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Senator calls for child protection overhaul after niece’s tragic death

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this story contains the image of a person who is deceased.

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has broken down in tears in parliament, calling on the government to respond to the challenges facing vulnerable Indigenous children.

During a Senate condolence motion on Tuesday, she spoke about the tragic death of her five-year-old niece, Kumanjayi Little Baby, in Alice Springs.

"I don't want to be here right now, to have to stand in this chamber, to deliver a condolence speech for a little girl in my family," she said.

Watch the video above.

READ MORE: NT government orders independent child protection review

"She was loved. She should still be here."

The Northern Territory senator said her five-year-old niece's death had devastated her family, but the circumstances surrounding the tragedy were familiar to many people in Central Australia.

"And the hardest truth is that for many in my hometown, none of this came as a surprise. But the truth is that people do not want to speak this out loud," Senator Price told the chamber.

In her address, she said governments and institutions avoid difficult conversations about violence, neglect and alcohol abuse in town camps and remote communities.

"For too long in this country, there has been silence around what is happening in too many town camps and remote communities – a silence driven by fear, a fear of causing offence, a fear of being labelled racist," she said.

"Vulnerable children are growing up in that silence, and it is killing our babies."

READ MORE: Mourners gather to honour the life of Kumanjayi Little Baby

Missing Northern Territory girl Sharon Granites has been found dead days after going missing from Alice Springs, police have announced.

Senator Price also levelled criticism at what she described as a "hands-off culture" inside parts of the child protection system, claiming ideology and political sensitivities had been prioritised ahead of child welfare.

"My niece was a little Australian girl, yet there is an ideology in this country that has deliberately encouraged people to treat children like her differently because of her racial heritage," she said.

"It's that same ideology that has created a hands-off culture within parts of a child protection system."

Her speech came as the Northern Territory government announced an independent review into the territory's child protection system in response to the five-year-old's alleged murder.

Sea of pink at vigil for Kumanjayi Little Baby

Robyn Cahill said the review would examine the system "from top to bottom", including legislation, staffing, resources and workplace culture.

"Every Territory child deserves to be safe, that is not negotiable," Cahill said.

"We need to get to the bottom of what's broken and what needs to change."

The review's full terms of reference are due to be released next week.

The government has also confirmed three child protection workers have been stood down while investigators examine the events leading up to the discovery of Kumanjayi Little Baby's body.

For 24/7 crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).

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Donald Trump describes the White House as ‘s—‘ in speech

Donald Trump has described the White House as "s—" during a speech outside the presidential residence today.

The president complained about the iconic building while speaking at a Rose Garden dinner event in honour of Police Week.

His speech immediately began with talking about the state of the White House.

READ MORE: Trump's company loses half a billion dollars in three months

Donald Trump has dedicated much of his time to renovations at the White House.

"I want to welcome you to the Rose Garden. You know, this is a whole new thing. This used to be grass," he said.

"And took a little heat from my wife. She said, 'Darling, what did you do with my grass?

"I said 'People got tired and standing in mud.'"

Twenty minutes in, his speech became profane.

"I was told by my wife, 'you have to act presidential, so don't use foul language'," Trump said.

"I won't. Therefore, normally I would have said it was a s— house, but I don't want to say that."

He started to detail his grievances with the building.

"The columns were falling down, the plaster was falling off," he said.

"This place is tippy top now, including all the brand new beautiful stone."

READ MORE: Trump celebrates decision that could secure his party's re-election

Donald Trump has repeatedly decried the state of the White House.

He then began to describe his proposed ballroom, before repeating the false claim that a Democratic Congresswoman married her brother.

Trump also dedicated a substantial part of his speech to his renovations of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The pool has been drained to be repainted blue at Trump's request.

The New York Times reported today that the administration would pay $18 million for the project, far more than the $2.5 million Trump claimed it would cost.

The government awarded the renovators with a no-bid contract last month after claiming the need for repairs was so urgent.

