David Van has been removed from the Liberals' party room by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, a decision the Senator says isn't fair.

The move by Dutton to kick Van out follows allegations of sexual assault and harassment made by Lidia Thorpe under parliamentary privilege in the Senate yesterday. Those comments were withdrawn in order to comply with parliamentary standing orders.

Dutton said he was notified of other allegations overnight and today.

READ MORE: Thorpe tells Senate she was 'inappropriately touched' in parliament

The Liberal senator has strenuously denied the claims made by Thorpe, labelling them as "completely unfounded" and "disgusting".

Approached by 9News at Melbourne Airport this evening, Van was asked whether he thought the decision to kick him from the party room was fair.

"No I don't," he replied.

"I think the allegations made have been disgraceful I think the way they've been made is disgraceful. To hide under parliamentary privilege is a terrible thing to do."

Dutton had announced Van's removal from the Liberal party room in Canberra shortly before question time.

"A short time ago, I advised Senator Van of my decision that he should no longer sit in the Liberal Party party room," the opposition leader said.

"At the outset, I want to make clear, very clear that I'm not making any judgement on the veracity of the allegations or any individual's guilt or innocence. I make that very clear…

"In relation to the movement of offices, Senator Thorpe made the allegation yesterday in the Senate. I wasn't aware of the detail of Senator Van moving office. But I've conducted inquiries in relation to that matter overnight.

"I'm advised that the action at the time that was taken was to the satisfaction of both Senator Thorpe and the Greens Senate leadership team."

Dutton said his office had spoken to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service for its consideration.

READ MORE: Lidia Thorpe makes – then withdraws – claim against senator

Speaking in the Senate after Dutton's announcement, Van said he accepted that he would no longer sit in the party room, but also called for an investigation into the claims made against him.

"There should be and must be an investigation into these outrageous claims so that they can be proved to be false," he said.

"I will fully cooperate with the investigators and answer any questions that they may have of me and Senator Thorpe should do the same."

He also repeated his denial of the allegations made against him by Thorpe.

READ MORE: Unemployment drops to 3.6 per cent, flagging more rate pain ahead

"I have acknowledged publicly that I moved offices after an allegation from Senator Thorpe that I made her feel uncomfortable," a visibly shaken Van said.

"That was what was put to me. An allegation that I denied then and I deny today. I agreed to move offices to ensure the avoidance of any misconception.

"No incident was alleged by her.

"I agreed to protect myself against her irrational concerns and ensure the effective and smooth running of the parliament."

Earlier, after withdrawing her original comments against Van, Thorpe this afternoon told the Senate she had been "followed, aggressively propositioned and inappropriately touched" in parliament.

She also told the Senate a man – who she did not identify – had cornered her in a parliamentary stairwell.

9news.com.au does not suggest she was talking about Van.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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A landmark report has found former UK prime minister Boris Johnson deliberately misled parliament over boozy parties during COVID-19 lockdown.

The long-awaited findings of the Privileges Committee were published tonight (Thursday morning local time).

The committee spent 14 months investigating Johnson's conduct over "partygate", a series of boozy gatherings in his office that broke strict COVID-19 restrictions that his government had imposed on the country.

READ MORE: Lidia Thorpe says she was 'cornered in stairwell'

The committee found that Johnson's actions were such a flagrant violation of the rules that they warranted a 90-day suspension from parliament. While a damning indictment of the former prime minister's conduct, the recommendation is largely symbolic because Johnson angrily quit as an MP on Friday after the committee informed him of its conclusions.

Johnson, 58, described the seven-member committee — which included both the ruling Conservatives and opposition party members — as a "kangaroo court", and accused political opponents of driving him out in a "witch hunt".

"The committee now says that I deliberately misled the House, and at the moment I spoke I was consciously concealing from the House my knowledge of illicit events," Johnson said in a heated statement released in response on Thursday.

"This is rubbish. It is a lie. In order to reach this deranged conclusion, the Committee is obliged to say a series of things that are patently absurd, or contradicted by the facts."

MORE TO COME

Almost $2 billion worth of methamphetamine concealed inside canola oil bottles bound for Melbourne have been seized in Canada.

Police say the haul, one of the largest-ever in Australian history to be intercepted, was coordinated by a global organised crime group that used Canada as a launch pad.

The shipment – equating to about 19 million hits of meth – would have resulted in "immense harm" to the community had it not been stopped, police say.

