Couple face police inquiries after baby born to commercial surrogate
However, an expert in surrogacy law says she would be surprised if the pair ended up in front of a criminal court, as no one has ever been prosecuted in Queensland for having a baby through surrogacy – even before new laws came into effect 15 years ago.
In the latest case, the baby was born in 2024 to a couple living in Brisbane who said they had been trying to have a child for 15 years.
In evidence they gave to the Family Court, they said they had paid €84,000 (about $A140,000) to a foreign surrogacy service.
Paying for surrogacy is illegal in Queensland, and carries a maximum penalty of three years in jail.
The ABC first reported on the case, with the couple now referred to the Queensland director of public prosecutions after they sought a parenting order.
That order would have given them decision-making rights for the child, allowed the child to live with them, and prevented the child from spending any time with the surrogate mother.
They also asked to be allowed to get an Australian passport or other travel documents for the child, and to travel internationally with the child without needing the surrogate mother's consent.
When they made the application, the couple were still overseas, and spoke to the court via video link. Later, their lawyer told the court they had travelled to Australia with the child.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Eight new books to add to your bedside table pile this week
Grant Dooley. Affirm Press. $36.99. Grant Dooley and his wife, Kristan, had barely settled into their diplomatic posting to Indonesia in 2004 when a bomb exploded outside the Australian embassy compound in Jakarta, killing 11 people. Dooley was one of the first responders. Two-and-a-half years later he was on the scene when Garuda flight 200 crashed in Yogyakarta, killing 20 people - five of them Australians. Dooley's description of running to the burning aircraft, hoping desperately to find friends and colleagues on board, is one of the most powerful scenes in a memoir that captures the emotional and psychological toll of his tumultuous time in Indonesia. Nicole Madigan. Pantera Press. $36.99. Investigative journalist Nicole Madigan's second work of non-fiction is an intimate exploration of why people choose to stay in toxic relationships and what drives them to leave. It tells the stories of four women who fought devastatingly hard for relationships that were tarnished by betrayal, hurt, lies and behaviours that fractured the foundation on which they were built. This is an impressive follow-up to 2023's Obsession: A journalist and victim-survivor's investigation into stalking. If you liked Three Women by Lisa Taddeo, Torn offers insights into the complexities of love, infidelity, addiction and grief. Tim Booth. Macmillan Australia. $36.99. Stories about the bizarre stuff medical professionals face in their daily lives are a rich seam well mined by doctors, nurses and paramedics. The latest collection comes from Tim Booth, who was a motoring journalist before he handed in his road-testing keys and became an intensive care paramedic. From the woman who called 000 because she had run out of milk to a dairy-related crisis of a more adult kind involving the illegal drug GHB and copious amounts of custard, Booth takes readers behind the scenes in the world of emergency medicine, with generous lashings of absurdity and dark humour. Stuart Mullins & Bill Hayes. Simon & Schuster. $36.99. It was a crime that changed post-war Australia. On Australia Day 1966 three children - Jane, Arnna and Grant Beaumont - went missing from Glenelg Beach in South Australia. They were never seen again. It was a story at least as seismic for generations of parents as the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2007. The authors, one a writer and the other a former police detective, have years of experience with the case. They name the prime suspect in the mystery as a businessman who was considered a pillar of Adelaide society, but who in reality was a serial predator. Natalia Figueroa Barroso. UQP. $34.99. Uruguayan-Australian Natalia Figueroa Barroso's debut novel spans two continents and three generations of women. The stories of Gaciela, daughter Rita and aunt Chula explore the different perspectives of a family's migrant past through identity, nostalgia for one's origins and buried secrets. Taking place in Western Sydney, 1970s Uruguay and present-day Montevideo, the novel shows that though trauma can be generational, there are often ways to heal. The author attributes her writing inspiration for her novel to The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn and Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo. Sophie Green. Hachette. $34.99. Sophie Green's latest novel is a cozy read that will make you want to curl up on the couch with the crew at the Seaside Salon, Trudy, Anna, Evie and Josie. The four women either work or are clients at the salon in a classic coastal town. We follow them in the winter months of the 1980s as they find love and friendship, sometimes in unexpected places. Green's characterisation brings you quickly onside while the insights into a hairdresser's careful negotiation with their clients makes you smile. Oceanforged: The Wicked Ship Amelia Mellor. Affirm Press. $16.99. This is the first instalment of a promised five-book fantasy adventure series from the author of historical fantasy trilogy The Grandest Bookshop in the World. Recommended for readers aged 8 to 12, Oceanforged follows 13-year-old Cori, who is fighting for her life aboard the pirate ship Harridan skippered by the fearsome Captain Scrimshaw. When a powerful gauntlet from an ancient magical suit of armour fuses itself to her arm, plucky Cori thinks it's her ticket to freedom but first she must learn about courage and resilience, helped by her new friends, Tarn and Jem, who have amazing skills of their own. Suzanne Do. Macmillan Australia. $34.99. Lili Berry's life in the charming coastal village of Swanning is upended by the death of her twin sister, Honey. Fuelled by grief, Lili strives to uncover the truth. Pete, who is haunted by the disappearance of his son 15 years ago, is the one who found Honey's body. He and Lili plunge headfirst into the dark secrets and lies of their not always close-knit community. This is the debut novel of former lawyer Suzanne Do, who with husband Anh Do co-wrote The Little Refugee, a children's version of his bestselling memoir, The Happiest Refugee, and the feature film Footy Legends. Grant Dooley. Affirm Press. $36.99. Grant Dooley and his wife, Kristan, had barely settled into their diplomatic posting to Indonesia in 2004 when a bomb exploded outside the Australian embassy compound in Jakarta, killing 11 people. Dooley was one of the first responders. Two-and-a-half years later he was on the scene when Garuda flight 200 crashed in Yogyakarta, killing 20 people - five of them Australians. Dooley's description of running to the burning aircraft, hoping desperately to find friends and colleagues on board, is one of the most powerful scenes in a memoir that captures the emotional and psychological toll of his tumultuous time in Indonesia. Nicole Madigan. Pantera Press. $36.99. Investigative journalist Nicole Madigan's second work of non-fiction is an intimate exploration of why people choose to stay in toxic relationships and what drives them to leave. It tells the stories of four women who fought devastatingly hard for relationships that were tarnished by betrayal, hurt, lies and behaviours that fractured the foundation on which they were built. This is an impressive follow-up to 2023's Obsession: A journalist and victim-survivor's investigation into stalking. If you liked Three Women by Lisa Taddeo, Torn offers insights into the complexities of love, infidelity, addiction and grief. Tim Booth. Macmillan Australia. $36.99. Stories about the bizarre stuff medical professionals face in their daily lives are a rich seam well mined by doctors, nurses and paramedics. The latest collection comes from Tim Booth, who was a motoring journalist before he handed in his road-testing keys and became an intensive care paramedic. From the woman who called 000 because she had run out of milk to a dairy-related crisis of a more adult kind involving the illegal drug GHB and copious amounts of custard, Booth takes readers behind the scenes in the world of emergency medicine, with generous lashings of absurdity and dark humour. Stuart Mullins & Bill Hayes. Simon & Schuster. $36.99. It was a crime that changed post-war Australia. On Australia Day 1966 three children - Jane, Arnna and Grant Beaumont - went missing from Glenelg Beach in South Australia. They were never seen again. It was a story at least as seismic for generations of parents as the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2007. The authors, one a writer and the other a former police detective, have years of experience with the case. They name the prime suspect in the mystery as a businessman who was considered a pillar of Adelaide society, but who in reality was a serial predator. Natalia Figueroa Barroso. UQP. $34.99. Uruguayan-Australian Natalia Figueroa Barroso's debut novel spans two continents and three generations of women. The stories of Gaciela, daughter Rita and aunt