READ MORE: Americans asked if they could beat Donald Trump in a fight

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is being repainted blue.

Yesterday a lawsuit was filed by a Washington non-profit to prevent the pool from being repainted blue.

"The Reflecting Pool's profound reflective quality—achieved through deliberate design choices, including the dark color of its basin—creates the sweeping mirror image of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument that millions of visitors experience every year," the lawsuit states.

"The dark grey, achromatic basin was not incidental to the design. It was the design."

The group argued the administration had not taken into consideration a law that prevents the alteration of historic landmarks without proper scrutiny.

Donald Trump used profane language to describe the White House at a Rose Garden dinner.

READ MORE: White House furiously denies that Trump fell asleep in meeting

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‘Highly-regarded’ Australian soldier who died in parachuting training course identified

The Australian soldier who died following a collision during a parachuting training course on NSW's South Coast has been identified and is being remembered for his "genuine and deep commitment to serving the nation".

The Australian Defence Force confirmed that a 50-year-old soldier from the Special Operations Command died during a parachuting course at the Jervis Bay Airfield at about 5.40pm yesterday.

He has been identified as Warrant Officer Class Two Lachlan Muddle from the Special Air Service Regiment.

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Warrant Officer Class Two Lachlan Muddle.

Special Operations Commander Major General Garth Gould said Muddle was partaking in a "specialist parachute training activity" that was being held at the ADF parachute school before he collided with another paratrooper mid-air.

"After successfully opening their parachutes, what we know of the incidents suggests that both paratroopers collided several hundred feet above the ground whilst they were manoeuvring towards the drop zone," Gould said.

"After the collision, both soldiers fell from height."

He said the sergeant from the ADF parachute school who collided with Muddle survived the fall with minor injuries and was the first person to provide first aid to Muddle following the incident.

"Both paratroopers were highly skilled, between the two of them, they had several thousand jumps to their credit.

"[Muddle] joined the army in 1994, he joined Special Operations Command in 2007 and served the majority of his time in Special Operations Command in the Special Air Service Regiment."

"He was operationally experienced, he was a highly qualified Special Forces sniper and military free-fall parachutist."

BUDGET LIVE UPDATES: Negative gearing changes expected within hours

Australian Army Special Operations Commander Major General Garth Gould.

Gould added that the 50-year-old was "highly-regarded" within the Defence Force community.

"He will be remembered for his sense of humour and his genuine and deep commitment to serving the nation, serving in the army and serving in the Special Air Regiment."

Following the incident, the ADF has paused all personnel parachuting operations pending an investigation.

"Our priority at the moment is supporting Warrant Officer Muddle's family, and also providing support to the ADF members involved in the incident last night," Gould said.

Gould said that the "senior soldiers" were about four weeks into a six-week block of "advanced military free-fall training".

READ MORE: Man set alight at Wollongong unit complex as police hunt attacker

FILE PHOTO - Australian Army special forces soldiers prepare to board a Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft at the Australian Defence Force Parachuting School at HMAS Albatross.

"We request that the privacy of Defence members and families is respected at this time," the Australian Defence Force said in a statement.

The death comes after other training incidents in recent years.

Lance Corporal Tulsa Rumney of the 3rd Brigade died in a single-vehicle rollover at the Townsville Field Training Area on October 15, 2025.

Two years ago, in 2024, Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon died after being injured in a parachuting incident at Sydney's Richmond RAAF base.

Gould said he expressed a "high degree of confidence" in the ADF's training, with the Special Operations Commander saying major changes were implemented following the incidents.

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Special Operations

Man set alight at Wollongong unit complex as police hunt attacker

A 25-year-old man is in hospital after he was set on fire at an apartment complex in Wollongong overnight.

Emergency services were called to a unit on Todd Street at Warrawong about 9pm on Monday following reports that a man had suffered serious burns.

It's understood the man was found with severe burns to his face, chest, neck and arms.

READ MORE: Soldier dies completing parachuting training course in Jervis Bay

Paramedics, a medical helicopter crew and nearby residents treated him at the scene before he was flown to Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition.

