Kelly Wilkinson’s estranged husband jailed for all times over 2021 homicide
Ben Smee
Former US Marine Brian Earl Johnston has been sentenced to life in jail, with a non-parole interval of 20 years, for the 2021 homicide of his estranged spouse, Kelly Wilkinson.
The Queensland supreme court docket heard that Johnston “supposed” to kill Wilkinson, and that he had gone to her house armed with weapons, duct tape, zip ties and a sedative. He was carrying a 20 litre can of petrol, which he poured on Wilkinson and set her on hearth.
Justice Peter Applegarth stated:
I discover that you simply supposed to kill her, after which kill your self. One thing you failed to attain.
Johnston was additionally sentenced to 3 years in jail for breaching a home violence safety order.
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Up to date at 23.52 EDT
Key occasions
Emily Wind
Many thanks for becoming a member of me on the weblog at this time, Henry Belot will take you thru the remainder of at this time’s protection. Take care.
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Australians misplaced $15.9m to social media scams in three months, report says
Shopper group Alternative says pressing authorities motion is required after $15.9m was misplaced to social media scams in October to December final yr, in line with a Nationwide Anti-Rip-off Centre quarterly report.
Alternative argues that digital platforms must be compelled to forestall rip-off losses. Their senior campaigns and coverage advisor, Alex Soderlund, stated it was “disappointing” platforms are “refusing to return to the desk to cease scammers exploiting their instruments”:
From October to December final yr, social media scams made up an enormous 20% of losses for the quarter. In 2023, social media rip-off losses stole $95m, a 249% enhance since 2020. 76% of 2023’s losses have been by way of Meta-owned firms.
We proceed to see an awesome variety of possible rip-off advertisements throughout Meta and Google-owned providers. Massive tech firms have a perverse incentive to not act on scams as a result of they generate promoting income, so it’s clear that solely sturdy necessary guidelines to forestall scams developed and enforced by a regulator will end in any significant change for customers.
In line with the report, a majority of the social media scams in 2023 occurred by way of Whatsapp (47% of losses), Fb (20%), on-line relationship websites (9%) and Instagram (9%).
Throughout the October to December interval, individuals over 65 skilled the very best losses of any age group at 30% of all social media rip-off losses – a 57% enhance in comparison with the earlier quarter for this age group.
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Up to date at 23.57 EDT
Kelly Wilkinson’s estranged husband jailed for all times over 2021 homicide
Ben Smee
Former US Marine Brian Earl Johnston has been sentenced to life in jail, with a non-parole interval of 20 years, for the 2021 homicide of his estranged spouse, Kelly Wilkinson.
The Queensland supreme court docket heard that Johnston “supposed” to kill Wilkinson, and that he had gone to her house armed with weapons, duct tape, zip ties and a sedative. He was carrying a 20 litre can of petrol, which he poured on Wilkinson and set her on hearth.
Justice Peter Applegarth stated:
I discover that you simply supposed to kill her, after which kill your self. One thing you failed to attain.
Johnston was additionally sentenced to 3 years in jail for breaching a home violence safety order.
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Up to date at 23.52 EDT
Asbestos detected at two central Queensland amenities
Eden Gillespie
Asbestos has been detected at two central Queensland amenities after a investigation by the state authorities.
Queensland’s Division of Atmosphere and innovation (DESI) confirmed asbestos was detected in a mulch stockpile at Emu Park switch station after a joint inspection program by DESI and Office Well being and Security Queensland.
Livingstone shire council has closed the station as a precaution whereas DESI investigates. The division stated a small variety of residents had picked up mulch from the switch station over latest weeks.
The contaminated materials is believed to be bonded asbestos, which is much less lethal than friable asbestos.
Asbestos has additionally been detected at NuGrow Rockhampton. The division stated the samples weren’t a part of a stockpile and should not believed to have left the positioning.
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Up to date at 23.37 EDT
Saws down as Victoria’s forest logging agency will get the chop
Victoria’s state-owned logging firm will shut down inside months, AAP reviews.
A 30 June finish date was revealed this morning throughout a court docket listening to involving VicForests and environmental group Wombat Forestcare.
The winding-up of the physique is a part of the Victorian authorities’s resolution to finish native forest logging, which took impact on 1 January. Stand-down funds to VicForests contractors are on account of finish on 30 June.
The Victorian Greens’ deputy chief, Ellen Sandell, accused VicForests of being “environmental vandals” and stated it was about time they have been shut down:
We now want Labor to focus its atmosphere division on restoration and safety of our forests, with specialised workers who’ve these expertise.
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Up to date at 23.29 EDT
Caitlin Cassidy
Greens say new funding deal will ‘lock in underfunding’ to deprived college students
The Greens have declared they’re “not going to do cartwheels” over the college funding deal agreed to by the federal and Northern Territory governments, arguing it would “lock in underfunding” for Australia’s most deprived college students.
