Erin Patterson cries on stand in mushroom murder trial
Erin Patterson has broken down into tears giving evidence in the second day of her own triple-murder trial in regional Victoria.
Erin Patterson is accused of murdering three of her in-laws by serving them a beef Wellington meal that contained poisonous death cap mushrooms in 2023.
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ABC News
24 minutes ago
- ABC News
Terri Irwin calls Katter's Australian Party crocodile cull plan 'dangerous' as Queensland considers new laws
World-famous conservationist Terri Irwin has branded proposed legislation to allow crocodile culls and safari-style hunting trips as "dangerous" and a "recipe for disaster". The legislation put forward by Katter's Australian Party (KAP) proposes the creation of a Queensland Crocodile Authority, which would be charged with implementing "zero-tolerance zones" in populated areas, where all crocodiles would be culled or relocated to farms or sanctuaries. "These are man-eating killers," said KAP MP Shane Knuth, whose electorate of Hill takes in known crocodile country in Far North Queensland. But in a parliamentary submission, Terri Irwin described the population increase as "very modest" and said the KAP bill would "increase the likelihood of attacks" because so-called zero-tolerance zones would create a "false sense of security". "Research has consistently shown that when a crocodile dies or is removed, then another crocodile immediately comes in to take over that territory," the Australia Zoo director wrote. But Mr Knuth insists some recreational groups and farmers are worried and angry about the threat posed by crocodiles. "You could spearfish in the Tully River, you'd be ripped to pieces," he said. "The crocs are in their bore drains, they're in their farms, they're in their cane. "We want to get it back to what it was in the 1980s and 90s. It was a risk, but it was an acceptable risk." The KAP also wants Indigenous people to have the option to offer safari-style hunting trips to high paying clients. They describe this as a potential "economic benefit". Crocodiles were hunted to the brink of extinction in Queensland prior to the 1970s. Saltwater crocodiles are currently considered a threatened species and are protected. The Department of Environment estimates there are between 20,000 and 30,000 salt and freshwater crocodiles in Queensland waterways. They have been found as far south as the Boyne River in Gladstone, but are more common on Cape York, north of Cooktown. Speaking in Cairns at a public hearing into the legislation, traditional owners said crocodiles were spiritually and environmentally important. "Crocodiles are a part of us," Wanjuru man Dennis Ah-Kee said. "They help maintain the health of the waterways. Without crocodiles the waterways get sick and that's what we're trying to avoid". Kunggandiji man Warren Martens called for Indigenous people to have a greater say in crocodile management. "Indigenous people need to be involved in that process. At the moment we're left out of it," he said. "We have a great understanding of crocs and how they behave." In its submission to the parliamentary inquiry, the Whitsunday Charter Boat Industry Association expressed concern for tourists snorkelling and swimming, saying any death or injury would "undermine the ongoing viability of marine tourism". But David White, who has run wildlife cruises on the Daintree river for 28 years, said there was a lot of "hysteria" around crocodiles and "fear leads to hate". He favours education over eradication. "I work with them, I love them, they're amazing creatures, but whether you like them or not, it's not the way to keep people safe, it just leads to complacency." Professor Craig Franklin, who has researched crocodiles for three decades, agrees. "Attacks on people are very rare," he said. "It's absolutely possible for crocodiles and humans to coexist, having a comprehensive education and awareness program. "An independent review in 2021 praised the success of the 'Crocwise' education program for its pivotal role in reducing human-crocodile conflicts."
