to specialist expertise.

The demonstration relied on a network connection that allowed the surgeon in Sydney to control robotic instruments thousands of kilometres away.

Thanigasalam said the team used a 5G network and checked the connection before operating, with a backup connection also available.

“The latency has to be less than 50 milliseconds ideally” to avoid noticing a difference in response speed, he said before the demonstration.

However, the reported latency during the session was 150 milliseconds. Despite this, Thanigasalam said the demonstration went better than expected.

“We were able to operate the robot from Shanghai from here in Sydney which is a distance of 7,500km,” he said.

“I was pleasantly surprised and I’m looking forward to testing this technology further.”

The results demonstrate the system’s potential, but further testing and clinical assessment would be needed before remote surgery could be offered routinely to Australian patients.

The Toumai system has been used in overseas procedures involving patients, including a prostate cancer operation controlled remotely from London while the patient was in Gibraltar, Thanigasalam said.

In Australia, however, hospitals must complete further governance, medico-legal and indemnity checks before introducing the technology into clinical practice.

“We’ve got approval to use the robot, but we have to go through internal governance,” he said, adding that several steps remained before patient procedures could begin.

A second medical team would also need to be present beside the patient, ready to intervene if necessary.

Thanigasalam said he hoped the technology could become available in Australia within the next six months, although its introduction would depend on the required approvals, hospital preparations and funding.

Deploying remote surgical systems across regional hospitals would also require investment in trained staff and reliable network infrastructure.

Beyond performing operations remotely, the technology could help experienced specialists mentor and train surgeons at other hospitals.

“This is a fantastic piece of technology,” Thanigasalam said, highlighting its potential for remote supervision, teaching and professional development.

Thanigasalam is an Associate Professor of Robotic Surgery at the University of Sydney and a urology clinical research lead investigator at the Institute of Academic Surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

His research focuses on minimally invasive and robotic surgery for urological cancers. He also co-chairs a postgraduate robotic surgery fellowship training programme involving Concord Hospital, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Chris O’Brien Lifehouse.

He has helped train Australian registrars and international surgeons from countries including the Netherlands, France and Ireland. He is also chief co-convener of the Sydney Robotic Summit, a major multidisciplinary robotic surgery conference held every two years.

After completing his medical degree at St George’s Hospital, University of London, Thanigasalam undertook specialist urological training in New South Wales and a two-year fellowship in robotic urological surgery in Paris before returning to Sydney.

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David Lan Thackray, from Hurstville in southern Sydney, was arrested on 18 October and charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend, according to media reports.

According to a police fact sheet tendered to the court, Thackray allegedly told Claude, an AI chatbot developed by Anthropic, that he intended to shoot children at a nearby childcare centre.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that he allegedly threatened to go to a local Westfield shopping centre and “shoot up the local daycare”.

It is further reported that the court also heard allegations that he discussed targeting a doctor’s office and referenced Naveed Akram, who has been charged over the December 2025 Bondi Beach mass shooting that killed 15 people.

Prosecutors argued against releasing Thackray on bail, warning of potentially catastrophic consequences if he acted on the alleged threats. They told the court his stated intentions were not vague and raised concerns about what he might do if released.

However, it is reported that defence lawyer Danilo Rajkovic argued that there was little substance behind his client’s words, describing the chatbot exchanges as a stress-induced outburst. He said Thackray had initially been using the chatbot in an attempt to address an ear infection.

The defence also noted that Thackray was studying international relations, had no criminal record and had lived in Australia for more than 17 years.

The case has drawn attention to how AI companies respond when users discuss potential acts of violence and under what circumstances information may be escalated to law enforcement.

Claude is designed to refuse requests involving the planning or encouragement of violence. Anthropic’s policies also provide for user data to be shared with law enforcement in certain emergency circumstances.

Media reports said Thackray’s conversations were flagged through Interpol before his arrest. The precise circumstances of the referral and the steps taken to assess the alleged threat have not been fully established in the material available.

As per Channel 10, Thackray has pleaded not guilty. He was remanded in custody for a mental health assessment after appearing at Sutherland Local Court on 19 October.

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According to a report by Awaaz, the 26-year-old woman appealed to New Zealand’s Immigration and Protection Tribunal after Immigration New Zealand declined her residence application in February 2025.

The couple married in an arranged marriage in India in February 2024 and moved to New Zealand together two months later.

Her husband was convicted of drink-driving in 2022 after being caught with a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. He was fined NZ$800, disqualified from driving for 28 days and ordered to install an alcohol interlock.

The conviction made him liable for deportation, preventing him from supporting his wife’s residence application.

The woman argued that returning to India without her husband could expose her to family conflict, social rejection and pressure to remarry. Her husband also warned that separation could damage their marriage.

However, the tribunal found insufficient evidence to support her fears and noted that the separation might be temporary. His deportation liability had been suspended until March 2028, potentially allowing him to support a future residence application.

Tribunal member A M Clayton said the husband had received leniency and had to accept the consequences of his offending. The tribunal dismissed the appeal.

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The family arrived in Punjab on 11 October to visit their hometown when the tragedy occurred, according to close family friend Manjinder Singh Basi, who spoke to The Indian Weekender.

“Few days after the trip to Punjab, the child fell off from the bed accidentally while standing.”

The toddler was admitted to hospital, where he spent at least four days before passing away, Basi said.

The death came just two months after the boy celebrated his second birthday with his grandmother, who had been visiting from Punjab.

The family had been looking forward to several upcoming celebrations.

It is reported that the child’s grandparents had planned an Akhand Path Sahib next month, involving the continuous recitation of the Sikh holy scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, to mark his birthday.

His uncle was also expected to arrive from Italy after the birth of his own son, while the family had hoped to celebrate Lohri, the Punjabi harvest festival held in January.

“The family is going through a very difficult time,” Basi said.

“The family had just travelled to Punjab and it happened so suddenly. They are deeply saddened by the loss.”

According to Basi, the child’s father moved to New Zealand on a student visa and had been living there for 10 years. His wife joined him a few years later.