The Greens’ spokesperson for main and secondary training, senator Penny Allman-Payne, stated a rise to public college funding was welcome however fell wanting what was required.
It’s a half-arsed effort that won’t ship 100% of the Education Useful resource Commonplace (SRS) to a single Territory scholar.
Not solely is that this further funding not going to be absolutely delivered till 2029, there isn’t a indication that Labor plans to ditch the dodgy Morrison-era clauses that permit states and territories to deduct 4% in non-school prices from their funding contribution.
And we will’t overlook that the SRS calculation, on which funding relies, isn’t ‘full funding’ by any measure. It’s the naked minimal of funding a college must get 80% of scholars above the minimal Naplan customary.
Requested at a press convention at this time whether or not Territorians might anticipate the 4% clause to be eliminated, the training minister, Jason Clare, stated “that’s not a part of the settlement”.
I’ve stated we’ll take a look at that with all of the states and territories as a part of negotiating the following Nationwide College Reform Settlement (NSRA).
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Up to date at 23.22 EDT
Prosecutors start withdrawing visa breach prices
Paul Karp
Prosecutors have already begun withdrawing prices for alleged breaches of visa situations as a result of revelation {that a} sort of bridging visa – Bridging Visa R – which was issued to individuals launched from immigration detention have been invalid.
A spokesperson for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions informed Guardian Australia:
The CDPP has carriage of all 10 prosecutions regarding allegations of breaching a situation of a visa. As of 12 March 2024, all 10 prosecutions have been nonetheless earlier than the courts.
Three issues are listed earlier than the court docket at this time. As on the time of this reply, the costs regarding allegations of breaching a situation of a visa in two issues have been withdrawn. The CDPP engages in an ongoing evaluation of all issues in accordance with the prosecution coverage of the commonwealth.
Because the immigration minister, Andrew Giles, has defined: prices being withdrawn relate solely to alleged breach of visa situations, not alleged breaches of state and territory offences.
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Up to date at 23.12 EDT
Produce growers ‘very, very uncovered’ to grocery store bargaining on account of perishability, NFF says
The Nationwide Farmers Federation says Australian fruit and vegetable growers are “very, very uncovered” to the market energy of huge supermarkets.
This week, a Senate inquiry designed to research how massive supermarkets set costs and use their market energy when coping with suppliers has centered on the horticultural sector.
Yesterday, older farmers led an assault on practices utilized by the most important supermarkets, accusing supermarkets of sending the fruit and vegetable business broke. The NFF’s Jeremy Griffith was simply talking about this on the ABC:
The largest problem for Australian growers and fruit and vegetable particularly is that they’re in all probability probably the most uncovered sector out of any of those two main supermarkets as a result of their product is perishable.
The supermarkets know that after it’s picked, as soon as it’s ripe, the clock begins ticking. They’ve a restricted window to promote their produce earlier than it rots or turns into nugatory.
That’s the bargaining energy within the hand of the supermarkets. They’ll exploit this by providing rock-bottom take-it-or-leave-it costs. This leaves the sector very, very uncovered.
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Up to date at 23.06 EDT
Aussie inexperienced financial institution stumps up tens of millions for future lithium
Australia’s inexperienced financial institution has made its greatest funding within the sources sector with a dedication of as much as $110m for the nation’s subsequent lithium mine, AAP reviews.
The Clear Power Finance Company (CEFC) on Wednesday introduced the landmark deal to offer Liontown Assets with sufficient money to finish and ramp up its Kathleen Valley lithium mission in Western Australia.
The Liontown dedication is a part of a $550m liquidity financing bundle from a syndicate together with Export Finance Australia, Commonwealth Financial institution, Nationwide Australia Financial institution and Societe Generale.
Positioned north of Kalgoorlie within the Goldfields area, the underground mine consists of 46MW of renewable vitality technology and a 17MW battery, permitting it to be powered by no less than 60% renewable vitality from day one.
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Up to date at 22.56 EDT
As we talked about earlier, Yanis Varoufakis has informed the Nationwide Press Membership {that a} “new chilly warfare” is upending Australia and Europe’s enterprise fashions. Guardian Australia’s video crew has simply pulled collectively that second – watch it right here.
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Sarah Basford Canales
4 MPs defend taxpayer-funded journeys coinciding with 2022 Melbourne Cup
4 federal politicians have defended taxpayer-funded journeys that allowed them to attend the 2022 Melbourne Cup, costing greater than $5,000 in lodging and transport.
Labor ministers Don Farrell and Anika Wells, together with the Nationals chief, David Littleproud, and the shadow sports activities minister, Anne Ruston, attended the occasion within the Victorian capital on 1 November 2022, charging the general public for numerous bills related to their attendance.
