TVNZ’s Kaupapa Māori debate delivered the expected fiery discussions.

A Dapto man who faked his own kidnapping to spend New Year's Eve with his mistress has been ordered to compensate police for the time they spent looking for him.

Paul Iera was flanked by family members as he walked into Wollongong Local Court where he faced the prospect of up to seven years behind bars.

The 35-year-old has admitted to crafting an elaborate, yet unsophisticated plot to spend New Year's Eve with his mistress instead of his partner.

READ MORE: Daniel Andrews resigns as Victoria's premier

Iera told his partner he was going to meet up with his "financial guy", instead, he was meeting another woman on December 31.

In a desperate bid to buy the tradesman time, the pair sent a phony ransom message to his partner.

"Thank you for sending Paul to me, now payback is a ***** bye bye. We will keep him with us until the morning wen (sic) he gives us his bike we call it square."

The message sent the woman into a panic, who called police, minutes before midnight.

Officers attached to Lake Illawarra Police District established Strike Force Evison to investigate, putting in 200 hours of police work, equivalent to more than $25,000 from the taxpayer.

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By 10am on January 1, 2023, they had intercepted Iera's white van in Dapto in a high risk vehicle stop, finding him safe inside with his lover.

Iera initially claimed he had been taken by a group of unknown Middle Eastern men and was later let go.

Twelve days later, Iera was arrested at a granny flat in Dombarton and charged with making a false accusation with the intent to subject another person to investigation.

Magistrate Michael Ong described the actions as "abhorrent", saying they were "motivated by the least compelling reason he has ever come across."

The tradesman was ordered to pay $16,218.11 to the NSW Government in compensation for the work done by police.

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He has been issued a three-year community correction order, the magistrate admitting he had considered imprisonment.

"You are at a point where you need to make a choice. You either take a step back, look at yourself and your circumstances and move towards furthering yourself, or alternatively you will move into a situation where imprisonment will be a very realistic option."

Iera did not answer questions outside court, his lawyer, Abbas Soukie issuing a statement on his behalf.

"Mr Iera is pleased to have avoided a gaol sentence today. Since the commission of the offence, Mr Iera has made tremendous rehabilitative progress and today's outcome is reflective of Court's attempt to promote that ongoing rehabilitation. Mr Iera continues to enjoy the support of his family and partner, and wishes to move forward with his life as a productive member of the community."

A Gold Coast family has narrowly avoided a school holiday tragedy after a runaway truck ploughed into their home.

Robert Butler and his four young children were standing in the living room when the rig rolled through the wall of their garage.

"I was hanging the washing out in the backyard and walked inside with the kids and we heard a bang," Butler said.

READ MORE: Daniel Andrews resigns as Victoria's premier

The family was enjoying school holidays at the time.

"They love mucking around in the garage, riding their scooters and rollerblades," Butler said.

"So lucky they were inside at the time."

There was no truck driver behind the wheel when it rolled 25 metres down the street.

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"He said he swore he put his handbrake on," Butler said.

"He went inside his house, and then he came out and the truck was gone."

The vehicle slammed straight into the property's power switchboard and turned an extraction exercise into an electrical hazard for emergency services.

Fire crews declared the home as safe to enter three hours later.

Airbnb says it is "disappointed" with the NSW government's new legislation which could slash the amount of short-term rentals allowed in the Byron Shire next summer.

In an effort to ease extreme pressure on the local housing market, a 60-day cap on some short-term rentals in Byron will be imposed from September 26, 2024.

The NSW government, which announced the start date this morning, hopes the move will help long-term residents and key workers who have been priced out of the coastal hotspot.

READ MORE: Daniel Andrews on the best and worst moments of his time as premier

Airbnb Australia and New Zealand head of public policy Michael Crosby said the decision would have "significant repercussions on the local visitor economy, harming jobs and small businesses".

"Byron Bay has a long-standing history of family holiday homes, which have welcomed guests to the local area for decades for weekend getaways, school holidays, and large events like Splendour (In The Grass)," Crosby said.

"Many of these homes are unlikely to ever be offered on the long-term rental market and will likely sit empty for the remainder of the year beyond the 60 nights they are able to be rented.

"Short-term rentals aren't the cause of the housing crisis, but we believe there is more we can do to help make a positive difference like advocating for policies that promote the creation of new housing."

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Only being able to list properties with Airbnb, Stayz and other short-term operators for 60 days every year will encourage some landlords to revert to traditional long-term leases, the theory goes.

