Tag Archives: oceania

Man killed in Bourke Street crash was a grandfather, philanthropist

The elderly man who died in a car crash on Melbourne's Bourke Street on Friday night was a father, grandfather and philanthropist.

The 76-year-old was behind the wheel of his Hyundai when a car crashed into pedestrians and two other vehicles.

A 26-year-old Melton West man has been charged with murder after he allegedly drove through the mall before hitting a group of pedestrians and two other cars.

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The man who died dedicated his time and funds to a prestigious Melbourne high school, and had a scholarship in his name at a Melbourne university.

He also funded an award for women in the mathematics and science sector. 

The latest tragedy on the famous street has prompted suggestions that electric bollards. could be the solution to another incident.

RMIT professor of planning Michael Buxton said more needed to be done to improve safety standards, which were last reviewed in response 2017 Bourke Street tragedy.

Buxton said bollards blocking the entry point of the mall needed to be explored. 

"Bourke Street is a special case and it needs special treatment," he told 9News.

"The issue with Bourke Street is that traffic limitation measures are on the sides of the mall, but there needs to be measures to block cars from entering the middle."

Retractable bollards provided a feasible way to separate traffic, Buxton said.

"They can be retracted electronically so trams can go through and cars can be separated," he said.

"It needs to be installed there, we have to address the problem that the Bourke Street Mall creates and it's a question of identifying the threat and the best possible safety measures.

"Bourke Street is a glaring problem."

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A car has crashed into pedestrians in Melbourne's CBD.

The state government today said an investigation into the incident needed to happen before further measures could be taken.

"We will wait for the advice from Victoria Police before making further announcements or any actions," Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan said.

"It's about having that right balance between public safety measures and the movement of people, the movement of public transport services, trams, buses, rideshare, taxis, pedestrians.

"The CBD of Melbourne is an incredibly safe place."

A total of 131 steel bollards were installed along the strip as well as a public address system and more CCTV cameras following the 2017 rampage.

The $52.5 million works also included street furniture and planter boxes to provide a protective zone for pedestrians.

Queensland home that last sold for $25k now worth $1.3 million

A Queensland home that last sold for $25,000 has hit the market with a million-dollar price tag. 

The Coorparoo property is a renovator's dream and the current owners hope it can be restored to its former glory.

The home, which was built around 1912 and can't be demolished, has been with the same family for three generations.

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No one has lived in 25 Amelia Street for five years. Coorparoo

The owner bought 25 Amelia Street from their grandparents for just $25,000 in 1977.

Fast-forward 46 years and it is up 5000 per cent, hitting the market at $1.3 million.

Despite holes in the roof and floor, renovators see a lot of potential in the 810-square-metre block due to its location.

READ MORE: The new Melbourne town of 14,500 residents without a post box

The home has holes in the roof and floor.

Michael Shean from Space Property said the house is situated in an ideal area about seven kilometres from the city.

"We're hoping someone is able to restore it back to its former glory, it's such a beautiful piece of Coorparoo history," Shean said.

Economists have predicted a brighter future for sellers as the market continues to recover.

"We are continuing to see very strong demand for homes and there's not a lot of stock available for sale across Brisbane at the moment and that's probably pushing prices up a little bit," Proptrack senior economist Angus Moore said.

NSW premier resists calls to introduce pill testing

The NSW premier is resisting calls for the urgent introduction of pill testing for this festival season, saying there's "no safe quantity" of illegal drugs.

A coalition of drug experts, lawyers and doctors have penned an open letter to Chris Minns, urging him to set up a pilot drug-checking program for this summer's music festivals.

Among the signatories is Professor Dan Howard, who conducted a special commission of inquiry into the drug "ice", and handed down 109 recommendations back in 2020.

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Pill testing

A recommendation to introduce pill testing was rejected outright by the then-Berejiklian Government.

The measure was also recommended by a 2019 Coronial Inquest into Festival Deaths

"My special commission of inquiry heard a great deal of evidence and concluded that there is a strong and compelling evidence base to support drug checking as an effective harm reduction measure," Howard said.

Extreme hot weather forecast for the summer is fuelling for this festival season.

Unharm CEO Will Tregoning says the delay could put lives "at risk".

"A summer festival season with scorching temperatures, and no way for people to test their drugs is a recipe for disaster," Tregoning said.

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Pill testing

But the premier has dismissed the calls, saying "I know they want me to change our policy today, but I'm not going to do that".

"The pill testing regime is only in place in one jurisdiction in the country and that's the ACT. No other state has adopted similar changes to policy," Minns said.

"The truth is, there's no safe quantity to take of these illegal substances."

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NSW Premier Chris Minns

Minns also said he couldn't be clear that "compromised drugs" are the reason for deaths at festivals.

"It might be over-consumption of that substance, rather than it being a dangerous element that's been added to the drug," he said.

"I don't want to be in a situation where people believe because there's the absence of compromised drugs, that they're safe to take when they're not."

NSW government announces $3.5 billion school building blitz

Five new high schools are being promised across Western Sydney as part of a $3.5 billion education infrastructure spend included in the Minns government's first budget.

Premier Chris Minns on Monday released a list of 15 schools to be built in the region over the next four years, in a bid to address a backlog of projects for booming suburbs.

"We need desperately for education infrastructure to keep pace with the growing population," Minns said.

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NSW Premier Chris Minns

Education Minister Prue Car said the wait "is finally over" for communities where schools were promised by the former Coalition government, but not delivered.

"Our commitment for all these new primary and high schools is that they will be open by 2027," Car said.

The full list of 15 schools to be funded in the state budget:

  • A new primary school near Sydney Olympic Park
  • A new high school for Wentworth Point
  • A new high school for Melrose Park
  • A new primary school for Gables
  • A new primary school for Melonba
  • A new high school for Melonba
  • A new primary school for Nirimba Fields
  • A new primary school for Tallawong
  • A new high school for Schofields and Tallawong
  • A new high school for Jordan Springs
  • A new primary school for Gregory Hills
  • A new high school for Gledswood Hills and Gregory Hills
  • A new high school for Leppington and Denham Court
  • A new high school for Edmondson Park
  • A new primary school for Liverpool (Gulyangarri Public School)

Upgrades will also be delivered to schools in Austral, Cecil Hills, Condell Park, Dundas, Eagle Vale, Kingswood, Leppington, Northmead and The Ponds.

Sites for all new schools are yet to be identified, but Car said the government would keep communication lines open.

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NSW Education Minister Prue Car

The list includes nine schools that had been allocated funding by the former Coalition government.

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said Labor was "claiming credit" for the Coalition's work.

"$3 billion of the $3.5 billion was already in the pipeline under the Liberals and Nationals," Speakman said.

Two of the schools on the list – Gulyangarri Public School and Wentworth Point High School – are already under construction.

The Minns government has ordered an enrolment growth audit, designed to help plan for local public schools in expanding areas.