READ MORE: Nottingham killer suspect tried to break into home before stabbing, footage shows

"Yesterday, Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) charged six individuals," Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Bob Hill said.

"The joint investigation commenced in December 2022, when the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) identified illicit drugs in a shipment destined for Melbourne.

"This is one of the largest attempted imports of liquid methamphetamine into Australia, it involved in excess of six tonnes, worth an eye-watering $1.7 billion."

Hill said "unfortunately Australians have this insatiable appetite for illicit drugs", making us "an incredibly lucrative market for organised crime".

"Our use of methylamphetamine in this country per capita is matched by no other nation in the world," Hill said.

"In 2022, Victoria Police conducted 172,000-plus roadside drug tests and detected 10,000-plus positive results.

"Of those, 7859 oral fluid and blood tests, they resulted in positive settings for meth.

"This means meth accounts for over 75 per cent of those positive drug tests."

As a result of the bust, six people have been arrested.

A 38-year-old Melbourne man is accused of leading the operation, and it's alleged he has connections to criminal groups in Canada.

A 32-year-old is accused of using his position in a logistics business to try and transport the shipment.

Four other men, aged between 19 and 51, are accused of trying to buy the drugs.

All six will face court in Melbourne.

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The Government is upbeat on He Waka Eke Noa after meeting agriculture leaders today.

Friends and footy mates of those who died in the horrific Hunter Valley bus crash have spoken about the "great people" who lost their lives.

The shattered community is gathering for another vigil in Greta tonight as locals continue to leave tributes for the 10 people who died when the bus overturned after a wedding on Sydney night.

Local Ryan Fox is a close friend of married couple Andrew and Lynan Scott, who both played for the Singleton Roosters.

READ MORE: Victims of Hunter wedding bus crash identified as community mourns

"They're just both great people, you couldn't get better humans and that's what makes it even harder when these events occur," Fox said.

In a tribute article on the club website, his teammates described Andrew as one of the best they'd ever played with.

Rose Potter, a member of the rival Port Stephens Power, said they were all one club right now.

"I think that is the biggest thing, it doesn't matter what club you play for everyone knows these players… these people," Potter said.

Another Port Stephens member, Josie Johnson, said the people that were lost were the "best people in the world".

"We feel for the driver because, you know, you make a mistake and you have got to live with that forever," Johnson said.

READ MORE: How you can help those affected in the crash

READ MORE: What we know about the fatal Hunter Valley wedding bus crash

Hunter MP Tim Crakanthorp said so many people were in shock at the moment.

The bus was carrying guests following the wedding of newly married couple Mitchell Gaffney and Maddy Edsell, who grew up in Melbourne and later moved to NSW.

Driver Brett Button was charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death – drive manner dangerous and negligent driving occasioning death.

The 58-year-old was granted bail in Cessnock Local Court

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It's deadline season for money-savers, with a whole range of opportunities ending with the financial year.

From tax to power bills, insurance and telco plans, here are the ones to sort out in the next couple of weeks.

READ MORE: Surprise drop in unemployment could spell bad news for borrowers

1. Get your tax deductions sorted

If you want to claim a deduction on your tax, you have to spend the money and get a receipt by June 30.

That's why every retailer in town has big EOFY sales right now – they're chasing your tax deduction dollars.

Work-related expenses can range from tech to furniture to stationary to clothing for some jobs.

Flight crew can even claim moisturisers and hair conditioners, for example.

You can check your industry guide on the ATO website here.

So if you need anything work-related, it might pay to bring forward that purchase into June and cash in on the discounts, thereby reducing your taxable income for the year.

For example, this month you could buy:

• A new phone, laptop or printer
• A pre-paid 12-month mobile data plan
• New office furniture if you work from home
• Pay a subscription for the year ahead
• Your income protection insurance for the year ahead
• Or make charitable donations

2. Be smart about EOFY sales

If you know what you need, I recommend you don't browse the sales.

That's what they want you to do, so that you'll make impulse buys on top of what you've decided you need for work.

Search for the product at Google Shopping and you'll instantly see what every online retailer is charging for it.

Then you can buy the cheapest if it works for you.

If you do want to browse, I'd suggest websites that list a range of the best deals from individual retailers, such as Ozbargain, Little Birdie, Amazon, eBay and Kogan.

3. Health insurance cut-offs

June 30 is a key date for the take-up of health insurance because that is when a range of penalties kick in for some people who don't have cover.

These penalties are the government's way of trying to make people take out a policy.

