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The jury in the Bruce Lehrmann rape trial has been dismissed after it was discovered one of the jurors obtained information outside the evidence presented in court.

Chief Justice Lucy McCallum said it had been discovered a juror had undertaken some research in relation to the Brittany Higgins case which had entered the jury room.

"I have received evidence that at least one juror has had access to research material that was not provided to the jury during the trial," McCallum said.

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She said the sheriff's office had inadvertently discovered evidence a juror had access to research material not provided to the jury.

During routine tidying, one of the sheriffs accidentally bumped one of the juror's document folders onto the floor.

The chief justice said when the officer picked up the box, he noticed part of the title page of an academic research paper.

Upon further investigation it was discovered the topic of the paper was sexual assault.

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The chief justice said the juror in question gave an explanation suggesting the document had not been used or relied upon.

However, she said it was appropriate to regard that evidence with some scepticism.

The juror was dismissed along with the rest of the jury, who the chief justice thanked for their time.

"It is beyond question the conduct of a juror is such to abort the trial."

Lehrmann was being tried by the ACT Supreme Court, charged with sexual intercourse without consent.

He pleaded not guilty.

The jury was dismissed following a 12-day trial and had undertaken a little more than five days of deliberations.

A new trial has been set down for February 20 next year and Lehrmann will remain on bail.

Higgins made a statement to the media outside court after the jury was dismissed.

"I told the truth no matter how uncomfortable or unflattering to the court," she said.

"Today's outcome does not change that truth."

Defence lawyer Steven Whybrow also addressed the media outside court.

"We're disappointed by what's happened, but it would be inappropriate and irresponsible to say anything at this stage," he told reporters.

Lehrmann remained silent.

On Wednesday, McCallum revealed details of Lehrmann's previous attempt to delay or permanently halt the case.

Lawyers for the accused cited former prime minister Scott Morrison's parliamentary apology to women as reason for a delay, arguing it disadvantaged his case.

The then-prime minister apologised directly to Higgins – who was sitting in the public gallery – for the "terrible things" that had happened in parliament.

"The place that should have been a place of safety and contribution turned out to be a nightmare," he said.

"I'm sorry for all those who came before Higgins and endured the same. But she had the courage to stand, and so here we are."

McCallum said the defence had argued the case was unique because Higgins "walks into court with an aura about her" and that the problem this created was "incurable".

She did not accept the application.

On Tuesday, the jury sent a note to the court indicating it was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the rape allegation.

But the chief justice asked them to return to their deliberations, saying experience shows juries are able to reach a decision if given more time.

She asked them to calmly and objectively listen to each other's opinions and try to reach a unanimous decision.

But she reminded them they could not join in a verdict if they did not "honestly and genuinely" think it was the correct one.

Higgins alleges Lehrmann raped her in the parliamentary office of Linda Reynolds when they worked for her as defence industry minister in March 2019.

He denies any sexual interaction.

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Firefighters have added saving a pet camel to their long list of rescues amidst the NSW flooding crisis.

Emergency services helped Gina the camel to safety yesterday afternoon – coincidentally on "hump day" – after the domestic camel wandered off from her small herd on a private property and into floodwaters by the Murray River in Moama.

Gina's distressed owner called on the team for help after being unable to coax Gina away from the water, and aware that camels cannot swim.

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Firefighters along with members from the SES, Marine Rescue team and surf life savers then all travelled to the camel farm by boat to lend a hand.

The rescuers took an hour to reach the farm, having to travel especially slowly to avoid creating wash that would impact homes and businesses around the floodwaters.

The crew then used their boats to create a river barrier to block the camel from entering deeper waters.

Rescuers had to wade through chest-high floodwaters and use bales of hay to lure Gina out of the floodwater.

She was soon returned to the herd unharmed.

The hits keep on coming for Aussies battling cost of living woes, with new data suggesting workers would have needed a raise of more than $6600 in the last financial year to keep up pace with inflation.

Yesterday it was announced that inflation had officially hit a 32-year high, soaring 1.8 per cent to an annual rate of 7.3 per cent.

