Tag Archives: oceania

Police swarm Auckland’s Karangahape Rd, take person into custody

2026-01-20 FreeNews

Witnesses say the driver rammed a police car before being stopped.

Police extend Sydney protest ban but make tweaks ahead of Australia Day

2026-01-20 FreeNews

NSW Police have announced an extension of the protest ban for the next two weeks in parts of Sydney, but will open up sections of the city for activists to march on Australia Day.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon was granted powers to temporarily restrict assemblies in public areas under laws passed on December 24 in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

Since the Public Assembly Restriction Declaration (PARD), there have been 29 static protests in NSW.

Hyde Park is the traditional starting point for the Invasion Day rally.

Today, Lanyon announced an extension of the restriction that slightly differs from the original, which initially covered the North West Metropolitan, South West Metropolitan and Central Metropolitan policing areas.

"I have decided to extend the Public Restrictions Declaration," he said.

For the next two weeks, public assemblies will only be restricted in the Eastern Suburbs policing areas and in most parts of Sydney's CBD, excluding Hyde Park.

The park is the traditional starting point for the Invasion Day rally.

"The protest planned by the First Nations community on Australia Day will be managed down College Street and out of the southern city," Lanyon said.

An anti-immigration march planned for the same day is also outside the exclusion zone.

Lanyon said his officers' priority will be to keep the peace.

It will begin at Prince Alfred Park and move towards Moore Park.

"It's about getting the balance right between safety for the community and the right to protest."

Form 1 applications for public assemblies will only be accepted for certain places.

For assemblies authorised before the declaration, their authorisation will now be deemed to be revoked.

Individuals who participate in a public assembly during this time at the restricted locations will not be protected by the Summary Offences Act regarding the obstruction of traffic and pedestrians.

While gatherings are permitted, police have the authority to move groups on for obstructing or behaving in an intimidating or harassing manner.

People who might cause or be likely to cause fear in another person may also be issued move-on directions.

Police will also have the authority to require people to remove face coverings for identification purposes or if they suspect the person is committing an offence.

The extension will remain in place for the next two weeks unless it is amended or revoked.

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Hate speech laws pass House of Representatives after deal struck

2026-01-20 FreeNews

The federal government's hate speech laws, devised in response to the Bondi Beach terror attack, have passed the House of Representatives with the support of the Liberals and are set to pass the Senate later today.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was forced to split the gun control and hate speech reforms into separate packages after both the Coalition and the Greens spoke against the combined proposal.

The bill passed the lower house this afternoon by 116 votes to seven, with 27 MPs abstaining – including most Nationals MPs.

The laws passed the lower house with the support of the Liberals after a deal was hashed out between Anthony Albanese and Sussan Ley.

Those who voted against the bill were independents Dai Le and Andrew Wilkie; Queensland LNP MPs Llew O'Brien and Colin Boyce; Bob Katter; former Nationals leader turned One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce; and Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie.

Albanese had met with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to work through changes to the bill to secure Liberal support.

Among the changes secured by Ley was the requirement that the opposition leader be consulted on the listing of extremist organisations.

Despite demanding a swift response to the Bondi attack, many senior Coalition figures baulked at the laws, saying they had been devised too swiftly and citing free speech concerns.

The Nationals decided to abstain from voting in the lower house, though former leader Michael McCormack voted in favour of the legislation.

The Nationals will move amendments in the Senate but will vote against the bill if their demands are not met.

The bill will still almost certain to pass the Senate with Labor and Liberal support, even if the Nationals vote against it.

Wide Bay MP Llew O'Brien (seated far left) crossed the floor to vote against the bill.

Late changes to get bills passed

Nine newspapers reported this morning that some Labor MPs were worried about the government's decision to drop racial anti-vilification elements from the legal package in order to get it through parliament.

"When the government put forward those laws, we heard all kinds of free speech advocates say, oh, but what if it captures this kind of language and that kind of language?" The Age and Sydney Morning Herald chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal told Today.

"So the government's pulled that section of the bill."

Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth said the government was focused on passing workable laws.

"We need to get laws through the parliament. It's a numbers issue," she told Today.

"And so if you have both the opposition saying that we will not support racial vilification laws and the Greens not supporting, then you can't bring it into law."

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Four attacks in 48 hours: Why the risk of a bull shark bite is so high at the moment

2026-01-20 FreeNews

There have been four shark attacks in NSW in less than 48 hours, as warm, murky waters after storms create perfect conditions for bites.

Three of them have been in Sydney alone, with two people now fighting for life in hospital and an 11-year-old boy having a bite taken out of his surfboard. A surfer on the Mid North Coast also escaped without major injury after his board was bitten today.

All of these attacks are suspected to have been caused by bull sharks, but why is this type of shark so much more prevalent – and dangerous – in times like this?

Bull sharks are known to be more aggressive than other species of shark.

What is a bull shark?

A bull shark is commonly found in warmer, shallow waters along the coast and in rivers.

It can be found in waters off Australia, some Pacific islands, and the Americas.

Males are typically smaller than females, only measuring up to 2.4 metres compared to some females who can reach four metres long.

Bull sharks are known for being more aggressive than other shark species, including the great white shark.

BULL SHARK, Carcharhinus leucas, Carcharhinidae, Bahamas, The Caribbean

Why are there so many bull sharks in NSW?

The state's recent wet weather, considered a once-in-a-500 year event, has been a perfect storm for bull sharks to lurk in coastal waters around Sydney and the rest of NSW.

Rainfall means far more fresh water than usual is running through rivers and estuaries into saltwater systems and beaches, creating brackish water.

This is a phenomenon where fresh and saltwater mix, being saltier than normal freshwater, but less salty than typical seawater.

