Stranded passengers have slammed Etihad's customer service after a flight to Abu Dhabi came to a sudden stop, seconds before take off.

The pilot's urgent actions shredded two tyres and blocked one of Melbourne Airport's runways for more than 12 hours.

Moments after the pilot pumped the brakes, the Boeing Dreamliner was doused in firefighting foam last night.

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Passenger Ohad Shemtov said it was "the most terrifying moment in my life".

"We were sure we were about to die," he said.

Etihad flight EY46 .was leaving Melbourne en route to Abu Dhabi with 289 passengers on board just before 7pm yesterday.

Travelling at high speed the pilot spotted a warning light and aborted the take off with seconds to spare.

The pressure popped two of the 787's tyres, stopping the jet, in the middle of the runway.

"It seems we may have some problem with the gear," an Air Traffic Control recording says.

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Flat tyres meant the plane couldn't be towed, so it sat blocking one of Melbourne's two runways for more than 12 hours.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was travelling close to 300km/h, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24, before it aborted take off.

The airport's website showed three cancelled arrivals and three departures between 7pm and midnight.

Every customer had to be offloaded bused back to the terminal and sent to hotels, which they say took hours.

"Why for an emergency stop does it take you 2.5 hours to get off a plane? When they knew the tyres were knackered," Alan said.

The wait continued at the baggage carousel.

Passengers were told to be there around 9.30am to collect their bags and check them into new flights, but it took almost two hours extra for them to start coming through.

"The service from Etihad is disgusting," John said.

"You can't get them on the phone, they're not listening to how you're getting home."

The airline is adamant customer safety and comfort is the highest priority, and while most now have a plan B sorted, patience has been tested.

Etihad said the flight crew decided to halt the take off for "technical reasons".

"The aircraft was safely brought to a stop on the runway and emergency services attended as a precaution," the airline said.

"Guests have been disembarked safely and our teams are working to enable them to continue their onward journeys as quickly as possible.

"Etihad Airways sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew remain our highest priority."

Etihad said applying foam to the tyres was "a routine precaution following a high-speed rejected take-off".

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Jones said it was ‘disgraceful’ non-Māori couldn’t speak at the tangi.

A couple's allegedly drunken mid-flight antics have landed them in court after they consumed alcohol brought onto the plane and a passenger was assaulted outside the aircraft's toilet.

Analisa Josefa Corr, 53, and James Alexander Corr, 45, were on a Jetstar flight from Hobart to Sydney on December 28 when staff contacted the Australian Federal Police about their alleged disorderly behaviour.

The pair were intoxicated and consuming alcohol they brought onto the plane, according to the AFP.

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Ms Corr also allegedly assaulted a passenger by grabbing and shaking them while exiting one of the aircraft's toilets.

She has been hit with one count of common assault over the alleged incident.

They were escorted off the plane at Sydney's domestic airport and arrested before being taken to Mascot police station where they were charged.

The couple are also each facing two offences of failing to comply with cabin crew safety directions and consuming alcohol not provided by flight assistants.

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Each of these charges carries of maximum penalty of a $13,750 fine while common assault comes with a maximum jail term of two years.

Mr and Ms Corr both appeared at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court today where they pleaded not guilty to all charges.

They will come before the same court on Friday to review their bail conditions.

AFP Sergeant Luke Stockwell said the federal police had responded to more than 400 incidents involving intoxicated individuals at major airports across Australia in 2024.

"Bad behaviour at airports is not only disrespectful to other travellers, airport workers and airline staff, but it's a safety risk and usually leads to more serious offences," he said.

"The AFP is increasing patrols at all major airports during the holidays and will not tolerate dangerous, disruptive or abusive behaviour from travellers."

AAP put questions to Jetstar about the alleged incident but the airline did not directly answer if the Corrs had been blacklisted or would be allowed to fly again.

"We will never tolerate disruptive behaviour on our aircraft," a spokesman said.

"The safety and wellbeing of customers and crew is our number one priority."

Riverton’s new $620,000 public toilets were vandalised overnight.

