‘People who come here having attacked a police officer can expect no leniency’: Judge

Don McCabe was taken to Timaru Hospital with serious injuries on January 16.

One of the many ways Australians are being pinched by the rising cost of living is by increasing rental prices.

According to SQM Research, the national average weekly cost of a rental property has risen by 18 per cent in the year ending January 12, 2023.

The spike is even bigger in the capital cities, which have collectively seen a 24.6 per cent increase in the same period.

So what can renters actually do if they receive the dreaded email telling them they need to pay more to live in their home? And how often can landlords increase the rent?

READ MORE: Mould, floods, and rental rights: What to do when you find mould in your home

Here's what you need to know.

How often can a landlord raise rent and is it legal?

Yes, rental increases are completely legal, but their frequency will depend on what state or territory you live in and, in some jurisdictions, what kind of tenancy agreement you have.

Generally speaking, landlords cannot increase the rent more than once every six months or once a year.

In New South Wales, the ACT and Victoria, for example, it's the latter, while Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory allow for price hikes every six months.

Check with your relevant state government body for the most up-to-date, relevant information for your situation.

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How much notice period does a landlord have to give for a rent increase?

For the most part, landlords in Australia have to provide 60 days' notice of any rental increase, although there are three exceptions.

Queensland (two calendar months) and the ACT (eight weeks) are slightly different but still fairly similar.

The real outlier is the Northern Territory, which only requires its landlords to provide 30 days' notice.

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A teenage jet ski rider who allegedly rode dangerously close to a boat at a Melbourne beach earlier this week will be charged by police.

The incident at Mornington Peninsula, which was captured on video by a passenger, allegedly involved the jet ski rider deliberately spraying the occupants of the boat with water before speeding off on Monday afternoon.

The 16-year-old boy will be charged with dangerous operation, exceeding five knots within 50 metres of another vessel, and failing to maintain safety equipment.

READ MORE: 'Don't have enough in the tank': Jacinda Ardern to resign as Prime Minister of New Zealand

Zara Read, 13, who was on the boat at the time of the incident, told 9News that it was a "frightening" experience.

"It was pretty scary," she said.

Water Police Squad Acting Sergeant Michael Greenwood said police had a "no tolerance" approach to dangerous behaviour.

"If you engage in this type of behaviour, remember our strike teams are not far away," he said.

"You will be caught up with."

READ MORE: Authorities cracking down on jet skiers 'harassing dolphins' in Victoria

The teen will face a magistrates' court at a later date.

The charges come with a mandatory six-month loss of licence and can be accompanied by thousands of dollars in fines.

An Iranian man who beheaded his 17-year-old wife has been sentenced to eight years in jail.

Sajjad Heydari carried out the so-called "honour killing" of his wife Mona last year.

He reportedly carried her severed head through the streets before he was apprehended.

READ MORE: Husband of missing US woman accused of killing, dismembering her

She had been married to Heydari since she was 12 and gave birth to their son aged just 14, the BBC reported.

Mona had fled to Turkey after she was subjected to domestic abuse, but had returned to Iran after her family assured her she would be safe.

Murder is punishable by death in Iran, but local media reported that Mona's parents had "forgiven" Heydari, which legally rules out a death sentence.

Mona's brother-in-law was also jailed for complicity in her murder – but only for 45 months.

Iran is currently facing a wave of protests against government tyranny and for women's rights after a young woman arrested for not wearing a head covering died in police custody.

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Throughout a premiership pockmarked by tragedy and challenges, Jacinda Ardern earned global acclaim even amid dissent at home.

In five years and three months in the top job, she held the nation's hand in the wake of the terrible tragedies of the Christchurch mosque shooting and White Island volcano disaster, slammed shut its borders to ward off the COVID-19 pandemic and elevated female leadership on the world stage.

But her Labour government fell short on policy promises and some constituents and rivals resented the plaudits lobbed from overseas, calling for domestic concerns to be prioritised.

READ MORE: 'Don't have enough in the tank': Jacinda Ardern to resign as Prime Minister of New Zealand

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Even as New Zealand and Australia remained the closest of allies, she clashed with former prime minister Scott Morrison on climate change and the mass deportation of Kiwi criminals.

The 42-year-old is now set to leave office next month before taking full advantage of her friendship and ideological allegiance with Labor PM Anthony Albanese.