The child’s sudden death has left the family and wider circle of friends grieving a loss that came during what was meant to be a visit home filled with family reunions and celebrations.

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Australian News Updates

The post Indian community shocked as two-year-old Kiwi boy dies after accidental fall during family visit to Punjab first appeared on The Australia Today.

The ABC reported on Friday morning that Ms Camm, the Member for Whitsunday, would leave her ministerial roles after months of scrutiny over the state’s child protection system and domestic and family violence portfolio.

The Courier-Mail reported that health concerns were behind the decision. Ms Camm had only recently returned to work after taking medical leave.

Premier David Crisafulli is expected to announce changes to his ministry following her departure.

Ms Camm has been responsible for child safety and the prevention of domestic, family and sexual violence since the LNP took government in October 2024.

Her departure comes after a difficult period for the portfolios she oversees.

In September, the Queensland Family and Child Commission revealed that 91 children known to child protection services had died during the 2025–26 financial year, an increase of 59.6 per cent from the previous year and the highest number recorded in five years.

The figures prompted renewed calls from the Labor opposition for the government to take responsibility for problems in the child safety system.

The government has stressed that children can become known to child protection services for many reasons and that the figures do not mean the department was responsible for the deaths.

Ms Camm had also been under pressure over children in residential care being accommodated in child safety offices while suitable placements were unavailable.

Reports earlier this year revealed some children had slept on office floors or air mattresses, intensifying scrutiny of residential care capacity and the availability of foster and kinship carers.

A major Commission of Inquiry into Queensland’s child safety system delivered 52 recommendations in June, after finding the system had relied too heavily on residential care and suffered from fragmented responsibilities and inconsistent practice.

The government subsequently accepted 32 recommendations and accepted another 16 in principle.

Ms Camm announced that children under five would be removed from residential care and said Queensland needed about 1,000 additional foster carers to provide more family-based placements.

In July, the government committed $200 million towards reforms arising from the inquiry.

At the time, Ms Camm said she would hold senior officials accountable for improving the system.

“I will hold my Director General and the Department to account, and Queenslanders will hold me to account,” she said.

Earlier this month, Ms Camm said the number of children in residential care had fallen slightly for the first time after reaching record levels.

Figures released on October 13 showed 2,804 children remained in residential care, 15 fewer than in the previous reporting period.

Ms Camm said the system had “stabilised”, while acknowledging the movement was modest.

Her domestic violence portfolio had also attracted criticism.

The 2026–27 Queensland budget allocated $340.7 million towards domestic and family violence prevention, but opposition parties and advocacy groups criticised an overall reduction in funding compared with the previous year.

ABC reporting in July found prevention funding had fallen by almost $40 million, prompting concerns among services already experiencing growing demand.

Ms Camm also faced sustained questioning over the government’s progress in implementing 277 recommendations made by the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce in reports delivered in 2021 and 2022.

She resisted calls to provide a public breakdown showing how many recommendations had been completed, were under way or remained outstanding.

The issue gained further attention during a period in which four women were killed in alleged violent incidents in Queensland in less than two months.

Ms Camm described those deaths as “abhorrent” and said ending domestic violence required a whole-of-community response.

There had also been industrial tension within the child safety system.

Thousands of child safety and youth justice workers walked off the job last month as enterprise bargaining negotiations stalled, adding pressure to a department already dealing with staff shortages and high caseloads.

Ms Camm’s time in cabinet was also subjected to scrutiny earlier this year over her personal relationship with fellow minister Tim Mander.

The pair acknowledged they had been in a relationship between June 2023 and May 2024, before being appointed to cabinet, and said they resumed their relationship in June 2025.

Both maintained they had complied with integrity requirements and declared the relationship after it resumed.

Mr Crisafulli stood by both ministers in May and ruled out a reshuffle at the time, saying there was no information before him suggesting either had breached ministerial rules.

Ms Camm entered state parliament at the 2020 election, winning Whitsunday after defeating former LNP MP turned independent Jason Costigan.

She was immediately appointed to the opposition frontbench and held responsibility for child protection and domestic and family violence before becoming a minister four years later.

Her departure will mark the first significant change to Mr Crisafulli’s cabinet since the LNP returned to government.

It will also leave the government needing to appoint a new minister to take responsibility for a child safety system undergoing major reform and a domestic violence sector facing continuing pressure over funding, service demand and the implementation of recommendations from previous inquiries.

Mr Crisafulli is expected to provide further details on Ms Camm’s departure and the resulting cabinet changes later on Friday.

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The Herald Sun reported on Friday that Labor polling showed the party struggling along the Frankston rail corridor, with some insiders expecting both electorates to change hands.

The underlying internal polling — including its sample size, fieldwork dates, methodology and individual seat figures — has not been publicly released.

Frankston is held by Police Minister Paul Edbrooke, while Carrum is represented by Attorney-General and Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny. Both have represented their electorates since 2014 and were elevated or retained in senior roles when Premier Ben Carroll reshuffled his cabinet in August.

Neither seat would normally be considered marginal based on the 2022 election result.

Labor holds Frankston on a two-party-preferred margin of 8.7 percentage points and Carrum on about 9.8 points. Mordialloc is held by Labor on 8.2 points and Bentleigh on 8.0 points.

For Frankston or Carrum to change hands on a uniform swing, Labor would therefore need to suffer a substantial movement against it.

That is not impossible in the current political environment, but seat-level outcomes can vary considerably from statewide polling because of candidate recognition, local campaigns, preference flows and demographic differences.

The reported internal polling suggests Labor strategists are particularly concerned about Carrum.

Ms Kilkenny has been at the centre of some of the government’s most contested policy areas as Planning Minister and Attorney-General, including housing and planning reform. She has held Carrum since defeating Liberal MP Donna Bauer in 2014.

The electorate has moved between Labor and the Liberals several times. It was won by the Liberals during the 2010 change of government before returning to Labor four years later.

Mr Edbrooke has held Frankston for Labor since 2014 and was appointed Police, Crime Prevention, Emergency Services and Multicultural Affairs Minister in August.