According to data from Canstar, workers needed a raise of $6637 over the past year.

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"Budgets will be further strained under the cost of living pressures as inflation shows no sign of abating," Canstar's editor-at-large and finance expert Effie Zahos said.

"Household savings and emergency buffers are likely to take a hit.

"The government anticipates household savings to fall from elevated levels to 3.25 per cent in June quarter of 2024.

"The next 12 to 18 months will be the storm that households need to work through."

Zahos said that while the outlook isn't great in the short-term, relief "could be on the way" in the next year. 

"There are several headwinds coming including rising unemployment, the cash rate peaking, energy prices soaring, and economic growth falling," she said.

"If households can ride these factors out over the coming year or so then relief could be on its way."

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The fresh blow for consumers comes a day after the federal budget was handed down, which warned of increases to electricity bills of up to 50 per cent by next year.

In explaining its economic outlook for the country, Treasury estimated that electricity prices will rise by an average of 20 per cent in late 2022, before jumping by a further 30 per cent in 2023-24.

Northern Territory businesses are being warned to lookout for fake cash that has been stolen from a film production venue in Alice Springs.

Fake bank notes bearing portraits of wildlife expert Steve Irwin and actor Raymond Meagher, who plays Alf in television series Home and Away, were stolen from a property on Wilkinson Street in Alice Springs overnight on Monday, October 24,

The bank notes were being used for film and TV production.

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Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Robert Kent has said it is unknown how much of the money was stolen and how many people were involved in the theft.

"At this stage investigators are unsure of how much fake money was stolen but it may include $10, $20, $50 and $100 dollar bills," he said.

Police are warning businesses to beware of anyone trying to use the notes.

"Police would suggest maybe taking a quick glance at any bills received for the next few weeks to make sure you're getting the real thing," Detective Kent said.

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Apart from the notes featuring pictures of Steven Irwin and Raymond Meagher in place of where Sir John Monash and Dame Nellie Melba are on real bank notes, the cash also says 'Straylia' in place of the word 'Australia'.

The pictures of the Australian Masked Owl and Native wattle on real bank notes have also been replaced by a mining haul truck on the fake notes, and the Shrine of Remembrance has been replaced with a picture of singer John Farnham.

Anyone with information about the theft is urged to contact 131 444 and quote 10154370.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has monitored drills of the country's strategic nuclear forces involving multiple practice launches of ballistic and cruise missiles, in a show of force amid the heightened tensions with the West over the conflict in Ukraine.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin that the exercise was intended to simulate a "massive nuclear strike" by Russia in retaliation for a nuclear attack on the country.

The drills followed Putin's warning about his readiness to use "all means available" to fend off attacks on Russia's territory in a clear reference to the country's nuclear arsenals.

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During the Russian drills on Wednesday, a Yars land-based intercontinental ballistic missile was test-fired from the northern Plesetsk launch site.

A Russian nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea also launched a Sineva ICBM at the Kura firing range on the far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, and Tu-95 strategic fired cruise missiles at practice targets.

The Kremlin said in a statement that all tasks set for the exercise were fulfilled and all the missiles that were test-fired reached their designated targets.

The Russian drills came as NATO was holding its own annual nuclear exercises in northwestern Europe that will run until October 30. The drills dubbed Steadfast Noon involve around 60 aircraft, including US long-range B-52 bombers and fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons, but do not involve any live bombs.

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Russian exercises involving land, sea and air components of the nuclear triad have taken place on an annual basis to train the country's nuclear forces and demonstrate their readiness. A previous such exercise was held just days before Putin sent troops into Ukraine.

The Biden administration said on Tuesday that Russia gave notice it intended to stage routine drills of its nuclear capabilities.

The Pentagon and US State Department said Russia had complied with the terms of the last US-Russia arms control agreement in notifying Washington of the upcoming tests.

The Russian nuclear exercise comes amid Moscow's warnings of a purported Ukrainian plot to detonate a radioactive device commonly known as a "dirty bomb" in a false flag attack to blame Russia.

