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Victorian Greens MP kicked out of party over affair with staffer

Victorian Greens MP Sam Hibbins has been forced to resign from the party after having an affair with a staffer, and is facing further "serious allegations" about his behaviour.

The member for Prahran, who is married with two children, admitted to the relationship with his staff member this morning.

Hibbins had been sacked as Victorian Greens co-deputy leader and suspended from the party room after party leader Ellen Sandell was told of the affair on Tuesday evening.

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While Hibbins described the affair as a "short" and "consensual" affair that ended "some time ago", Sandell said she received "serious and concerning allegations" about his behaviour.

She didn't detail exactly what those further allegations are in order to protect the staffer's identity.

"I hope you'll understand that there are a number of details that I cannot share in order to maintain this privacy," Sandell said.

"Women do not deserve to have their lives dragged through the media because of the behaviour of men."

She said Victoria Police is not investigating Hibbins.

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"I am angry. Everyone, especially women, deserves respect and safety in their workplace," Sandell said.

"The member for Prahran has completely lost my trust, and the trust of his colleagues, and he will never be welcomed back to our party room."

Hibbins described his actions as "a very human mistake".

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBzvAi5hFZW/?hl=en

"We are human, and we make mistakes," he said.

"The important thing is making amends and focusing on what really matters.

"For me, it's my beautiful family."

Rather than quit parliament over the affair, Hibbins will join the crossbench to sit as an independent.

Family of driver in school crash expresses ‘genuine sorrow’

The family of the driver who was behind the wheel of a car which smashed into a Melbourne primary school has offered their condolences to the loved ones of the 11-year-old boy killed in the crash.

Jack Davey died on the way to hospital after a white SUV went through the school fence and hit a table where he was sitting at Auburn South Primary School on Tuesday.

The driver, a 40-year-old Hawthorn East woman, had just picked her child up from school and was attempting a U-turn when her car left the road and crashed through the fence, also injuring four other students.

READ MORE: 'A life for a life': Mum's anguish as killer jailed for Ellie Price murder

This afternoon, the woman's family expressed their "genuine sorrow" and said "no words can truly convey the depth of this tragedy".

"We are all in shock, wishing this was just a bad dream, but sadly this is our reality," the family said in a statement.

"To Jack's family, we can only offer our heartfelt condolences.

"Our hearts go out to you and to every family affected by this loss.

"To those injured, may you heal quickly – God bless you all.

"As a family with children, we feel this grief profoundly, sharing in the pain others now carry.

"It's not about the words we say, but the genuine sorrow held within our hearts.

"May God watch over everyone and provide strength and comfort to those who are suffering.

"We thank the school staff and emergency workers who responded.

"We have assisted with the investigation and please ask for privacy while we come to terms with such an overwhelming tragedy."

The woman was arrested at the scene but later released without charge.

Three of the four students injured in the crash have since been released from hospital, with one in a stable condition at the Royal Children's Hospital.

Yesterday, Jack's father Michael Davey spoke bravely of his loss.

"Words can't adequately describe the utter devastation we feel as we come to terms with the sudden, overwhelming loss of our Jack, a son, brother and friend to many," Davey said.

"We find comfort in reading the many messages and memories of Jack and how his life and energy was a positive influence on so many in the community at just 11 years old."

"Personally, he is our champion.

"He is our beloved son and brother who remains very much alive in our hearts and memories, as we piece together our lives with his spirit going forward."

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‘A life for a life’: Mum’s anguish as killer jailed for Ellie Price murder

A killer who stabbed his defenceless girlfriend to death in a vicious and senseless attack should have been jailed for life, his victim's mother says.

Ricardo Barbaro, 38, will instead be eligible for parole in 17 years, as a judge sentenced him on Friday after he was found guilty of murdering Ellie Price at her South Melbourne home.

Price's mother Tracey Gangell said the sentence was not strong enough.

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"A life for a life – if he can take a life away from someone, his life should be taken away as well," she told reporters outside court.

"He's still breathing, he still gets to see his family – I don't get to see my daughter anymore."

Barbaro stabbed Price, 26, six times to the neck and chest in the early hours of April 29, 2020.

He left her for dead, driving away from the scene in her Mercedes Benz and dumping the vehicle at a property in Melbourne's north-west.

