OPINION: The Government’s proposal reveals two truths.

Motorists are being urged to use alternative routes as diversions remain.

Authorities have confirmed the highly contagious H5 bird flu has reached an extremely remote Australian territory for the first time.

Australian scientists noted unusually high mortality rates in elephant seals during an environmental management visit to Heard Island, about 4000km south-west of Perth and 1700km north of Antarctica, in October.

They did not observe any impacts on other wildlife on the island, including penguins and seabirds. 

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Testing of dead elephant seal samples has now confirmed the presence of H5 bird flu.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the result was not unexpected due to the outbreak in nearby sub-Antarctic islands and does not significantly change the risk to mainland Australia.

She said the detection does, however, reiterate the importance of Australia's biosecurity.

"While this detection of H5 bird flu on Heard Island does not substantially increase risks to Australia, it does reinforce the ongoing need for Australia to remain focused on preparing for a potential outbreak," she said.

Environment Minister Murray Watt said the confirmation "reinforces the importance and urgency of the work currently underway across Australia to protect threatened species and priority biodiversity, and build resilience of our most at risk species in nature".

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Australian scientists are on a second voyage to Heard Island to gather more information about wildlife health.

They are scheduled to arrive in late December and return to Hobart in February.

Australia has been the only continent free from the virus, which has spread across the US, Europe, Asia and Antarctica and caused serious illness and deaths in millions of wildlife.

The H5 bird flu only reached mainland Antarctica for the first time in February 2024, which caused experts to warn that it would almost certainly reach Australia. 

Australia has been preparing for an outbreak, with the federal government throwing more than $100 million at strengthening the nation's measures and responses and researchers monitoring the global spread of the virus.

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States and territories are also helping the most threatened and vulnerable species to build resilience to the virus. 

Springtime is a particularly precarious time, with birds migrating from the south arriving in Australia.

H5 bird flu would have a devastating effect on Australia's wildlife population and agricultural industries.

Threatened Species Commissioner Fiona Fraser has said the spread of the virus cannot not be able to be stopped or eradicated once it reaches Australia.

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Cobra, 14, was last seen leaving her Christchurch school on Monday last week.

It comes two days out from the Govt officially failing its police recruitment target.

A 15-year-old accused of killing a fellow teen allegedly confessed to the attack by telling a police officer: "I stabbed another boy in the leg".

The victim, a boy aged 17, died from stab wounds to his thigh after a confrontation at a park in Sydney's northwest about 4.20pm yesterday.

About three hours later, the younger boy arrived at a police station with a parent and was subsequently charged with murder.

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The 15-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, faced a children's court today.

Magistrate James Viney read a police application for DNA samples in the courtroom, which contained sworn declarations from an officer.

"It is asserted in the affidavit the victim was a 17-year-old with no criminal charges," he said.

"It is asserted the young person set upon the deceased unprovoked and stabbed him in the groin area."

The court also heard the 15-year-old was on police body-worn camera footage telling an officer "I stabbed another boy in the leg".

When asked who he was admitting to stabbing, he allegedly gave police the name of the deceased.

Police allege witnesses described seeing the victim's attacker dressed in a balaclava, hoodie, shorts and running shoes, a description allegedly matching that of the 15-year-old.

They argued scrapings taken from under his fingernails would likely contain DNA evidence that matched the deceased.

A court order is needed to take DNA evidence from an accused juvenile because they are not considered capable of giving informed consent.

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The 15-year-old sat quietly in the courtroom, wearing a black hoodie and sporting a mullet haircut with shaved sides.

The boy did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody for eight weeks, when the case returns to court.

The stabbing happened in broad daylight within sight of numerous people walking nearby.

Authorities remained at the scene today as locals laid flowers in tribute to the slain teen.

Police said those involved in the confrontation were not from the nearby school and officers believe it was not a random attack.

Several female witnesses who were in the park at the time rushed over to help the victim.

Paramedics were called but the teen died soon after.

"It would have been a horrifically confronting situation for those people and I can only praise them for their efforts," Detective Superintendent Naomi Moore told reporters on Monday evening.

"It was a potentially dangerous situation they were walking into, but they thought nothing of themselves to go in and render aid."

NSW Premier Chris Minns sent his condolences to the teenage boy's family and friends.

"I am deeply saddened by the death of a teenage boy at Rouse Hill and extend my sincere condolences to his family and friends," he said in a statement.

"It is an unimaginable loss, and the whole community will feel the impact."