Chula explore the different perspectives of a family's migrant past through identity, nostalgia for one's origins and buried secrets. Taking place in Western Sydney, 1970s Uruguay and present-day Montevideo, the novel shows that though trauma can be generational, there are often ways to heal. The author attributes her writing inspiration for her novel to The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn and Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo. Sophie Green. Hachette. $34.99. Sophie Green's latest novel is a cozy read that will make you want to curl up on the couch with the crew at the Seaside Salon, Trudy, Anna, Evie and Josie. The four women either work or are clients at the salon in a classic coastal town. We follow them in the winter months of the 1980s as they find love and friendship, sometimes in unexpected places. Green's characterisation brings you quickly onside while the insights into a hairdresser's careful negotiation with their clients makes you smile. Oceanforged: The Wicked Ship Amelia Mellor. Affirm Press. $16.99. This is the first instalment of a promised five-book fantasy adventure series from the author of historical fantasy trilogy The Grandest Bookshop in the World. Recommended for readers aged 8 to 12, Oceanforged follows 13-year-old Cori, who is fighting for her life aboard the pirate ship Harridan skippered by the fearsome Captain Scrimshaw. When a powerful gauntlet from an ancient magical suit of armour fuses itself to her arm, plucky Cori thinks it's her ticket to freedom but first she must learn about courage and resilience, helped by her new friends, Tarn and Jem, who have amazing skills of their own. Suzanne Do. Macmillan Australia. $34.99. Lili Berry's life in the charming coastal village of Swanning is upended by the death of her twin sister, Honey. Fuelled by grief, Lili strives to uncover the truth. Pete, who is haunted by the disappearance of his son 15 years ago, is the one who found Honey's body. He and Lili plunge headfirst into the dark secrets and lies of their not always close-knit community. This is the debut novel of former lawyer Suzanne Do, who with husband Anh Do co-wrote The Little Refugee, a children's version of his bestselling memoir, The Happiest Refugee, and the feature film Footy Legends. Grant Dooley. Affirm Press. $36.99. Grant Dooley and his wife, Kristan, had barely settled into their diplomatic posting to Indonesia in 2004 when a bomb exploded outside the Australian embassy compound in Jakarta, killing 11 people. Dooley was one of the first responders. Two-and-a-half years later he was on the scene when Garuda flight 200 crashed in Yogyakarta, killing 20 people - five of them Australians. Dooley's description of running to the burning aircraft, hoping desperately to find friends and colleagues on board, is one of the most powerful scenes in a memoir that captures the emotional and psychological toll of his tumultuous time in Indonesia. Nicole Madigan. Pantera Press. $36.99. Investigative journalist Nicole Madigan's second work of non-fiction is an intimate exploration of why people choose to stay in toxic relationships and what drives them to leave. It tells the stories of four women who fought devastatingly hard for relationships that were tarnished by betrayal, hurt, lies and behaviours that fractured the foundation on which they were built. This is an impressive follow-up to 2023's Obsession: A journalist and victim-survivor's investigation into stalking. If you liked Three Women by Lisa Taddeo, Torn offers insights into the complexities of love, infidelity, addiction and grief. Tim Booth. Macmillan Australia. $36.99. Stories about the bizarre stuff medical professionals face in their daily lives are a rich seam well mined by doctors, nurses and paramedics. The latest collection comes from Tim Booth, who was a motoring journalist before he handed in his road-testing keys and became an intensive care paramedic. From the woman who called 000 because she had run out of milk to a dairy-related crisis of a more adult kind involving the illegal drug GHB and copious amounts of custard, Booth takes readers behind the scenes in the world of emergency medicine, with generous lashings of absurdity and dark humour. Stuart Mullins & Bill Hayes. Simon & Schuster. $36.99. It was a crime that changed post-war Australia. On Australia Day 1966 three children - Jane, Arnna and Grant Beaumont - went missing from Glenelg Beach in South Australia. They were never seen again. It was a story at least as seismic for generations of parents as the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2007. The authors, one a writer and the other a former police