Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate Carlo Di Falco wins a seat in Tasmania's new parliament
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News.com.au
23 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Betrayal of victims': Report demands forensic reform
An independent forensic review has uncovered widespread failures in Queensland's DNA testing system, prompting the state government to announce a sweeping overhaul of Forensic Science Queensland (FSQ). The report, authored by forensic biologist Kirsty Wright, details extensive issues including unreliable results, long delays in testing, and contamination, problems that have significantly impacted police investigations, court proceedings, and victims of crime. The findings come after the state government commissioned the review in its first week in office, appointing Dr Wright and former FBI expert Bruce Budowle to assess testing services and reforms. According to the report: • FSQ has been providing unreliable DNA results to police and courts since early 2023 due to systemic contamination. • Delays in reporting DNA evidence have worsened, placing the justice system under 'critical system failure'. • The median turnaround time for DNA results in major crimes is 412 days, almost 400 days longer than what police require. • The backlog of untested rape kits increased from 75 in 2023 to 511 by September 2024, with some tests taking more than a year despite guidelines recommending completion within two to eight weeks. The government has responded by announcing the formation of an independent expert team, to be led by former NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller, with continued involvement from both Dr Wright and Dr Budowle. Premier David Crisafulli said the report 'exposes a harrowing chapter in Queensland's justice system'. 'We launched this review because Queenslanders deserve the truth and victims of crime deserve justice,' Mr Crisafulli said. 'This report shows what has occurred is nothing short of a betrayal of victims, but we are determined to rebuild confidence and restore integrity in the justice system.' Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the report's findings 'rocked the foundations of our justice system'. 'Dr Wright's findings aren't just concerning, they're chilling, and I know this report will be very difficult reading for victims,' Ms Frecklington said. 'To restore safety where you live, we must resource our courts and police with evidence they need Ms Frecklington said she was confident trust in the DNA testing system could be rebuilt. In addition to launching the expert panel, the government has pledged $50m over two years to clear the DNA backlog by outsourcing samples for testing. A further $6m will go to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to help deliver faster outcomes in DNA-related matters. Dr Wright said she was committed to helping rebuild Queensland's forensic system. 'I have been determined to leave no stone unturned with my review, knowing that the failures that occurred under the former government have seen our criminal justice system compromised, trust in our forensic DNA services eroded, and too many victims denied justice,' Dr Wright said. Mr Fuller said he was prepared for the work ahead. 'I am under no illusions that there is significant road in front of us as we work through the very serious issues raised,' Mr Fuller said. 'It is a great privilege to be entrusted with such a transformative task.'
ABC News
43 minutes ago
- ABC News
Commitment to quality early childhood education and care is incompatible with the for-profit model - ABC Religion & Ethics
As the Australian community comes to grip with the atrocious allegations of child sex abuse in childcare centres in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, extra attention has been paid to the role of the profit motive in facilitating abuse. Speaking on Insiders last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged that some for-profit operators have put profit above children's safety but has reassured the community that there is no 'in principle' objection to for-profit operators in the childcare sector. The strategy on the part of the government has been to make it less attractive for these operators to put profit above children's interests by withdrawing funds from centres that don't meet quality standards, rolling out CCTV cameras across the country, as well as implementing mandatory child safety training for early education and care workers. We don't doubt that some of these measures can make it somewhat less attractive for for-profit operators to put profit above children's interests. The issue for the government is that it has now acknowledged that the profit motive can lead to abuse and neglect, and that operators must choose how much to prioritise children's interests over profit, or vice versa. By leaving the for-profit model intact, the government is simply making some choices less attractive than others. It is not making it the case that the very choice to put profit first is ruled out. The problem for Albanese is that a serious government would not even allow the choice between profit and children's interests to take place. To see why the profit motive in care is so problematic, consider babysitting. Imagine a babysitter who takes home somewhere between $30 and $60 per hour, depending on how much she cuts costs. If she feeds the child cheap and non-nutritious food, if she minimises her use of nappies and rash cream, and if she does a side-hustle from her phone while letting the child watch television, then she can take more money home. If she looks after the child well, she will take less because she must pay for the costs of decent care. But there is catch — if the child is abused and neglected, she will take home nothing. Even with the safeguard in place where abuse and neglect lead to no payment, it would be foolish to give a babysitter a financial incentive to cut corners and focus on jobs other than looking after the child. Most parents know this intuitively: that's why parents tend to buy their children's food and necessities for babysitters, rather than trusting babysitters to use the babysitter's own funds to buy these items. Even with the best of intentions, those motivated by profit will be tempted to cut corners. Yet that is precisely what is at the heart of the for-profit model in childcare: a strong financial incentive to do the bare minimum in order to put more money in the pockets of shareholders. The perverse incentives of profit As the recent allegations of abuse clearly demonstrate, sometimes the bare minimum will create the conditions for abuse. But there is also a more pervasive problem: doing the bare minimum leads to children being denied the fundamental interest in developing meaningful caring relationships with their educators. These are relationships between an educator and a child where the former is empathetic, genuinely concerned about how the child is developing, and who ensures that the child enjoys all the goods of childhood available in a high-quality childcare centre: carefreeness, exploration, friendship and play. These relationships require a robust commitment to care, which the profit motive inherently undermines. If organisational structures are oriented away from profit, educators are put in the best position to both protect children from abuse and neglect and create the conditions for them to enjoy meaningful caring relationships, quality time with their friends, and learning through playful exploration of their environment. But if organisational structures are oriented towards profit, educators are not put in the best position to both protect children from abuse and neglect and create the conditions for children to thrive. This is because profit in care creates an institutional culture of efficiency and cost-effectiveness on the part of care providers. After all, the more efficient and cost-effective, the more profitable. The status quo is not defensible When discussing the role of profit in childcare, the prime minister has also hinted that the issue is about feasibility. Because the train has already left the station, so to speak, we now must work with the system we already have, where most operators are for-profit. But this is not good enough. Suppose we realised that the way we have structured our roads leads to significantly more fatal crashes than is necessary. Would we just shrug our shoulders and let numerous people die unnecessarily? If the government is serious about universal early childhood education and care — both because of the role it plays in future educational attainment and because of how quality early education creates the conditions for children to thrive — then it needs to engage in serious reform in the sector. And this requires moving away from a for-profit model. It is time to transition towards a system where early education is provided by the government and by not-for-profit operators, and where all families have access to free early education in the same way they have access to primary and secondary schooling. Until the government understands that Australian children's interests are too significant to be in competition with the profit motive, we will see more cases of cases of neglect and abuse. We will also make it much more difficult for educators to create the best conditions for children to thrive. Luara Ferracioli is Associate Professor in Political Philosophy at the University of Sydney. She is the author of Liberal Self-Determination in a World of Migration and Parenting and the Goods of Childhood. Stephanie Collins is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Monash University. She is the author of The Core of Care Ethics, Group Duties: Their Existence and Their Implications for Individuals and Organizations as Wrongdoers: From Ontology to Morality.
