A man has been charged after allegedly stealing a hearse from a Gold Coast funeral home and crashing it at an intersection.

Events began about 4.50am today when the 38-year-old allegedly broke into Integrity Funerals at Tonga Place in Parkwood and stole a hearse.

Less than 10 minutes later, the vehicle collided with a van and car at the intersection of Olsen and Musgrave avenues and Napper Road.

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Images from the scene of the crash shows all the vehicles severely damaged.

The impact caused the Mercedes van to tip on its side.

Police soon arrived and arrested the man driving the hearse before he was taken to hospital for observation.

A man driving one of the vehicles was trapped inside his car before being freed by firefighters, while a 51-year-old female driver of the other vehicle was uninjured.

A 38-year-old Broadbeach man has been charged with entering a premises and committing an indictable offence, unlawful use of motor vehicle, dangerous operation of a vehicle and adversely affected by an intoxicating substance and driving without a licence.

The funeral home told 9News staff have been left "shaken" by the incident but "no changes funeral services from today".

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A humpback whale has been freed from fishing line and ropes off South Golden Beach, north of Brunswick Heads.

The rescue operation, conducted in high winds and rough seas, involved multiple organisations.

The whale's plight was initially reported by a member of the public to ORRCA, the NSW whale rescue organisation.

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The Sea World Foundation and Marine Rescue Brunswick Heads were called in to assist.

Initial efforts to lasso the entangled rope proved unsuccessful, leading the team to deploy a large buoy to allow closer access for cutting the lines.

The whale appeared to cooperate during the rescue, remaining relatively still as the team worked.

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After several attempts, the fishing line and rope were completely removed, allowing the whale to swim freely.

"Yeah that final cut, all the gear comes off, it's always a great feeling, even more so today," Sea World Foundation skipper Andy Mulville said.

Humpback migration season typically concludes by early November.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.

Five Hato Hone St John vehicles responded, including three ambulances.

A neo-Nazi leader has been handed a community work order for intimidating a police officer and his wife.

Thomas Sewell, 32, was today found guilty of three charges of intimidation of a law enforcement officer, and his wife, over targeted threats to expose his personal information.

He faced Melbourne Magistrates Court in person, from the court dock while on remand for separate matters.

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Sewell threatened to "dox" a police officer and his wife on podcasts in October and November last year, including threats to release personal information and wedding photos.

"I'm working out how to dox him because those doxing laws haven't come into effect yet," he told a podcast.

"Like his wedding photos, we've got it all downloaded, he's a f—ing idiot."

The police officer gave evidence about feeling "highly anxious" over his and his family's safety.

The officer's wife said she felt "really intimidated and threatened" in a statement to the court.

"I felt like we were in danger," she said.

Sewell claimed he was holding police to account and using his implied "freedom of communication" about public affairs when he spoke about the officer and his family.

But magistrate Michelle Hodgson rejected these arguments, finding he had targeted the officer's private life.

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The magistrate found he had "sought to weaponise personal information, personal insult and public exposure to instil fear" in the officer and his wife.

His offending was "objectively very serious", she said as she shut down Sewell's claim it was at the lower end.

"Police officers are frontline forces of the law, if they are intimidated from carrying out their duties – because of threats of exposure, humiliation or retaliation – the justice system itself is undermined," she told the court.

"A threat to dox can expose family, friends and home life, it uses technology to make private information available to a potentially hostile audience.

"Once online, it's virtually impossible to contain."

She said the maximum term of 10 years in prison for the offending, or two years if heard in the magistrates court, reflected the offending involved "a high degree of harm and trauma".

However, Hodgson decided not to hand Sewell any prison time.

She ordered he complete 200 hours of community work over 18 months, which will commence once he is released from custody for the separate offending.

Sewell had self-represented in a contested hearing over the charges, which ran for more than a week.

On day two of the hearing, September 2, he was arrested outside the court over an alleged attack on an Indigenous protest site, known as Camp Sovereignty, and taken into custody.

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Hodgson found him guilty of intimidation against a police officer and his wife, and also guilty of two counts of contravening personal safety orders.

He was found not guilty of two other contraventions of those orders, and of failing to comply with a police direction to hand over passwords to his devices.

After the hearing broke for lunch, police were seen arresting a member of Sewell's neo-Nazi group.

Victoria Police later confirmed a 20-year-old Yea man was arrested outside the court on William Street over Sewell and his group's alleged attack on Camp Sovereignty on August 31.

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Clive Palmer says he is "always under persecution" after a magistrate ruled the mining magnate's human rights may have been impeded in a long-running case.

The billionaire businessman enjoyed a win today, successfully having his matter referred to the Supreme Court over claims he and his family had suffered as a result of delays in the case.

Palmer, 71, faced Brisbane Magistrates Court after filing an application for a human rights referral to the Supreme Court in his Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) matters.

