Bridget Doell claims she was excluded from key decisions and faced bullying.

It’s hoped the $5m equipment will help prepare the area for future disasters.

Disgraced former deputy mayor of Auburn Council Salim Mehajer has released a statement following his release on parole after being locked up for five years.

Mehajer was sentenced to seven years and nine months behind bars for a number of crimes, including domestic violence offences against his ex-partner, and forging his lawyer's signature.

He was released on parole yesterday and posted to his private Instagram page this morning, thanking the parole board for his release.

"I wish to formally convey my deep gratitude for the opportunity granted to me by the State Parole Authority," the post reads.

"I am fully committed to fulfilling the expectations placed before me, additionally, I express my sincere appreciation for the unwavering support of my family and friends, as well as the dedication of my legal representative."

He said he couldn't comment on the matter further as he has a scheduled appeal in three weeks. 

The post included a third paragraph, saying that in his prior ten-year relationship with Aysha Learmonth, he had never been accused of violence against her, and said she had nothing to do with "present matters."

"I find it extraordinary that the media persists in referencing my prior marriage to my then long-term partner," he wrote.

Learmonth was granted an AVO against Mehajer in 2017 as video footage emerged that showed him threatening to rape her and her parents.

He was convicted of breaching the AVO in 2018.

The pair's lavish 2015 wedding put Mehajer in the spotlight, spending over $1 million on the event.

Mehajer was granted parole last month after he was found guilty in 2023 in separate trials for offences which took place between April 1, 2018 and October 4, 2020, including for domestic violence against a different former partner of Mehajer.

When it comes to survival in the animal world, many people would assume the faster animals fare better.

But a new study led by a University of Melbourne researcher turns this assumption on its head, revealing being too speedy may make Australian central bearded dragons more vulnerable to predators.

The surprising find comes off the back of a year-long study where the lizards were studied in their natural environment and wore tiny fitness trackers.

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The small, high-tech devices contained tiny accelerometers and temperature-sensing radio transmitters to feed back data on the lizards' body temperature and acceleration.

Similar to other lizards, the bearded dragons rely on external heat sources to regulate body temperature to grow, digest food and reproduce effectively.

"Our study confirmed that these dragons are indeed masters at optimising behaviour according to seasonal shifts in air temperature," Dr Kristoffer Wild said.

"Data showed the lizards strategically moving between sunny spots and shady retreats in a delicate balancing act called behavioural thermoregulation."

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During the study, Wild said the research team looked at the dragons' optimal temperature for achieving peak speed and how speed related to survival outcomes.

The data, which was published this week in the Journal of Animal Ecology showed that lizards with higher speeds had a greater risk of mortality.

"What we believe is happening is that speedy lizards are engaging in riskier behaviours, such as moving around more openly and frequently, making them vulnerable to predators like birds and cats," Wild said.

"We found that increased risk was especially pronounced during spring, so this would make sense with dragons moving around a lot more looking for mates.

"These findings highlight an important ecological reality, what is measured in controlled lab environments doesn't always reflect what is happening in real-world environments.

"This research reminds us that in the wild, survival isn't just about physiology, but is deeply intertwined in the interplay with behaviour, predation risk and environmental variability."

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Young micro-investors are sinking their spare cash into shares after being locked out of the property market, leading economist Tom Piotrowski says.

Piotrowski said unaffordable property prices have made stock market investments an "attractive" choice for a record number of Australians aged under 40 as home ownership remains painfully out of reach.

"The fact that it has become increasingly difficult to establish a foothold [in the property market] has certainly contributed to the fact the ease of investing in the share market by comparison is more attractive," Piotrowski told 9news.com.au.

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"You can see a pathway to building your wealth in a more incremental way rather than having to stump up with a very sizable deposit."

This month marks 30 years since Commonwealth Bank's online share trading platform CommSec launched in Australia and the economic landscape has undoubtedly changed enormously since 1995.

In the mid-'90s, CommSec trades were done slowly by telephone and fax for $75 each and most investors were older, wealthier Australians.

Now, Piotrowski said, young people with various incomes are now using their smartphones to trade shares at lunch time hoping to build their "nest egg".

CommSec data released last year found 2.9 million investors under the age of 40 made up nearly half of the investors on the platform.

And according to figures from Finder, Australians have an average of $24,020 invested in shares.

This casual investing may be funded by inheritance or a small amount of disposable income, Piotrowski said.

"We're in the midst of one of the largest transitions of wealth from the baby boomer generation to a younger generation," Piotrowski said.

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"Some are fortunate that they might be able to get some help with a leg up to buying their first property because of that wealth transition, others perhaps might not be that lucky.

"Investing in the share market is attractive to them from that perspective because they're coming into some money.

"They might not quite have enough for a deposit.

"From that vantage point, you'd certainly be interested in looking at the share market."

The percentage of customers trading on CommSec aged under 40 has surged to 39.8 per cent, compared to just over 25 per cent in 2020.

CommBank revealed the rate of women with share holdings has nearly tripled in the past five years.

