Armed police are responding to a firearms incident tonight in the Auckland suburb of Avondale. A spokesman said police received reports of two men allegedly presenting a firearm at an occupant of an address in Avondale Rd about…

A woman’s body has been pulled from a submerged car which crashed into a Southland river.A police spokesperson said the single-vehicle crash happened last night on Ferry Rd, west of Invercargill. The incident was reported to emergency…

The NSW premier is preparing to fly home following his overseas jaunt to face a political firestorm after one minister was accused of bullying and another was pulled into the US trade posting saga.

Allegations of "serious bullying" emerged on Friday against SafeWork Minister Eleni Petinos including claims she used the words "retard" and "stupid" towards staff while "yelling and swearing".

The Department of Premier and Cabinet confirmed it received an "anonymous complaint" but the staffer wanted no action taken.

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"She has denied the allegation," Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Friday

"I am satisfied that the complaint was dealt with appropriately.

"If I do find evidence of bullying, that person will lose their job."

Opposition Leader Chris Minns called for Petinos to be sacked if the allegations are true. 

"There wouldn't be a workplace in any part of the country that this person wouldn't be fired from immediately if these allegations are true," he said.

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Meanwhile, Trade Minister Stuart Ayres is under the spotlight after he was accused of involving himself in the independent process of hiring the US trade commissioner.

The hiring process eventually saw John Barilaro handed the New York trade posting, which later sparked controversy among ministers and two separate inquiries. 

Barilaro has since withdrawn from the role due to the media attention.

"I standby my statements that this has been a selection process in accordance with the law," Ayres said.

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Minns also jumped upon the accusations levelled against Ayres, claiming if he was a member of the Labor government "he would've been marched by now".

Perrottet will arrive back in Sydney this weekend to face the scandals embroiling his ministry that have overshadowed his overseas trade tour. 

"I admit it's been frustrating but I haven't been distracted this trip," he said.

Victoria is enduring the peak of a "significant" wave of COVID-19, the state's chief health officer has warned.

"We're in a COVID soup," Professor Brett Sutton said at a press conference on Friday afternoon.

There are 68,463 cases of the virus in the state according to government data, but Sutton said daily COVID-19 testing numbers were probably only capturing about half of the actual number of infections in the community.

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"RATs will pick up a lot of symptomatic cases, but they're not perfect," he said.

He said many people with "sniffles" were also likely not testing for COVID-19.

Sutton said case number should begin to improve in coming weeks.

"We're probably at a peak of the wave right now in terms of case numbers," he said.

"I expect that we'll see a flattening in coming days."

He said hospitalisation rates should plateau in about a week's time.

There are 813 COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria, with 26 active cases in ICU, including 10 on a ventilator.

Sutton confirmed the 107 deaths reported in today's tally were not all from the past 24 hours, with 105 of those from the past month.

https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1552810863513550855

Premier Daniel Andrews said the spike in reported deaths was due to "a data issue".

Sutton's report explained "the data feed issue was caused by a delay in a third-party reporting deaths to the Department of Health".

Sutton said deaths in people with the virus had averaged at about 19 per day in recent weeks.

"Of course, that number is of great concern and is too high," he said.

A total of 4577 people have died in Victoria with the virus, with 2966 having died this year.

Sutton urged Victorians who are eligible for a fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to get it as soon as possible.

He said people who were not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 were over-represented among hospitalisations.

The CHO again urged people to wear masks indoors and to gather outside where possible, despite the cold weather.

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Police have returned to the scene where a high-ranking bikie member was shot in Sydney's north-west to collect more evidence.

Christopher Rymer, a member of the notorious Rebels bikie gang, drove himself to Hawkesbury Hospital on Tuesday where he was treated for non-life threatening gunshot wounds.

It's the second time Rymer has been shot in 18 months.

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Police also discovered a second crime scene on Bonnor Road, Bligh Park, following the shooting after they found a burnt-out bright red or orange Ford Mustang.

Investigators returned to the Agnes Banks and Bligh Park area on Friday in search of witnesses and evidence.

"Raptor Squad officers continue their inquiries into the circumstances surrounding how the man came to be shot, and are appealing for anyone who may have been in the vicinity of Agnes Banks between 7am and 9.30am on Tuesday morning to come forward," police said in a statement.

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"In particular, detectives believe someone may have seen the distinctive red/orange Ford Mustang in the Bligh Park or Agnes Banks areas around the time of the incident."

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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