Price's body was left undiscovered until May 4, when police attended her house for a welfare check as she wasn't answering her family's calls.

They found the mother-of-one with plunging stab wounds and a cut to her neck.

Ellie Price

After media reported that her body had been found, Barbaro fled to NSW in a van.

He was arrested 10 days later and charged with Price's murder.

Barbaro denied the crime but was ultimately convicted by a Supreme Court jury in September 2023.

Justice Stephen Kaye today described the killing as senseless and cruel as he sentenced Barbaro to up to 28 years behind bars.

"She was alone, completely defenceless and quite clearly overpowered by you," Justice Kaye told Barbaro.

"Your murderous attack on her was cruel, vicious and entirely merciless."

The killer had shown no remorse or insight into the murder, which Justice Kaye said showed his moral culpability was "substantial".

Barbaro told a psychologist he had been asleep and woke to someone attacking him so he had defended himself.

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Ellie Price's mother Tracey Gangell

Justice Kaye said it was clear the jury had rejected that theory and instead accepted he killed Price in a moment of anger as she tried to defend herself by scratching him.

"You made a conscious decision to take hold of a knife for purpose of venting your rage on her," he said.

"The number and location of the stab wounds … were indisputable evidence that you could only have intended to kill her."

Justice Kaye accepted Barbaro had been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, stemming from a series of murders in his family and attempts on his own life.

Barbaro also had a longstanding drug addiction and a possible acquired brain injury from his time as a boxer, the judge said.

He accepted these psychological conditions would make Barbaro's time in custody more onerous, but said the sentence was needed to send a strong message to the community.

Barbaro will be eligible for parole after 22 years and has already served more than four years in custody.

Gangell said Barbaro would still have time to enjoy his life if released on parole, while Price's son – now aged eight – had to live the rest of his life without a mother.

"I don't think it's enough," she said.

Four men jailed for ‘devastating’ gang rape of woman on Tinder date

Four men involved in the gang rape of a terrified woman one of them met on Tinder will jointly spend almost two decades behind bars for their crimes.

The sexual assault occurred in April 2022 in the bedroom of the woman, who cannot be legally named, after she agreed to meet Adam Ahamd Kabbout, 26, who she found on the dating app.

After letting Kabbout into her home and having a shower, she found three other men she did not know in her living room at Belmore, in Sydney's south-west.

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Adam Kabbout leaves Downing Centre District Court where he is on trial accused of the gang rape of a woman at Belmore last year is on trial, Tuesday 6th of August 2024.

Kabbout did not participate in the rape but encouraged his friends Omar El-Sayed, 25, Mohammed Ali, 22, and Rami Katlan, 26, to do so.

He gave directions while the others entered the room one at a time to sexually assault the woman over a terrifying 15-minute period.

At one point Katlan used his mobile phone to record a brief video of Ali raping the victim.

"OK, your loss," Kabbout said before he and the others left the house after the woman said she didn't want to continue.

The four men were sentenced at Downing Centre District Court today by Judge Leonie Flannery who acknowledged the "devastating effects" the crimes had on the woman.

"She went along with it because she was scared," the judge said.

In a victim impact statement read to the judge in October, she described feeling constant distrust, fear and bitterness, and her nights were haunted by flashbacks of the rape.

"I'm scared of everything, I'm scared of the world, I'm scared of other people, I find danger in everything … no one understands what it truly means to have all the power taken from you," she said.

In September, a jury found the four men guilty of various sexual crimes.

Omar El-Sayed initially denied having sex as he was engaged to be married, his lawyer said

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As the facilitator, Kabbout was convicted of four counts of aggravated sexual assault in company.

In front of a courtroom filled with family members and other supporters of the four men, Judge Flannery said Kabbout's offending was less serious than the others because he had not actually engaged in the physical sexual assault.

However, because he was found guilty of four counts, he was sentenced to a maximum of six years and six months in jail.

His non-parole period of three years and three months was backdated to July 23, 2023, and will expire on October 22, 2026.

El-Sayed was sentenced to a maximum jail period of five years and two months for two counts of sexual intercourse without consent.

His non-parole period of two years and seven months means he will be eligible to be released from prison on April 2, 2027.

Ali was also convicted of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent but because of his mental immaturity, he was only sentenced to four years and two months.