Local federal MP Michelle Rowland said she was deeply saddened by the incident.

"There is no place in our community for these acts of senseless violence, and I know this news will be particularly distressing for local families," she said.

The accused murderer is scheduled to return to court on January 23.

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Australia's social media ban for under-16s is looming and many young Aussies are racing to save their data before losing access to Instagram, TikTok and other platforms.

Early next month, all Australian users under the age of 16 will be booted from a wide range of 'age-restricted' social media platforms.

The ban has been divisive and though many young Aussies have railed against it, there seems to be no stopping it now.

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With that in mind, here's how to download your data, export memories and backup your accounts before the ban.

When does the social media ban start in Australia?

The social media ban will go into effect on December 10.

The eSafety Commissioner is already consulting with social media platforms that will be affected by the ban about their plans to "prevent and remove underage account holders" from that date.

"We expect age-restricted social media platforms to comply with the requirements once they take effect," the eSafety website reads.

Which social media apps are banned?

The list of 'age-restricted' social media platforms that will be required to adhere to the ban from December 10 currently includes:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Kick
• Reddit
• Snapchat
• Threads
• TikTok
• Twitch
• X (formerly Twitter)
• YouTube

Meta's Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as Discord, Pinterest, YouTube Kids, and Roblox, are not included in the ban.

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Will my accounts be deleted or just deactivated?

This will depend on the platform.

Social media platforms are not required to delete those accounts, but some may.

According to the eSafety website, age-restricted platforms will be required to stop under-16s from using any existing accounts or creating new ones from December 10.

Under the ban, age-restricted platforms are allowed to let under-16s deactivate their accounts and retain all the data associated with them.

They can then return to those accounts once they turn 16.

"But young people shouldn't rely on platforms to provide this option," the eSafety website reads.

"It's best that they download any data they want to save, including connections, posts, chats, photos and videos – before 10 December."

The eSafety website urges under-16s to take screenshots or download posts, chats, photos or videos they want to keep when the ban goes into effect.

How do I download my TikTok drafts before the ban?

TikTok doesn't allow users to download drafts to their devices directly, but there is a workaround.

If you post a draft as a private video you will be able to save it to your phone's camera roll without anyone else seeing it on TikTok.

The steps are as follows:

1. Open your drafts folder
2. Tap the draft you want to save
3. In the editing screen, tap 'next'
4. Tap 'everyone can view this post' and change it to 'only you'
5. Hit post to post it privately
6. On the live video, tap the three dots in the bottom right
7. Tap download – it will then appear in your camera roll

If you want to download TikTok videos you've posted to your account to your camera roll before the ban starts, just follow steps six and seven.

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Can I save my Snapchat Memories to my camera roll all at once?

If you don't want to download your memories one by one, you can request a Memories-only Snapchat export.

The steps are as follows:

1. Log into your Snapchat account online here, or go to the 'Settings' section on the Snapchat app
2. Select 'My Data'
3. Under 'select data to include,' click the 'export your memories' toggle on
4. Click 'request only memories'
5. Select a date range of memories you want to receive (the bigger the range, the longer the download will take to process)
6. Confirm your email address so you can be notified when your data is ready
7. Hit 'submit'

Once your memories are ready, you'll get an email with a link that will allow you to download them.

It can take several days for Snapchat to process data requests, so make sure to get in well before the ban takes effect.

How do I export Instagram chats and photos?

The best way to save large amounts of data from Instagram to your device is through Accounts Centre.

The steps are as follows:

1. Go to your profile in the app and tap the three lines in the top right
2. Tap Accounts Centre, then 'Your information and permissions'
3. Tap 'Export your information'
4. Tap 'Create export'
5. Select the profile or account you want to save information from
6. Tap 'Export to device'
7. Click into 'Customise information' and tick the boxes beside everything you want to save, such as comments, media (photos) and messages, then hit 'Save'
8. Select a date range, media format and quality, and input your email
9. Hit 'start export'

You will receive an email to notify you when your data is ready to download.

As with Snapchat, this can take time so make sure to get in early.

What happens to my data if I don't download it before the deadline?

If under-16s don't download their data from age-restricted social media platforms before the deadline, they risk losing access to it.

As they will no longer be able to access age-restricted social media accounts from December 10, they will not be able to access or save the data associated with those accounts.

How will social media apps know if I am under 16?

Age-restricted social media platforms are responsible for identifying the accounts of under-16s.

