The Māori Development Minister has taken aim at the Te Pāti Māori defector.

A man who rode an e-scooter at 100km/h while trying to evade police on a main road in Canberra has been jailed.

Bodycam footage shows James Cole riding the scooter along the edge of Majura Parkway and passing cars as police officers on motorbikes attempted to pull him over on December 23 last year.

The 38-year-old left the road and continued riding along a bike path where several cyclists were told to dismount to avoid a collision.

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Cole eventually fell off the e-scooter and the pursuing officers arrested him.

"My job's on the line, man," Cole is heard saying on the police bodycam video.

"Please, it's Christmas and that."

Cole tested positive to methamphetamine in a roadside drug test after his arrest.

He was transported to hospital for minor injuries and the scooter was seized by police.

Cole pleaded guilty to seven charges in court.

He will spend one month in prison and serve the remaining three months in the community under a good behaviour order.

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ACT Policing said it welcomed the decision by the court.

"The man placed himself and other road (and bike path) users at significant risk following his decision to initially ride at close to 100km/h on the Majura Parkway and then to repeatedly ignore police directions to stop," it said in a statement.

"All e-scooters ridden on ACT roads and pathways must have a maximum speed of 25km/h and can only be ridden at 15km/h when on a footpath.

"Pursuing officers ensured people on the pathway had seen them by activating emergency lights and sirens and had moved off the pathway while they continued to engage the scooter rider."

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They join representatives from 12 Commonwealth countries in the international call.

Map was created by Dragonfly Data Science in partnership with Social Wellbeing Agency.

A magistrate has commended high-profile NSW environmental activist Violet CoCo's protest activity but said she had gone "too far" defacing a Perth police station with spray paint.

Deanna "Violet" Maree CoCo, 32, was convicted and fined $200 after she admitted spray painting four yellow Woodside Energy logos on the front windows of the Perth Police Centre a day earlier.

The Western Australian magistrates court was told CoCo's actions at the police station were an act of solidarity with local campaigners targeted by police amid an escalating crackdown on protesters.

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It included CoCo attempting to use super glue to adhere her arm to the window before police arrested and charged her with criminal damage or destruction of property on Wednesday.

After listening to the fact, Magistrate Matthew Walton said CoCo appeared to have "legitimate personal beliefs".

"It is noble and commendable people have strong personal views," he said on Thursday.

"It's a fundamental tenet of western democracy … a functioning democracy … it should be supported.

"You don't have to go too far abroad to see the restrictions on personal freedoms and activism.

"In a lot of regards you should be commended, however, you breached the law … you went too far on this occasion."

CoCo was ordered to pay $500 in damages.

"I encourage you to do it but you should be encouraged to do it in a lawful manner," Walton said.

"It should be something held to be very precious to all of us."

Activist group Disrupt Burrup Hub on Wednesday said CoCo's actions at the police station were an act of solidarity with local campaigners targeted by police amid an escalating crackdown on protesters.

It said environmental campaigners have been subject to increasing police overreach in recent months in response to a campaign targeting Woodside's Burrup Hub project.

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This has allegedly included house raids, data seizure and excessive charges after activists sprayed the Woodside logo on a famous Fredrick McCubbin painting at the WA Art Gallery and WA's parliament building.

CoCo was among the first people charged after the NSW parliament hiked penalties and expanded the reach of laws targeting those who block traffic on major routes.

The NSW District Court in March wiped her 15-month prison sentence for parking a truck on the Harbour Bridge and blocking a lane during morning peak traffic in April 2022, which was part of an environmental protest against climate inaction.

She was issued with a 12-month conditional release order after the court heard she had initially been imprisoned on false information from NSW Police.

Disrupt Burrup Hub has called for industrial development on the Burrup Peninsula, about 30km west of Karratha in the Pilbara region, to be stopped, including Woodside Energy's expansion of the Pluto gas plant.

The Burrup Peninsula, known as Murujuga to traditional owners, contains the largest and oldest collection of petroglyphs in the world.

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A second teenager has been charged over the theft of a car allegedly involved in a horror crash that killed three women and left another fighting for her life in Queensland last Sunday.

Nurse Sheree Robertson, 52, from Torquay in Hervey Bay, was driving home from work in Maryborough when she was killed alongside Kelsie Davies, 17, and Michale Chandler, 29, in the collision, while Kaylah Behrens, 23, remains in an induced coma.

Police had already arrested one 13-year-old boy over the crash, and on Thursday charged a second teenager.

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The second teen, who is also a 13-year-old boy, was charged with two counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and one count each of driving without a licence and possessing dangerous drugs.

However, police say he was not in the allegedly stolen Mercedez-Benz involved in the crash during the collision.

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Officers also said the initial suggestion that a passenger ran from the stolen car following the crash appeared to be inaccurate, saying they had found no evidence to suggest that had occurred.

