OPINION: The rifts within the party seem to have no resolution in sight.

A man accused of mimicking firing at people off the bridge where the Bondi Beach terror attack took place will remain behind bars.

Zayne McMillan allegedly pretended to fire upon people from the Campbell Parade bridge about 7pm on Saturday.

The 22-year-old is accused of abusing bystanders when they confronted him over his actions, causing them to feel fearful and intimidated.

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The footbridge was infamously used by the gunmen during the Bondi terror attack on December 14, which left 15 people dead and dozens injured at the Chanukah by the Sea event.

McMillan was arrested yesterday and charged with stalking or intimidating, intending to cause fear or physical harm and behaving in an offensive manner near a public place or school.

He faced a bail court today to make a bid for release after spending a night behind bars.

McMillan's lawyer, Glen Cremer, argued he should be granted bail because time spent behind bars on remand would further perpetuate his disadvantage as an Indigenous Australian.

The 22-year-old is the primary carer for his mother, who has a psychotic condition, the court was told.

But police prosecutor Chris Manning noted McMillan was on parole at the time of the offences after serving a jail term for offences that included weapons.

His bail application was dismissed by Magistrate Karen Stafford, who said the case against McMillan seemed to be strong.

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"He's on parole for some very serious offences of violence … this would appear to be a repetition of violent offending," she said.

McMillan will be back in court on February 10.

Police had received complaints from the public about the actions of two men at the Bondi Bridge, but the other alleged offender is said to have fled the scene.

NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, whose electorate includes Bondi Beach, described McMillan's alleged actions as "utterly disgraceful and insensitive".

She was one of the first people to rush to the scene to aid victims of the terror attack.

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Almost half a million people are living with the disease responsible for the most deaths in Australia.

Dementia Australia has revealed the number of Australians living with dementia this year has increased to an estimated 446,500.

This figure is projected to more than double to over one million people by 2065.

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The condition is the nation's biggest killer, affecting both sufferers and their families.

The data also revealed an estimated 29,000 people aged 18 to 65 are living with young onset dementia, which could increase to an estimated 41,000 by 2054.

Meanwhile, an estimated 1500 children live with childhood dementia in Australia.

In 2026, there are an estimated 145,700 people living with all forms of dementia in NSW, which is projected to increase to an estimated 252,800 by 2054.

Dementia Australia chief executive Professor Tanya Buchanan said the number of people developing dementia rapidly increasing.

"There is a critical demand for a national program to promote brain health throughout our lives as well as a pressing need to provide quality care and support services for people of all ages living with dementia, their families and carers," Professor Buchanan said.

"Dementia Australia is calling for essential investment from the federal government in implementing the National Dementia Action Plan, a ten-year government framework released in late 2024 aiming to improve the lives of people living with dementia and their carers.

"Australia is recognised internationally for its strengths in dementia care, support and research, but the system still has areas that need improvement. 

"Funding the delivery of the National Dementia Action Plan is essential for all Australians impacted by dementia." 

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He is asking the Court of Appeal to let him challenge his convictions late.

Hone Neal, 40, suffered non-life-threatening injuries when he was shot on Wednesday.

Mauao itself will remain off-limits.

Untreated sewage is now being piped just 5 metres offshore on the south coast.

A person with close ties to household of missing four-year-old boy Gus Lamont has been identified as a suspect in his disappearance, with police declaring the case a major crime.

Gus was reported as last seen playing on a mound of dirt about 5pm on September 27 at his family home, the Oak Park Station homestead, which is about 43 kilometres south of Yunta in SA.

Police today confirmed a person who has close ties to the household, who is not one of his parents, was speaking with detectives but then "withdrew cooperation" and is now considered a suspect.

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No arrests have been made.

Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke said investigators had identified "inconsistences" regarding the timeline of Gus' last movements.

"As a result of these inconsistencies, and investigations into them, a person… has withdrawn their support for the police and is no longer cooperating with us," he said.

"The person who has withdrawn their co-operation is now considered a suspect in the disappearance of Gus.

"I do want to stress, however, that Gus's parents are not suspects in his disappearance."

Fielke could not provide further information on the suspect.

The "discrepancies" regarding information gathered were identified in mid-January.

"Only as recently as 14 and 15 of January when we attended [the homestead], did we get more information that we have analysed and reviewed, which again has highlighted some discrepancies," Fielke added.

A search warrant was executed at the Oak Park Station property at this time and a number of items were seized, including a car, a motorbike and electronic devices.

"I anticipate there will be further searches at Oak Park Station and at several sites on an adjacent national park to locate Gus as new information and intelligence comes to hand as the investigation continues,'' Fielke said.

Only three people were on the property at the time of Gus' disappearance, Fielke said.

He did not rule out the possibility of an arrest being made.

He revealed the investigation had centred on three theories – whether Gus was abducted, whether someone he knows was involved in his disappearance or suspected death and whether he did wander off from Oak Park Station.

Fielke said detectives from Taskforce Horizon have a "high level of confidence" he did not wander off.

Investigators have also found no evidence to suggest Gus was abducted.

He also confirmed Gus' disappearance is now a major crime when providing an update to the media.

The search for Gus

No evidence of Gus has been uncovered despite extensive searches of the property, which Fielke said has been the "largest and most intensive" missing person's search ever undertaken by SA Police.

A full-scale ground and air search of the property and surrounding area was launched after Gus went missing.

Officers returned to the area surrounding Oak Park Station to search for Gus' remains on February 2 but uncovered no evidence.

"The foot search has been unprecedented and the resources that have been used have been significant," Fielke said of the search efforts.