Hospital staff confirmed on Tuesday morning that he was in a serious but stable condition.

Police were told the man had been set alight by another person, who fled before officers arrived.

A crime scene has since been established, and detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Investigators are appealing for public assistance and have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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‘He was blinking’: White House furiously denies that Trump fell asleep in meeting

The White House has responded angrily to suggestions that Donald Trump had fallen asleep in an Oval Office meeting.

At an event promoting maternal health and fertility, the president's eyes appeared to become heavy.

As administration officials standing behind him were speaking, the president closed his eyes for an extended period of time.

READ MORE: Americans asked if they could beat Donald Trump in a fight

Donald Trump with his eyes closed at an Oval Office meeting.

But when a Reuters journalist posted a photograph of Trump with his eyes closed, the White House lashed out.

"He was blinking, you absolute moron," the White House's X account Rapid Response 47 replied.

The reporter's post had made no mention of Trump being asleep, simply captioning it: "US President Donald Trump attends a maternal health event in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 11, 2026."

Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu responded: "That is a verrrrrrrrryyyyy long blink."

"Imagine what happens when there are no cameras.

"Trump is not mentally or physically fit to be President of the United States."

https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2053894960261300578

Jimmy Gomez, another Democratic congressman, remarked: "This guy is asleep at the wheel, and he's about to drive the entire country off a cliff."

This is far from the first time Trump has appeared to nod off during a White House event.

In December, the president appeared to fall asleep during a televised cabinet meeting.

He later remarked he wasn't asleep, just bored.

"I didn't sleep. I just closed (my eyes) because I wanted to get the hell outta here," he said.

He also reportedly had trouble keeping his eyes open during an Oval Office event with pharmaceutical executives last month.

In the 2024 presidential campaign he repeatedly mocked his predecessor Joe Biden, who he called "Sleepy Joe".

READ MORE: Trump celebrates decision that could secure his party's re-election

Donald Trump with his eyes closed as Monique Pruitt speaks behind him.

"How do you fall asleep when cameras are raging, right?" 

"You'll never see me sleeping in front of the camera."

Trump has a long habit of staying active on Truth Social well into the night, raising questions about his sleeping habits.

But he made no posts overnight on his social media page last night.

READ MORE: Trump's company loses half a billion dollars in three months

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Man charged over Perth car crash that killed girls, aged 3 and 4

A man will face court today, charged over a single-car crash in suburban Perth that killed two young girls last month.

The 24-year-old from Caversham was driving down nearby Muriel Street in Viveash with the woman and girls at 2.25 pm on April 17 when his Ford Territory left the road and hit a tree.

The little girls, aged three and four, were rushed to Perth Children's Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

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Both girls fought for life for nine days in hospital before both died on April 26.

The driver and 24-year-old female passenger were also seriously injured in the collision.

Major Crash investigators launched inquiries and put out a call for witnesses following the incident.

Their investigations have now culminated in the driver being charged with two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and one count of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.

He is expected to appear before Midland Magistrates Court today.

2026 BUDGET: Budget that could reshape Australia with tax reform just hours away

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Real estate boss warns of immediate rent hikes if negative gearing changes

A real estate boss has warned landlords may hike rents by up to 30 per cent if proposed changes to negative gearing come into effect.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is likely to announce sweeping reforms to negative gearing and capital gains tax in tonight's federal budget as the Albanese government looks to tackle issues of housing affordability.

It is not known how much the government will change negative gearing, a generous tax break that allows an investor to deduct expenses related to properties from their taxable income, meaning they pay less at tax time.

LIVE UPDATES: Property investors to be hit in budget bombshell

Aerial photo of houses.

Although the changes could result in lower prices, Nathan Birch from property investment firm Blink Property said renters would feel the pinch from any changes, and warned it could be immediate.

"For Aussie battlers doing it tough, that means a $400 rental will become $550 almost immediately post the budget announcement if changes to negative gearing come into effect," Birch said.

