An ex-AFL umpire has been accused of placing fraudulent bets under a different account name about players he knew would receive Brownlow Medal votes and passing insider information onto others.

Michael Pell, who resigned from AFL umpiring in 2022, faced Melbourne Magistrates Court today charged with six betting fraud offences over the 2021 Brownlow Medal awards.

He is accused of communicating information to three men, including co-accused William Forde, in connection with "which AFL player was awarded three Brownlow Medal votes or any Brownlow Medal votes in six games" ahead of the awards night in September 2021, court documents reveal.

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When Pell passed on the insider information, the then-umpire "knew that the information was about conduct that corrupted the betting outcome of the event", according to charge sheets.

The 34-year-old is further accused of placing bets himself on "to poll three Brownlow Medal votes" and "to poll a Brownlow Medal vote" from five or six AFL games under the account name Lincoln Busby. 

He allegedly placed bets under this name with Sportsbet, Ladbrokes and Neds in September 2021, while "being in possession of information in connection with the event contingency about conduct that corrupts or would corrupt a betting outcome of the event". 

Forde, 35, is facing 53 charges, including dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by using another person's credentials to operate a betting account, passing on information to others to place fraudulent bets, and placing fraudulent bets himself, on the 2021 and 2022 Brownlows. 

He allegedly also placed bets across a range of wagering services – including Palmerbet, Betstar, Bookmaker, TAB, bet365, Betfair, TopSport, Ladbrokes and Neds – under his own name.

Pell's brother Donovan, 31, has been charged with 23 offences, including using two different account names and dishonestly obtaining their personal credentials, to place bets about who would poll Brownlow Medal votes at the 2021 awards.

Mitch Lucas, 32, has been accused of 20 offences including communicating information about the 2022 Brownlows to others, knowing they would place bets, and placing bets himself under both his own name and a different name. 

The documents were released to media today, after all four men faced court in person.

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The charges related to about $300,000 in fraudulent betting, the court was told, and many of the co-accused and witnesses in the case are family members or co-workers.

Magistrate Brett Sonnet said the accused men, who were charged on summons, each needed to be placed on bail as the charges were "serious".

He placed them all on bail with conditions that they reside at their homes and cannot leave Australia.

The group will return to court on October 22 for committal mentions.

Umpires award Brownlow votes on a 3-2-1 basis after each game, with tight security around the details until the AFL chief executive reads them out on presentation night.

Umpires and other AFL personnel are not allowed to gamble on the game.

Port Adelaide's Ollie Wines won the 2021 award, with Carlton captain Patrick Cripps claiming the Brownlow the next year.

The AFL ruled out changes to the voting process after the scandal but Victoria's gambling watchdog unveiled greater safeguards in 2023, including spot audits on AFL employees and greater surveillance of umpires.

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Coastguard said a man got into trouble while trying to tow a boat to safety.

Violence has gripped the US political scene once again after prominent conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot dead.

The 31-year-old, who was a key ally of President Donald Trump was killed while speaking at a university in Utah.

Trump paid tribute to Kirk, calling him a "martyr for truth and freedom" and blaming "the radical left" for the shooting.

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But it was just the latest in a growing number of shootings and violent incidents against US politicians on both sides of the political divide.

As the country comes to terms with Kirk's death, it also faces the reality that gun violence is becoming an increasingly regular part of its politics.

July 13, 2024: Attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania 

The most recent wave of political violence began during last year's election campaign, when the then-Republican candidate for the presidency was shot by a sniper at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

In a massive security failure, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, managed to fire eight rounds from a rifle from a nearby building as Trump spoke.

One member in the crowd was killed, as was Crooks moments later by a Secret Service agent, but it was the first attempt on the life of a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan in 1981.

Crooks was once a registered Republican but had donated sums of money to progressive movements and causes before the shooting.

Trump was injured in the shooting with a bullet grazing his ear, though he claimed he could have died had his head been in another position.

He rose quickly to his feet after being covered by security and Secret Service, and a photo of the wounded Trump raising his fist to the crowd has become one of the most iconic photos ever.

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September 15, 2024: Second attempt on Trump's life

Just two months later, Trump was the target of another assassination attempt, this time at his own golf club in Florida.

Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old man, had hidden in bushes on Trump International Golf Course and was armed with a rifle.

He was spotted aiming the gun at a member of Trump's security detail, and it is believed he was planning to shoot the Republican candidate.

A Secret Service agent shot at Routh, who tried to flee but was eventually arrested after a chase.