Frankston has also historically changed hands with shifts in government, having been represented by both major parties over recent decades.

According to the report, Labor insiders believe Mr Edbrooke retains a strong personal standing locally but fear dissatisfaction with the wider Labor brand could overwhelm that advantage.

One unnamed Labor minister was quoted as saying:

“It’s clear we’ve lost the confidence of the public.”

The report also points to pressure in Mordialloc, represented by Local Government, Consumer Affairs and Renters Minister Tim Richardson, and Bentleigh, held by Housing Minister Nick Staikos.

Mr Richardson and Mr Staikos have both represented their electorates since 2014 and joined or remained in cabinet under Mr Carroll.

Labor sources reportedly believe Mordialloc could record a substantial movement towards the Liberals, while also seeing some shift towards the Greens, although party figures hope Mr Richardson’s local profile will help him retain support.

ABC election data puts Labor’s 2022 margin in Mordialloc at 8.2 percentage points. Mr Richardson is being challenged by Liberal candidate Paul O’Halloran, a long-serving Victoria Police officer, as well as One Nation candidate Nadia Ticehurst and other contenders.

Bentleigh is also expected by Labor insiders to experience a large swing, although the internal assessment reported by the Herald Sun was that Mr Staikos remained comparatively better placed to withstand it.

A Labor headquarters source pushed back against suggestions of an inevitable Sandbelt collapse, telling the newspaper the seats remained competitive and pointing to the government’s record of infrastructure and service investment along the Frankston line.

“The view within the party is that the sandbelt remains competitive,” the source said.

The internal anxiety comes as public polling also shows Labor facing a substantial statewide swing compared with its landslide 2022 result.

A RedBridge Group and Accent Research survey conducted between October 2 and 8 put the Coalition ahead of Labor 56–44 on a two-party-preferred basis.

The poll surveyed 1,008 Victorian voters and reported a margin of error of about 3.5 percentage points for the full sample. The researchers cautioned that margins of error are larger for demographic and geographic subsets.

A collection of recent Victorian polling compiled by Ace Strategies has shown considerable variation between pollsters, but its post-leadership-change average places the Coalition ahead on two-party-preferred voting.

Polling averages, however, cannot reliably determine the outcome of individual electorates, particularly where margins, candidates and preference flows differ substantially.

RedBridge Group founder Kos Samaras told the Herald Sun that Labor’s support was falling sharply in parts of Melbourne’s south-east and north.

He said electorates including Frankston and Carrum increasingly resembled outer-suburban seats where voters were moving strongly away from Labor.

The reported problems are not confined to the Sandbelt.

Labor insiders are also watching Melbourne’s north-west, including Sydenham, Melton and Kororoit, where One Nation is attempting to establish itself alongside Labor and the Liberals.

Those seats start from very different positions.

Labor holds Melton on a margin of 4.6 percentage points and Sydenham on 8.8 points, while Kororoit — represented by Youth, Carers and Volunteers Minister Luba Grigorovitch — has a much larger Labor margin of 14.5 points based on the 2022 result.

Liberal strategists quoted in the report said their principal targets remained seats including Box Hill, Ashwood, Glen Waverley and Bayswater.

Those electorates are held by Labor on margins ranging from 3.3 points in Glen Waverley to 7.2 points in Box Hill and Ashwood, making them mathematically easier targets than some of the Sandbelt seats if there were a broadly uniform swing.

Shadow Attorney-General James Newbury seized on the reported Labor leaks, saying they reflected voter dissatisfaction with the government’s record on crime, roads and taxation.

Labor, meanwhile, is arguing that its local MPs, infrastructure record and incumbency will matter more than statewide political commentary when voters make their decisions.

The contest in the south-east will be closely watched because the Sandbelt has played an important role in previous Victorian elections.

Carrum and Frankston both shifted to the Liberals at the 2010 election that brought Ted Baillieu to government, before returning to Labor in 2014 when Daniel Andrews won office.

The reported internal polling therefore provides a warning for Labor.

With more than a month remaining before election day — and formal nominations not closing until November 9 — the scale and distribution of any swing will ultimately determine whether senior ministers are genuinely at risk or whether Labor’s local incumbents can withstand a statewide movement against the government.

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The ads, appearing on screens above petrol bowsers, use an AI-generated image of Carroll holding car keys while a service station worker appears to chase after him.

They carry the message: “Hey Ben, don’t forget to pay … because we’re sick of paying for Labor.”

Some of the advertising has been placed in Carroll’s own electorate, sharpening the political sting just weeks before Victorians vote on 28 November.

The campaign follows Carroll’s admission that he drove away from a petrol station on Monday night without paying a bill of about $90.

Carroll said he had been running errands near his home and had stopped for fuel after a demanding day that included receiving briefings following the alleged attack on federal independent MP Helen Haines.

“Monday was a tough day for a lot of reasons,” Carroll told reporters.

He said he had also agreed to return a pencil case belonging to one of his daughter’s friends and stopped for petrol while out.

“I said, I’d do it and I’d get petrol. And then I found out the following day I hadn’t paid for the petrol,” Carroll said.

The Premier said the bill was settled as soon as he became aware of the mistake.

The ABC reported that police contacted the Department of Parliamentary Services about the unpaid fuel before Carroll was notified of the error.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush subsequently said there was an important distinction between an accidental failure to pay and a deliberate petrol theft.

“If someone does something accidentally, non-deliberately, it becomes a very civil matter,” Bush said, adding that civil redress had occurred in Carroll’s case. No further police action is expected.

Carroll has described the episode as an innocent mistake and sought to make light of the embarrassment.

He told reporters that former Victorian deputy premier John Thwaites had contacted him after the story emerged and recounted his own petrol station mishap, in which he allegedly drove away with the bowser hose still attached to his vehicle.

Carroll said the exchange made him “feel a lot better”, adding that the incident showed “politicians are human beings and even premiers make mistakes”.

The Liberals, however, have seized on the incident as fresh campaign material.

