Severe penalties, including jail time, face those who try to rip off drivers at the bowser.

The public has been warned to stay away as police seek anyone else involved.

A couple only allowed their alleged slave to eat Weet-Bix as she cleaned their home and looked after their children, without compensation and under threat of violence, a jury has heard.

The 61-year-old woman was denied freedom, medical help and performed unpaid domestic work, including massaging the man's feet, while sleeping on stairs or in a garage, prosecutors allege.

The victim, who cannot be legally identified, died in 2024. However, her evidence to police, friends and family will be shown to the jury of 14.

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Accused slave-keeper Chee Kit "Max" Chong, and his wife Angie Liaw, sat in the back of Victoria's County Court in Melbourne as prosecutors opened their case against the couple on Tuesday.

Chong is charged with intentionally possessing a slave between January and October 2022, and three counts of assault, while Liaw is charged with assisting Chong to keep the woman as a slave.

Both have pleaded not guilty and deny all of the alleged offending.

Prosecutor Shaun Ginsbourg SC said Chong met the woman at church in Malaysia in 2015, and their relationship was like mother and son.

The crown prosecutor alleged Chong tried to get money out of the woman on a number of occasions, including $30,000 just before she moved to Australia with them, which she asked a woman from her church for.

After moving to Australia in 2017, the victim lived with the couple initially, before Ginsbourg said they left to Malaysia without telling her and she became homeless.

The woman allegedly moved back in with the couple in January 2022, to help Liaw with their newborn baby, which is when the prosecutor said the slavery began.

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By this point, she had multiple vulnerabilities as she was homeless, on a tourist visa with no independent income and isolated from her family in Malaysia, he said.

"Chong described her to other people as his 'maid or helper'," Ginsbourg said.

"Mr Chong threatened and coerced (the victim) to provide domestic services, repeatedly told her she had to work to repay supposed debts.

"When (the victim) failed at her duties, or failed to complete them to Chong's satisfaction, he would often hit or kick her, or punish her by telling her she could not sleep or eat that day."

Ginsbourg alleged Chong kicked the woman in the head, hit her with a vacuum after she fell asleep while massaging his legs and knocked her head into a wall.

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Chong allegedly banned her from eating certain foods and "said she could only eat Weet-Bix", the prosecutor said as he read messages where the woman asked Chong for permission to use the kitchen facilities.

He said the woman was at times forced to sleep on the stairs or inside the garage, instead of a bedroom at their Point Cook home, in Melbourne's south-west.

She was not allowed to leave the home without Chong, including for medical help after his alleged assaults, the jury heard.

Chong's barrister Diana Price said her client never assaulted the woman, denied ever possessing a slave and asked jurors to question why the victim may have exaggerated her claims.

She said Chong denied restricting the woman's freedoms, including her access to food, how and when she slept, and whether she was able to leave the home.

Price asked the jury to look at whether the woman's contribution to the household was different from what you might expect for a family of three adults and two small children.

Ginsbourg accused Liaw of benefiting from the woman's domestic services and asking Chong to give her instructions or tasks, helping Chong in controlling her.

Liaw's barrister Daniel Gurvich KC said she did not commit any crime as there was no evidence she did beyond a reasonable doubt, and the jury's true verdict will be a verdict of not guilty.

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The project needs $2.5m in public funding from Tātaki Auckland Unlimited.

A Melbourne early childhood education centre where accused paedophile Joshua Brown briefly worked will be shut down for three months due to child safety concerns.

Milestones Early Learning Werribee was today given a notice of suspension by the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) for 90 days after "a range of serious and concerning examples of non-compliance" were identified by the childcare watchdog.

VECRA claims there was "limited access" to educational or play resources and outdoor spaces for children to play at the centre in Melbourne's west, which is owned by childcare giant Affinity Education Group.

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Furniture was allegedly in a "state of disrepair" that posed hazards to children, including exposed, broken grates, ripped and torn furniture, peeling paint, exposed electrical cords, hazardous power cord arrangements and broken door latches and guards.

Authorised VECRA officers allegedly identified several children under 12 months old left unsupervised in a room.

It also allegedly failed to notify VECRA of multiple incidents "that are required to be reported by law".

A subsequent compliance check found new issues, VECRA claims, including the premises, furniture and equipment not being safe, clean and in good repair and unsafe sleep practices for babies at the service.

While Affinity Education Group had rectified some of the issues, VECRA alleged there "continues to be significant compliance issues that put the health, safety and wellbeing of children at risk".