SBS Australia
43 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
Prime Minister seeking call with Benjamin Netanyahu
Anthony Albanese seeking to call Israeli Prime Minister this week Hamas to coordinate with Red Cross on aid delivery to hostages, if Israel complies with conditions Lando Norris ousts McLaren teammate for Hungarian Grand Prix victory Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . The Assistant Minister on Foreign Affairs and Trade says the Prime Minister is seeking a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week. Matt Thistlethwaite told Sky News the matter is being escalated. The federal government has announced aid for Gaza will be increased by an extra $20 million today, hours after tens of thousands walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge yesterday in protest over the ongoing war in Gaza. Liberal Senator Jane Hume says she was disappointed in the images of protesters in Sydney and Melbourne yesterday, saying the demonstrations were disruptive. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says he understands why so many people took part in the marches. "It was a very powerful statement to see the multitudes of people across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in particular. Australians are rightly appalled by the tragedy that they see unfolding on their screens in Gaza. It is a tragedy that we all want to see stop. It is why the government has been calling for a ceasefire for a very long period of time. It is also why we have been increasing our humanitarian assistance." The Australian Defence Force added more than 7-thousand to its full-time workforce in the last financial year. It is the highest annual intake in more than 15 years, and a 17 per cent increase from 2023. However, that number was still below the target for that period by 1,046 personnel. The federal government has a goal to reach 69,000 permanent defence force personnel by the early 2030s - and has introduced targeted measures to address the number of those leaving [[including relaxed entry requirements and $40,000 retention bonuses. Defence Minister Richard Marles says the measures have proven to be effective in seeing the size of the defence grow for the first time in almost four years, reversing a downward trend. "And the Defence Force is once again growing. And that is great news for the nation. But as good as that news is - our challenge is not just about keeping the defence force numbers that we're at. As important as it is to steady the ship (have retention). We have ambitions to grow the defence force through the backend of this decade and into the 2030s. And so, we know there is a lot more to do." Hamas says it is prepared to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions. The remarks come after Hamas released videos showing Israeli hostages and their physical condition, which has drawn strong criticism from Western countries. Hamas says any coordination with the Red Cross is contingent upon Israel permanently opening humanitarian corridors and halting air strikes during the distribution of aid. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. Ilay is the brother of hostage Evyatar David, shown in one of the videos. He says there must be immediate action to secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas. "They must take care of the hostages right now, to bring them sufficient food, provide urgent medical treatment. They have to do it now because the hostages are dying. The world must demand an agreement that will bring all the hostages home now, without any conditions, immediately." Police are appealing for any information that could help solve cases of missing persons in Australia during National Missing Persons week. In its 37th year, the week draws attention to around 2,700 Australians who are among the long-term missing. The Australian Federal Police is working with state and territory police to highlight the cases of several missing people, including Heather Marks, who went missing 42 years ago in Sydney. Heather's granddaughter, Natalie Jackson, is urging anyone who may know more about him or her grandmother's disappearance – to come forward. "On the 13th of April, Heather went missing last seen walking along Glover St, Rozelle, heading towards Leichhardt pool. If you were that day and know anything - no matter how small - I urge you to come forward. To the rest of Australia, she may be a missing person, but to us she is family. And we missing her dearly. A long-term missing person case brings immense emotional distress. For families, it is an endless journey of uncertainty marked by sadness, guilt and anger. Yet there is always a flicker of hope that one day we will have answers." In Formula One, Lando Norris held off McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris completed 39 of the 70 laps on a single set of hard tyres, while Piastri stopped twice and closed a 12-second gap to less than one second [[just 0.6 seconds]] at the finish. The result reduces the Australian's Formula One lead to nine points going into the August break. Norris says he wasn't expecting to win. "I didn't expect from that position to be that much quicker than Oscar. So our only option was to try and convert into a one (one-stop strategy). Still, I wasn't expecting it to work out. It was more 'let's give it a good shot, let's commit to that'. My strengths are definitely in pace, longevity of tyre - that kind of thing. And today, I utilised that to every possible tenth of a second. And it worked out." Piastri says the final moments of the race were tense. "Very stressful. Yeah, I think I could close the gap relatively quickly but that last second and a half, two seconds were incredibly tough. I just could not get close enough to put a move on from there. So close, very close." The win is Norris's fifth of the season, and third in the last four, to Piastri's six. It was also McLaren's seventh one-two in 14 races.