"We've had deployments to Oak Park Station for over 20 days as part of that operation and there's been at least eight separate searches conducted."

Fielke said the owners of Oak Park Station and adjoining properties had been conducting their own searches.

The search area has totalled 706 square kilometres, with the assistance of 80 Australian Defence Force soldiers, drones, mounted officers and aircraft.

Around 163 SA Police officers have been deployed for the search.

A three-day search of six mine shafts near Oak Park Station also failed to uncover any evidence.

Police received more than 150 Crime Stoppers tips about the missing boy.

Detectives returned to the remote property last month to speak to the family.

"We've taken statements with the family, we've had to go through those statements with the family, and that's just part of the normal investigational process that we go through," Fielke said in January.

"We continue to engage with them.

"They went through a pretty horrid Christmas without Gus, and we check-in with the family regularly."

Police previously stressed that no part of the investigation had turned up any suggestion of foul play.

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Lamont was reported as last seen by his grandmother at the family's Oak Park Station homestead.

About 30 minutes later, he had rerportedly vanished and a full-scale search was launched.

The four-year-old with blond curly hair was described as a shy but adventurous child.

His family have said in a statement they are "devastated" and "deeply distressed" by his disappearance.

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A 27-year-old man has been charged with 596 child abuse related offences in Queensland.

Police launched an investigation in February last year, known as Operation Xray Wick, after detectives seized electronic devices from the man's residence in Maryborough.

The then 26-year-old man was arrested in relation to child abuse related offences and has been in custody since February last year.

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Over the course of a year, specialist investigators carried out extensive digital forensic examinations, allegedly finding more than 23,000 videos and images against 459 victims across multiple jurisdictions in Australia and overseas.

"Investigations remain ongoing, with interstate and international partners assisting to ensure every victim is identified and supported," Queensland Police said in a statement.

"Police will allege the man self-produced the child abuse material that was found on the electronic devices. 

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"It will be alleged the man had actively targeted children on social media and gaming platforms between 2018 and 2025. 

"The victims were primarily aged between seven and 15 years.

"Police will further allege the man created multiple online profiles, posing as both males and females and that the child exploitation material was collected by the offender directly from victims through grooming and coercion.

"Police will also allege the man recorded his interactions, meticulously saving images and videos to named folders."

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The 27-year-old man has been charged with a total of 596 charges against 259 identified victim children. 

Charges include 244 counts of producing child abuse material for use through a carriage service, 163 counts of using a carriage service to procure persons under 16 years of age, and 87 counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child using a carriage service.

The case is scheduled for a mention in Brisbane Magistrates Court today.

Crime Command Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Denzil Clark said allegations of this nature were "extremely concerning and disturbing".

"We are seeing an increasing prevalence of children being groomed, coerced, or threatened into taking and sending sexual images of themselves, often through popular apps, games, and social media sites," Clark said.

"The trauma that this causes a child is significant.

"Our investigators will not stop and I urge parents and caregivers to continue to take active and ongoing measures to ensure the online safety of young people."

Members of the public who have information about people involved in child sexual abuse and online exploitation are urged to contact police.

If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.

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

In a matter of hours, the final nuclear treaty still in force between the US and Russia is set to expire, and there are grave fears about what comes next.

The New START Treaty, signed in 2010 by then-US president Barack Obama and then-Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, imposed limitations on how many nuclear warheads each country could have deployed.

Observers have warned its abandonment could signal a new era of nuclear proliferation, even as other nations such as China seek to increase their own arsenal of the devastating weapons.

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The treaty was set to expire in 2021, but was extended for five years.

The clock will run out on Thursday, February 5, northern hemisphere time – or some time overnight in Australia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last year offered to agree to a one-year extension, but US President Donald Trump has so far been non-committal.

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The US, meanwhile, is about to sit down with Iranian representatives in Oman to discuss Tehran's nuclear program.

A White House official speaking anonymously told The Associated Press Trump wanted to keep limits on nuclear weapons globally, and involve China in any talks.

Trump would make a decision on nuclear arms control "on his own timeline," the official said.

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Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin discussed the pact's expiration with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but noted Washington had not responded to his proposed extension.

Russia would "act in a balanced and responsible manner based on thorough analysis of the security situation," Ushakov said.

Arms control advocates have long voiced concerns about the expiration, warning it could lead to a new arms race, foment global instability and increase the risk of nuclear conflict.

https://x.com/Pontifex/status/2019040748298178970

Pope Leo XIV called for the treaty "not to be abandoned without seeking to ensure its concrete and effective continuation".

Failure to agree on keeping the pact's limits would likely encourage a bigger deployment, said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association in Washington.

"We're at the point now where the two sides could, with the expiration of this treaty, for the first time in about 35 years, increase the number of nuclear weapons that are deployed on each side," Kimball told AP.

"And this would open up the possibility of an unconstrained, dangerous three-way arms race, not just between the US and Russia, but also involving China, which is also increasing its smaller but still deadly nuclear arsenal."

The New START agreement limited both nations to 1550 accountable deployed strategic nuclear warheads and bombs, and counted each heavy bomber as one warhead.

That's about 30 per cent below the 2200-warhead limit set by the previous agreement, the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty.

New START also limited Russia and the US to no more than 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and heavy bombers assigned to nuclear missions, apiece.

Deployed and nondeployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers and bombers were limited to 800.

"If New START ends, the US and Russia could virtually double their deployed nuclear weapons in about six months," Dr Tillman Ruff, of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Australia, told 9news.com.au previously.

With Associated Press

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