"VECRA is simply not satisfied that Affinity Education Group has the necessary management and oversight mechanisms in place at this service to ensure that the non-compliances identified will not happen again," the Authority said in a statement.

"The suspension of 90 days is to allow time for Affinity Education Group to undertake the required work to improve their systems, programs and facilities so they are safe for children and are compliant with the law."

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The centre has been given 14 days' notice and will close for 90 days from April 13, Affinity Education confirmed in a statement.

"Affinity acknowledges that this outcome falls short of both regulatory expectations and the standards we set for our centres," an Affinity Education Group spokesperson said.

"We apologise for the disruption this will cause families and educators."

The childcare provider claimed it had rectified 90 per cent of the issues outlined by VECRA at the Werribee centre prior to its suspension.

"This included revised room layouts to strengthen supervision arrangements, repairs completed to equipment and facilities, improved capabilities around facilities management to ensure a more consistent standard is maintained and remedial training and refresher courses on appropriate policies and practices at the centre," the spokesperson said.

"More work, however, clearly needs to be done and further remediation work is underway and we will work closely with the regulator while this is completed."

If the Affinity Group fails to make compliance changes, it could face a more than $1 million penalty and the centre could be permanently shut down.

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"The safety, wellbeing, and continued access to quality care for children remains our highest priority," the Affinity Education Group spokesperson said.

"Affinity will continue to work closely with VECRA and provide updates as this process progresses."

Affinity said it was working closely with families to arrange alternative care arrangements at nearby centres.

VECRA was established on January 1 as part of a series of reforms targeting the childcare industry after more than 70 child sex charges were laid against former childcare worker Joshua Brown in May.

Milestones Early Learning Werribee is one of 23 centres where accused childcare rapist Joshua Brown worked between January 2017 and May 2025.

Brown is accused of more than 150 child sexual abuse-related charges against 12 alleged victims.

Records show Brown worked at the Werribee centre on August 14 to 16 in 2024.

He is not accused of any offending at the Werribee centre.

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At least three recent flights to Rarotonga, Samoa and Fiji were turned back to Auckland.

He also passed NCEA students who hadn’t submitted work and bumped up others’ grades.

Two people were tracked down by police after the footage was posted.

Lottery insiders have revealed the six most common myths fooling everyday Australians, from theories on how to improve your chances of winning to tax confusion.

The Lott spokesperson Eliza Wregg has debunked some of these misconceptions, urging Australians not be fooled, particularly in the lead-up to April Fools' Day.

"Calling our major prize winners every day and breaking the winning news, I've certainly heard all sorts of theories," Wregg said.

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"Of course, trying to break the news to someone who's won big on April Fools' Day comes with its own challenges.

"A Hobart couple enjoyed the ultimate April Fools' Day surprise when they received a phone call from us revealing they'd won $775,000 in TattsLotto.

"April Fools' Day is a timely reminder that lotteries are games of chance.

"There are no shortcuts to winning big."

Myth one – Major lottery prizes are taxed

Major lottery prizes in Australia are tax free, which means winners receive the full prize amount.

According to the Australian Taxation Office, Australians must declare certain prizes and awards in their tax return.

This includes the value of any prizes or benefits you receive from a prize draw or lottery run by your bank, building society, credit union and investment body.

However you don't need to declare prizes won in "ordinary lotteries" such as lotto draws and raffles.

Myth two – You're more likely to be struck by lightning

The odds of winning an Australian lotto jackpot are slightly better than people expect.

About 500 Australians won a major jackpot last year, while only a handful were struck by lightning.

Myth three – Lottery winners have to go public

If you win the lottery, you'll be able to keep it a secret.

Personal information about winners is never disclosed without their consent and photos of the winners are rarely shared.

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Myth four – Some lottery numbers are luckier than others

Lotteries are games of chance and each number has an equal chance of being drawn.

Lottery balls are regularly weighed at the Australian government's National Measurement Institute to prevent any number bias.

Myth five – Jackpots are always won by one person

While some people do win the entire prize, many of Australia's biggest jackpots have been shared wins.

Last year 15 Queensland residents shared a $70 million Oz Lotto jackpot, while four Australians split a $60 million Powerball prize.

Myth six – Buying your tickets online gives you a higher chance

Buying your ticket online or in store has no impact on your chance of winning.

According to the Lott, 40 per cent of people buy a ticket online, while 60 per cent purchase a ticket in store, with major prize winners coming from both.

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The man is accused of later offending against the same woman multiple times.