ABC News
24 minutes ago
- ABC News
Queensland Health investigating second locally acquired malaria case in the Torres Strait Islands
Queensland Health is investigating two cases of locally acquired malaria as the state's total number of infections this year rises to 71. In its latest notifiable conditions report, Queensland Health says a second locally acquired malaria case was recently identified in the Torres Strait Islands local government area. Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes and is mostly found in tropical countries. Queensland Health said 97 per cent of the cases recorded to date this year had come from overseas, predominantly Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. The disease, which is preventable and curable, does not spread from person to person but rather through the bites of some infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Mater Health infectious diseases director Paul Griffin said mosquitoes that carry malaria are found in Australia, which can result in an imported case being a source of transmission to other people. "We don't have mosquitoes capable of passing malaria on all throughout the country, but certainly in the more tropical parts of our country, the Northern Territory and northern parts of Queensland," he said. "That's why in those areas we need to give people that advice to make sure we reduce the chance of local transmission." Professor Griffin said while locally acquired cases are extremely rare, Queensland's public health system is equipped to deal with them. "With more significant types of malaria, the severe consequences can be involvement of the brain, so cerebral malaria and even death," he said. The annual mean number of cases recorded in Queensland in the same period from 2020 to 2024 was 33, compared to 71 to date this year. The Queensland Health websites states limited transmission occasionally happen in the Torres Strait Islands, following importation from PNG. It states that in the past, locally acquired malaria has occurred on the outer islands of the Torres Strait including Saibai, Boigu, Erub and Badu Islands. The last cases acquired on mainland Australia were during an outbreak in north Queensland in 2002, according to Queensland Health. "Malaria used to be something that we had transmitted within Australia, but due to a host of different interventions locally acquired malaria has not been something that we have really dealt with for some 40 odd years," Professor Griffin said. According to the World Health Organization, the most common early symptoms of malaria are fever, headache and chills, which typically start within 10 to 15 days of getting bitten by an infected mosquito.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
$486 billion warning to NSW homeowners
There is a tranche of strata laws starting on July 1 in NSW, and then even more later in the year, which are aimed at improving the lives of residents. It comes at a time when data from UNSW Sydney and the Strata Community Association reveals their growing number to about 17 per cent of NSW residents. There were 91,346 strata plans across NSW as at 2024, up from 89,049 in 2022. The total number of individual lots grew to 1,077,277, up from 1,043,690 in 2022. The estimated total insured value of strata plans grew to $486bn, up from $456bn as the number of buildings and the construction cost to replace them increases. With 55 per cent of all strata plans built before 2000, it means no let up in the pressure on repairs and maintenance for those owners corporations, according to Hazel Easthope, from the City Futures Research Centre at UNSW Sydney. Prior research put the number of annual call-out jobs at 1.7m, costing $2.5bn. Unfortunately the strata management industry has some dreadful practices. It was highlighted when the ABC reported in May last year that Netstrata, one of the state's biggest, had been using its wholly owned insurance arm to charge apartment complexes excessively high insurance brokerage fees. NSW Fair Trading recently issued a 24-page report by McGrath Nicol Advisory into Netstrata that identified possible breaches of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, including instances of nondisclosure of commissions received; instances of failing to obtain at least two quotes for expenses exceeding $30,000; and nondisclosure of commissions received from a third-party service debt collection agency, Strategic Collection Services. The report advised there were other practices not in the best interests of the consumer, including charging a premium to strata plans who did not use Netstrata's wholly owned insurance broker, Strata Insurance Services (SIS) along with a remuneration structure which incentivised its strata managers to bill for add-on charges. It found a 'highly saturated use of related entity suppliers' with whom Netstrata had a commercial arrangement. 'Netstrata's own interests appear to have trumped the interests of the people it had a duty to act on behalf of,' the Fair Trading commission's Natasha Mann advised. Netstrata disputes this. Last month, Minister for Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong announced the appointment of Angus Abadee to oversee the strata industry as the NSW Strata and Property Services Commissioner. Abadee will lead 'initiatives to enhance industry integrity and lift consumer confidence' having held senior positions in the Building Commission NSW. The McGrathNicol review did not consider Netstrata's actions under the new laws. The July 1 changes are aimed in part 'to protect owners in strata from unfair contract terms and facilitate an uplift of strata management services to improve owners' confidence'. NSW Fair Trading advises a meeting needs to be held between the committee and strata manager to allocate and complete the new specific task.