Littleproud and Farrell have been company of Tabcorp, Wells was invited by beer firm Furphy, whereas Ruston was a visitor of Pernod Ricard Winemakers, in line with their registers of curiosity.
A Guardian Australia evaluation of the latest information from the Impartial Parliamentary Bills Authority (Ipea) for the interval between October and December 2022 has proven prices related to travelling to Melbourne, lodging and using official authorities vehicles amounted to $5,316 for the 4 days.
Wells and Littleproud used the Comcar transport service on 1 November, charging taxpayers $244.80 and $489.60, respectively.
Parliamentarians are equipped with the chauffeur service for official parliamentary enterprise, in line with the finance division’s recommendation. The recommendation provides that the dominant goal have to be parliamentary enterprise and that politicians have to be ready to publicly justify using public sources.
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Up to date at 22.32 EDT
Australia should restore its fame ‘tainted by blindly following America’: Varoufakis
Turning to worldwide affairs, Yanis Varoufakis stated Australia should restore its fame “tainted by blindly following America into deadly adventures” in Iraq, Afghanistan and, at this time, by way of Israel’s warfare within the Center East.
By lending credence to the notion that Israel is exercising the proper to self-defence and by de-funding, on the idea of unsubstantiated Israeli accusations, the one company that may ameliorate the hunger (UNRWA), Australia broken its already wounded fame.
He additionally stated Australia had a job to play in de-escalating the “new chilly warfare”, as he outlined earlier.
Think about an Australia that helps deliver a simply peace in Ukraine, versus a senseless eternally warfare. A non-aligned Australia that’s by no means impartial within the face of injustice however, additionally, not routinely aligned with each warmongering journey determined in Washington …
Think about a really patriotic Australian prime minister who tells the American president to stop and desist from the gradual homicide of Julian Assange for the crime of journalism – for exposing American warfare crimes perpetrated behind the again of US residents of their title.
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Up to date at 22.28 EDT
It has by no means been so ‘dismal’ being younger in Australia: Varoufakis
Yanis Varoufakis stated that it has by no means been so “dismal” to be younger in Australia, and made the next arguments:
Cease amassing more cash from Hecs than from the petroleum useful resource lease tax
Finish unfavourable gearing and capital good points exemption on actual property investments
Tax these with concentrated energy to set costs and rents “by way of the nostril” and construct social housing that advantages those that reside in them, and suppresses personal home value inflation.
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Up to date at 22.10 EDT
‘Australia should finish its dependence on fossil fuels’: Varoufakis
What ought to Australia do about this domestically? Yanis Varoufakis argues Australia ought to undertake a Inexperienced New Deal “as a necessity, relatively than a luxurious”.
Europe is about to impose a border-adjustment carbon tax. America will certainly observe. Australia should finish its dependence on fossil fuels and unrefined minerals and let rip with photo voltaic and wind energy that produces inexperienced hydrogen, not for export however, for powering new factories that may produce, domestically, inexperienced copper, inexperienced nickel, inexperienced cobalt and inexperienced metal for export to south-east Asia and to China the place they are going to be used to supply the electrical vehicles and the cloud capital that Europe will then buy tariff-free. To attain this, this nation wants an enormous public funding mission, a latter-day model of the Fifties Snowy Scheme.
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Up to date at 22.08 EDT
‘New chilly warfare’ upending Australia and Europe’s enterprise fashions: Yanis Varoufakis
Economist and former finance minister of Greece Yanis Varoufakis, is addressing the Nationwide Press Membership at this time.
He argued that Australia and Europe are dealing with a “frequent existential risk” – a creeping irrelevance.
Brought on, on the one hand, by our failure correctly to speculate and, alternatively, by our ill-considered slide from a strategic dependence on the US to a non-strategic, self-defeating servility to Washington’s coverage agenda.
Varoufakis stated {that a} “New chilly warfare” is upending Australia and Europe’s enterprise fashions, and informed the viewers:
Virtually a yr in the past Paul Keating, on this prestigious discussion board, famously lambasted the Albanese authorities for making the improper name in permitting Australia to change into complicit in Washington’s pursuit of the New chilly warfare towards its personal pursuits. The one query Mr Keating didn’t ask, nonetheless, was: Why is Washington doing this? Why did President Trump kickstart it with a ban on Huawei and ZTE? And why did President Biden turbocharge it with the microchip ban which was meant explicitly as a declaration of financial warfare on Beijing?
After I ask this query, I get two solutions. One is Taiwan. The opposite is China’s escalating navy risk to worldwide commerce routes within the South China Sea. Neither will do …
Briefly, the New chilly warfare has nothing to do with commerce routes, Taiwan, or Chinese language escalation within the Pacific. It’s, relatively, the manifestation of a harmful conflict between two techno-feudal methods – one denominated in {dollars}, the opposite in yuan.
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Up to date at 22.44 EDT