The petrol station advertising links Carroll’s personal mistake with the opposition’s broader argument that Victorians are “paying for Labor”, transforming an individual oversight into a message about government costs and Labor’s economic record.

It is a deliberately visual strategy: voters filling their cars are being confronted with an advertisement about the Premier failing to pay for his own petrol.

The attack comes during an increasingly aggressive Victorian election campaign in which both major parties are competing for voters concerned about cost of living, housing, crime, infrastructure and the state’s finances.

The Liberal campaign has increasingly used digital and targeted advertising as it seeks to make Carroll personally responsible for Labor’s record in government.

But the petrol ads have also attracted criticism.

Some social media users described the campaign as childish or petty, arguing the opposition should focus on broader policy issues rather than an accidental petrol drive-off that had already been rectified.

Others pointed to past controversies involving Liberal politicians and argued that using the incident as an attack line risked humanising Carroll rather than damaging him.

The timing has also drawn criticism because Carroll said the mistake occurred during a difficult evening following the alleged attack on Haines, who was critically injured earlier that day.

That has not stopped the Liberals from pressing the advantage.

The advertisement represents another example of artificial intelligence being used in Victorian political campaigning.

AI-generated political advertising has already become a feature of the 2026 election, with outside campaign groups using digitally created scenes involving crime, state debt, hospitals and infrastructure to target voters online.

The latest Liberal advertisement brings that tactic directly into petrol stations, where rising fuel and household costs are already politically sensitive.

For Carroll, the underlying incident appears legally settled.

He paid the outstanding amount, police have indicated that an accidental drive-off without criminal intent is generally treated as a civil matter, and no further action is expected.

Politically, however, the episode is unlikely to disappear as quickly.

With just over a month until polling day, the Liberals have turned a forgotten petrol bill into campaign content designed to reinforce a much broader message: that Victorian voters have been left paying too much under Labor.

Whether voters see the advertisements as sharp political humour or an unnecessary personal attack will now become part of the increasingly combative contest between Carroll and Opposition Leader Jess Wilson as the election campaign intensifies.

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The post Liberals target Ben Carroll with petrol station attack ads after Premier’s unpaid fuel blunder first appeared on The Australia Today.

A 19-year-old man, Harley Adams, has been charged with hate crime offences after police alleged he yelled racist insults at the family and threatened to “blow up” their Morningside unit block in Brisbane’s east.

The alleged incident occurred about 12:30 am on Monday.

Mr Adams appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday, where police prosecutor Sergeant Matt Kahler described the alleged behaviour as an “extraordinary racist outburst”.

The court heard Mr Adams allegedly believed the family had made a complaint that resulted in his eviction from the complex.

Sergeant Kahler told the court Mr Adams became apologetic after learning the family had not made such a complaint.

According to reporting by 7News, the Indian family has been left so frightened by the alleged threats that they are considering ending their lease and returning to India.

The allegations have also raised concerns among other residents of the complex.

Police told the court other residents had been breaking their leases and moving out because of concerns about Mr Adams’s behaviour.

Mr Adams was arrested on Tuesday and charged with offences relating to threats and serious vilification.

Queensland Police defines serious vilification as public conduct involving threats of harm against a person or their property, or encouraging others to cause harm, because of a protected characteristic such as race or religion.

Serious vilification is a criminal offence in Queensland and can carry a prison sentence if a person is convicted.

Magistrate Peter Saggers told Mr Adams the court treated threats of violence seriously.

“When you say you’re going to do things, then the court will proceed on the basis of that’s what you mean,” Mr Saggers said.

The magistrate also referred to allegations that Mr Adams had threatened to blow himself up along with other people at the complex.

Mr Adams was granted bail under strict conditions.

He must wear an electronic monitoring device, stay away from the Morningside apartment complex and its residents, and report to a police station three times a week.

The matter has been adjourned until November 16.

The charges come amid increased attention on racially motivated offending in Queensland.

Queensland Police says a crime can be treated as hate-motivated where prejudice or bias relating to characteristics including race, religion, sexuality, gender identity or sex characteristics is alleged to have motivated the offending.

Offences that can attract hate-related aggravation include threats of violence, assault, stalking, harassment, wilful damage, public nuisance and trespass.

Police encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses a suspected hate crime to report it.

Mr Adams has not entered a plea to the allegations reported in court.

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The post Frightened Brisbane family considers returning to India after alleged racist ‘blow-up’ apartment threat first appeared on The Australia Today.

The drivers, many of Indian origin, say they are facing increasing safety risks while trying to earn a living, with incidents including rocks being thrown at taxis and young people allegedly damaging vehicles before running away.

Taxi driver Prabhjot Singh said drivers were being assaulted “for no reason apparently”.

Gurpreet Singh, a driver with RLTaxi, said a bottle was smashed on his head a few days ago. Another taxi driver, Monty Sharna, suffered a head injury that required six stitches.

Taxi operator Harinam Singh said young people were throwing rocks at vehicles before running away and hiding their faces. Drivers are calling for stronger action against those responsible.

The 24-hour stoppage was intended to send a clear message that the ongoing violence must be addressed and drivers need better protection.

The protest comes amid wider challenges facing Townsville’s taxi industry, including driver shortages, long passenger wait times and financial pressures.

The attacks have also prompted calls for greater respect and safety for transport workers.

“You don’t have to agree with immigration levels to treat immigrants with respect. These people have families, work hard to earn a living, and deserve to be safe just like everyone else,” one person commented.

Another said:

“All public transport employees deserve to be respected and free from threatening, aggressive and violent behaviours.”

A third person said: “These are humans providing services to other humans, no one should be treated like this. Crime in Townsville is getting worse, where are the leaders?”

Taxi operators say the strike was about ensuring drivers can work safely and that repeated acts of violence and vandalism are taken seriously.

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The post Assaulted behind the wheel: Townsville cabbies walk off the job for 24 hours first appeared on The Australia Today.

According to The Times of India, Damanjeet Singh, a resident of Greater Noida, alleged that his wife left for her parental home in Tilak Nagar, west Delhi, on 8 June with their son, saying they would return within a few days.

