Adam Hort says Labor's budget boost to hire new staff for GPS tracking an admission the scheme failed
The State Government insists the cash injection — to hire an extra 38 staff — is nothing unusual.
But Shadow Police Minister Adam Hort called it an admission of failure.
'We had leaked letters, we had all sorts of information coming out from a system that was stretched, saying that this monitoring was not working and time and again Roger Cook said that the system was working,' he said.
'Now what we've seen is an admission by this Government in the Budget. They can spin it all they like, the Budget doesn't lie.
He called it a 'final win' for the community, but said the Government should have 'come clean' in April when it was revealed magistrates in Bunbury and Albany were told GPS monitors could not be used in regional WA — where 41 of 107 repeat offenders were being monitored
A leaked letter from the Justice Department to WA Police warned that community corrections would stop recommending electronic monitoring for regional offenders, due to an 'unacceptable risk' when equipment failed.
At the time, Premier Roger Cook blamed 'technical limitations' and 'black spots' and denied there was any resourcing shortfall.
On Thursday, Minister for Child Protection Jessica Stojkovski said the staffing boost was part of normal Budget processes.
'Whenever we bring in new programs, as they develop we look at how we adapt and fund them to meet the need that we're seeing,' she said.
'The two year trial was only limited to certain areas and it didn't include the whole State.
'So rolling the program out across the State, obviously, we were going to have some learnings, even as we started to roll it out. It's not even a 12 month old program.'
Laws mandating the installation of GPS monitors on repeat domestic violence offenders came into effect last December.
Ms Stojkovski denied victims of domestic violence were left unprotected, if GPS monitors didn't work.
'Western Australians have some of the strongest legislation in the country to protect victim survivors of domestic violence,' she said.
'This has been part of what we're doing, it is not the whole of what we're doing.
'Electronic monitoring was a bail condition, it was only ever required on a perpetrator if they had met other bail conditions so they were being allowed out on bail and were deemed to not be a risk to the community of to their victim survivor.'
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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Liberals call on Labor to concede Tasmanian election and bid to form minority government
The Tasmanian Liberals are calling on Labor to concede defeat as both parties continue discussions with crossbenchers to form government following Saturday's state election. Speaking on ABC Radio Hobart, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said Labor leader Dean Winter and his party "have completely gone to ground". "Nobody knows about the secret dealings with the Tasmanian Greens. He's said he would not do a deal with the Greens, he can only be in government with a deal with the Greens," Mr Rockliff said. It could still be more than a week before Tasmanians know the final makeup of the next parliament, but so far the Liberals have 14 seats, Labor 10, the Greens five and there are four independents — Kristie Johnston, David O'Byrne, Craig Garland and Peter George. Two seats remain in doubt. Neither of the major parties will achieve the 18 seats needed to govern in majority. Braddon Liberal MP Felix Ellis said Mr Winter "must abandon his continuing arrogant push to grab power". Mr Winter, who has not spoken publicly since Sunday, will give a media conference later today. Labor has also been contacted for comment. Independent David O'Byrne, a former Labor leader whose seat is secure in Franklin, said he was in discussions with both Mr Rockliff and Mr Winter. He told ABC Radio Hobart he met with Mr Winter in person on Monday — the first time he said he had met with Mr Winter for "a number of years". Mr O'Byrne said he would meet with Mr Winter again on Friday. Mr O'Byrne said while it was "possible" for Labor to form a government, it would be difficult with just 10 seats. "I was in a parliament of 25 [seats] and we [Labor] had 10 members and we formed government and that was very difficult with 25. With 35 [seats] it's a far bigger challenge." He said there needed to be respect both ways. "Whilst the major parties need to be respectful that independents were elected and they need to listen to the independents, also the independents need to be respectful of the fact that close to 70 per cent of people voted for one of the three major parties." He said he would not be "horse trading" on policy as part of negotiations with the parties. Mr O'Byrne said he would provide a letter of intent around confidence and supply, and beyond that would consider each issue on its merits. "So it's not a blank cheque from me," he said. Mr Rockliff said the previous parliament, in which the Liberals governed in minority with support from some crossbenchers, had been "working well". He also responded to questions about Tasmania's budget — the dire state of which was one of the main reasons Labor's no-confidence motion in Mr Rockliff succeeded and paved the way for the early election. A Treasury report found Tasmania was headed for $13 billion of debt by 2028, $3 billion more than the government predicted in the June budget. "That's what they [Treasury] did say and that's because they weren't taking into account … our budget, so our budget was better than those projections because we had savings within our budget, and sensible savings at that," Mr Rockliff said. He also repeated the Liberals had no plans to raise taxes and charges to increase revenue. "We haven't committed to that because raising taxes in a cost of living challenging times like this is not the way to do it."
