Tag Archives: oceania

Picton ferry arrests: Man, 70, and woman charged over meth supply

2025-10-02 FreeNews

A 50-year-old woman was also taken into custody and faces a supply charge.

‘First in 70 years’: Australia takes rare step in major blow to China

2025-10-02 FreeNews

Australia and Papua New Guinea are on the verge of entering into a formal alliance, bringing our closest neighbour onto the same level of defence agreement as the United States and New Zealand and striking a blow against China's ambitions for greater influence in the Pacific.

The defence pact, also known as the Pukpuk treaty, was meant to be signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his PNG counterpart James Marape last month, only for it to be delayed because the latter could not get a full cabinet quorum together in time to approve the deal.

However, the cabinet has now green-lit the deal, and the Australian government has confirmed the treaty will go ahead.

Anthony Albanese and James Marape sign a defence communique.

"Last month, Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Marape signed a joint communique for a Papua New Guinea–Australia mutual defence treaty," a government spokesperson said.

"As the leaders said at the time, that treaty would be signed following cabinet processes in both countries."

Under the agreement, which was proposed by Papua New Guinea, the two countries will treat an armed attack on one as a "danger to the peace and security" of the other.

It will also pave the way for greater integration and interoperability between the two nations' militaries, and create a pathway for PNG citizens to be recruited into the Australian Defence Force.

"This treaty will elevate our relationship with PNG to an alliance – the first in over 70 years and only our third overall," the government spokesperson said.

The emblem of an Australian Army soldier, left, and a Papua New Guinea Defence Force soldier during an exercise at Talisman Sabre in Townsville, Australia, on July 21, 2025.

"It puts our relationship with PNG on the same level as we have with the United States and New Zealand and builds on the already strong bonds between our defence forces, our economies and our people."

Getting the agreement over the line will be seen as a major feather in the cap for Canberra as it seeks to strengthen its position as the defence partner of choice for Pacific nations, even as China seeks to gain a military foothold in the region.

It also comes on the back of the $600 million deal that will see Papua New Guinea given a team in the NRL – but only if it doesn't sign a defence of policing deal with Beijing.

That, in turn, followed an agreement between China and the Solomon Islands which was signed in early 2022, taking Australia off guard and raising fears of a Chinese military presence in one of our closest neighbours.

An Australian Navy landing craft is seen bringing troops and vehicles ashore as part of a amphibious landing rehearsal on July 15, 2025 in Cowley Beach, Australia.

Marape had previously said that while he wants Australia to be his country's security partner of choice, he still sees China as a crucial friend of PNG.

"China has been an enduring friend of PNG for the last 50 years," he said last month.

"It's in our shared interests to do it, it is nothing against our relationship with them. We ask that they respect our choice of security partners."

Last month's delay in signing the PNG alliance came immediately after another delay in getting a similar agreement with Vanuatu over the line, but Oceania security consultant Blake Johnson said the cabinet approval for the Pukpuk treaty showed Australia was progressing well in the Pacific.

"The treaty will be a landmark agreement for both countries, and therefore any step that brought it closer to reality cannot be considered a failure," he wrote for the Grattan Institute.

"It will be important to remember that fact when thinking about Vanuatu and any other potential future agreements.

"Lost in the noise of the past month's events were indications from both Fiji and Tonga that they, too, would like to pursue deeper agreements with Australia.

"This is another sign that Australia is not failing in the region."

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Veteran police officer cleared after property raided in Porepunkah manhunt

2025-10-02 FreeNews

The home of a veteran police officer was raided by police yesterday in the ongoing search for accused cop killer Dezi Freeman, as over 100 officers converge today on a Victorian national park.

9News understands the officer is not the subject of any investigation and was not home at the time of the raid.

Police were looking to speak to a relative of the senior police officer, who was later tracked down about an hour away in the town of Undera.

Manhunt for Dezi Freeman

The entire family and the property has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the search for Freeman.

Freeman is accused of killing two police officers Neal Thompson, 59, and Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 34, and injuring a third on August 26

Police comb rugged bushland in national park

Nearly 100 extra police officers have been deployed to a national park in Victoria's north-east.

Crews from Victoria's Public Order Response Team, along with specialist search dogs from Queensland Police, formed part of a search at Mount Buffalo National Park over the past 48 hours.

Police are conducting an "intensive" sweep of the area and continue to comb the rugged bushland in the ongoing manhunt for Freeman.

Over the past two days, police have been conducting a search at the Mount Buffalo National Park as part of ongoing efforts to locate Desmond Freeman.