April 13, 2025: Arson attack on Pennsylvania governor's home

Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, was the target of an alleged assassination attempt when part of his residence was set on fire.

Cody Allan Balmer broke into the residence in Harrisburg and reportedly used two Molotov cocktails to trigger the blaze.

The 38-year-old was also allegedly armed with a sledgehammer to confront Shapiro with if he encountered the governor, but he wasn't able to do so and later turned himself in to police.

Balmer was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which he rejected, and reportedly targeted Shapiro due to "perceived injustices toward the people of Palestine".

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June 14, 2025: Shooting of Minnesota legislators

The next attack saw two Minnesota Democratic state legislators attacked by a lone gunman.

Vance Luther Boelter first broke into the house of Senator John Hoffman, shooting him and his wife Yvette, hospitalising the pair.

He then travelled to the home of Melissa Hortman, shooting and killing her and her husband Mark.

Boelter then fled and sparked a massive manhunt, with police eventually capturing him the next evening.

A reported motive for Boelter's attacks was his strong anti-abortion views.

September 10, 2025: Assassination of Charlie Kirk

The assassination of Charlie Kirk is the latest chapter in a concerning trend in US politics.

The conservative commentator was speaking at Utah Valley College this morning when he was shot in the neck.

The gunman is still at large at the time of writing, but it is believed the shots were fired from a building up to 200 metres from where Kirk was speaking.

Kirk leaves behind a wife and two young children, and figures across America's political spectrum condemned the shooting.

"Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie's family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children," former president Barack Obama said on X.

The previous president Joe Biden also posted a statement against the shooting: "There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk's family and loved ones".

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The last sighting of Te Anihana Pomana was near SkyCity Hotel early on August 21.

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Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke pouring from the ground floor of the site.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was caught in an awkward moment when he arrived at a crucial summit with Pacific Island leaders in the wrong shirt.

The Pacific Islands Forum in the Solomon Islands last night drew in 18 leaders from across the region to sign a multimillion-dollar agreement on a resilience fund.

Albanese walked into the meeting in a pink shirt, not the matching navy blue shirt most of the other leaders were wearing for the event.

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He looked around as the remaining leaders filed into the room in their matching shirts before realising his mistake.

Video of the forum showed him sticking out in his pink shirt within a row full of his counterparts. 

He quickly escaped before arriving back in the room shortly later in the same blue shirt. 

Australia joined 17 other nations in inking the Pacific Resilience Facility – a fund for the countries to access to create solutions to the heightened impact of climate change in the region.

The deal has been 10 years in the making as Pacific countries continue to face an existential threat due to rising sea levels, extreme weather and harm to marine life.

Albanese has agreed to commit an initial $100 million to the fund.

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"For the small island nations of the Pacific, climate change is an existential threat," he said at a press conference yesterday.

"This is more than a fund, though. It's a promise to Pacific communities that they will not face climate threats alone."

Some Pacific Island leaders, however, urged Albanese to do more given that Australia is one of the world's largest fossil fuel exporters.

"If Australia makes a change for the better, I think it would lessen that tension," Vanuatu's climate minister, Ralph Regenvanu, said.

"If it doesn't, the relationship will still be there, but there'll still be that tension."

The Pacific leaders also declared the Blue Pacific as an "ocean of peace" while calling on the international community to respect national sovereignty and Pacific-led approaches to peace and sovereignty. 

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Hardware giant Bunnings has been named the most trusted brand in Australiafor the second year in a row.

The company, which has over 500 stores across Australia and New Zealand, was also crowned the most trusted retail brand for the seventh straight year in a row by Roy Morgan.

Aldi was the most trusted supermarket, whilst Commonwealth Bank won the most trusted bank award for the first time during a period of job losses at many major Australian banks.

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"Bunnings customers consistently mentioned the 'Price matching, good quality and range of products, and helpful staff' as key reasons for the high levels of trust in Australia's favourite retailer," Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said.

"Bunnings has been firmly within Australia's top three most trusted brands throughout the last seven years.

"As other well-known brands have had significant hits to their reputation, the ubiquitous hardware retailer has maintained its high standing."

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Other brands that consumers continue to back include Toyota, Kmart, Australia Post and NRMA.

Levine said it has been a challenging year for brands in the midst of inflation problems and wider cost-of-living issues, but believes the brands named deserve credit for their work to maintain their standing among the Australian population.

"The key challenge for leading brands throughout Australia, over the last year, has been dealing with the high cost-of-living caused by the high inflation and interest rates", she said.

"This year's Trusted Brand winners have successfully maintained and built their trust with their customers and clients better than any of their rivals.

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