detective, have years of experience with the case. They name the prime suspect in the mystery as a businessman who was considered a pillar of Adelaide society, but who in reality was a serial predator. Natalia Figueroa Barroso. UQP. $34.99. Uruguayan-Australian Natalia Figueroa Barroso's debut novel spans two continents and three generations of women. The stories of Gaciela, daughter Rita and aunt Chula explore the different perspectives of a family's migrant past through identity, nostalgia for one's origins and buried secrets. Taking place in Western Sydney, 1970s Uruguay and present-day Montevideo, the novel shows that though trauma can be generational, there are often ways to heal. The author attributes her writing inspiration for her novel to The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn and Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo. Sophie Green. Hachette. $34.99. Sophie Green's latest novel is a cozy read that will make you want to curl up on the couch with the crew at the Seaside Salon, Trudy, Anna, Evie and Josie. The four women either work or are clients at the salon in a classic coastal town. We follow them in the winter months of the 1980s as they find love and friendship, sometimes in unexpected places. Green's characterisation brings you quickly onside while the insights into a hairdresser's careful negotiation with their clients makes you smile. Oceanforged: The Wicked Ship Amelia Mellor. Affirm Press. $16.99. This is the first instalment of a promised five-book fantasy adventure series from the author of historical fantasy trilogy The Grandest Bookshop in the World. Recommended for readers aged 8 to 12, Oceanforged follows 13-year-old Cori, who is fighting for her life aboard the pirate ship Harridan skippered by the fearsome Captain Scrimshaw. When a powerful gauntlet from an ancient magical suit of armour fuses itself to her arm, plucky Cori thinks it's her ticket to freedom but first she must learn about courage and resilience, helped by her new friends, Tarn and Jem, who have amazing skills of their own. Suzanne Do. Macmillan Australia. $34.99. Lili Berry's life in the charming coastal village of Swanning is upended by the death of her twin sister, Honey. Fuelled by grief, Lili strives to uncover the truth. Pete, who is haunted by the disappearance of his son 15 years ago, is the one who found Honey's body. He and Lili plunge headfirst into the dark secrets and lies of their not always close-knit community. This is the debut novel of former lawyer Suzanne Do, who with husband Anh Do co-wrote The Little Refugee, a children's version of his bestselling memoir, The Happiest Refugee, and the feature film Footy Legends. Grant Dooley. Affirm Press. $36.99. Grant Dooley and his wife, Kristan, had barely settled into their diplomatic posting to Indonesia in 2004 when a bomb exploded outside the Australian embassy compound in Jakarta, killing 11 people. Dooley was one of the first responders. Two-and-a-half years later he was on the scene when Garuda flight 200 crashed in Yogyakarta, killing 20 people - five of them Australians. Dooley's description of running to the burning aircraft, hoping desperately to find friends and colleagues on board, is one of the most powerful scenes in a memoir that captures the emotional and psychological toll of his tumultuous time in Indonesia. Nicole Madigan. Pantera Press. $36.99. Investigative journalist Nicole Madigan's second work of non-fiction is an intimate exploration of why people choose to stay in toxic relationships and what drives them to leave. It tells the stories of four women who fought devastatingly hard for relationships that were tarnished by betrayal, hurt, lies and behaviours that fractured the foundation on which they were built. This is an impressive follow-up to 2023's Obsession: A journalist and victim-survivor's investigation into stalking. If you liked Three Women by Lisa Taddeo, Torn offers insights into the complexities of love, infidelity, addiction and grief. Tim Booth. Macmillan Australia. $36.99. Stories about the bizarre stuff medical professionals face in their daily lives are a rich seam well mined by doctors, nurses and paramedics. The latest collection comes from Tim Booth, who was a motoring journalist before he handed in his road-testing keys and became an intensive care paramedic. From the woman who called 000 because she had run out of milk to a dairy-related crisis of a more adult kind involving the illegal drug GHB and copious amounts of custard, Booth takes readers behind the scenes in the world of emergency medicine, with generous lashings of absurdity and dark humour. Stuart Mullins & Bill Hayes. Simon & Schuster. $36.99. It