He claimed she subsequently extended her stay, stopped responding to him and eventually blocked his phone number and social media accounts.

When Singh visited her home, he reportedly discovered that tenants were living there. He alleged that his wife, her father and their son had travelled to Australia.

Singh further alleged that his passport had been stolen and his signature forged on documents connected with the child’s Australian visa application.

“She snatched my right as a father, and I yearn for my child,” he said in his complaint, according to the report.

As per the TOI report, an FIR has been registered under provisions of India’s Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to forgery, kidnapping and the forgery and use of documents or electronic records as genuine.

The allegations have not been proven in court. The ToI report did not include a response from the wife.

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Australian News Access

The post Indian businessman alleges wife forged signature, took two-year-old son to Australia without consent first appeared on The Australia Today.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) National Manager Risk and Verification Aaron Smith said the decision removed uncertainty about whether New Zealand employment law applied to payments made outside the country for jobs within its borders.

The ruling concerns the Wages Protection Act 1983, which prohibits employers and people acting on their behalf from seeking or receiving a premium in exchange for employment.

The Court clarified that the location of a transaction does not determine whether the prohibition applies. The ban can also cover payments made by family members, friends or others on behalf of prospective employees, as well as money collected by intermediaries acting for employers.

“The Court’s decision provides a legal tool to help combat this exploitation,” Smith said.

He said migrants paying significant sums in exchange for promises of jobs and residency in New Zealand remained a recurring and widespread form of exploitation.

“It makes it clear no matter where the worker is, how much is paid, and regardless of who, that it is illegal to charge a fee for a job in New Zealand,” Smith said.

“If you are being charged for a job, then your employer (and those working on their behalf) is committing an illegal act.”

Smith encouraged anyone who believed they had been misled or pressured into paying for job offers or visa support to contact Immigration New Zealand.

“Every piece of information helps us prevent others from being exploited,” he said.

While INZ cannot recover premiums paid by migrants in job scams, it has several options for holding New Zealand employers accountable if they, or people acting on their behalf, are found to have charged workers for employment.

Smith also urged employers and those involved in migrant recruitment to ensure their practices were transparent, complied with New Zealand employment standards and did not require migrants to pay to secure jobs.

This includes monitoring offshore recruitment arrangements and the activities of third parties involved in hiring migrant workers.

“If you break the law, misuse your position, or take advantage of migrants for financial gain, including through making false job offers, there will be consequences,” he said.

The Employment Court’s decision arose from two proceedings involving a Labour Inspector and claims concerning migrant workers. The Court considered whether the legal prohibition on charging employment premiums applied to transactions conducted overseas for jobs in New Zealand.

The clarification reinforces that employers cannot avoid the law simply by arranging for payments to be made outside New Zealand.

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The post Pay overseas, work in NZ: Court closes loophole in cash-for-jobs exploitation first appeared on The Australia Today.

Brendan Nugent, from Tarrawingee in north-east Victoria, has been identified as the man arrested after Haines, 65, was critically injured outside her electorate office on Murphy Street on Monday afternoon.

The incident has triggered a major police investigation involving counter-terrorism authorities, with investigators examining whether Haines was deliberately targeted and what may have motivated the alleged attack.

Nugent’s reported online activity has attracted attention because of his history of environmental activism, opposition to native forest logging and previous direct interactions with Haines on social media.

However, police have not established that his political or environmental views motivated the alleged attack, and there is no evidence that opposition to Israel or involvement in conservation campaigns caused the incident.

The Herald Sun reported on Tuesday that Nugent had previously supported Haines during the 2019 federal election campaign, publicly criticising attacks on her by the Liberal Party.

By 2020, however, his online commentary reportedly reflected frustration with Haines over forestry-related policies.

The newspaper reported that Nugent had participated in a 2018 blockade in Victoria’s Strathbogie forest and had served as a committee member of the Save Our Strathbogie Forest conservation group.

His social media activity also included criticism of Israeli military actions, with posts reported as recently as 2023.

These revelations provide insight into Nugent’s publicly expressed political interests but do not establish a motive for the incident.

One of the most striking aspects of the reported social media history is that Nugent did not always appear politically hostile towards Haines.

According to the Herald Sun, his earlier posts defended her against political criticism before later challenging her approach to forest protection.

His environmental activism reportedly extended beyond social media.

Nugent participated in campaigns opposing logging in the Strathbogie forest, including a protest blockade in 2018.

He was also associated with Save Our Strathbogie Forest, a community conservation organisation campaigning to protect native forests.

The organisation’s president, Bertram Lobert, reportedly expressed surprise at the allegations, describing Nugent as someone he had previously regarded as intelligent and thoughtful. He said Nugent had not been involved with the group for several years, with their contact dating back to about 2019.

There is no suggestion that Save Our Strathbogie Forest or any other environmental organisation was involved in the alleged attack.

Media reporting has also highlighted Nugent’s commentary about Israel.

His social media accounts reportedly contained criticism of Israeli military operations and expressions of support for Palestinians, adding another dimension to the public political positions now being examined.

But holding anti-Israel views, supporting Palestinians or campaigning against logging does not itself indicate violent intent. Investigators have not publicly connected those views to the incident involving Haines.

The circumstances of the alleged attack have nevertheless raised serious concerns about the safety of elected representatives.

Police said Haines was struck by a white Toyota Land Cruiser outside her Wangaratta office at about 3.35 pm on Monday, 19 October.

Witness accounts suggest the driver performed a U-turn before striking Haines and then reversed into her a second time.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the sequence described by witnesses indicated that Haines had been rammed against another vehicle.

Local barber Ricky Jefferies rushed from his nearby shop and helped detain the driver until police arrived.

A knife was also recovered during the incident, although there has been no finding that it was used against Haines.

Haines was flown to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital and underwent emergency surgery after suffering critical lower-body injuries.

In a devastating development on Tuesday morning, the ABC confirmed that Haines had lost a leg following the collision. She remained in a critical condition after surgery.