"This will be catastrophic for so many Australians, and the government really needs to consider the wave of homelessness that could follow, particularly for our most vulnerable."

ANALYSIS: In just a few hours, Aussie property will change forever

Treasurer Jim Chalmers

Birch said the changes would have the strongest impact on "mum and dad investors", who were often renters themselves while they leased out their investment property and waited to save.

Birch said this would lead to a knock-on effect that benefited fewer people in the long run.

"When policy changes like this come into play, their own rents go up, leaving them no choice but to raise the rent on their investments," he said.

"It's a very dangerous knock-on effect that I'm not sure the Labor Government has considered adequately – particularly when so many renters and investors are Labor voters."

Treasurer Chalmers said despite promising against it in last year's election, the government had no choice but to take bold action to address the housing crisis.

"There are genuine intergenerational concerns and pressures in our budget, in our tax system, in our housing market and in our economy more broadly," Chalmers said last week.

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Extra jail over ‘kill cars’, recruiting children for crime

Criminals who recruit children or ignite 'kill cars' to break the law could face more time in jail, following a spate of shootings and firebombings.

In a bid to quash organised crime, the NSW government will introduce legislation today to create new offences and make it harder for those with gang links to get bail.

Anyone who sets a car alight after using it to traffic drugs, supply firearms or commit other serious crimes could face up to 12 years in prison, two years more than the punishment for destroying or damaging property by fire.

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Multiple heavily armed police officers surround a vehicle and a man they arrested in Sydney's south-west.Police also said they found jerry cans inside the vehicles.

The maximum penalty for recruiting a child for criminal activity will increase from 10 to 12 years and up to 15 years if the child is aged under 16 or is hired to steal cars.

Those who shoot a pistol or prohibited firearm in public will face up to 14 years in jail and criminals who fire at buildings or other cars could find themselves behind bars for 18 years.

"These comprehensive reforms will help keep the community safe, and hold organised criminals to account for the destruction and harm they inflict on our streets," NSW Attorney General Michael Daley said.

In recent months, police have made several arrests over alleged 'kill cars', which are used by organised crime groups or contract criminals to commit and get away with serious offences.

The vehicles are often stolen cars with cloned licence plates that contain balaclavas, weapons, and jerry cans which can be used to destroy evidence.

READ MORE: Australia is just hours away from seeing what could be the most consequential budget in decades

A car was found torched in Kingsgrove.Attorney General Michael Daley said there is no place for any hateful symbols ot speech in NSW.

Police claimed to have stopped an alleged 'kill car' plot in April after ramming into an Audi believed to be linked to multiple shooting and firebombing incidents across south-west Sydney.

Officers last October also pounced on a group of men in a car, allegedly trying to intercept and kill their target as he picked up a child from daycare.

In April, two men and a 17-year-old were arrested over their alleged involvement in a firebombing.

Concerns over youth crime have made headlines across the country.

Children committed 57.6 per cent of carjackings, 52.6 per cent of home invasions, 47.8 per cent of aggravated burglaries and 62.4 per cent of robberies, according to Victorian government statistics.

Queensland and Victoria have passed controversial laws requiring children to face adult sentences for serious offences, while the Northern Territory has lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10.

But youth justice experts say such reforms will lead to the incarceration of already-vulnerable children and would not prevent them from re-offending.

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Accused Donald Trump assassin pleads not guilty to all charges

The man accused of attempting to kill US President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents' Dinner last month has pleaded not guilty to the four charges he faces.

Prosecutors say Cole Tomas Allen stormed through a security checkpoint at the hotel where the annual press dinner was being held while the president and top government officials were on a different floor.

Allen appeared before a federal judge in Washington, DC, on Monday (Tuesday AEST), hands and feet shackled together and stood by his lawyer as they entered the not guilty plea on his behalf.

READ MORE: Iran war could make Trump's trip to China a bit chillier than his first-term visit

Members of law enforcement respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner shooting.