Piotrowski credits this with a rise in online financial literacy since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There are a lot more female content producers now that are interested in the share market, and that's important in terms of creating a commonality with the audience," he said.

"It's become far more mainstream than it ever has been and that is directly tied to technology and social media."

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CommSec's biggest day of trading in 2025 so far was in the wake of Donald Trump's tariff announcements on April 7.

But Piotrowski said Trump's influence likely won't have much of a negative impact on investors willing to play the long game and ride the wave.

"Yes, things are volatile, but volatility has always been a feature of equity markets," he said.

"From time to time, you have seismic events that create big price movements. But it's a cliche.

"The thing that protects you against that volatility is that long-term perspective."

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

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On a frosty Friday afternoon in the middle of Melbourne's harsh winter, camping chairs trace the outside of a new inner-city retailer.

A group of young men, beanies and puffer jackets covering much of their faces, are preparing themselves for a long night ahead.

They aren't camping out for the release of a new designer shoe, or the latest gadget in the tech world.

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Instead, Brandon, Benjamin and Andy are waiting for the doors to open to a toy store.

From the creators of Molly, SkullPanda and Dimoo, Australia's largest PopMart store opens its doors to the public on Melbourne's new The Walk precinct on Bourke Street at 10am today.

First in line for the whimsical world of PopMart collectables, Brandon plans to drop $2000 on stock – from figurines, to plushies and clip-on trinkets.

Meanwhile, Andy took the day off work to secure his spot in line.

He's spent at least a few thousand dollars on his collection of Labubus. His young son even has a collection of his own.

"I've got all the plush toys, the mini ones and medium-sized ones. I'm aiming to get the big ones next," he said.

"I want to get the whole collection.

"If you're into any of the collection sort of stuff, Pokemon, SpiderMan, if you're a collector, it's worth it.

Is 'trinket culture' the next social phenomenon?

Whether, like Andy, you consider acquiring the plush, pointed tooth creatures a hobby or not, it's hard to escape the sight of an evil-grinned trinket staring back at you on handbags and totes on footpaths and train carriages everywhere.

Retailing for between $30 and $60 each, Labubus helped Chinese parent company PopMart rake in $654 million in profit last year.

Just this week, PopMart projected a 350 per cent profit increase for the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year.

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PopMart's SkullPanda-themed The Walk store is the fifth Melbourne store in the company's ever-growing global expansion.

Outside of Australia, PopMart has captured the market across 30 countries in more than 550 stores and pop-ups.

PopMart Australia NZ general manager Yuki Wu says the company hopes to welcome upwards of 1000 people through the doors in Melbourne on Saturday.

"We're actually counting how much time we need for each transaction," Wu said.

"There are already people camping overnight."

Limited-edition releases and new arrivals are a small part of the allure for fans.

"The variety of Popmart [products] is very important as well, because as we grow up, people change," Wu said.

"We've got so many different options for them to choose. In each stage of [the customer's] life, they'll have something to connect with."

'Doom spending' driving success for low-cost luxuries

In a generation grappling with a cost-of-living crisis and unprecedented housing unaffordability, spending what little disposable income Gen Zers have on collectable items could be viewed as frivolous.

But consumer psychology and behaviour specialist Dr Samantha Worthington says PopMart's global success is deeply psychological.

"It's actually really similar to gambling and it makes every time they purchase one of these feel like a bit of a game," Worthington said.

"It's a low-cost way for people to boost their dopamine intake and also feel part of something that is normal, especially during these times.

"People cope with financial stress through emotional spending."

It's also about reclaiming agency and identity, Worthington says.

"Gen-Z in terms of behaviour, they're embracing micro-luxuries, so small collectable items that offer emotional value or social identity," she said.

"We can't afford the big things and we feel powerless, however, if we buy something small, like an item that is popular, then we have some sense of control.

"We all seem to find things we connect with that have some way of getting back to our childhood memories or memories that make us feel that dopamine rush."

A police employee has been charged after a brawl inside a Woolworths supermarket in Western Sydney.

An argument broke out between two male shoppers at the store in Auburn about 1.20pm yesterday.

It started with a shove, then a kick, before a two-litre full cream bottle of milk was swung, smashing and splashing everywhere.

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The milk went all over a cashier. 

"I feel bad for her the most," one witness told 9News. 

A woman who was with one of the men involved in the argument jumped in to help.

"The wife's a true one straight out, my wife better do that for me too," a witness said.

"I was very happy to see the wife jump in for the husband. I thought that was great," another said. 

Woolworths confirmed the incident, telling 9News that "there's no place for violence like this".

"We continue to assist police with their inquiries ," a Woolworths spokesperson said. 

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A 34-year-old man, who is a police employee, and the woman he was with have been charged with assault and affray.

A 62-year-old man, also involved, suffered minor injuries.

It is unclear what started the brawl, but shoppers condemned the wild scenes.

"That's just ridiculous, we shouldn't be doing this in public places," one said.

"People are throwing things around. It's too much pressure. People need to calm down," another said.