Mount Buffalo National Park remains closed.

"This decision is being constantly assessed and we will advise as soon as the park can re-open," Victoria Police said in a statement.

"Victoria Police, including its tactical police, continue to maintain a significant presence in the Porepunkah area."

There has been no official sighting of Freeman since he allegedly gunned down two officers.

Freeman, who has links to the disparate "sovereign citizen" movement, is suspected to have carried out the shooting and fled with the weapons he used.

Over the past two days, police have been conducting a search at the Mount Buffalo National Park as part of ongoing efforts to locate Desmond Freeman.

Man and property cleared after police operation

A man stopped by police searching for Freeman in Victoria yesterday has been cleared of any involvement in the shooting ambush that killed two police officers in Porepunkah on August 26.

A significant police operation took place in the Victorian towns of Benalla and Goomalibee, about 100km from Porepunkah, yesterday.

Police have now confirmed a property was searched in Goomalibee and a man was "intercepted" in Undera.

The property has since been cleared and police confirmed the man had no involvement with the shooting nor any link to the investigation.

"The property that was searched in Goomalibee has been cleared and a man, who was intercepted in Undera, has also been confirmed as not involved," police said in a statement this morning.

"He has been cleared of any link to our current investigation.

"The enquiries yesterday formed part of our ongoing investigation and continued work by detectives to work through all avenues of enquiry."

Victoria Police recently scaled down the search operation, with more than 200 officers remaining in the area – down from nearly 500 in the wake of the shooting.

"We will continue to rotate police officers through there, a) conducting searches, b) continuing the investigation and c) providing reassurance to the community who needs it," Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said on Monday.

It's been previously speculated Freeman may have been receiving support and assistance from somebody in the area, and police have also characterised him as a skilled outdoorsman.

A $1 million reward has been offered for information leading to Freeman's arrest.

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Exposure sites revealed after measles case confirmed in Sydney

2025-10-02 FreeNews

Residents of Sydney's Northern Beaches have been warned to be on high alert after a case of measles was confirmed in the area.

The case was revealed to be someone who was in contact with a recently reported measles case in northern Sydney, and was infectious when visiting a number of locations in Dee Why and Manly in late September.

The dates range from Thursday, September 25 to Saturday, September 27, and the people who went to the following locations are being told to monitor for symptoms:

Measles morbillivirus structure - 3d rendered image. Abstract background.

Dee Why Discount Vitamins, 2/681 Pittwater Rd, Dee Why: Thursday September 25, 11-11.30am
Twist Espresso & Wine, 23 Howard Ave, Dee Why: Thursday September 25, 11.20am-12.30pm Chemist Warehouse Dee Why, 23 Howard Ave, Dee Why: Thursday, 25 September 12pm to 12.40pm
Woolworths Dee Why, 37 Howard Ave, Dee Why: Thursday, 25 September, 12.15pm to 1.30pm
Mex & Co Manly, 30-32 S Steyne, Manly: Saturday, 27 September, 6.30pm to 8.30pm

The locations do not pose an ongoing risk.

Northern Sydney Local Health District Director of Public Health, Dr Michael Staff warned it could take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear, with people present in the above locations told to monitor for symptoms until October 13 and October 15.

"Symptoms to look out for include fever, sore eyes, and a cough followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash which usually spreads from the head and neck to the rest of the body," Staff said.

He also urged the public to stay up to date with their vaccinations, saying it was the most effective way to stop the transmission of measles.

Measles cases are spiking across Queensland with residents being urged to take caution amid a fast-growing outbreak.

"We want to again remind the community to make sure they are up to date with their vaccinations. The measles vaccine can prevent the disease even after exposure, if given early enough," Staff said.

"This should be a reminder for everyone to check that they are protected against measles, which is highly infectious.

The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and effective and is given free for children at 12 and 18 months of age.

It is also free in NSW for anyone born in 1966 or after who hasn't already had two doses.

Children under the age of 12 months can have their first dose of MMR up to six months earlier if they are travelling to areas with a high risk for measles.

Parents should consult their GP.

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Hottest October day in years looming for one Aussie capital

2025-10-02 FreeNews

Queensland's capital is set to swelter under its hottest October day in years.

The temperature in Brisbane is forecast today to rise more than 9 degrees above the average for this time of year, as the mercury soars to 35 degrees.

Brisbane will be Australia's warmest capital city, while areas including Ipswich, Gympie and Logan will reach the mid-30s.

