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Traffic stop leads police to seize $1 million in cash from Brisbane home

Police have uncovered parcels of cash totalling more than $1 million in suspected drug money at a home in Brisbane's south.

Queensland Police allege the discovery came about when they stopped a car as part of a drug trafficking investigation last week.

They subsequently searched a Rocklea home that same day, where they found large vacuum-sealed bundles of cash in a Nike duffle bag.

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Police also seized drug utensils, a gun and ammunition from the property.

A 26-year-old man from NSW was hit with a slew of charges including drug trafficking, unlawful possession of a weapon and dealing in the proceeds of crime money worth $1 million or more.

He was remanded in custody and is expected to face Brisbane Magistrates Court on October 18.

Detective Senior Sergeant Justin Suffolk says police are committed to continuing to disrupt and prevent drug trafficking.

"If you are involved in the distribution of illicit substances, you will be targeted, and you will be held accountable," he said.

Investigations are ongoing.

If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24 hours per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting or call 131 444.

Australia’s birth rate plunges to record low not seen since 2006

Australia's birth rate has plummeted to levels not seen in 17 years.

The nation's fertility rate for 2023 hit a record low of 286,998 births – down 4.6 per cent or around 14,000 births from last year – the worst since 2006.

In 2004, then-Treasurer Peter Costello urged Australians to have more babies, issuing a plea for parents to "have one for Mum, one for dad and one for the country".

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Australia's plunging birth rate

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But it seems those calls went unheard as the fertility trajectory continued to take a plunge.

Fresh ABS data found the current birth rate now sits at 1.5 births per woman.

In Australia, a steady birth rate of 2.1 births per woman is needed to keep a natural population balance without counting immigration.

The last time the birth rate sat above 2.0 per woman was in 2008.

The only states where the birth rate increased were Western Australia and Tasmania, with 553 and 69 more babies born than the previous year, respectively.

Meanwhile, the average age for a new mother in 2023 was 31.9, while fathers had a median age of 33.8.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers, a father of three, said Labor was keenly aware of the financial challenge having kids posed for Australians.

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"That has been a long-term trend and there are reasons for that, including good reasons for it, as I said before, it can be expensive to have kids," he told media today.

"People make their own decisions for their own reasons, my job is to make sure people can have the choice… of whether to have more kids or not."

Chalmers said the federal government was committed to "making it easier for people to have more kids if they want to".

"But we know affordability is a big part of that challenge," he added.

The Treasurer said the federal government was prioritising issues such as affordable early childhood education to help combat the declining fertility rate.

Human remains found in Victorian bush in search for suspected murder victim

Human remains have been found in bushland in the search for an allegedly murdered Victorian man last seen more than 18 months ago.

Jake Bradford, 21, was reported missing by his mother on January 29, 2023.

The remains, which are yet to be formally identified, were found off Dollar-Woorarra West Road in Dollar at 10.30am yesterday.

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Victorian man Jake Bradford, 21, was reported missing by his mother on January 29, 2023.

Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad, Major Crime Scene Unit and Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine specialists travelled to the site this morning.

Police believe Bradford became involved in an altercation in the Dollar area on or around January 24, 2023.

In March of that year, a 25-year-old Korumburra man was charged with murder.

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He was remanded to appear at the Supreme Court of Victoria on February 24 next year.

"Our heartfelt thoughts are with Jake's family and friends today, on what would have been Jake's 23rd birthday," Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Burnett from Victoria Police said.

"The past 18 months have been an incredibly difficult time for them and their grief remains as raw as ever.

"The investigative efforts by the Missing Persons Squad have been tireless in pursuing every avenue of enquiry so we could provide answers to Jake's family.

"We know this has been an incredibly traumatic time for them.

"We hope that this will bring the closure they need and Jake can finally be laid to rest."

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