The injuries have shocked Wangaratta and the broader Indi electorate, which Haines has represented since 2019.

Haines, a former nurse and health researcher, succeeded independent MP Cathy McGowan and has built her parliamentary career around government accountability, regional healthcare, infrastructure and integrity reforms.

Her office has remained an accessible point of contact for constituents, making the circumstances of the incident particularly confronting for a regional community accustomed to direct contact with elected representatives.

Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police are working with the joint counter-terrorism team to determine whether the incident involved politically motivated violence.

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said investigators were considering potential state and Commonwealth offences, including causing harm to a Commonwealth public official, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

She said authorities were treating the matter as an isolated incident and had identified no wider threat connected to it.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the incident as deliberate and urged Australians to lower the temperature of political debate.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has also condemned political violence, stressing the distinction between robust political disagreement and conduct that threatens the safety of elected representatives.

The incident comes amid mounting concern about harassment and threats directed at Australian politicians.

Burke said authorities received 1,067 reports involving harassment or threats against high office holders during the last financial year, up from 951 the previous year.

The figures have prompted renewed debate about security arrangements for politicians, particularly those who regularly attend public events or operate electorate offices accessible to constituents.

For investigators, a central question will be whether Nugent’s reported online interactions with Haines have any connection to the events of Monday afternoon.

The existence of earlier political disagreements may be relevant to the investigation, but it does not establish that Haines was targeted because of a particular policy position.

Police must also determine whether the incident was planned, whether the suspect had previously approached or threatened Haines and whether there is evidence of an ideological motivation.

As of Tuesday morning, Nugent remained in police custody while detectives continued questioning him. No court had established his responsibility for the alleged attack.

For now, the emergence of his reported social media history adds to the questions surrounding an incident that has left one of Australia’s independent parliamentarians critically injured.

The case has also renewed an urgent national debate about how political disagreement, online hostility and threats can affect the safety of people serving in public office.

The crucial distinction remains that Nugent’s reported political views are documented background, not proof of why the alleged attack occurred. Police have yet to establish a motive.

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The post MP Helen Haines loses a leg in car attack by left-leaning environmental activist known for Anti-Israel commentary and forest protests first appeared on The Australia Today.

The union plans to raise the issue at the bank’s annual general meeting (AGM), arguing that the bank’s 2030 strategy has led to significant job losses and increased uncertainty for employees.

According to the FSU, almost 600 employees have lost their jobs since the strategy was announced last year.

More than 145 staff were also forced to work under inferior conditions following Bendigo Bank’s deal with global outsourcing provider Infosys earlier this year, the union said.

The FSU said jobs were continuing to be moved offshore through outsourcing provider Genpact, although it had secured some job security commitments from the bank.

These include seeking employee preferences when roles change, including in redundancy situations; a commitment not to transfer employees to Genpact on what the union describes as unfavourable contracts; and making participation in the mapping of work processes for potential outsourcing, known as “blueprinting”, and transferring knowledge to overseas employees voluntary.

However, the union said the commitments fell short of the 10 job security demands it had presented to Bendigo Bank management several months ago.

Union demands stronger job security measures

FSU National Assistant Secretary Nicole McPherson urged Fennell to use the AGM to provide greater certainty for employees and reconsider the bank’s approach to outsourcing.

“When you take a wrecking ball to a bank’s entire workforce, there are serious consequences – and right now, staff morale has hit an all-time low at Bendigo Bank,” McPherson said.

“Bendigo Bank’s so-called 2030 strategy has been nothing more than management hollowing out its local workforce and offshoring Australian jobs to boost its budget bottom line.”

McPherson said employees deserved greater transparency about the bank’s plans and their future employment prospects.

“Bendigo likes to call itself the ‘better big bank’, but it has quickly become Australia’s least trusted bank,” she said.

The FSU called on Fennell to reverse the bank’s current approach and invest more in its Australian workforce.

AI, regional branches and gender equity also on agenda

The union said it would also raise questions at the AGM about the bank’s plans for rolling out artificial intelligence, the closure of regional branches and gender equity.

The issues come amid broader debate about the impact of automation and offshore outsourcing on Australian employment, particularly in regional communities where bank branches can play an important role in access to financial services.

The FSU’s media release did not include Bendigo Bank’s response to the union’s concerns.

The union is seeking stronger guarantees that the bank will treat employees fairly as it implements its strategy toward 2030.

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The post Bendigo Bank faces union pressure over Australian job cuts and outsourcing to India first appeared on The Australia Today.

Shadow Minister for Multicultural and Multifaith Affairs Evan Mulholland has accused the Carroll Labor Government of attempting to lock in senior appointments to Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria before the state enters caretaker mode on 3 November.

The controversy centres on three leadership positions created under the government’s multicultural reforms — a Multicultural Coordinator General and two part-time Deputy Coordinator General roles.

Recruitment advertisements show the full-time Coordinator General position offering a salary of between $344,616 and $400,741 plus superannuation, while the two part-time deputy positions have advertised remuneration ranging from $207,848 to $268,488 each, excluding superannuation.

At the highest advertised figures, the three positions represent a combined annual salary commitment of approximately $937,717 before superannuation, making the appointments a substantial taxpayer-funded investment in the new organisation’s leadership.

Mulholland says the timing risks undermining public confidence in an institution intended to represent Victoria’s diverse cultural and religious communities independently of the government of the day.

“Victorian multicultural communities deserve to have absolute confidence that public appointments and public funding are not being used as political currency,” Mulholland said.

“They deserve a system where leaders are appointed based on their expertise, their genuine contribution, and their capacity to represent communities, not because of their political allegiances or friendships with Ministers.”

The Opposition’s concerns come as Victoria prepares for the state election on 28 November, with the caretaker period scheduled to begin at 6 pm on Tuesday, 3 November, unless Parliament is dissolved earlier.

Mulholland has accused the government of politicising the new organisation by seeking to finalise appointments so close to polling day.

“Ben Carroll is arrogantly jeopardising the future of Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria by trying to ram through 4-year appointments on the way out the door,” he said.