was a crime that changed post-war Australia. On Australia Day 1966 three children - Jane, Arnna and Grant Beaumont - went missing from Glenelg Beach in South Australia. They were never seen again. It was a story at least as seismic for generations of parents as the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2007. The authors, one a writer and the other a former police detective, have years of experience with the case. They name the prime suspect in the mystery as a businessman who was considered a pillar of Adelaide society, but who in reality was a serial predator. Natalia Figueroa Barroso. UQP. $34.99. Uruguayan-Australian Natalia Figueroa Barroso's debut novel spans two continents and three generations of women. The stories of Gaciela, daughter Rita and aunt Chula explore the different perspectives of a family's migrant past through identity, nostalgia for one's origins and buried secrets. Taking place in Western Sydney, 1970s Uruguay and present-day Montevideo, the novel shows that though trauma can be generational, there are often ways to heal. The author attributes her writing inspiration for her novel to The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn and Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo. Sophie Green. Hachette. $34.99. Sophie Green's latest novel is a cozy read that will make you want to curl up on the couch with the crew at the Seaside Salon, Trudy, Anna, Evie and Josie. The four women either work or are clients at the salon in a classic coastal town. We follow them in the winter months of the 1980s as they find love and friendship, sometimes in unexpected places. Green's characterisation brings you quickly onside while the insights into a hairdresser's careful negotiation with their clients makes you smile. Oceanforged: The Wicked Ship Amelia Mellor. Affirm Press. $16.99. This is the first instalment of a promised five-book fantasy adventure series from the author of historical fantasy trilogy The Grandest Bookshop in the World. Recommended for readers aged 8 to 12, Oceanforged follows 13-year-old Cori, who is fighting for her life aboard the pirate ship Harridan skippered by the fearsome Captain Scrimshaw. When a powerful gauntlet from an ancient magical suit of armour fuses itself to her arm, plucky Cori thinks it's her ticket to freedom but first she must learn about courage and resilience, helped by her new friends, Tarn and Jem, who have amazing skills of their own. Suzanne Do. Macmillan Australia. $34.99. Lili Berry's life in the charming coastal village of Swanning is upended by the death of her twin sister, Honey. Fuelled by grief, Lili strives to uncover the truth. Pete, who is haunted by the disappearance of his son 15 years ago, is the one who found Honey's body. He and Lili plunge headfirst into the dark secrets and lies of their not always close-knit community. This is the debut novel of former lawyer Suzanne Do, who with husband Anh Do co-wrote The Little Refugee, a children's version of his bestselling memoir, The Happiest Refugee, and the feature film Footy Legends.
Courier-Mail
2 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
Woman allegedly beaten unconscious at Australian band, Rüfüs Du Sol, concert in California
Don't miss out on the headlines from Music Tours. Followed categories will be added to My News. A terrifying viral video shows a man savagely beating a woman unconscious at a concert in the Rose Bowl on Sunday night. The man can be seen pummelling a helpless woman and her friends at a show by Australian EDM band, Rüfüs Du Sol, in the famous stadium in Pasadena, California. Shelby Elston, a mum of three from Phoenix, Arizona, said she blacked out and woke up in the venue's medical tent, according to a Facebook post. Ms Elston said the conflict kicked off when her fiance accidentally spilled his drink on another concertgoer, who stormed off — only to return a half-hour later, screaming death threats. A male concertgoer is seen on video allegedly punching a woman Picture: Twitter/Festive Owl He is accused of repeatedly throwing punches. Picture: Twitter/Festive Owl Never miss the latest entertainment news from Australia and around the world — download the app direct to your phone. She said she put herself between the two men, and the attacker snapped, knocking her into the bleachers and pounding her again and again, even after she had been knocked out cold, the video shows. He punched two other men as the crowd pulled him off her. 