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After magistrate Cameron McKenzie ruled in his favour on human rights grounds, a "very grateful" Palmer spoke to media outside.

"They have to take the Human Rights Act seriously," he said.

"Of course, I'm always under persecution from somebody at some time because of my views and my controversy.

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"But it's important if you can make precedence for other people so they get the benefit of it."

Palmer was charged by the independent financial regulator in 2018 along with Palmer Leisure Coolum.

The charges relate to an allegation Palmer and his business broke the law when he attempted to buy out timeshare investors in his Sunshine Coast resort but did not follow through on a bid within the required two-month period.

The magnate was again charged by ASIC in 2020 following an investigation.

He was accused of improperly transferring more than $12.1 million through his company Mineralogy to Media Circus and Cosmo Developments, ultimately using the funds for the Palmer United Party 2013 federal election campaign.

Palmer had argued his human rights may have been impeded in his Queensland fraud case because prosecutors failed to disclose documents against him for years.

McKenzie ruled in favour of Palmer on Friday, saying both sets of proceedings would be referred to the Supreme Court.

But he had some sympathy for the prosecution after the delays in progressing the matter, saying "it does rest heavily with Mr Palmer".

"The prosecution has been taken on a number of side steps and tangents with these proceedings," he said.

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"Mr Palmer has unsuccessfully taken issue with nearly every decision made in this court, and indeed, numerous occasions in other courts.

"Those other proceedings would most likely have taken prosecution's focus away from their disclosure obligations in this court."

In 2018, Palmer Leisure Coolum was charged with proposing a bid and then failing to make an offer within two months, and Palmer was charged with aiding and abetting the company to commit an offence.

In 2020, he was charged with two counts of dishonestly using his position as a director and another two counts of fraud by dishonestly gaining a benefit or advantage.

Palmer today said the charges had "no substance".

"Justice always wins and we've got to stick with the system we've got – but make sure that it works," he said.

Dark blotches remain on the road where the fugitive father was shot dead on Monday.

Jack Robertson’s mother says the chair now faces the island where family are buried.

The federal government is considering dozens of recommendations to combat rising levels of anti-Muslim hate in Australia.

Special envoy Aftab Malik today handed down his landmark report on how to address Islamophobia, which made 54 recommendations for multiple levels of government.

They range from establishing parliamentary inquiries into Islamophobia and anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian hate, to better data collection on hate crimes and addressing foreign actors stoking religious division in Australia.

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"This is a historic opportunity," Malik told reporters this afternoon. 

"It is a moment where we decide who we are as a country, and whether we are prepared to take the necessary steps to ensure that every person in Australia, regardless of faith, ethnicity or background, is safe, valued and treated with dignity."

He said Islamophobia has skyrocketed since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, and was persistent and sometimes denied and ignored in Australia, but never fully addressed.

"In the past week alone, we have had a fake bomb left outside a Gold Coast mosque, and 1700 students from Queensland's largest mosque evacuated due to a bomb threat," Malik said. 

"Here in Sydney, the Islamophobia register recorded an alleged incident in which a 55-year-old Arab man was repeatedly punched in the face while he was waiting at a bus stop. 

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"This was after an assailant, the assailant, allegedly targeted another Muslim passenger while saying Islamophobic slurs. 

"These are the consequences of leaving Islamophobia unaddressed."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would consider Malik's 54 recommendations, and would seek bipartisan support for any legislative measures to avoid a harmful and divisive public debate about them.

"Australians should be able to feel safe at home in any community," he said. 

"The targeting of Australians based on their religious beliefs is not only an attack on them, but it's an attack on our core values. 

"We must stamp out the hate, fear and prejudice that drives Islamophobia and division in our society."

The foreword to Malik's report was written by Test cricketer Usman Khawaja, the first Muslim to play for Australia.

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He said anti-Islamic hate was commonplace, revealing his mother had been racially abused at last year's Boxing Day Test.

"Two young men decided to walk behind my mum and scream obscenities in both ears, simply because she was wearing a hijab… she was terrified," he said. 

"My mum was distraught; she didn't know what to do and she was extremely frightened, shocked and upset by the incident."

Malik wrote in his report that, while addressing Islamophobia was crucial, it was also important to allow legitimate criticism of the religion and its followers.

"I am cautious that Islamophobia should not become another meaningless plastic word, nor accusations of it be wielded as a weapon to silence or suppress respectful discussions and debate," he said. 

"Upholding this distinction is essential to safeguarding democratic values, ensuring the freedom of expression, and preserving the integrity and effectiveness of efforts to combat genuine hate crimes, discrimination and vilification. 

"Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of our society, but it should not be abused."

Malik's report follows a corresponding set of recommendations by special envoy to combat antisemitism Jillian Segal in July.

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