He has been indicted on charges including attempting to assassinate a president and assaulting an officer.

The judge presiding over the case, Trump-appointed Trevor McFadden, pressed Allen's lawyers on an earlier motion they had made seeking to remove US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and other administration officials from the case.

Allen's legal team argued that because Pirro and others were at the April 25 dinner and may have been targets according to their version of events, she should be recused from the case.

"We assume a lot about how victims feel," defence lawyer Eugene Ohm said during Monday's hearing, adding that Pirro is "very close friends with Trump" and should be removed for that alone.

"I'd be very surprised if they were victims in any legal sense," McFadden said, noting that they did not see the incident.

READ MORE: 'ISIS brides' on slavery charges will remain behind bars

Ohm said he wanted more information on how Pirro's office, which is prosecuting Allen, is structured in order to determine if the entire office should also be recused.

"It's likely we will be asking for the entire office" to be removed from the case, Ohm said, adding that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche should also be recused because of his presence at the dinner.

The next hearing in the case is set for June 29.

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‘ISIS brides’ on slavery charges will remain behind bars

A pair of Islamic State-linked women charged with slavery offences will remain behind bars after postponing their bid for freedom.

Kawsar Ahmad, 53, and Zeinab Ahmad, 31, had flagged plans to seek release into the community, but today before the Melbourne Magistrates Court there were no bail applications submitted.

The duo were among a larger group of women and children who returned to Australia amid chaotic airport scenes after languishing in a Syrian refugee camp for years.

READ MORE: Teacher jailed after 'snapping' and stabbing principal

A combined image shows (left) a court sketch depicting Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, during her bail application in Melbourne, Friday, May 8, 2026 and (right) a court sketch depicting Zeinab Ahmad during her bail application in Melbourne.

They were led into the courtroom filled with reporters, with the elder Ahmad donning a light brown hijab while the younger woman wore a pink and white head covering.

They sat in the dock flanked by custody officers, smiling and looking at the courtroom crowd, which included supporters, throughout the proceeding.

While their bid for conditional freedom stalled today, lawyers for Zeinab have flagged a new bail application on June 4 and 5.

Kawsar's bid will be heard a fortnight later on June 16 and 17.

Both have been charged with several crimes against humanity and slavery offences allegedly committed in Syria.

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Kawsar Ahmad, one of two women linked to alleged Islamic State Jihadists, is seen inside a prison van while entering Melbourne Magistrates Court ahead of their bail application, which was later withdrawn, on May 11, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. Two women accused of slavery-related offences after returning from a Syrian refugee camp have applied to be released on bail. (Photo by Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Detectives allege Kawsar Ahmad, also known as Abbas, travelled to the region with her husband and children in 2014.

They allege she was complicit in buying a female slave for $US10,000, and knowingly kept the woman in her home.

She has been charged with enslavement, possessing a slave, using a slave and slave trading.

Charge sheets released by the court allege the 53-year-old enslaved, possessed and used the slave in Mayadin, Hajin, Gharanji, Bahra, Abu Hamam, Walaa and other places in the Deir ez-Zu province of Syria between June 2017 and November 2018.

It is alleged the younger Ahmad had also knowingly kept a female slave in her Syrian home, with police charging her with enslavement and using a slave offences over the same period.

A so-called ISIS bride is escorted into custody by federal officers.The two women, from a larger group who returned to Australia from Syria, were remanded in custody.

The document stated the pair's conduct was "committed intentionally or knowingly as part of a widespread or systemic attack directed against a civil population".

Police said the pair were detained by Kurdish forces in 2019 and held with other family members in Al Roj Internally Displaced Persons camp.

They are among three returnees charged following an almost decade-long investigation, which began after the women travelled to the Middle East with their partners, who allegedly intended to fight for Islamic State.

A third woman, 32-year-old Janai Safar, who flew into Sydney, was arrested and charged with entering a prohibited area and being a member of a terrorist organisation.

She was denied bail due to the seriousness of the charges and will return before the court in July.

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