Damien Whitlow had 300 convictions. Then he learned a hard lesson as a passenger.

The bereaved father of a skydiver killed after getting tangled on a plane says he does not hold a grudge against the man convicted over the accident.

Experienced instructor Stephen Hoare, 37, and his tandem passenger, Alex Welling, 32, died while skydiving at Goulburn airport in NSW's south on June 27, 2021.

The pair fell about 100 metres to their deaths after their equipment got snagged on a step that had recently been installed on the Cessna plane.

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SafeWork NSW charged Goulburn Flight Training Centre and its sole director, Attilio Giovanni Ferrara, known as John Ferrara, with two counts each of breaching workplace safety duties.

They were found guilty in the NSW District Court in March.

Judge Andrew Scotting found the fabricated step was an "obvious and dangerous snag hazard".

During a sentencing hearing today, Hoare's father, Frank, looked across the sparse courtroom to Ferrara.

Hoare said he held "no animosity" towards Ferrara or Jim Czerwinski, the pilot who installed the step and flew the plane that day.

"In the end, there was no intent," Hoare said quietly.

The men's families waited four years and 10 months for answers about the accident, a delay that felt like a dismissal of their lost lives, Hoare said.

"Losing our son … has shattered our lives in ways that words have never fully captured," Hoare said.

"He was not just a name or statistic; he was our son and our joy.

"Every day [since] his death has been filled with a silence that should not exist and a grief that does not lessen with time."

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Hoare hoped the accident would lead to meaningful safety changes in the skydiving industry.

He called on the state coroner to hold an inquest so that formal recommendations could be made.

SafeWork's barrister, Darien Nagle, urged the judge to consider the scale of the avoidable tragedy.

"The risk was avoidable, the risk was known," Nagle said.

Evidence at the trial included a short GoPro video taken by a third solo skydiver, showing Welling grinning as he moved towards the open door of the plane while strapped to Hoare.

The footage showed a black strap getting caught on the protruding step, leaving the pair frantically dangling upside-down mid-air.

The pilot attempted several manoeuvres to free the men, including flying low over the airport while staff on the ground stood on top of a four-wheel drive to try and grab them.

The men fell when the plane returned to a higher altitude.

Ferrara made a "sincere and unqualified" apology to the men's families in an affidavit read to the court.

Judge Scotting offered his condolences, saying he lost his sister in tragic circumstances.

"I understand that pain perhaps better than you might appreciate," the judge said.

Ferrara will be sentenced on April 17.

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Life360 has become the latest global tech company to cull jobs in favour of growing adoption of artificial intelligence, with chief executive Lauren Antonoff admitting "the roles people play are shifting".

Antonoff announced a company restructure to an AI-native model and the reallocation of investment towards new capabilities and roles.

"This shift requires difficult tradeoffs that impact good people," she said in a lengthy statement posted to LinkedIn.

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"Today, this meant saying goodbye to teammates who helped shape Life360 as we know it.

"This wasn't an easy decision, and it isn't about reducing headcount. AI isn't just making existing work faster, it's changing what's possible."

Antonoff did not reveal how many roles were affected.

Life360 is headquartered in the US but is a "remote-first" company with more than 500 staff across the world.

It has a presence in Australia and is listed on the ASX.

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Antonoff said AI has already transformed her workforce and, without it, the company would fall behind in an unrecoverable way.

"We're uncovering new needs and seeing that the roles and ratios that made sense for getting work done in the pre-AI world no longer hold as AI takes on more of the work," she said.

"If we don't make this shift now, we limit what Life360 can become and what we can deliver for the families who depend on us, as well as employees and shareholders.

"Waiting is not a risk we're willing to take, even though the consequence of moving quickly hurts."

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Life360's shares fell 3.3 per cent to $19.46 on the ASX today following the announcement. 

9news.com.au has contacted Life360 for comment. 

Life360 posted a record year in 2025, with full-year revenue growing 32 per cent year-over-year to $US489.5 million ($AUD692.5 million).

"For the first time in company history, we achieved annual net income, reflecting both the fundamental strength of our freemium model and the operating discipline we've built over the past several years," Antonoff said in March.

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At least 23,000 jobs have already been lost in the tech sector this year due to a growing adoption of AI, including about 1600 workers at Atlassian, 4000 at Block2000 at WiseTech.

Some founders and experts signalled more layoffs will come, saying AI has changed the workforce.

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Ngongotahā Chiefs have opened their Tarawera Rd base for Whakarewarewa rugby gatherings.

Bachcare is refunding Paula Baker nearly $1600 for her Whitianga stay.

Hauraki Mayor Toby Adams says residents are weary after recent floods but still resilient.

‘This declaration means we can act quickly if required.’

US tourist and retired racer Steven Mathers stumbled on Supercars by chance.

Police say early beacon use and clear satellite texts helped save the climbers’ lives.

Drivers passing through Victoria's Mornington Peninsula were treated to a rare sight after a snoozing seal blocked traffic, delighting motorists despite causing delays.

Police were called to direct traffic on Point Nepean Road in Dromana, near Anthony's Nose beach, about 9am after several reports of a live seal sunbathing on the road in the popular coastal area.

Motorists noticed the seal, known by locals as "Sammy", was fast asleep on the left-hand side of the busy roadway.

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There were delays of up to five minutes as police officers arrived at the scene to direct traffic and help move Sammy to safety.

Lanes were closed in both directions for several hours and motorists were asked to avoid the area, with traffic cones put in place to protect the marine animal.

All lanes were cleared by 1pm as Sammy was moved away from traffic.

Zoos Victoria's Marine Response Unit (MRU) responded to the incident.

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Sammy has been safely returned to the water, VicTraffic confirmed.

Seals are a common sight along the Mornington Peninsula, however the MRU warns not to approach as they can be dangerous if they feel threatened.

Sammy is a regular roamer along the tourist region, with locals often spotting the seal on adventures out of the water.

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