A US woman who flew to Australia with a gold-plated pistol in her luggage has been sentenced to a year in jail, despite claiming she brought it with her for protection.

Liliana Goodson pleaded guilty to charges of illegally importing an unauthorised firearm and illegally importing ammunition.

Today, the 30-year-old was sentenced in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court to the 12-month jail term, of which four months will be served in full-time custody.

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Goodson was taken into custody immediately following the hearing and forced to remove her extensive jewellery before being handcuffed and led from the court.

She was initially arrested at Sydney Airport in April 2023, after customs officers uncovered the 24-carat gold-plated pistol, worth about $3000, in her luggage.

The court was previously told she had come to Australia to attend clown school and claimed she brought the gun for protection.

Goodson had searched online whether she was allowed to bring the weapon into Australia, despite telling officers at the time she forgot she had it with her.

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When asked at the airport if she was carrying any prohibited items with her Goodson claimed she was not, the court was told.

"What about the gun in your bag?" she was asked by a customs officer.

Goodson replied: "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

A review of Goodson's phone revealed she had searched online "can I have a gun in my suitcase?" and set a calendar entry with a note reminding her to "put gun in suitcase".

Magistrate Susan Horan said there was a strong need to deter others from committing similar offences in the future, which could only be achieved by way of a period of incarceration.

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"Australia has a strong stance against firearms," she said.

Prosecutors submitted earlier that the gun looks particularly confronting and would "terrify members of the community", which Horan agreed with.

Goodson told police she was actually "scared" of shooting the gun and hoped simply producing it would be enough to deter potential threats.

"If that didn't do it I would probably just pistol whip," Goodson was quoted as having said.

When asked where she planned to store the gun while she was in Australia, she indicated under a vehicle's passenger seat, the court was told.

The court was told in recent years, Goodson was using psychedelic drugs, synthetic cannabis and crystal meth amphetamines.

Private health insurers have been warned they will be named and shamed unless the industry cleans up its act and stops using secretive, "underhanded" tactics to increase premium prices.

The Commonwealth ombudsman has found insurers are frequently engaging in so-called phoenixing – a loophole-exploiting practice of ending a product, only to replace it with a near-identical service with a much higher price not long after.

In one case, an insurance premium increased by 21 per cent in the space of a year after it had been phoenixed, which Health Minister Mark Butler said was tantamount to price gouging.

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"If two members of the same fund with essentially the same product are paying prices that might be 20 or more per cent different because of this phoenixing practice, you'd have to describe that as price gouging," he said.

The ombudsman investigation came after consumer group Choice first reported on the practice in February and found some insurers had increased prices by up to 47 per cent over three years.

Any private health insurance price increases must be approved by the minister, and while phoenixing isn't illegal, Butler said it was "clearly against the spirit of the law".

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"It is an underhanded, largely secret way of health insurers raising their prices outside of the usual approval process," he told reporters.

Butler said the practice was widespread across the entire industry, particularly in relation to "gold" products, which was the only option Australians had to access products like maternity and major surgery cover.

He said the government would change the law to make phoenixing illegal, and name and shame insurers, unless the industry stopped the practice.

"If there has not been a really substantial change to the behaviour of insurers, who quite openly have admitted that they engage in this practice, and up until now at least, intend to continue engaging in this practice, then I will reserve my right to consider legislative options to outlaw the practice into the future," he said.

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"All options, as far as I'm concerned, are on the table and that will include naming insurance providers that we know are conducting this practice," he added.

The warning comes after Australia's 29 private health insurers submitted their price increase proposals for next year in November.

Butler said that fter receiving advice from regulator and health department advice, he had rejected those proposals and would write to all insurers, telling them to "sharpen their pencils" and come back with lower price hike proposals.

Two participants who absconded have been arrested after going missing for days.

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A weather system brewing off Australia's north-west coast may lead to an increased risk of tropical cyclone activity ahead of Christmas, according to Weatherzone.

Communities in northern Western Australia near the Pilbara and Kimberley coasts are being advised to keep an eye out for cyclone warnings throughout the week, with a moderate risk of extreme weather tomorrow and Wednesday.