The teen is set to re-appear in Maryborough Childrens Court at a later date.

The first teen was denied bail earlier in the week after being charged with three counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

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Tasmania's attorney-general has ordered an inquest into the death of a young man who was struck by a car driven by his partner, despite a judge ruling one was not needed.

Family and friends of Jari Wise campaigned for an inquest after he was killed at Huonville, south of Hobart, in 2020.

Wise was hit by a car being driven by Melissa Oates, who then left him on the road.

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Oates was in April 2021 jailed for eight months after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, drink driving and failing to stop and assist in an accident.

She was found to not be legally responsible for the death of Wise as it could not be ruled out he jumped in front of the car.

Attorney-General Elise Archer on Thursday directed the coroner to hold an inquest, hours after a Supreme Court judge ruled one would not be in the interest of justice.

Wise's mother, Faith Tkalac, had launched Supreme Court legal action against the coroner in her push for an inquest.

"I'm lost for words. I'm elated, which is difficult for me to say because this is regarding my … child," she said.

"It's been such a fight. This has been my every day, my every minute, my every moment."

Archer said she had been monitoring Supreme Court proceedings but had to wait for an outcome before making her determination.

"I am deeply concerned and acknowledge the impact of these proceedings on the family and friends of Mr Wise," she said in a statement.

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Archer said she used her powers under the coroners act to direct an inquest.

"I have not made this decision lightly, but it is my sincere belief that this will assist Mr Wise's loved ones to find the answers that they seek," she said.

Coroner Simon Cooper investigated Wise's death and in July 2021 decided not to hold an inquest, partly because it was unlikely to reveal any additional, significant information.

As part of her Supreme Court application, Tkalac claimed there were other witnesses who could provide evidence of Oates threatening to kill Wise on the night he died.

She argued it had never been established whether Wise stepped out in front of the car or whether the crash was deliberate.

In delivering his judgment, Supreme Court of Tasmania Justice Michael Brett said an inquest would not be in the interest of justice.

He ruled the police investigation had been extremely thorough and it became clear evidence did not support the theory Oates was responsible for Wise's death.

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Almost a year ago, police were called to a disorder and found the 51-year-old dead.

Pipes fixed but silt in town’s water source means treatment plant struggling to keep up.

Millions of Australians are worried about paying back their student debt after education loans face a major 7.1 increase as a result of surging inflation.

Student HECS and HELP loans in Australia are interest-free making them one of the cheapest debts to have, however they are indexed every financial year based on a cost of living index.

From June 1 this year, indexation will rise to 7.1 per cent on student loans when it previously sat at 3.9 per cent.

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It is the highest indexation seen since it was 8 per cent in 1990.

Sydney lawyer Sally is concerned about the significant indexation rise in student loans and the future of paying hers off.

Sally's loan started at nearly $90,000 for a law degree but has now paid off down to $45,000 after 10 years of work.

But in light of the stark indexation rise, she's questioning whether to pay it off now with savings she may have used on a house deposit.

"I've been working full-time for over 10 years including a few years as a junior lawyer making peanuts and barely made a dent in the debt compared to its indexation," she told 9news.com.au.

"The 7.1 per cent for me means an extra $4000 this year and I'll pay off maybe $7000 from income tax."

But she said if Australia sees a period of stagflation – high inflation over a long time – then it is going to become harder and harder for her to pay off the loans.

"I'm more inclined to dip into my savings which I've spent a long time working hard to squirrel away to pay it off."

Instead, she believes loans should be indexed based on wage growth.

It comes as a Finder survey of 305 Australians with student debt recorded similar outlooks to Sally in repaying their loans.

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The survey found one in two are slightly or extremely concerned about their ability to repay the loan.

A further 14 per cent don't think they'll ever be able to pay off their debt which equates to more than 420,000 people, according to Finder.

Head of consumer research at Finder Graham Cooke warned inflation which shows little sign of slowing will lead to more graduates with rising student debt.

"Inflation is causing headaches for almost all Australians, and former students are no exception," Cooke said.

"Our high inflation rate means more interest will be charged against student debt than we have seen in decades – no doubt the effects will be significant."

Cooke warned Aussies looking to buy a home will struggle to take out a future loan as lingering student debt is a "massive liability" for lenders.

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Around 15 per cent of Australians – around 3 million people – are paying back their student loans, according to the Australia Tax Office.

The ATO estimates around 11 per cent of those have between $5000 and $40,000 and 3 per cent have between $40,000 and $100,000.

Just 2 per cent have under $5000.

Cooke said Aussies who have some spare cash should put it towards repayments to minimise debt in the long run.

"Whilst it may seem all doom and gloom, student debt is the least crucial loan you'll ever have," Cooke said.

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The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.