Some platforms will use existing data to confirm if users are 16 or older (e.g. an account that has been active since 2006 is unlikely to belong to an under-16).

Some may also require some users to prove their age, though the ways in which they do this will vary between platforms.

Any methods age-restricted social media platforms use to confirm users' age must meet Australia's regulatory requirements and respect privacy laws and digital rights.

Do I have to upload my ID to keep my social media account?

One of the options for users to prove their age may be to provide a government-issued ID – however, this cannot be the only option.

All age-restricted social media platforms must also offer a reasonable alternative when performing age checks.

That's because Social Media Minimum Age legislation specifically prohibits platforms from compelling Australians to provide a government-issued ID or use an Australian Government accredited digital ID service to prove their age.

"No one who is 16 or older is prevented from having a social media account because they choose not to provide government ID," per the eSafety website.

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Three children have been safely removed from the roof of a Perth detention centre after an 18-hour stand-off.

The incident started when half a dozen inmates climbed on top of a building at the Banksia Hill Detention Centre in Canning Vale in the city's southern suburbs yesterday afternoon.

Some of the detainees were armed with fire extinguishers, while others pulled up pieces of tin from the roof.

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Prison officers managed to bring three of the detainees down to the ground yesterd

The hours stand-off continued this morning with the three remaining inmates.

A Department of Justice spokeswoman said damage has been caused to the education precinct but there were no injuires to staff or detainees.

"The incident at Banksia Hill Detention Centre is now resolved," a Department of Justice spokeswoman said.

"All detainees are now down from the roof and safely in custody."

WA corrective services minister Paul Papalia has condemned the actions of the juveniles.

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Exclusive: French traveller Paul Tingaud has a lofty plan: to see the world without taking a single plane trip.

The 24-year-old has been successful in his solo mission so far, making it from his hometown of Paris to Kuala Lumpur in just over nine months.

After leaving in February this year, Tingaud has hitch-hiked, cycled, taken the bus, slept on trains and boarded just one boat to get from France to Malaysia without needing to hop on a flight.

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Do you have a story? Contact reporter April Glover at Google Play.

A copy of the first Superman issue, unearthed by three brothers cleaning out their late mother's attic, netted $14.1 million (US$9.12 million) this month at a Texas auction house which says it is the most expensive comic book ever sold.

The brothers discovered the comic book in a cardboard box beneath layers of brittle newspapers, dust and cobwebs in their deceased mother's San Francisco home last year, alongside a handful of other rare comics that she and her sibling had collected on the cusp of World War II.

She had told her children she had a valuable comic book collection hidden away, but they had never seen it until they put her house up for sale and decided to comb through the basement for heirlooms, said Lon Allen, vice president of comics at Heritage Auctions.

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The brothers uncovered the box of comics and sent a message to the auction company, leading Allen to fly out to San Francisco earlier this year to inspect their copy of "Superman No. 1" and show it to other experts for appraisal.

“It was just in an attic, sitting in a box, could have easily been thrown away, could’ve easily been destroyed in a thousand different ways,” Allen said.

“A lot of people got excited because it’s just every factor in collecting that you could possibly want all rolled into one.”

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The "Superman No. 1" comic, released in 1939 by Detective Comics Inc., is one of a small number of copies known to be in existence and is in excellent condition.

The Man of Steel was the first superhero to enter pop culture, helping boost the copy's value among collectors, alongside its improbable backstory, Allen said.

The previous record for the world's most expensive comic book had been set last year, when an "Action Comics No. 1", which first introduced Superman to the world as part of an anthology, sold for ($6 million. In 2022, another Superman No. 1 sold for $8.2 million (US$5.3 million).

A small, in-house advertisement in the comic book helped experts identify it as originating from the first edition of 500,000 Superman No. 1 copies ever printed. Allen estimates there are fewer than 500 in existence today.

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The copy was not given any special protection, but the cool Northern California climate helped preserve it, leaving it with a firm spine, vibrant colors and crisp corners, according to a statement from Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.

The copy was rated a 9.0 out of 10 by comics grading company CGC, meaning it had only the slightest signs of wear and aging.

The three brothers, in their 50s and 60s, did not wish to be identified due to the windfall involved nor did the buyer of the comic book, according to the auction house.

“This isn’t simply a story about old paper and ink,” one brother said in a statement released by the auction house.

“This was never just about a collectible. This is a testament to memory, family and the unexpected ways the past finds its way back to us.”

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