The Opposition has not publicly identified any prospective appointees in its statement or provided evidence establishing that candidates are being selected because of political connections.

However, its criticism raises questions about the transparency of the recruitment process, the length of the appointments and whether major public positions should be finalised immediately before an election.

The dispute comes as the new multicultural body begins operations following one of the largest changes to Victoria’s multicultural governance arrangements in years.

The Multicultural Victoria Amendment (Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria) Bill 2026 passed Parliament on 8 September, establishing Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria from 1 October. The new statutory body replaces the Victorian Multicultural Commission and brings community engagement, policy development and multicultural grants administration into one organisation.

The changes followed Victoria’s 2025 Multicultural Review, which made 41 recommendations aimed at improving government engagement with culturally and religiously diverse communities.

Under the legislation, the Coordinator General will lead the new body, supported by two deputies, including one with regional Victoria experience.

The positions are intended to operate independently and represent multicultural and multifaith communities impartially.

The Coordinator General will also have responsibilities extending beyond community events and cultural recognition, including advising government departments, overseeing multicultural action plans and preparing reports for Parliament on the effectiveness of government policies.

The government has defended the reforms as a way to strengthen community representation and accountability.

When the legislation passed Parliament, Minister for Multicultural Affairs Paul Edbrooke said the new arrangements would improve engagement between government and multicultural communities.

“This legislation sends a clear message: multiculturalism is one of Victoria’s greatest strengths. Every Victorian should feel safe, valued and free to express their culture, heritage and faith,” Edbrooke said.

The government has also said recruitment for the senior leadership positions would be conducted through an independent process.

However, Mulholland argues that the intended independence of the organisation makes the timing and integrity of appointments particularly important.

His concerns are not new.

During parliamentary consideration of the legislation in August, Mulholland proposed amendments intended to prevent people who had recently held certain political positions from being immediately appointed to the Coordinator General and Deputy Coordinator General roles.

The proposed restrictions would have introduced a 12-month exclusion period for people who had held specified positions or offices. Parliamentary records confirm that Mulholland moved those amendments during debate on 27 August.

The latest criticism brings those concerns back into focus as the recruitment process moves forward.

The government’s official caretaker guidelines provide an important distinction.

Under the rules published by the Department of Premier and Cabinet, appointments can legally be made before the caretaker period begins. The guidelines state that appointments requiring Governor-in-Council approval must also meet relevant Cabinet scheduling requirements.

That means appointing someone before 3 November would not automatically breach caretaker conventions.

The question raised by the Opposition is instead whether making four-year appointments immediately before an election is appropriate for positions expected to remain independent of whichever party forms the next government.

There is also the question of cost.

With advertised remuneration approaching $400,000 for the Coordinator General and more than $268,000 for each deputy, the combined cost of the leadership structure will attract scrutiny at a time when the government faces pressure over public spending and the allocation of multicultural grants.

Supporters of the new structure argue that senior independent leadership is necessary to ensure multicultural communities can influence government decisions rather than merely participate in consultation processes.

The government says the new organisation will have greater authority to monitor government performance and hold departments accountable for how they respond to multicultural and multifaith needs.

But Mulholland says community confidence could be undermined if the appointments are perceived to be politically connected.

“I consult widely with multicultural and multifaith Victorians, and they have had enough of this government using them for rank partisan reasons,” he said.

With the election approaching, several questions remain unanswered, including whether the government intends to finalise all three appointments before caretaker mode begins, who will oversee the final selection process and what safeguards will ensure the appointees remain independent of political influence.

The publicly available material reviewed by The Australia Today does not establish that any appointment has been made improperly.

The central issue is therefore not whether Victoria needs an independent multicultural body — the legislation establishing it has already passed Parliament — but whether its inaugural leadership appointments will command confidence across political parties and the multicultural communities the organisation has been created to serve.

As the government enters the final weeks before the 28 November election, the recruitment process is set to become another point of contention over transparency, public appointments and political accountability in Victoria.

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The post Multicultural jobs worth up to $400,000 spark political row: Mulholland warns Labor against last-minute appointments first appeared on The Australia Today.

As per 7News, the attack occurred at about 6.15pm on Friday on a bikeway through Seventh Brigade Park on Kittyhawk Drive in Chermside.

Malik was rushed to Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a critical condition. He is now stable but has suffered injuries to his face and both arms.

His wife told 7News that the family was shocked and traumatised by the incident, warning that Malik faces a long road to recovery.

Brisbane City Council told 7News, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim of last night’s horrific dog attack.”

A major search was launched after the two dogs escaped following the attack. Police and other authorities searched for the animals, with one dog captured about two hours after the incident. The second remained missing until Saturday.

Both dogs have since been surrendered to Brisbane City Council.

“Both dogs involved are now in Council possession and a decision on their future will be made as soon as possible.”

The dogs’ owner, Layla Evans, was arrested shortly after the attack over an unrelated matter but has not been charged in connection with the incident, according to 7NEWS.

Evans reportedly said she had been staying in a tent at the park and that the dogs had been locked inside before escaping.

Brisbane City Council has issued orders for the dogs to be euthanised, with Evans given 14 days to appeal.

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The post Brisbane real estate agent Ajay Malik viciously attacked by two dogs while running through a park first appeared on The Australia Today.

Sijanta Thapa, 32, was convicted of the assault, which occurred on 3 October 2020 after a drinks gathering at a mutual friend’s home.

As per Daily Mail, Woolwich Crown Court heard that the woman had allowed Thapa to stay at her home to spare him a long journey back in the early hours of the morning. She expected him to sleep in the living room and leave the following day.

Instead, Thapa entered her bedroom during the night and climbed into bed beside her.

The woman initially woke to find him spooning her from behind with his arm around her. Believing he was being friendly after the evening’s gathering, she went back to sleep.

It is reported that she later woke again to discover Thapa touching her breast after he had undone part of her dress and moved aside her bra.

The woman pushed him away and ordered him to leave the room. Thapa subsequently left the flat.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said the assault had destroyed her sense of safety, particularly in her own home, and left her needing counselling and trauma therapy.