Abnormally warm ocean temperatures in the region have increased the cyclone risk, with some areas as hot as 32 degrees – more than two degrees above the average at this time of year.

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"One tropical low has already formed near the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. This system is expected to cause increased shower and thunderstorm activity over the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the next few days, although at this stage it only has a low chance of developing into a tropical cyclone," meteorologist Ben Domensino explained.

"Another low is forming closer to Australia, sitting to the north of the Pilbara coast on Monday morning.

"A third tropical low could form over the Timor or Arafura Seas later this week, roughly to the north of WA's Kimberley coast. While it's too far out to have high confidence with this system, some computer models suggest that it could develop into a tropical cyclone off the north coast of WA later this week or early next week.

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"At this stage, there is a moderate chance of this system developing into a tropical cyclone this weekend or early next week."

Warm seas provide more energy to developing storms and low pressure systems, which can help them strengthen into tropical cyclone.

There is no guarantee cyclones will hit before Christmas, but residents in the area should keep an eye out for further updates.

Economist Craig Renney had his application to attend the release of HYEFU declined.

It follows another political poll earlier in the day.

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Millions of Australians know how it feels to be chest-deep in the ocean in the middle of summer and feel that first raindrop smack down onto their head.

Seconds later, the surface of the water is alive with tiny splashes and you have to decide whether to stay in the sea and wait out a summer shower, or call it a day and head to shore.

It's a choice many Aussies will have to face as the nation braces for a hot, wet summer but the answer will surprise some.

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Although it's not unusual to see beachgoers braving the waves during a summer downpour, experts are warning Aussies not to tempt fate by staying in the water when summer storms roll in.

"Swimming during storms on Australian beaches can pose several serious risks," Michael Bonnici, Manager Coastal Safety at Surf Life Saving Australia, told 9news.com.au.

Storms can cause unpredictable currents and powerful rip tides that can sweep even experienced swimmers out to sea, as well as dangerous waves and swell.

Reduced visibility in the water due to storm conditions stirring up sand and debris also makes it harder for swimmers to spot hazards like rocks, debris, and potentially dangerous marine life during a storm.

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And then of course there's the lightning.

"Swimming in open water during a storm, especially in the presence of lightning, is highly dangerous," Bonnici said.

"Water is a good conductor of electricity, so if lightning strikes the water, swimmers can be electrocuted. In addition to the direct risks in the water, being in or near the ocean during a storm increases the chance of being struck by lightning, which can be fatal."

Not only do storms pose direct risks to swimmers in the water, storm conditions like strong winds and rough seas can make it difficult for Lifesavers to rescue swimmers in distress.

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Australians are therefore urged to get out of the water and stay out when storms are on the forecast, even if conditions seem safe at a glance.

"Storms can change rapidly, leading to unexpected shifts in wind, rain, and waves," Bonnici said.

"Swimmers may find themselves caught in worsening conditions without enough time to safely leave the water."

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The 58-second TikTok video was supposed to be a warning for young Australians to take sun safety seriously.

Instead, Melbourne mum Rachel Blease was flooded with comments claiming sunscreen caused her skin cancer.

Watch the video above.

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It's one of many false claims about sunscreen doing the rounds on social media this summer and Australians are being warned not to fall for it.

Anti-sunscreen rhetoric has exploded on social media, according to a 2024 study from the International Society of Digital Health in Dermatology, and claims that sunscreen causes skin cancer or contains hormone-blocking chemicals are on the rise online.

"We have seen a huge spike in misinformation about the causes of skin cancer, in particular the role of sunscreen, which is very disturbing," Liz King, Manager of Skin Cancer Prevention at Cancer Council NSW, told 9news.com.au.

Young people are particularly at risk of encountering this kind of misinformation because almost half of Aussies aged 18–24 cited social media as their main news source in a recent ACMA report.

It has experts worried that young Aussies could be swayed to skip sunscreen by baseless claims pushed online, potentially increasing their risk of developing skin cancer.

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