Australian Institute of International Affairs national executive director Dr Bryce Wakefield praised Arden's leadership through the pandemic and the major national tragedies.

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"Because of her communication skills, because of her ability to clearly communicate and show empathy, she was the perfect person to lead New Zealand at a difficult time through a series of tragedies," the New Zealand-born and -educated foreign policy expert told 9news.com.au.

"In policy areas, however, she under-delivered. Labour came to office promising clear and extensive social policies. And it became sidetracked with these other issues. 

"She wasn't able to confront widespread housing policy or tax reforms that she favoured."

READ MORE: Dad drowns trying to save daughter at NSW beach

The Christchurch mosque shooting

Most foreigners' first look at the young leader during the most painful of these tragedies, when a black-clad, hijab-wearing Ardern embraced the families of some of the 51 Christchurch mosque shooting victims.

Her words in the immediate aftermath of New Zealand's worst massacre, along with her refusal to say the Australian-born far-right extremist murderer's name, were widely praised, along with a swift move to introduce strict gun laws.

"They have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home. They are us," she said, of the victims.

"The person who has perpetuated this violence against us is not."

Splashed on the cover of Time magazine, Ardern was feted internationally in a wave of "Jacindamania" that had well and truly crashed domestically by the time she announced her resignation today in the face of dire pre-election polling.

READ MORE: Up to 28,000 workers set to lose their jobs

Response to COVID-19

Her communication style and empathy were heralded again during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as she took to Facebook Live to answer voters' questions, dressed and speaking casually after putting her toddler to bed.

Much as in Australia, support for New Zealand's strict response to the virus eventually turned to frustration as many chafed for borders to be reopened and lift to return to normal. 

Today she admitted the pandemic and other challenges had taken their toll, leaving her without "enough in the tank" to do the job justice.

"It's one thing to lead your country through peace time, it's another to lead them through crisis," she said. 

I had the privilege of being alongside NZ in a crisis and they placed their faith in me," she said.

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Female leadership

Female leaders are not a novelty across the Tasman, where two men and three women have led since Jenny Shipley took office in 1997.

But Ardern's status as a young, progressive, unmarried and policy-focused national leader was repeatedly called attention to around the world.

Her responses to perceived sexism regularly made global headlines, beginning just days into her mandate when she slammed questions about whether she would become pregnant in office as "totally unacceptable in 2017".

The prime minister did fall pregnant and took six weeks' maternity leave before returning to work as "first bloke" Clarke Gayford — now her fiance — took more responsibility for caring for little Neve, just as countless female partners have done for countless male politicians.

Wakefield said Ardern was a "model of how those in leadership ought to be able to make accommodations for family".

More recently, she grabbed attention with a sharp response about whether she was hosting Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin because they were both women of a similar age.

"My first question is I wonder whether or not anyone ever asks Barack Obama and John Key if they met because they were of similar age," she mused.

What's next

Wakefield said Ardern would leave the Labour party, which will vote on her replacement in three day's time, united but with potential problems heading into the October 14 general election.

"A change in leadership is usually the kiss of death in New Zealand politics," he said.

Wakefield said Ardern "excelled" in foreign policy and international relations without ushering in any "innovations" in the nation's outlook.

Perhaps one lasting impact could come from her consistent push to improve the rights of New Zealanders living in Australia and cut down on regular deportations of criminals, including those with few or no remaining connections across the ditch.

"By using her profile to continually put that issue onto Australia's agenda, Arden seems to have convinced the Albanese government that it's time for significant reform in this area," Wakefield said.

A cockpit voice recorder has been secured as part of an investigation into the "in-flight engine failure" of a Qantas Boeing 737 plane from Auckland to Sydney yesterday.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has assigned a team of investigators to begin collecting evidence for the investigation, after the QF144 flight landed safely at Sydney Airport despite a mayday call from the pilot.

The investigators have experience in aircraft maintenance, operations and data recovery.

READ MORE: Dad drowns trying to save daughter at NSW beach

"At the ATSB's request the operator has quarantined the aircraft's cockpit voice and flight data recorders," ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said in a statement.

"Once downloaded, information from those recorders will be analysed at the ATSB's technical facilities in Canberra."