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He received a 25-month non-parole period which will expire on October 2, 2026.

Judge Flannery found that Kabbout, El-Sayed and Ali knew the victim did not consent.

She found that Katlan did not have this knowledge but was reckless as to whether the woman wanted to have sex with him or not.

Because of this, he received a maximum jail sentence of 30 months after being convicted of a sole count of sexual intercourse without consent.

He will be eligible for parole after spending 15 months behind bars on March 1, 2027.

In sentencing the four men, Judge Flannery noted their youth at the time of the sexual assault, their mental distress while in custody and their lack of any prior criminal record.

Each had good prospects of rehabilitation and a low likelihood of reoffending, she said.

Both Kabbout and El-Sayed maintain their innocence.

Staggering amount Aussies expected to spend in Black Friday sales

Australian shoppers are expected to spend just over $600 on average in Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, according to new research.

Men on average are expected to spend $220 on average more than women with clothes, technology and homewares expected to be the most popular categories.

The average Australian estimates they spent about $630 during last year's sales, which indicates spending may be slightly down this year, according to Westpac.

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Australian shoppers are expected to spend just over $600 in Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, according to new research.

Black Friday will fall on November 29 this year, while Cyber Monday will take place on December 2.

For those who participate in the sales, spending spikes during these key shopping periods as bargain hunters look to stretch their dollars.

"People want to economise in the lead-up to Christmas gift-giving, planning their purchases to save on spending," Westpac senior economist Matthew Hassan said.

"But despite best-laid plans, impulse purchases still happen at the checkout and retailers will be working hard to encourage people to spend."

Shoppers have also been urged to be mindful of the risk of scams.

According to the bank, almost 40 per cent of Australians said they have previously been exposed to a buying or selling scam online during festive season sales, particularly with technology and clothing purchases.

"Sometimes, when faced with the lure of a large discount, it's hard to determine a good discount and a too good to be true discount," Westpac cash and transactional banking managing director Mandy Rutherford said.

"Plan your purchases, and pause before you buy, to ensure that they are within your budget and you are buying from a reputable retailer."

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What happens after the US election? These are the dates you need to know

Americans are about to head to the polls to vote for president on November 5, but US election day is far from the end of the electoral process.

Almost a quarter of a year passes between ballots being cast and the next president being sworn in.

These are the key dates you need to know about. Note all dates are listed in local US time, roughly half a day behind AEDT.

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November 6-December 11: States certify election results

After votes are cast, states have to certify them. This happens both at a local or county level, and a state-wide level.

Because electoral law differs from state to state, exactly when each jurisdiction completes certification varies across the US, but the process must be complete by December 11.

READ MORE: 50 states will vote in the US election. Only seven actually matter

Members of Georgia's Electoral College are sworn in before casting their votes at the state Capitol, Dec. 14, 2020

December 17: The Electoral College votes

The US election isn't a direct vote for president. Rather, voters are technically voting for which Electoral College electors will represent their state.

On December 17, those electors meet in their states to officially record their votes for president and vice president.

Those vote certificates must be received by the US Senate president no later than the fourth Wednesday of December – which this year happens to fall on Christmas Day.

READ MORE: US election poll-tracker: Who will win on November 5?

Boxes containing Electoral College votes are opened as a joint session of the House and Senate

January 3: Congressional representatives and senators sworn in

The congressmen and women and senators who won their elections on November 5 are sworn in.

Vote certificates also have to be transferred to Congress by this date.

January 6: Congress counts Electoral College votes

A special joint session of Congress is held to count the Electoral College votes – whichever candidate gets 270 votes or more is then declared to have been elected president, and the same goes for vice president.

January 6 is, of course, an infamous date in American history. It was during this joint session four years ago when Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop Joe Biden from being declared president.

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Pro-Trump supporters storm the US Capitol

There will be a slight quirk this year in that Kamala Harris is both running for president and, as the current vice president, will preside over the joint sitting.

A similar occurrence happened after the 2000 election, when Al Gore declared George W. Bush had been elected president after an extraordinarily close and controversial election between the two men.

January 20: Inauguration day

The candidate who wins the most Electoral College votes is sworn in as president at midday, Washington time, taking the Oath of Office and beginning their four-year term.

The new vice president is also sworn in.

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