Putin himself repeated the dirty bomb claim on Wednesday. "We know about the plans to use the so-called dirty bomb for provocations," he said.

The Ukrainian government has said it suspects Russia is planning its own false flag operation.

Authorities in Poland, Ukraine's western neighbor, said they were closely watching Russia's movements to prepare for the potential use of nuclear or chemical weapons.

Influencers on TikTok love a good #lifehack, so it's perhaps no surprise that they've embraced a trend that claims to be a quick and easy way to get a tan this summer.

TikTok videos of influencers promoting nasal tanning sprays have amassed millions of views, alarming health authorities and medical experts in Australia who say the products could do permanent damage to your health.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is set to release a warning this week about the potentially dangerous side effects of the drugs these nasal tanning products usually contain.

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According to the TGA, the drugs can cause kidney failure, shortness of breath, chest pain, abdominal cramping, dizziness and painful, spontaneous erections.

The upcoming TGA warning will implore consumers to think twice about buying any nasal tanning sprays, despite what they may have seen on social media, a TGA spokesperson told 9news.com.au.

Most nasal tanning sprays usually contain melanotan I or melanotan II, synthetic peptides which stimulate the pigment cells in your skin to produce melanin (the substance that makes skin look darker).

Both melanotan I and melanotan II are not included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).

It's illegal to sell any products containing the drugs in Australia, and many other countries, including the US and the UK. 

Back in 2019, the TGA was forced to issue its first warning about melanotan – which it called "the Barbie drug" – in response to a trend of consumers injecting the peptide.

Now, the TGA says it is working with TikTok to address allegedly unlawful advertising from users relating to melanotan nasal sprays on its platform.

The health regulator is also teaming up with the Australian Border Force to seize any of the illegal products being shipped into the country, and has active investigations open on companies allegedly advertising melanotan.

But so far, laws prohibiting the sale of the drugs and warnings about their potential side effects appear to have done little to deter influencers from promoting the products.

Popular TikTok influencers have posted videos referring to their use of the nasal tanning spray, despite its side effects.

One TikTok influencer allegedly said, "I mean, I'd rather die hot than live ugly," as she demonstrated how to use the nasal tanning spray.

"If this is going to take 10 years off my life, I don't care. I don't want to be old anyway, old people are ugly."

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Dr Deshan Sebaratnam is a dermatologist at Liverpool Hospital and a senior lecturer at the University of New South Wales.

Sebaratnam said one of the main concerns about melanotan was whether it could stimulate pigment cells to become a melanoma – one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.

Along with a long list of serious potential side effects, the general safety of the melanotan had also not been assessed by the TGA, he added.

"Any products procured in Australia haven't been assessed for quality so the public doesn't know what they are actually getting," he said.

The amount of active drug could also vary widely between tanning products, adding to the danger they posed, Sebaratnam said.

For anyone wanting a tan, there was only one safe way to do it, he said.

"The only safe tan is a spray tan. Those containing dihydroxyacetone, a harmless sugar, are fairly safe." 

Slater and Gordon public liability lawyer Lily Boskovski said there was the potential for nasal tanning sprays, as well as other potentially dangerous health products, to prompt public liability cases, despite most of the manufacturers operating overseas.

"We've got the Australian Competition and Consumer legislation which applies to businesses in Australia, but it can also include businesses overseas," she said.

It would likely prove difficult to hold social media influencers to account for their content, but platforms such as TikTok had an ethical obligation to make people aware of the potential pitfalls of listening to advice from influencers, Boskovski said.

"Social media platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, could definitely do more to protect consumers and, probably should do more," she said.

"They do have an ethical obligation to really tell potential consumers that these are paid influencers, but also to entice and encourage potential consumers to look into a product to determine whether or not it is safe."

A spokesperson for TikTok said: "Our Community Guidelines make clear what is acceptable on TikTok, and our policy on illegal activities and regulated goods prohibits the promotion or sale of nasal tanning sprays."

"We have banned hashtags associated with this content, including #melanotan and #melanotan2, and are actively monitoring for videos that further breach our Community Guidelines."

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Contact reporter Emily McPherson at em********@******om.au.