"Bull sharks are also one of the few species of sharks and rays that can tolerate brackish and even freshwater for extended periods," Professor Jodie Rummer from James Cook University said.

"Which means they are especially comfortable moving in and out of river mouths and turbid coastal waters after heavy rain."

The turbulent water conditions also flush out fish and other dead animals from rivers into open brackish water, attracting bull sharks to coastal regions where people may be more likely to be swimming.

"Analysis of bull shark catches close to shore always shows an effect of rainfall," Professor Culum Brown from Macquarie University said.

Dr Victoria Camilieri-Asch from the Queensland University of Technology said bull sharks are more likely to present themselves in these types of conditions as they are opportunistic creatures, but it will put them in closer contact with humans.

"They are naturally attracted to these areas to feed."

Is it safe to swim in Sydney right now?

Many beaches across NSW have been closed in the wake of the recent attacks, with experts urging residents to stay out of the water.

This is because the recent weather events are still having an impact on water systems across the state, and also make it murkier.

This means sharks' ability to see and discern between prey and humans is lower.

"They will be attracted to disturbances in the water. They are more likely to accidentally bite a person, thinking it is prey," Brown said.

"Given the incredible rainfall we have had of late, the risk of encountering sharks is high.

"Stay out of the water till it clears."

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Musician and nipper identified as two victims of four NSW shark attacks in 48 hours

2026-01-20 FreeNews

Two of the victims of four shark attacks in NSW within 48 hours have been identified as 27-year-old Andre De Ruyter and 12-year-old Nico Antic.

De Ruyter, a South Coast musician, remained in intensive care today after he was mauled by what was believed to be a bull shark while swimming at North Steyne Beach in Manly about 6.20pm yesterday.

The former Austinmer Surf Life Saving Club volunteer has undergone surgery to have his lower right leg amputated.

The 27-year-old was attacked by a shark on Monday at a beach in Manly. Andre de Ruyter remains in hospital following the attack.

A group pulled the 27-year-old from the water and began first aid as they waited for emergency services to arrive.

Multiple services, including paramedics, intensive care ambulance, a helicopter and police, responded to the incident.

He was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition.

The South Coast musician is one of four shark attack victims in NSW in the past 48 hours.

Nico has been the youngest of the shark attack victims.

He was jumping off a rock face at Neilson Park near Shark Beach in Vaucluse on Sunday when he was attacked by what police believe was also a bull shark.

He is a nipper at the North Bondi Life Saving Club.

9News understands the 12-year-old remained on life support today at the Children's Hospital in Randwick.

12-year-old Nico Antic was attacked by a shark in Vaucluse on Sunday.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries says bull sharks are known to frequent Sydney Harbour, especially during warmer months, and can be found in shallow waterways.

Swimmers are advised to be careful, avoid beaches, and stay clear of low-visibility and murky water.

Beaches between Town Breach and Crescent Head have been closed in the wake of the four separate incidents.

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Midnight Oil drummer dies aged 70 after cancer battle

2026-01-20 FreeNews

Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst has died age 70 after an almost three-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

A statement on the band's Facebook page says the Australian musician died "peacefully, surrounded by loved ones".

"After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain – 'a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness'," the statement reads.

Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst performs on the 'Muppet Balcony' at the Palais Theatre in St Kilda. The iconic Australian rock band played their classic album 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 in its entirety under the banner "One For The Planet" on their final tour.

The drummer was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer in 2023, six months after Midnight Oil's last ever performance at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion.

The Camden-born drummer was one of the founding members in 1972 of Midnight Oil, the legendary Australian band led by frontman Peter Garrett.

The Australian rock band is best known for songs such as Power and the Passion, Beds Are Burning and Blue Sky Mine.

Hirst's family has urged people to honour the drummer's legacy by donating to Pankind, Pancreatic Cancer Australia or Support Act.

Hirst is survived by his wife, Lesley Holland, and his three daughters.

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Underworld boss wins legal fight over prison conditions

2026-01-20 FreeNews

Underworld kingpin George Marrogi has won a legal fight over his conditions in custody, with a judge finding the killer has been deprived of access to open air.

Marrogi, who is serving a 38-year prison sentence for murder and drug trafficking, took Victoria's Department of Justice to the Supreme Court, arguing his rights had been breached.

He pointed to legislation which states every prisoner should have access to open air for at least an hour each day.

Marrogi's lawyers argued their client had been deprived of that right during his time at the Melbourne Remand Centre and Barwon Prison between May 2023 and September last year.

Supreme Court Justice Claire Harris on Monday agreed, ruling the rear yards at the remand centre's Exford Units and Barwon's Olearia, Melaleuca and Acacia did not have open air.

"The yard felt enclosed, with limited room to move around and the only view to the outdoors being to the sky above the yard through the mesh on the cell's roof," the judge said in her written judgment.

Justice Harris accepted prisoners did have access to open air in the Olearia and Acacia units' exercise yards.

After going in person to view the units, she noted she could see the sky in those spaces and it was possible to feel a breeze.

"I felt the warmth of the sun coming into the yard, which was visible in the brightness and shadows it cast, and felt breezes," the judgment read.

"I could hear sounds of birds and other sounds associated with being outside, such as airplanes and the sound of wind."

In contrast, the rear yards at Barwon and the Melbourne Remand Centre were small and felt enclosed with layered wire mesh ceilings, the judge said.

"There was no sense of being outside or in an open space," the judgment read.

Justice Harris also found that there were dozens of occasions between May 2023 and June 2025 where Marrogi's right to dress in private after a strip search was breached.

The parties will return to court to discuss next steps at a later date.

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