The investigation will include interviewing flight crew, reviewing operator procedures, analysing weather information, examining any relevant engine components and potentially attending any tear-down inspection of the engine.

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"Our investigators will now work methodically to progressively establish the incident's sequence of events and contextual information, with a view to determining contributing factors and any underlying safety issues, which will be detailed in the investigation's final report," Mitchell said.

There is no date for when a report will be released at this stage.

This morning a passenger told Today there was a "major jolt" and that the plane's performance noticeably changed.

"We dropped from about 36,000 feet to 20,000 feet over the course of about 40 minutes and the air speed slowed noticeably, so it was evident there was something wrong, but none of us were sure what," he said.

READ MORE: Kyiv helicopter crash kills top Ukraine officials, dozens others

Yesterday Qantas confirmed the Boeing 737-838 "experienced an issue with one of its engines" about an hour before it was due to land.

The flight was due to touch down at 3.10pm but instead it made a safe landing at 3.25pm.

Qantas said the plane was met by emergency services in line with standard procedure.

The airline also said the mayday call was later downgraded to a PAN (possible assistance needed).

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British actor Julian Sands, known for his work in shows like 24 and movies like A Room with a View and Arachnophobia, has been identified as a hiker missing in the Mt. Baldy, California area since last Friday, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Sands was reported missing at 7.30pm on January 13, Gloria Huerta, a spokesperson with the department, tells CNN.

CNN has reached out to representatives for Sands for comment.

READ MORE: Jacinda Ardern to resign as Prime Minister of New Zealand

Mt Baldy is located in the San Gabriel Mountains in San Bernardino County.

Search and rescue crews were on the mountain looking for Sands, but due to the severe weather and an avalanche threat, rescuers had to suspend their search efforts, Huerta said.

Officials continue to use drones to search for Sands, but are limited with other resources due to the weather on Mt Baldy, Huerta added.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has recently warned hikers about visiting Mt Baldy, where high winds and ice continue to make conditions dangerous.

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In a post on Facebook, the agency said that over the last four weeks, search and rescue teams have responded 14 rescue missions on Mt Baldy and in the surrounding area.

"These rescue missions have been for lost, stranded and/or injured hikers. Unfortunately, during these past 4 weeks, two hikers did not survive after falling and injuring themselves," the post said.

"The recent storms that brought the snow and ice conditions are not favourable for hikers, even those that feel they have a high level of experience."

READ MORE: How powerful Australia's passport is, and why it takes so long to get one

Sands' other credits include films like The Killing Fields and Leaving Las Vegas and TV shows like Smallville.

One of his most recent credits included a recurring role in Netflix's television series What/If.

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A Qantas flight from Sydney to Fiji has turned around as a precaution due to a potential mechanical issue.

Flight QF101, which is a Boeing 737 aircraft, was on its way from Sydney to Nadi around 9am when it turned around and landed back at the city's airport before 11am.

A Qantas spokesperson said the flight returned to Sydney Airport as a precaution after "pilots received a fault indicator about a potential mechanical issue".

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"The pilots followed standard procedures and the aircraft has landed normally in Sydney," the spokesperson said.

"Engineers will examine the aircraft.

"We thank customers for their patience and we are working to get them on their way to Fiji as quickly as possible."

READ MORE: Dad drowns trying to save daughter at NSW beach

It comes as a Qantas flight from Auckland to Sydney issued a mayday call yesterday due to an "issue with one of its engines" but landed safely at Sydney Airport.

The mayday call was downgraded to a PAN (possible assistance needed) shortly after it was issued.

A former television detective "adamantly denies" sexually assaulting a woman at a Melbourne pub.

Ex-Neighbours actor Scott McGregor was represented by a lawyer for a brief hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court today.

The 41-year-old is charged with one count of sexual assault over an incident at The Esplanade Hotel in St Kilda.

READ MORE: Jacinda Ardern to resign as Prime Minister of New Zealand

McGregor was not required to attend.

His lawyer, Thomas Isaacs, said he had sought considerable disclosure from police to defend the case and prosecutors had fairly requested more time than usual to comply with the request.

"Mr McGregor adamantly denies the charges," he said, adding that investigation of the matter was ongoing.

The case will return to court for a contest mention on May 4.

McGregor played Detective Mark Brennan in 940 episodes of Neighbours between 2010 and 2020.