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Trump was told he is in Epstein files, WSJ reports
A report that US President Donald Trump was told his name appeared in files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has deepened a political backlash within his support base. US Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump in May that his name appeared in investigative files related to Epstein, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The White House has sent mixed signals following the story - first dismissing it as "fake news," while an official later said the administration was not denying Trump's name appears in some files. The official noted that Trump was already included in materials Bondi assembled in February for conservative influencers. In another development, a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee has approved a subpoena seeking all Justice Department files on Epstein. Three Republicans joined five Democrats to back the effort, in a sign that Trump's party was not ready to move on from the issue. Trump, who was friendly with Epstein up to the early 2000s, appears multiple times on flight logs for Epstein's private plane in the 1990s. Trump and several members of his family also appear in an Epstein contact book, alongside hundreds of others. Much of that material had been publicly released in the criminal case against Epstein's former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after her conviction for child sex trafficking and other crimes. Epstein's longtime pilot testified that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane multiple times. Trump has denied being on the plane. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said their friendship ended before Epstein's legal troubles first began two decades ago. Trump has faced intense criticism from his own supporters after his administration said it would not release the Epstein files, reversing a campaign promise. Under political pressure last week, Trump directed the Justice Department to seek the release of sealed grand jury transcripts related to Epstein. US District Judge Robin Rosenberg has denied one of those requests, finding that it did not fall into any of the exceptions to rules requiring grand jury material be kept secret. Last week, the Journal reported that Trump had sent Epstein a bawdy birthday note in 2003 that ended, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret." Trump has sued the Journal and its owners, including billionaire Rupert Murdoch, asserting that the birthday note was fake. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, to which he had pleaded not guilty. In a separate case, Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to a prostitution charge in Florida and received a 13-month sentence in what is now widely regarded as too lenient a deal with prosecutors. His connections with wealthy and powerful individuals prompted speculation his death was not a suicide. The Justice Department said in its memo this month that it had concluded Epstein died by his own hand. In a sign of how the issue has bedevilled Trump and divided his fellow Republicans, US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday abruptly said he would send lawmakers home for the summer a day early to avoid a floor fight over a vote on the Epstein files. Trump, stung and frustrated by the continued focus on the Epstein story, has sought to divert attention to other topics, including unfounded accusations that former President Barack Obama undermined Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign. Obama's office denounced the allegations as "ridiculous." A report that US President Donald Trump was told his name appeared in files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has deepened a political backlash within his support base. US Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump in May that his name appeared in investigative files related to Epstein, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The White House has sent mixed signals following the story - first dismissing it as "fake news," while an official later said the administration was not denying Trump's name appears in some files. The official noted that Trump was already included in materials Bondi assembled in February for conservative influencers. In another development, a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee has approved a subpoena seeking all Justice Department files on Epstein. Three Republicans joined five Democrats to back the effort, in a sign that Trump's party was not ready to move on from the issue. Trump, who was friendly with Epstein up to the early 2000s, appears multiple times on flight logs for Epstein's private plane in the 1990s. Trump and several members of his family also appear in an Epstein contact book, alongside hundreds of others. Much of that material had been publicly released in the criminal case against Epstein's former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after her conviction for child sex trafficking and other crimes. Epstein's longtime pilot testified that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane multiple times. Trump has denied being on the plane. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said their friendship ended before Epstein's legal troubles first began two decades ago. Trump has faced intense criticism from his own supporters after his administration said it would not release the Epstein files, reversing a campaign promise. Under political pressure last week, Trump directed the Justice Department to seek the release of sealed grand jury transcripts related to Epstein. US District Judge Robin Rosenberg has denied one of those requests, finding that it did not fall into any of the exceptions to rules requiring grand jury material be kept secret. Last week, the Journal reported that Trump had sent Epstein a bawdy birthday note in 2003 that ended, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret." Trump has sued the Journal and its owners, including billionaire Rupert Murdoch, asserting that the birthday note was fake. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, to which he had pleaded not guilty. In a separate case, Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to a prostitution charge in Florida and received a 13-month sentence in what is now widely regarded as too lenient a deal with prosecutors. His connections with wealthy and powerful individuals prompted speculation his death was not a suicide. The Justice Department said in its memo this month that it had concluded Epstein died by his own hand. In a sign of how the issue has bedevilled Trump and divided his fellow Republicans, US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday abruptly said he would send lawmakers home for the summer a day early to avoid a floor fight over a vote on the Epstein files. Trump, stung and frustrated by the continued focus on the Epstein story, has sought to divert attention to other topics, including unfounded accusations that former President Barack Obama undermined Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign. Obama's office denounced the allegations as "ridiculous." A report that US President Donald Trump was told his name appeared in files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has deepened a political backlash within his support base. US Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump in May that his name appeared in investigative files related to Epstein, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The White House has sent mixed signals following the story - first dismissing it as "fake news," while an official later said the administration was not denying Trump's name appears in some files. The official noted that Trump was already included in materials Bondi assembled in February for conservative influencers. In another development, a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee has approved a subpoena seeking all Justice Department files on Epstein. Three Republicans joined five Democrats to back the effort, in a sign that Trump's party was not ready to move on from the issue. Trump, who was friendly with Epstein up to the early 2000s, appears multiple times on flight logs for Epstein's private plane in the 1990s. Trump and several members of his family also appear in an Epstein contact book, alongside hundreds of others. Much of that material had been publicly released in the criminal case against Epstein's former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after her conviction for child sex trafficking and other crimes. Epstein's longtime pilot testified that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane multiple times. Trump has denied being on the plane. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said their friendship ended before Epstein's legal troubles first began two decades ago. Trump has faced intense criticism from his own supporters after his administration said it would not release the Epstein files, reversing a campaign promise. Under political pressure last week, Trump directed the Justice Department to seek the release of sealed grand jury transcripts related to Epstein. US District Judge Robin Rosenberg has denied one of those requests, finding that it did not fall into any of the exceptions to rules requiring grand jury material be kept secret. Last week, the Journal reported that Trump had sent Epstein a bawdy birthday note in 2003 that ended, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret." Trump has sued the Journal and its owners, including billionaire Rupert Murdoch, asserting that the birthday note was fake. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, to which he had pleaded not guilty. In a separate case, Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to a prostitution charge in Florida and received a 13-month sentence in what is now widely regarded as too lenient a deal with prosecutors. His connections with wealthy and powerful individuals prompted speculation his death was not a suicide. The Justice Department said in its memo this month that it had concluded Epstein died by his own hand. In a sign of how the issue has bedevilled Trump and divided his fellow Republicans, US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday abruptly said he would send lawmakers home for the summer a day early to avoid a floor fight over a vote on the Epstein files. Trump, stung and frustrated by the continued focus on the Epstein story, has sought to divert attention to other topics, including unfounded accusations that former President Barack Obama undermined Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign. Obama's office denounced the allegations as "ridiculous." A report that US President Donald Trump was told his name appeared in files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has deepened a political backlash within his support base. US Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump in May that his name appeared in investigative files related to Epstein, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The White House has sent mixed signals following the story - first dismissing it as "fake news," while an official later said the administration was not denying Trump's name appears in some files. The official noted that Trump was already included in materials Bondi assembled in February for conservative influencers. In another development, a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee has approved a subpoena seeking all Justice Department files on Epstein. Three Republicans joined five Democrats to back the effort, in a sign that Trump's party was not ready to move on from the issue. Trump, who was friendly with Epstein up to the early 2000s, appears multiple times on flight logs for Epstein's private plane in the 1990s. Trump and several members of his family also appear in an Epstein contact book, alongside hundreds of others. Much of that material had been publicly released in the criminal case against Epstein's former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison after her conviction for child sex trafficking and other crimes. Epstein's longtime pilot testified that Trump flew on Epstein's private plane multiple times. Trump has denied being on the plane. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein and has said their friendship ended before Epstein's legal troubles first began two decades ago. Trump has faced intense criticism from his own supporters after his administration said it would not release the Epstein files, reversing a campaign promise. Under political pressure last week, Trump directed the Justice Department to seek the release of sealed grand jury transcripts related to Epstein. US District Judge Robin Rosenberg has denied one of those requests, finding that it did not fall into any of the exceptions to rules requiring grand jury material be kept secret. Last week, the Journal reported that Trump had sent Epstein a bawdy birthday note in 2003 that ended, "Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret." Trump has sued the Journal and its owners, including billionaire Rupert Murdoch, asserting that the birthday note was fake. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, to which he had pleaded not guilty. In a separate case, Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to a prostitution charge in Florida and received a 13-month sentence in what is now widely regarded as too lenient a deal with prosecutors. His connections with wealthy and powerful individuals prompted speculation his death was not a suicide. The Justice Department said in its memo this month that it had concluded Epstein died by his own hand. In a sign of how the issue has bedevilled Trump and divided his fellow Republicans, US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday abruptly said he would send lawmakers home for the summer a day early to avoid a floor fight over a vote on the Epstein files. Trump, stung and frustrated by the continued focus on the Epstein story, has sought to divert attention to other topics, including unfounded accusations that former President Barack Obama undermined Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign. Obama's office denounced the allegations as "ridiculous."