“I had to go to counselling and trauma therapies on and off to deal with the traumatic nightmares and complete lack of any sense of safety and security, particularly at home,” she told the court.

The victim also said she felt she had been punished at work after reporting the assault in 2023.

Sentencing Thapa to 21 months in prison last week, Judge Alice Robinson said:

“You show absolutely no remorse and continue to deny the offence. This was not a minor sexual assault.”

The court also heard that Thapa had resigned from the Metropolitan Police in 2024 following a separate incident involving a woman at London’s Heaven nightclub.

It is reported that the woman, a tourist, had danced with Thapa and briefly kissed him before he allegedly pulled her onto his lap and groped her breasts.

She told police that she had been comfortable with dancing and a quick kiss but became frightened when Thapa began touching her breasts without her consent.

CCTV footage captured the encounter and showed the woman moving away from Thapa to find her friends.

The woman was visibly distressed, and one of her friends told the misconduct hearing that she had been crying and repeatedly asking for help.

Thapa maintained that the contact was consensual. He was acquitted of the separate criminal allegation, but a police misconduct panel later concluded that his account of the incident was false. He left the force before the misconduct proceedings were concluded.

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The post Former cop Sijanta Thapa jailed for assaulting female police colleague who let him stay overnight first appeared on The Australia Today.

Western Australian police allege the incident occurred in February at a workplace in Oldbury, where a 58-year-old woman brought a container of curry to share with her co-workers.

As per reports, the meal was shared among employees during morning tea and consumed without issue, police said.

However, when the 58-year-old returned to eat the leftovers at lunchtime, she noticed bright green granules in the curry. After tasting a small amount, she reportedly experienced numbness in her tongue.

The woman kept the food and handed it to detectives for examination. Police said testing identified the substance as snail pellets containing metaldehyde, a poisonous chemical that can cause serious injury or death.

Investigators allege the accused accessed a chemical storage shed between morning tea and lunch before returning to the staffroom where the curry was being kept and contaminating the food.

Police said the two women were allegedly in a personal relationship.

Detectives arrested the 43-year-old woman last week. She has been charged with one count of endangering the life, health or safety of another person.

Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch said authorities were thankful the alleged victim noticed something unusual before eating more of the meal.

The accused is due to appear before Armadale Magistrates Court on 5 November.

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The post Perth woman charged after allegedly lacing colleague’s curry with snail poison first appeared on The Australia Today.

From 13 October, rental providers and agents must notify renters before making a claim against a bond and provide evidence to support that claim. Acceptable evidence can include invoices, receipts, quotes and photographs. The change is intended to give renters an opportunity to understand and challenge a claim before money is deducted from their bond.

The reforms also ban rental providers and agents from charging fees for rental applications or rent payments. Earlier reforms had already prohibited third-party rental platforms from charging some of these fees, but the new rules extend that prohibition directly to landlords and agents.

Another major change is the extension of mandatory gas and electrical safety checks to all rental properties, including both new and existing agreements.

Rental providers must now arrange gas and electrical safety checks every two years, with gas checks required where the property has gas appliances, fixtures or fittings. The checks must be carried out by qualified tradespeople.

The government says the requirement is aimed at identifying issues such as faulty heaters, unsafe wiring and ventilation problems before they pose a danger to renters.

Landlords and rooming house operators must also retain records showing that their properties meet minimum rental standards and provide those records to Consumer Affairs Victoria if requested.

There are also additional requirements around draughtproofing. Before certain draughtproofing work is carried out, a licensed gasfitter must assess gas ventilation to reduce the risk of dangerous gases being trapped inside a property.

The changes are the latest in a broader program of rental law reform in Victoria.

Consumer Affairs Victoria says more than 150 rental reforms have been introduced since 2021, including bans on rental bidding and no-fault evictions, longer notice periods for rent increases and some notices to vacate, stronger minimum standards and tighter privacy protections around rental applications.

Around two million Victorians were living in rental properties in 2024, according to Consumer Affairs Victoria.

The government has also made its Renting Taskforce permanent. The taskforce monitors the rental market, investigates potential breaches and can take enforcement action against rental providers and agents who fail to comply with the law. Consumer Affairs Victoria says its enforcement priorities include minimum standards, rental bidding, bond handling, notices to vacate and compliance with VCAT orders.

The government says the taskforce has already issued more than $900,000 in fines, although that figure comes from the government’s latest media release rather than a separate published breakdown of all enforcement actions.

Minister for Renters Tim Richardson said the reforms were intended to give tenants more security and certainty.

“Labor believes renting your home shouldn’t mean you’re treated like a second-class citizen,” Richardson said.

“We’ve already introduced more than 150 new renters rights reforms — this latest tranche means no surprise bond grabs, no fee to apply and a home that’s safe to live in.”

More changes are scheduled from 2027.

Victoria will begin phasing in new minimum energy-efficiency standards from 1 March 2027 covering heating, cooling, hot water, showerheads, ceiling insulation and draughtproofing.

The government has also flagged further reforms including limits on lease-break costs, extra protections around keys and fobs, family violence measures and additional bond reforms.

Labor has used the reforms to draw a political contrast with Opposition Leader Jess Wilson and the Liberals and Nationals ahead of the November state election.

In its media release announcing the new laws, the government claimed a future Coalition government would weaken renter protections and linked that argument to what it described as a $40 billion opposition cuts plan.

That is a political claim from the government. The Liberals and Nationals have instead argued that Victoria needs tighter control of spending, lower taxes and a stronger focus on housing supply and affordability. Their published policy material criticises Labor over debt, property taxes and housing delivery.

The latest rental changes follow a series of reforms first announced under former premier Jacinta Allan and now being implemented under Premier Ben Carroll.

For renters, the most immediate impact is straightforward: landlords and agents must now back up bond claims with evidence, application fees are banned, and regular gas and electrical safety checks are compulsory across the rental sector.

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The post Victoria tightens rental laws with new bond, fee and safety protections for renters first appeared on The Australia Today.