For example, the lifetime health cover loading kicks in on June 30 if you're over 30 years old and don't have a hospital policy.

It means that if you take out a policy in the future, you'll pay an extra two per cent for each year you've put it off after turning 30 – up to a maximum 70 per cent loading!

The Medicare levy surcharge is another penalty for those who earn over $90,000 (or $180,000 for a household) and don't have hospital cover.

You'll pay some extra tax each year, on a sliding scale of up to 1.5 per cent extra depending on your income.

Sometimes health insurance only costs slightly more than the tax penalty.

Bupa estimates that a couple with two kids earning $200,000 will pay about $2000 in extra tax if they don't have a policy – but they can get a basic, entry-level hospital and extras policy from around $2053.

Because it's such a busy time of year for the industry, there are a lot of attractive offers for new members, such as:

• Nine weeks free over two years with AIA Health Insurance
• 10 weeks free over two years with Bupa
• 12 weeks free over two years with AHM
• Up to $450 switcher's bonus with HCF (via One Big Switch, where I also work)

4. Power bills rising from July 1

Just about every energy plan in the country is going to rise some time in July or August – it's almost unavoidable.

Government reference prices in NSW, Victoria, south-east Queensland and South Australia will go up by 20-25 per cent on July 1, for hundreds of thousands of people who pay that price.

Then the majority of discount market offers – which most of us are on – will go up over July and August, probably by a similar amount.

READ MORE: Sixty-six Australian millionaires paid no tax last year: ATO

Because of the incoming price hike, most current offers end on June 30.

So what can you do?

• Get onto a cheap plan now if you're not already – start at the government websites compare.energy.vic.gov.au (for Victoria) or energymadeeasy.gov.au (for NSW, south-east Queensland, South Australia and the ACT) and you can see what the cheapest deals are within minutes. Some plans are still 15-21 per cent below the government price, which can mean a saving of about $300 a year for an average home.
• There's a range of offers with credits and cashbacks (up to $250, for example, if you switch to EnergyAustralia via Cashrewards), so take advantage of those too if they're available on the plan you pick.
• Do a quick check when you get your price rise email in July or August to make sure your plan is still competitive. If not, switch! It's so easy to do.
• You can even get a couple of fixed rate plans still, which won't increase for six to 12 months. The best site to search these is wattever.com.au, where you can select fixed rate plans in the dropdown filters.

5. Telco plans going up too for millions

Telstra is hiking prices on its pre-paid and post-paid mobile plans in July by the rate of inflation, which is rampaging at close to seven per cent, so a lot of mobile customers are looking for cheaper options.

Fortunately, it's one of the easiest bills to switch and there are about a dozen other providers that also offer service on the Telstra network, including:

• Belong (owned by Telstra)
• Aldi Mobile
• More Telecom
• Tangerine
• Woolworths Mobile
• Exetel
• Mate
• Nu Mobile
• Boost Mobile

While most of these have access to the Telstra wholesale network, which covers over 98 per cent of the population, Boost actually has access to the retail network, which covers over 99 per cent of people.

So Telstra customers should not feel trapped – they have options.

Start at Australia's top telco comparison website Whistleout.com.au and search by network to see your options.

And remember that if you use your phone or internet for work, some of it could be tax-deductible.

Joel Gibson is the author of KILL BILLS & EASY MONEY. He's spent the last two decades hunting down money-saving tricks, hacks and loopholes on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter and as a money-saving expert for One Big Switch, 9Saver, Whistleout and Cashrewards.

Any advice is general and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether the advice is suitable for you and your personal circumstances and seek advice from a broker or adviser before acting.

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The ruling follows a deep-seated battle between the pastor and church trustees.

A man allegedly tried to separate a child from his mother in a Brisbane shopping centre, police allege.

The man allegedly approached the four-year-old from behind and guided him away from his mother while they were walking through the shopping centre on Inala Avenue in Inala about 9.35am on June 9.

The boy's mother intervened and the boy returned to her, causing the man to leave the area, police said in a statement.

READ MORE: 'Suspicious package' investigated by bomb squad unit at Melbourne's Southern Cross Station

The child was not physically injured during the interaction.

Investigators have released CCTV images of a man they wish to speak to over the incident.

They are asking the man or anyone who recognises him to come forward.

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‘We made those targeted investments where they were needed to keep our economy going.’

‘This situation is being taken completely seriously,’ Pāpāmoa Primary’s principal says.