Two men have been arrested over the alleged murder of a 23-year-old woman, who died on a street north of Brisbane a fortnight ago.

Chloe Mason was found unresponsive by emergency services on Railway Parade in Caboolture just after midnight on December 22.

Police believe she was assaulted by two men and suffered a gunshot wound during an altercation.

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Detectives made a call out for the public's help in finding two men wanted in connection with her death on December 28.

A 29-year-old Marsden man and a 32-year-old Caboolture man were arrested "without incident" in parkland off Civic Parade, Logan about 2pm today.

"Police wish to thank the media and members of the public for their assistance into locating these men," a police spokesperson said.

Investigations remain ongoing.

Meteorologists are closely watching fast-drying conditions across the upper North Island.

The baby was flown to Whangārei Hospital and later transferred to Starship hospital.

A childcare centre cannot reopen after children allegedly ate scraps of food off the floor, did not receive first aid after falls and were repeatedly left unsupervised.

The serious safety concerns raised at Angel's Paradise Wagga Wagga, in southern NSW, come as advocates raise concerns about the quality and availability of childcare in regional areas nationwide.

An estimated 3.7 million Australians lived in a childcare desert in regional Australia, according to the Regional Australia Institute.

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The Wagga Wagga childcare centre was closed immediately after an inspection in September.

Court documents reveal Angel Paradise was closed immediately after an inspection in September in which education officials found there was "an immediate risk to the safety, health or wellbeing" of children.

Further analysis of CCTV showed alleged breaches including children being left for extended periods in high chairs and suffering falls after being placed unsecured in baby bounces.

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At least one staff member did not hold a working with children check and had not done any formal training in early childhood education, the documents revealed.

Other concerns raised by the Department of Education in shutting down the centre were that children were allegedly seen eating food scraps off the floor amid a "lack of general hygiene" and staff using phones when they were supposed to be supervising.

A tribunal on Monday upheld the six-month suspension placed on the centre, despite the owner arguing it would be forced to close permanently due to financial strains if it could not operate in the meantime.

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Safety concerns were first raised by a parent after their child allegedly returned home in August with an injury requiring medical attention.

The centre's director initially told the department he had viewed CCTV footage and did not witness the child sustaining any injuries, offering a sworn affidavit and 30 minutes of the footage to satisfy the investigation.

Breaches indicated "substantial and ongoing risk to the health, safety and wellbeing of children".

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But footage of the two days surrounding the alleged injury revealed much more.

The department alleges the child can be seen climbing and falling off a cupboard while unsupervised, after which they appeared either distressed, crying or asleep until being picked up at the end of the day..

Several of the breaches were deemed to be serious and "indicative of substantial and ongoing risk to the health, safety and wellbeing of children", which allowed the department to order the immediate shutdown.

The centre's operators plan to contest the finding with much to rest on the CCTV footage.

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While describing the centre's defence as "not hopeless", the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal rejected an assertion the education department was "hyper vigilant" and had overreacted.

"There are far too many serious alleged breaches," the tribunal said.

"The unacceptable risk to the health, wellbeing and safety of the child can best be protected by refusing a stay."

Tens of thousands more qualified child carers are needed to address present and future demand.

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The centre's director has disputed many of the allegations.

But new measures would be implemented to address some conduct, such as the use of mobile phones while educating children and children eating off the floor.

Along with his now ex-wife, the centre's director operated a total of three childcare centres including the currently closed centre in Wagga.

A lack of adequate childcare in regional centres has prompted interventions by the federal government, including new laws aimed at encouraging more workers.

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Roughly 21,000 more qualified professionals are required to address the shortfall and another 18,000 are needed to meet future demand, according to Jobs and Skills Australia.

The Regional Australia Institute in 2024 meanwhile warned that the growth of childcare services was not fast enough and needed urgent collaborative action from government, business, the not-for-profit sector and communities.

"Without such action, our regional kids will continue to miss out on the rich rewards of early childhood education and care," it said.

The alleged offenders stole the boy’s bike, cash and ‘other property’.

Tukere, 42, died after a daylight brawl in Ngāruawāhia on December 27.