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ABC News
4 minutes ago
- ABC News
Volunteers work to launch independent service after national charity Sleepbus folds
Volunteers across Australia are working to make the dream of safe sleeping for homeless people a reality following the collapse of the national charity Sleepbus earlier this year. In January, the non-for-profit Sleepbus, which aimed to transform old buses into temporary accommodation, announced it had folded due to financial pressures. At the time, the organisation said it would cease managing its operating buses across the country and would finish construction and delivery of outstanding buses by July. Now, volunteer community groups are preparing to run the buses themselves. Bob Nelson from the Manning Homeless Action Group in Taree on the New South Wales Mid North Coast said his group of volunteers was excited by the prospect. Other communities have lodged complaints with the national charities regulator over allegations that Sleepbus failed to deliver on its promises. To receive a bus, Sleepbus required a person or group to raise $100,000 in donations, and in return it would construct, deliver and manage the bus in the group's preferred location. The Manning Homeless Action Group gave Sleepbus $100,000 in 2023 to bring a bus to Taree. While the agreement seemed fairly straightforward, what happened next was anything but. After announcing Sleepbus would be closing its doors in January, Sleepbus began requesting $50,000 from some communities with incomplete buses to finish production. Manning Homeless Action Group's Terry Stanton said the group gave Sleepbus $50,000 to finish their bus planned for Taree, despite reservations that their initial donation would not be refunded. "There was also no suggestion that our [initial payment of] $100,000 would be given back to us," he said. Mr Stanton said volunteers were then told they would be receiving a bus initially promised for the nearby town of Coffs Harbour. The Coffs Harbour bus could not proceed as, without Sleepbus's assistance, a charity to operate that service could not be found. One month later, the group was told by Sleepbus that they would be receiving a bus from Byron Bay instead, which had been completed in 2024 but sat unused in a depot for the past nine months. A spokesperson from the Seaton Foundation in Byron Bay confirmed it had donated funds to bring two sleep-buses to the area in 2023, but only one was delivered. After the project failed to get off the ground in Byron Bay, the foundation agreed to send the completed bus to Taree instead. Mr Stanton said he felt the $50,000 given to Sleepbus to complete a bus for Taree had essentially gone "down the drain". "It may have helped one of the other groups get their bus finished, but Sleepbus should be held accountable for what they did with all the money." Mr Stanton said the situation compelled him to make a formal complaint to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). While a bus was ultimately delivered to Taree, Bob Nelson was required to sign a contract ordering him to remove all Sleepbus logos from the vehicle before use. The contract, seen by the ABC, also orders Mr Nelson not to make any "disparaging comments" about Sleepbus and its employees, or the condition of the bus delivered to Taree. Sleepbus CEO Simon Rowe has not responded to repeated requests from the ABC for comment on this story. Of the 11 finished Sleepbuses in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, only three are in operation, under new brand names — at Redcliffe and Hervey Bay in Queensland, and Queanbeyan in New South Wales. In Taree, Bob Nelson said he had committed to seeing the service up and running within the next few weeks rebranded as the Bed Inn Bus. "If you can provide a safe place for someone to sleep for one night, I mean that's enormous," he said. While the road to receiving a bus has been difficult for some communities, others have had glowing experiences with Sleepbus. Bronco Jensen was the driver for a Sleepbus in Hervey Bay in Queensland and estimated that three people used the bus each night before it closed in January. "Unfortunately, probably the majority of people who use the bus are there due to domestic violence," Mr Jensen said. Mr Jensen said the service was urgently seeking volunteers after Sleepbus stopped managing the service. It rebranded its bus as the Rotary Hervey Bay Z Bus. "It takes a small village to get the service going before it even leaves the gate," he said.
News.com.au
4 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Teenage girl dies after stabbing at Edgeworth, NSW
A teenage girl has died and another has been arrested after a horror stabbing in NSW. The girl was found with an injury to her torso at Euston Close, Edgeworth at about 10.20pm on Monday, where police were called to 'reports of a stabbing'. She was treated by paramedics at the scene before being rushed to hospital in a critical condition. The girl later died from her injuries, and is yet to be formally identified. Police said another girl – who was known to the alleged victim – was arrested at the scene. No charges have been laid. 'A crime scene has been established, which will be forensically examined by specialist officers,' NSW Police said in a statement. The homicide squad is assisting investigators working to understand the circumstances of the girl's death. Anyone with information is being urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
News.com.au
4 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Dancing With The Stars 2025 winner revealed after ‘extraordinary' final dance
The winner of this year's season of Dancing With The Stars was announced during Monday's grand finale, with hosts Sonia Kruger and Chris Brown revealing the winners to be … Home and Away star Kyle Shilling and his dance partner, Lily Cornish. The pair had earned a perfect score of 40 from the judges during the finale, beating out second-place-getters Shaun Micallef and his dance partner Ash-Leigh Hunter, who scored 37. Shilling and Cornish had wowed the judges with a cultural performance to Mo'ju's Native Tongue, with Kyle playing the didgeridoo live. Judge Helen Richey called it 'one of the best performances' she's ever seen on any series of the show. A former member of Bangarra Dance Theatre, soap star Kyle is a descendant of the Widjubal clan in the Bundjalung Nation. And it seemed viewers were just as happy with the result: For once, the winner of Dancing With The Stars appeared to be a completely non-controversial pick in the eyes of fans of the show. Instagram posts announcing the winner last night were flooded with supportive comments from viewers congratulating the pair, and raving about their spectacular final dance. 'I knew you'd win. Did such an amazing job,' one wrote. Another viewer called the pair's final performance 'extraordinary and spiritual.' 'That wasn't just a performance — it was a powerful expression of culture, love, and pride. You brought your whole heart and honoured your roots in such a moving, authentic way,' another viewer raved. 'This has to be the most powerful performance I've ever seen on Dancing With The Stars,' another fan declared. 'Cried. Goosebumps. Spectacular,' commented another. One other viewer suggested Shilling's 'didgeridoo skills need to be showcased on Home & Away.' A 'humbled' Kyle said after the win that he was feeling 'mixed emotions' as it meant his time on the show had come to an end. 'We built such a strong family here and you can see all the beautiful people behind us. It's amazing to be able to stand here and hold this trophy, knowing all the hard work we put in has paid off,' he said. Shilling was awarded $20,000 for his chosen charity, The Indigenous Literacy Foundation. The final leaderboard for the night: Kyle Shilling and Lily Cornish: 40 Shaun Micallef and Ash-Leigh Hunter: 37 Trent Cotchin and Jess Raffa: 35 Felicity Ward and Aric Yegudkin: 33 Brittany Hockley and Craig Monley: 32