Brisbane temperature

Rockhampton is expected to push 39 degrees.

If today's temperature reaches 35 degrees, it will be the warmest October day for Brisbane since 2021.

Tomorrow and Saturday are forecast to be a little cooler, but temperatures will still in the high 20s.

Sydney is also facing a scorching start to October after its second-hottest September ever.

Last month was a month of extremes for the NSW capital, which endured its wettest September day in 146 years early in September, according to Weatherzone.

The weather reporting site also said the month as a whole was the second-warmest September siince 1858, when weather records began.

Weatherzone said Sydney's average daily maximum temperature for the month was 23.5 degrees, 3.3 degrees above the long-term average, while its daily minimum was 13.1 degrees, about 1.9 degrees above the long-term average.

"Only September 2013 was warmer than September 2025 in Sydney for both maximums and minimums, while 2023 was slightly hotter than this year for maximums," Weatherzone wrote.

Temperatures in early October are set to continue the trend, with the mercury rising to 30 degrees on Sunday for the NRL and NRLW grand finals.

The women's grand final, which will be played before the men's, will take place mid-afternoon, during likely oppressive heat.

Temperatures will drop early next week from that high, but will remain in the mid to high 20s, according to Bureau of Meteorology forecasts.

Weatherzone attributed the heat in recent weeks to both the overall warming climate and a sudden stratospheric warming over Antarctica.

"The SSW is a weakening of the polar vortex which in turn leads to a negative Southern Annual Mode (SAM)," Weatherzone said.

"This tends to produce more frequent spells of warm, windy conditions on the NSW coast."

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Bikie gang link probed in murder case after father found dead in workshop

2025-10-02 FreeNews

Police are investigating whether bikie gangs were behind the death of a father-of-two, whose body was found at an Adelaide workshop after he celebrated the AFL grand final with his friends over the weekend.

Chris Robertson from Moana has been identified as the 49-year-old found dead at a workshop on 55 O'Sullivan Beach Road in Lonsdale, an industrial suburb in the city's south, yesterday.

Today, police declared his death a major crime and launched a murder investigation after a post-mortem examination revealed he had been fatally assaulted.

Chris Robertson has been identified as the 49-year-old found dead at a workshop on O'Sullivan's Beach Road in Lonsdale, an industrial suburb in Adelaide, yesterday.

Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke told reporters they were probing links to bikie gangs.

"We do not believe that this is a random attack," he told reporters.

Fielke said Robertson had been celebrating the AFL grand final with several friends over the weekend, days before he was found dead in Lonsdale.

"Those celebrations moved around to different locations over that period," he said.

"We're trying to establish whether this was one of the places where those celebrations were happening."

Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke

Fielke said Robertson may have been dead for days before he was discovered by a regular at the address.

Robertson leaves behind two children and five siblings.

"His family are particularly devastated by the circumstances of his passing," Fielke said.

Detectives are at the scene trying to piece together his movements and are scouring through CCTV footage from around the area to identify any cars or individuals involved.

Police are appealing to anyone who may have been with Robertson over the weekend, know him, or know his movements over the past week.

"People may not think what they've got to say will be very useful, but any information that we can obtain can be crucial to working through the circumstances that led to us finding Chris and the circumstances surrounding Chris' death," Fielke said.

"I encourage people who have information to call Crime Stoppers. We encourage you to call, it's very important to us, it's very important to Chris' family."

Police are also appealing for dashcam footage from anyone who may have driven through the area between September 27 and September 30.

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First image of four-year-old missing from remote property

2025-10-02 FreeNews

Police have released the first image of a four-year-old who went missing on his family's property in outback South Australia six days ago.

Gus was last seen playing on his family's remote homestead, about 40km south of Yunta, at about 5pm on Saturday.

The four-year-old is described as Caucasian, with long, blond, curly hair.

Missing four-year-old Gus

His family had previously declined to share an image of Gus with the media.

The military is set to join as the desperate search enters its sixth day.

He was last seen wearing a grey sun hat, a cobalt blue t-shirt featuring a yellow Minion animated character, light grey long pants, and boots.

A small footprint was found yesterday about 500m from the homestead.

Police said today a contingent of 48 personnel from the Australian Defence Force would deploy to the search area at 8am ACST today, and are expected to help with ground searches over the coming days.

Other specialised resources involved in the search include mounted and water police, dog police, PolAir, police cadets, SES volunteers, drones, an Indigenous tracker, and community and family members.

Gus search