9 News
3 hours ago
- 9 News
Donald Trump told his name was in Epstein files: reports
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here When Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed President Donald Trump in May on the Justice Department's review of the documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, she told him that his name appeared in the files, sources familiar with the discussion told CNN. The conversation, which also included Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, was characterised by two White House officials as a "routine briefing" that covered the scope of the Justice Department's findings. Trump's name appearing in the files, they said, was not the sole focus of the discussions. Bondi also raised in the meeting that several names of high-profile figures were also mentioned, and that investigators did not find evidence of a so-called client list or evidence refuting that Epstein died by suicide, the officials said. Attorney-General Pam Bondi reportedly told Donald Trump his name is in the Epstein files. (AP) The sources familiar with the department's review said the files appeared to include several unsubstantiated claims that the Justice Department found not to be credible, including those relating to Trump. It wasn't clear in what context Trump's name appeared in the files. Like many high-powered people in 1990s New York, Trump was an associate of Epstein's, who worked to cultivate celebrities to burnish his business. The revelation that his name appears in the documents does little to advance previous knowledge about his ties to the late sex offender. "The White House is not surprised by this – Trump's name was present in the binders that Bondi produced and handed out," one of the White House officials said, adding that many of the materials already released by the Justice Department had included mention of the president's name. "The White House does not view this as groundbreaking or new or surprising at all," the official said, adding that there is no evidence that Trump was involved in any wrongdoing. "The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep," White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement to CNN, referring to Epstein. "This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about." Donald Trump and Attorney-General Pam Bondi. (AP) The Wall Street Journal first reported that Bondi informed Trump in May about his name appearing in the documents. The revelations about the meeting contradict Trump's more recent denials that he was told he was in the files. Pressed last week on whether Bondi had told him he was named in the documents, he said, "No, no. She's given us just a very quick briefing." Trump has struggled to tamp down weeks of backlash over the administration's decision not to release more documents related to the Epstein investigation — a move that infuriated a vocal segment of the MAGA base and put the president at odds with some of his most ardent supporters. Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein at a Victoria's Secret Angels event in 1997. (Getty) Inside the White House, officials were outraged that Bondi did not redact Trump's name from publicly available materials contained in Epstein binders distributed to influencers in February, sources said. Her failure to protect the president during the episode has been a longstanding point of contention between the DOJ and the White House. "The DOJ and FBI reviewed the Epstein Files and reached the conclusion set out in the July 6 memo," Bondi and Blanche said in a statement. "Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts. As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings." The White House has dismissed the ongoing focus on the Epstein files, arguing that it's distracting from the administration's accomplishments and aiding Democrats' efforts to damage the president. But a growing and bipartisan chorus of lawmakers have since called for a full release of the documents, forcing Republican leaders on Capitol Hill to cut short their legislative session to avoid taking a series of votes on the matter. Trump denied writing the letter and has since sued the Wall Street Journal over its publication of that article. Donald Trump Jeffrey Epstein USA US POLITICS World CONTACT US Auto news: Why Australians are still driving around without insurance.