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A daughter of James Craig, the US dentist accused of fatally poisoning his wife and the mother of their children, has testified that her father asked her to make it seem like her mother wanted Craig to order the ingredients, which ultimately led to her death, so she could ingest them.

Craig gave step-by-step instructions in a letter for how to create the deepfake video of his wife, the daughter testified.

Deepfakes are inauthentic images, videos or audio recordings created by artificial intelligence that appear real but have been digitally manipulated, or faked.

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"I love you … I'm sorry to even have to ask you for this help," prosecutor Michael Mauro read in an excerpt of the letter, which the daughter testified was written in her father's handwriting.

Craig is accused of poisoning his wife, Angela, in March 2023, with a mix of arsenic, cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a medication commonly found in eyedrops.

Once she was in the hospital, he allegedly filled a pill with cyanide and made sure she took it, killing her, according to the prosecution.

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Prosecutors allege he killed his wife because of his growing financial troubles and his affair with another woman.

Craig has pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder, solicitation to commit first-degree murder, solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence and solicitation to commit perjury.

He had told several people that his wife was suffering from suicidal ideations leading up to her death, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The letter's directions included buying a "cheap" laptop, installing a private network and dark web browser and paying for the project using a pre-paid Visa gift card, the daughter testified.

The video must appear to have been made in the weeks before Angela Craig's death, the daughter testified.

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He also asked her to burn the video to thumb drives and let an investigator know she found them in her mother's bag, all before destroying the laptop, she testified.

The letter said the second-oldest daughter out of six children was chosen to do this favour because she is most like her mother, stoic and practical, and is technologically adept, she testified.

In cross-examination, she admitted the letter was disappointing, confusing and made her feel a lot of emotions.

The 20-year-old daughter said she was living at home at the time her mother became sick and she drove her to and from emergency rooms to be treated, while also taking care of her younger siblings.

In one instance, she found her mother "almost fainted on the floor" of their bathroom, she was "super tired and super out of it," she said.

Craig did not want autopsy for wife, oldest daughter says

Craig's oldest daughter also testified, revealing her father did not want an autopsy to be conducted on her mother.

He didn't want to "satisfy their curiosities" and have them poking at her, the daughter testified her father said after her mother's death.

When she expressed her concerns about her mother's illness being hereditary and that she might have passed it on to her youngest children, the daughter testified her father stayed quiet.

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During her emotional testimony, the daughter said that while her mother struggled "like anyone else," she wouldn't have taken her own life.

"We were making plans," the 21-year-old woman said.

With a comfort dog named Fancy by her side, the oldest daughter testified, often through tears, that her mother was her best friend and she tried to talk to her each day.

She knew her mother to be very active, loved exercising on her stationary bike and did yoga and Pilates.

But in early 2023, her mother had gotten very ill and was frustrated over not knowing what was wrong with her.

Her oldest daughter remembers her mother saying she felt "dizzy" and "heavy" before her symptoms worsened and she felt "pukey" and "less stable on her own two feet".

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A warning has been issued after almost a dozen Perth families allegedly fell victim to a renovation scam.

Police claim Allan Jason Dean Howard pocketed almost $80,000 in deposits then vanished without doing the work.

The 30-year-old fronted court yesterday as police warned others to be careful when booking renovations online.

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What was meant to be a dream renovation turned into a costly nightmare for Piero Staci.

"We have no savings anymore, which we would have otherwise," he told 9News.

The Cooloongup father-of-two refinanced the family home, paying a tradesman a $21,000 deposit for the job. 

But on the day work was meant to start, the tradie never showed up. 

"He basically pulled everything he could pull out to delay: 'I couldn't pick up'. 'I was busy'. 'I was sick'," Staci alleged.

Police allege that tradie was Howard, trading as Allan's Plastering.

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Consumer Protection says it's received 11 complaints about the same man, with claimed losses of almost $79,000. 

Customers from Mindarie to Cooloongup claim they paid upfront but the work was never done.   

Howard faced Armadale Magistrates Court yesterday charged with stealing and forging a document. He is yet to enter a plea.

The alleged victims may never get their money back but they hope their warning prevents others from being scammed.

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Footage from inside a jail captured a brawl at a New South Wales jail in February has resulted in five people being charged.

Officers were called to Bathurst Correctional Centre at 9.30am on Saturday, February 8 following reports of a fight between two male inmates and three visitors.

One Corrective Services Officer was caught in the crush, leaving him hospitalised with a broken arm.

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All five were arrested at the facility and later charged.

A 32-year-old man and two women, aged 32 and 28, were charged with affray.

The older woman was also charged with common assault.

The two male inmates, aged 29 and 36, were also charged with affray.

All five have appeared before court and four of them are due to reappear at Bathurst Local Court tomorrow.

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The woman, 32, is expected to appear in court on August 20.

Nicole Jess, president of the Public Service Association, told 9News the incident in February doesn't come as a surprise and highlights the need for more resources.

"Like the police, we're desperately short with correctional officers," she said.

"We've seen a huge spike in the number of inmate population, many centres are now struggling."

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