The 60-day cap was a key recommendation from the state's Independent Planning Commission.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said it was "well known" that the Byron Shire had suffered an undersupply of homes, particularly affordable and diverse housing, for many years.

He called short-term rentals in Byron "a complex matter" and described affordability pressures in the area as "particularly acute".

"Given the region's unique and exceptional circumstances as one of Australia's most visited tourism destinations, it is crucial housing supply shortages are addressed and more homes are returned for permanent residency, particularly to have workers in the visitor economy," he said.

Byron Shire Council had initially proposed to reduce a cap on non-hosted short-term rentals in parts of its local government area from 180 to 90 days.

But the state government's Independent Planning Commission went further, recommending the cap be tightened to 60 days, to send a stronger market signal to encourage a meaningful shift.

Hosted short-term rentals, where the host resides on the premises during the stay, are unaffected by the new guidelines.

Some precincts in Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads with high tourism appeal were identified by council to operate without a cap – allowing for year-round use.

The 12-month transition period will allow the community and industry to prepare before the new rules take effect ahead of the 2024/25 summer, Scully said.

Good idea or bad idea? Are you affected? Email tax short-stay accommodation in an attempt to combat the housing crisis.

From 2025, a 7.5 per cent levy on short-stay accommodation revenue will be introduced, with funds raised to fund social and affordable housing.

Other councils suffering from housing issues will be watching developments in Byron closely.

With its stunning coastal scenery, Byron has long been a magnet for domestic and international tourists.

Before the pandemic, more than two million visitors were estimated to flock there every year, spending hundreds of millions of dollars.

Amusement parkgoers were stuck upside down at the top of a ride for 25 minutes after it malfunctioned at a park in Canada.

Dozens of people were left hanging upside down when the Lumberjack ride at Wonderland in Ontario malfunctioned at 10.40pm on Saturday.

Everyone was brought down safely by 11.05pm, the park confirmed in a statement.

READ MORE: Daniel Andrews resigns as Victoria's premier

TikTok footage shows the ride stopped in the air with park guests danging upside down.

One rider vomited in a panic while another said her legs went numb, according to CBC. 

The park claims no one was injured during the ordeal.

"Guests were unloaded safely and assessed by First Aid staff before being released back into the park," the park said in a statement to USA Today.

"Two guests reported chest pain and were attended to at the park's health center before being released without need for further medical attention."

The ride has been closed down for investigation. 

The Melbourne event venue at the centre of multiple gastro outbreaks has cancelled all functions in the next fortnight as investigations into the incidents continue.

The Park Melbourne's decision to temporarily stop hosting functions comes as a third outbreak of gastro was reported in guests who attended one of its functions.

Managers of the venue said they have shut down as a precautionary measure.

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At least 70 wedding guests became violently ill after consuming chicken and pork at the venue on September 16.

Dozens of medical professionals who attended a conference at the same venue fell ill with similar symptoms just two days before the wedding.

It is unknown how many people fell ill from the most recent outbreak, which the Department of Health has confirmed occurred over the weekend.

"The Department has been notified of a number of people feeling unwell after attending events at The Park Melbourne on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 September," a department spokesperson said.

The venue underwent a further round of cleaning and disinfecting on September 21 following the initial gastroenteritis outbreak.

Another round of cleaning has been ordered following the third outbreak, Port Phillip Council Acting Mayor Andrew Bond said in a statement.

"Norovirus was identified last week as the cause of the first two outbreaks. Just a small infectious dose – contacted through food, an infected person or touching a contaminated surface – can cause illness," he said.

"Officers today instructed the venue's management to repeat its deep cleaning of the premises and are continuing to work with the Department to gather information to determine if there is a link connecting the outbreaks."

"The investigation into the third outbreak of gastroenteritis is continuing."

READ MORE: Daniel Andrews resigns as Victoria's premier

The Park Melbourne's management has said it has only suspended functions for two weeks.

"As there have been reported illnesses from one of the events, we have decided to temporarily stop operating functions in the venue for the next two weeks until we have further information," The Park Melbourne said in a statement.

"It is possible that these outbreaks are not linked, but we have decided to close out of an abundance of caution until we have further information."

"Our closure is entirely voluntary and has not been requested by the Department of Health.

"It is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we have found alternate locations for all parties impacted by our temporary closure."

When Daniel Andrews first stepped into Victorian parliament as the member for Mulgrave, he didn't bother taking a seat on the backbench.

The now-resigned premier is one of the few Australian politicians to have never spent a day as a backbencher, having started MP life in 2002 as a parliamentary secretary.

