Police were notified after the two men failed to return or check in on the radio.

He had his first appearance in the Auckland District Court this morning.

A boy survived the sinking of a tourist boat in Vietnam which killed dozens of people by sheltering in an air pocket of the overturned vessel, it has emerged.

The 10-year-old had been travelling with his family in Vietnam's famed Ha Long Bay when the vessel they were sailing on became caught in a sudden storm. Trapped in the boat as it capsized, the boy found refuge in an underwater air pocket, where he stayed and waited for help.

He was eventually found by rescue teams relatively unharmed, although he was suffering from mental distress. He was warmed up and transferred to a nearby hospital, local outlet VietnamNet reported.

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"Everything happened so fast," the boy said. "I tried to get out, and then the soldiers rescued me."

Search and rescue efforts are continuing for missing passengers and crew after sightseeing ship the Wonder Sea capsized in a squall on Saturday but have been hampered by bad weather.

At least 35 people are confirmed dead from the sinking, state media reported, revising down an earlier toll but warning that it could still rise further. Vietnam News Agency said there were 53 passengers and crew on board and 10 people had been rescued. Four people remain missing.

Another survivor, a 36-year-old Vietnamese man, described escaping the overturned boat by dumping his life jacket and swimming through an underwater window.

Fire extinguisher salesman Dang Anh Tuan described the moment the vessel suddenly capsized during bad weather, leaving little time for those on board to react.

"It rained for about 15 minutes, and then the boat started to shake vigorously, tables and chairs were jostled around and seconds later the boat overturned," Tuan told the Associated Press.

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He said that the boat quickly filled with water and he lost all orientation.

"I tried to breathe. But more water came in. I took a deep breath, got rid of my life vest and dove down. I saw a streak of light and followed it to swim out, escaping the boat, and then I climbed on the overturned boat to look for help," he said.

Tuan, along with several others who had been on board, clung onto the overturned boat and waited for another two hours in pouring rain until emergency crews arrived.

He'd been holidaying in Vietnam's popular tourist bay with 11 university friends. Only three of their group survived.

VN Express reported that the Wonder Sea was caught in a storm around 1:30pm local time (4:30pm AEST), which caused it to capsize.

Most of the passengers were from the Vietnamese capital Hanoi and travelling as families, according to VN Express, which reported the eldest passenger as 53 years old and the youngest as just 3.

Over 20 children were on board, VNExpress said.

The capsize reportedly happened near the Dau Go Cave – one of the largest in the bay.

Halong Bay is a popular tourist hotspot and a UNESCO world heritage site comprising about 1600 limestone islands and islets.

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A former judge's decision to leak confidential material from an inquiry into Bruce Lehrmann's criminal prosecution was an attempt at transparency not an act of corruption, his lawyers say.

Walter Sofronoff KC has asked the Federal Court to toss a March finding by the ACT Integrity Commission that the former judge engaged in serious corrupt conduct.

The commission's probe stemmed from Sofronoff's leaks to a journalist.

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But the watchdog's adverse finding was a "serious offence against the administration of justice", Sofronoff's barrister Adam Pomerenke KC said during a hearing today.

Sofronoff was not corrupt, malicious or dishonest, the barrister told Justice Wendy Abrahams.

Rather, he genuinely believed he was acting in the public interest by sending documents like witness statements to the media.

"Even if Mr Sofronoff was wrong in his view, the fact remains that he genuinely and honestly held it," Pomerenke said. 

"At worst it could be characterised as an erroneous attempt to ensure accuracy and transparency in the public discourse."

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Sofronoff chaired a board of inquiry into the ACT's criminal justice system after Lehrmann's controversy-plagued prosecution.

The former Liberal staffer was accused of raping then-colleague Brittany Higgins in a ministerial office at Parliament House in 2019.

A 2022 criminal trial was abandoned without a verdict due to juror misconduct.

Lehrmann lost a defamation lawsuit he brought over media reporting of Higgins' allegations but has appealed a judge's finding the rape claim was true on the balance of probabilities.

The Sofronoff-led inquiry found the ACT's top prosecutor, Shane Drumgold, had lost objectivity over the Lehrmann case and knowingly lied about a note of his meeting with broadcaster Lisa Wilkinson.

Drumgold resigned and launched a legal challenge to the findings in the ACT Supreme Court.

It found the majority of the inquiry's findings were not legally unreasonable, but it struck down an adverse finding about how Drumgold cross-examined then-Liberal senator Linda Reynolds during Lehrmann's criminal trial.

In March, the ACT Integrity Commission also found the majority of the inquiry's findings were not legally unreasonable.

But it found Sofronoff's behaviour during the inquiry gave rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias and he might have been influenced by the publicly expressed views of journalist Janet Albrechtsen.

Sofronoff repeatedly messaged the News Corp columnist and eventually provided her an advance copy of his probe's final report.

Pomerenke told the Federal Court today the ACT corruption body had admitted it made an error in finding Sofronoff might have engaged in contempt.

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The claimed contempt stemmed out of leaks to the media despite directions made to parties during the inquiry to suppress certain documents.

But the notion that the head of an inquiry could be in contempt of himself was "absurd and irrational", Pomerenke said.

This concession was enough to toss the findings against his client, he told the court.