'This man PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE! I was completely knocked out and there was blood pouring from my face,' Ms Elston wrote. He then 'continued to attack' her fiance and another friend, she said. She spent the rest of the concert in the venue's medical tent but made it safely back to her hotel, she said. The victim, Shelby Elston, is helped up by another concertgoer. Picture: Twitter/Festive Owl A spokesperson for the Pasadena Police Department confirmed that a police report had been filed with the same details, but they have not arrested a suspect, who Ms Elston said 'ran off into the crowd never to be seen again'. 'We are aware of the videos. We will aggressively follow up on any leads. It is a pretty clear shot of the suspect, so I'm pretty confident we will identify the suspect,' said Lisa Derderian, the public information officer for the city of Pasadena. Ms Derderian said the attack happened before the sold-out concert started and that an entire entry tunnel was briefly closed for paramedics to get through. The man who allegedly threw the punches. Picture: Twitter/Festive Owl Security rushed to the section of the Rose Bowl in California seconds later. Picture: Twitter/Festive Owl She said that Rose Bowl events have emergency teams standing by and the historic venue is generally safe for visitors. 'There were 60,000 people there. When you get that many people at any event, you definitely have incidents. I think this was more of a one-off,' she said. Some concertgoers disagree. When Rüfüs Du Sol posted a recap of the concert on Instagram, several top-level comments blasted the concert as overcrowded and dangerous. 'Dangerously oversold venue with real potential for tragedy,' one commenter wrote. Australian EDM band Rüfüs Du Sol at the Grammys in 2022. Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images 'Amazing set, horrible experience. The venue was very understaffed and we felt very unsafe. Aisles completely lined shoulder to shoulder with people, no way to get in or out,' said another. Rüfüs Du Sol issued a statement about the attack. 'Delivering moments for our fans to gather and celebrate safely is what we live for,' they said, according to the statement relayed by Rolling Stone. 'We have been heart broken to hear of the act of violence that took place during the opening act on Saturday.' Originally published as Woman allegedly beaten unconscious at Australian band's concert in California
West Australian
3 hours ago
- West Australian
Aussie band Rüfüs Du Sol breaks silence after young mother beaten unconscious in horrific assault at California gig
Popular Australian band Rüfüs Du Sol has spoken after a young mother was savagely beaten when she accidentally spilled her drink on a male concertgoer. Shelby Elston, 33, was preparing to watch Rüfüs Du Sol at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, when the stranger attacked her on Saturday. Footage shows the unidentified man throwing multiple punches at Elston, as another woman attempted to hold him back. She was with her fiancé, Cain Webb, at the time. '(I'm) still trying to find the words to describe exactly what happened to us last night,' Elston wrote on Facebook, saying she drove to see her 'favourite artist' only to miss the entire show. Elston explained: 'As soon as we got into the venue ... (we) grabbed a drink and sat down in our seats in the stands. 'The boys ... went to the bathroom. When they came back Cain accidentally knocked his drink over that was sitting next to my leg and splashed a little bit onto that man in front of us. 'We immediately apologised, but this man started screaming in our face that we did it on purpose. 'He ran off into the crowd leaving his girlfriend behind. 'We again apologised to her for the drink incident and left it at that.' Only 30 minutes later, the unidentified man returned clearly fuming. Elston said he got into her fiancé's face, allegedly telling him he would 'kill him' if it happened again. 'That is the last thing I remember before waking up in the medical tent an hour later,' she wrote. 'This man PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE! I was completely knocked out and there was blood pouring from my face. He continued to attack Cain while Ralph attempted to block him from the hits.' The man ran off into the crowd, not to be seen again. A report was made to Pasadena police. Rüfüs Du Sol, which consists of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt, later released a statement on Instagram. 'Delivering moments for our fans to gather and celebrate safely is what we live for. We have been heartbroken to hear of the act of violence that took place during the opening act on Saturday,' they wrote. 'This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable anywhere and the fact that this happened at one of our shows was devastating to learn about.'