One election later, Andrews was a minister aged 34, picking up the gaming and consumer affairs portfolios, as well as being minister assisting the premier on multicultural affairs.

READ MORE: Daniel Andrews resigns as Victoria's premier

When John Brumby took over the premiership 2007, there was another promotion for Andrews, this time snaring the much larger health portfolio.

With Andrews – a Catholic – in charge of the portfolio, Victoria decriminalised abortion, leading to some criticism from the church. 

His response was that he had no intention of being "a Catholic health minister. It was my intention to be a Victorian health minister".

A landslide against Brumby at the 2010 election put Labor back into opposition, but provided Andrews the opportunity to become state party leader.

READ MORE: Australia reacts to resignation of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews

Not that Labor spent much time out of government.

The party had consistent leads in the polls for much of the two years leading up to the 2014 election, even if Andrews tended to trail in the preferred premier stakes.

A gain of seven seats was more than enough to put Andrews into the premiership, beginning the second-longest continuous stint in Victoria's top job.

During that first term, the Andrews government cancelled the East West Link rail project and later promised the introduction of an airport rail link that remains to this day a work in progress.

If the 2014 election confirmed Andrews as premier, the 2018 instalment well and truly cemented him.

A massive eight-seat swing gave Labor commanding control of parliament, and Andrews a second term dominated by two emergencies.

First up was the Black Summer Bushfires of 2019-20, when the premier was largely praised for his handling of the crisis that saw more than 1.5 million hectares of the state go up in flames.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a far more difficult beast.

Andrews announced Victoria's first lockdown on March 30, 2020, just days after he'd chastised people for getting on the beers and gathering while the pandemic grew – and inadvertently providing the sample for a hit song.

That lockdown only lasted 43 days, but Melbourne was in for plenty more. 

A second of 111 days later that year.

READ MORE: Daniel Andrews on the best and worst moments of his time as premier

A snap five-day edition in early 2021, followed by two of about a fortnight each, before one final 82-day stint ending in late October.

In total, the city spent 262 days in lockdown – a world record by the time the restrictions ended.

In the eyes of some, that turned him into a pariah, with furious citizens marching on state parliament in protest against coronavirus restrictions.

Others adored the premier, shovelling effusive praise his way for the tight controls that they said kept Victoria from suffering a far more deadly fate at the hands of COVID-19.

Whether loved or loathed, Andrews suddenly found himself with an iconic profile across the country – an unheard-of proposition for a state premier before the pandemic.

In amongst it all was a more personal emergency for Andrews.

A slip on the stairs at his Mornington Peninsula holiday home left his wife, Catherine, fearing he could die from his injuries.

"You were going blue and we were looking at each other and I was thinking you're going to die here," she later said.

Andrews recovered from his spinal injuries and broken ribs, but it took 111 days before he was able to return to work – when he said he was determined to run for premier in 2022.

When he did, any fears Labor's pandemic response would lead to backlash at the voting booth were put to bed.

Not only did the government retain power, it actually gained one more seat to give Andrews a third term.

ANALYSIS: 'Shock' resignation of Daniel Andrews a loss for Labor and national cabinet

That term had, up until his resignation, proven less auspicious.

Wife Catherine's car crash with a cyclist in 2013 – when then-opposition leader Andrews was in the taxpayer-funded vehicle with their three children – was dragged back into the media in late 2022 when the victim said he was exploring legal options.

Earlier this year, the budget confirmed Victoria's debt will hit an eye-watering $171.4 billion by 2027 – about a quarter of state GDP and a figure higher than any other state or territory in the nation.

The biggest public relations blemish since reelection though was surely the Commonwealth Games cancellation. 

Barely a year after Victoria said it would host the event in Melbourne and the regions, Andrews announced it was no longer feasible, citing cost blowouts from $2.6 to $7 billion.

The cancellation itself came at a far more palatable price for the premier: just $380 million was all it cost to pull the plug.

Now, another two months down the track, Andrews has pulled another plug, this time on his own career. 

Having passed 3000 days as premier in February, he'll have his tenure immortalised via a bronze statue, but in announcing his resignation he avoided any talk of how he'll be remembered.

"Legacy is for other people to determine… it will be for others to judge my time in the parliament, my time as a local member of parliament and in my time in different leadership roles."

Woman consented to making intimate recordings, believing they would be kept private.

Buying a property can be fraught at the best of times.

Welfare expert group found sanctions don’t work, “compound social harm”.