Any individual error could not be "disentangled" from the final finding that the former judge engaged in serious corrupt conduct, the barrister said.

The hearing continues.

Support is available from 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) and the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028.

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New research has revealed a troubling trend in Australian workplaces, with a significant number of employers appearing to sideline both older and younger workers due to age biases.

A joint report, released today by the Australian HR Institute (AHRI) and the Australian Human Rights Commission, found nearly a quarter of HR professionals now classify workers aged 51-55 as "older", a sharp increase from just 10 per cent in 2023. 

This shift suggested many employers were overlooking experienced professionals in an economy suffering skills shortages, the commission said in a statement.

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Despite more than half of employers (55 per cent) grappling with hard-to-fill vacancies, only 56 per cent are significantly open to hiring individuals aged 50-64. 

This figure plummets to just 28 per cent for those 65 and over, with a striking 18 per cent outright refusing to consider this age group. 

The situation is equally bleak for the younger generation, with only 41 per cent of employers largely open to recruiting jobseekers aged 15 to 24.

"Our research found some workplaces are hesitant to employ workers over the age of 50, before they are even close to retirement age, or under 24 – including Gen Z's digital natives," Sarah McCann-Bartlett, CEO of the Australian HR Institute, said. 

"One in 5 HR professionals say their recruitment practices negatively impact older workers, and 23 per cent say the same about younger workers."

The report, Older and Younger Workers: What Do Employers Think?, is AHRI and the Commission's fifth national survey of employers and HR professionals. 

It includes responses from almost 150 HR professionals in the private, public, and non-profit sector, and provides a snapshot of how older and younger workers are perceived, supported and included in Australian workplaces.

Robert Fitzgerald, Age Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, said the findings highlight the need for sustained action against ageism.

"Older and younger workers can be a real advantage for businesses," he said.

"Age-diverse teams bring different life experiences to the table and are better at solving problems.

"Employers need to support inclusive workplaces, where competency isn't assessed against age or career stage. Providing equal opportunity for people of all ages to remain engaged in meaningful work can enhance productivity, while also helping close skills gaps," he said.

Report reveals age-based assumptions about key skills

While older workers rated higher for their loyalty (74 per cent), reliability (64 per cent), and ability to cope with stress (62 per cent), compared to younger workers they were rated lower for their ability to use technology and their career ambition, the report found. 

Only 1 per cent of respondents said older workers had better technology skills, and just 7 per cent thought they had higher energy levels.

Younger workers, meanwhile, were rated comparatively lower for reliability (1 per cent), loyalty (2 per cent), and ability to cope with stress (2 per cent), despite being rated higher for energy and technological fluency.

Nearly 60 per cent of respondents said the departure of older workers has led to a loss of key skills, with only 13 per cent saying their organisation consistently captures that knowledge.

"What we're seeing is bias at both ends of the age range," Fitzgerald said. 

"Sadly this undermines diversity of thought and productivity."

The findings come after the federal government this month flagged increasing productivity as a key priority for its second term.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will hold a productivity round table in August, and has said he wants it to build the "broadest possible base" for further economic reform.

A 26-year-old faces six charges of obtaining by deception.

A police dog sustained a scratch to the eye during an alleged assault on Sunday.

‘Given the uncertainty surrounding my health, I cannot fully commit.’

Gisborne residents face an average 9.95% rate increase this year.

A mother was travelling in a car behind her fiancé and two children when they were killed in a horror head-on crash in Queensland's Central Highlands yesterday.

Police say a Holden Commodore struck a Toyota Hilux ute on the Capricorn Highway, between Comet and Blackwater, just before 11am yesterday.

Four people inside the Commodore, including father Shaun Ranger, seven-year-old Baylee, six-year-old Chandler, and another man, were killed in the crash.

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Ranger's fiancé Renee and the couple's youngest daughter Saphora, aged two, were travelling in a different car, behind the Commodore.

The family is understood to have been returning from a camping trip.

Inspector Ben Wiltshire said the mother was at the scene of the crash when police arrived.

"It was a very high-speed crash with significant damage to both vehicles, fire was involved and the injuries to the people involved were horrific," Wiltshire said.

Two men in the ute, believed to have been driving to work, were also injured.

A 28-year-old man is in hospital in a serious but stable condition and a 27-year-old man was flown to a hospital in Brisbane with life-threatening injuries.

Wiltshire said it was too early to "lay blame" for the crash or speculate on whether charges will be laid.

A GoFundMe has been started for Renee and Saphora by friend Chantel Semple.

"Shaun, Baylee and Chandler were cherished and loved by many and brought so much joy and light into our lives," Semple wrote.

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She said Baylee had a "cheeky smile, bubbly personality and a love for horses".

Chandler was described as a "sweet and kind hearted little boy, full of life (who) loved the outdoors".

"We are all very heartbroken over this unexpected loss and want to give them the send off they deserve, a meaningful goodbye, surrounded by the people who love them," the description reads.

Wiltshire said the incident was a "stark reminder of the fragility of life and importance of road safety".

"These lives were cut short far too soon leaving families and loved ones to grapple with the unimaginable grief.

"The tragedy reverberates not just through the family but the entire Central Highlands community."

He said police were working to determine the cause of the crash and urged drivers to be vigilant, avoid speeding, drive to conditions, avoid distraction and ensure they are well rested before long journeys.