Kathleen Folbigg forced to sleep on friend's couch two years after being freed from jail
It's been two years today since Ms Folbigg was released from prison having been locked up for murdering her three youngest children, Patrick, Sarah and Laura, and the manslaughter of her oldest child, Caleb, between 1989 and 1999.
In 2023 the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal overturned her convictions on all charges, accepting that new scientific evidence raised doubt over her guilt.
Ms Folbigg told news.com.au this week she is adapting to life outside, but the financial and emotional pressures have at times been overwhelming.
'I've moved back into Newcastle, returning back to where I went to high school and stuff but I just can't find a rental, it's so hard and I guess I'm single, have a dog, no job,' she said.
'I've been lucky enough that my friend has let me put my stuff in storage and sleep on the couch.
'It's two years down the track so yeah I feel like things can be a bit of a struggle.'
Ms Folbigg's legal team has had no word for a year from the NSW Government about her bid for compensation.
High-profile supporter, businessman Peter Yates told news.com.au the delay was 'morally wrong'.
'Since she was released she has received not even a tissue, not one cent, not one dollar, not a care package, absolutely nothing,' Mr Yates said.
'The NSW Government incarcerated her for 20 years, released her two years ago, pardoned her more than a year ago and they have not offered, provided or paid a single cent of compensation.
'Not even a thought of 'here is some money to tie you over while we think about compensation'. It's a slight on the NSW Government.
Ms Folbigg, Mr Yates and other supporters were having lunch at Parliament House in Sydney on Thursday to remind 'both sides of politics' of Ms Folbigg's plight.
Folbigg plans on spending her future advocating for others, and pushing for police departments to think of genetic testing as the 'first stop not the last stop'.
'What happened to me could happen to anyone. I had an extremely rare condition that couldn't be found until this genetic testing became available and what's to say it won't happen to someone else. It won't be found until there is standard genetic testing,' she said.
'Genetic testing should be cheaper for anyone who wants to double check they don't have something abnormal like I did, and in my case the worst happened.
'If you're going to accuse a parent of harming a child, the first stop should be going down the genetic road, not the last stop which landed me in jail for 20 years.'
'My message is if zealous prosecutors and detectives target a person, and not have any actual proof, if you're going to target a person we should stop and learn from the Folbigg case.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Laura Tingle on Netanyahu vs Albanese
Sam Hawley: The Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, says Anthony Albanese is a weak leader who has betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews. But do we really need to be in lockstep with Israel as it broadens its assault on Gaza? Today, global affairs editor Laura Tingle on the dramatic slide in relations. I'm Sam Hawley on Gadigal land in Sydney. This is ABC News Daily. Sam Hawley: Laura, Benjamin Netanyahu has begun the mission to take over Gaza City. He really isn't listening to any of the international condemnation, is he? Laura Tingle: He's not. And he's also not listening to an exceptional level of opposition to this manoeuvre within Israel either, Sam. I mean, we've seen those massive, massive protests in Israel. News report: There are thousands of Israelis who turned out for this protest, blocking off an entire street. This is the culmination of a day of action right across the country, not only in cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, but in smaller locations as well. Laura Tingle: And there's a lot of, you know, anger and resistance to what he's doing there, but certainly there's no signs of him showing any interest in what the rest of the world says about either moving into Gaza City or, for that matter, further incursions into the West Bank. Sam Hawley: All right. Well, Laura, let's discuss now the stoush that is unfolding between Israel and Australia. The Israeli Prime Minister thinks our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, is weak. Just tell me about this statement he put on X this week. Laura Tingle: Yes, he basically said that Anthony Albanese was a weak politician who had betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews. Now, this is an incredibly strong and very personal comment to be making about any other world leader and has followed a series of escalations or deteriorations in the relationship. Sam Hawley: All right. Well, the Prime Minister, in response to that, he was quite measured in what he said, wasn't he? Laura Tingle: He was. He basically said, no, he doesn't take any of these things personally and just refused to rise to the bait of having a go back. Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister: Well, I treat leaders of other countries with respect. I engage with them in a diplomatic way. I don't take these things personally. Laura Tingle: But Prime Minister Netanyahu has sort of gradually been ramping up the pressure on Australia and other countries about this and about suggesting that Australia had a, you know, quote, anti-Israel attitude. And it's not entirely clear why he thinks this is a good manoeuvre, apart from anything else, in Australia, we tend to have always taken all of these things very personally. And if some foreign figure has criticised Australia or the Australian government, it's gone straight in to be red meat into the Australian political debate. But I think it's interesting now that there's been this combination of things happen. One, I think the Prime Minister's now got his bearings and his sort of level of confidence up about dealing with foreign policy. And he's very measured in these sorts of circumstances, whether it's Israel or the US or wherever. But I think also the political mood in Australia has changed, I think, both towards Israel and also in terms of the sort of hysteria politics, if you like. I mean, some figures in the opposition have been trying to run this very hard and saying this is a gross failure on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's part. But it has not sort of developed the momentum that it might have once done a couple of years ago. Sam Hawley: Yeah, I was going to say the federal opposition leader, Sussan Ley, she thinks or says that the relationship has been badly mismanaged. Sussan Ley, Opposition Leader: We are seeing a relationship that has deteriorated and the consequences of that are not good. The Prime Minister needs to explain how he is going to get this relationship that he has so badly mismanaged back on track. Sam Hawley: But that might not be the view among the wider Australian population, you think? Laura Tingle: Well, no, I mean, polls confirm the idea that Australians' sympathy towards Israel and warm feelings towards Israel have been really hit hard by what has occurred in Gaza over the last 22 months, no matter how terrible the original attack might have been. But the actions of the Israeli government, as opposed to the Israeli people, have really lowered the sympathy level, if you like, towards Israel. So I think that's a really big difference. And I think just sort of saying that this is all the Prime Minister's fault doesn't really tally. It's sort of a bit akin with the sorts of comments that, for example, Prime Minister Netanyahu makes about Gaza, which seem to be at such odds with what people are seeing with their own eyes on television every night. Sam Hawley: Well, the Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, he did go a lot further than the Prime Minister in response to Netanyahu's comments. Tony Burke, Home Affairs Minister: Strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up or how many children you can leave hungry. Strength is much better measured by exactly what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has done, which is when there's a decision that we know Israel won't like, he goes straight to Benjamin Netanyahu. Sam Hawley: Interesting, the peak Jewish body, the Executive Council of the Australian Jewry and its head, Alex Ryvchin, he's actually expressed concern about the wording by Netanyahu and by Mr Burke. He really is saying, take the heat out of this. Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australia Jewry: The Australian Jewish community is profoundly disturbed and concerned by the rapidly deteriorating state of relations between our government and the government of the state of Israel. There are serious issues to transact between the two governments, but none of this is served or advanced through this public exchange of insults that's taking place right now. Sam Hawley: That's important, isn't it? Laura Tingle: I think it's really important. And he's not the only leader of the Jewish community or the only Jewish association who has said these things. Now, Tony Burke was incredibly strong and you could hear the anger in his voice when he did the interview the other morning. But Australian Jewish figures are sort of very concerned about the backlash from Prime Minister Netanyahu's comments on their own community. So, you know, there's quite a deal of alarm about that. And in fact, somebody was telling me the other day that there had been some relief, even amongst sort of harder line people who've been very critical of the government, that the government had actually refused the visa of a far right member of the Knesset, Mr Rothman, from coming to Australia because they were concerned that it would once again just stir up anti-Semitic sentiment in Australia, which helps no one. So I think this was very significant. I mean, these groups, particularly the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, have been very critical of the government and of the Prime Minister for the last couple of years, saying that they haven't done enough to combat anti-Semitism. So they're not coming from a position where, you know, they're naturally aligned, shall we say, with the government. And the fact that they've come out and said these things, I think is telling, as is, Sam, the fact that the Israeli ambassador to Australia actually distanced himself from the Prime Minister's comments. It's pretty extraordinary. Sam Hawley: Yeah. So just on that issue of the visa refusal for this Israeli, I mean, he's a far right Israeli politician, Simcha Rothman. Would that have been a decision that would have angered Israel, do you think? Laura Tingle: Well, I think the timing's been interesting. I mean, if we just go back through the timeline a little bit, things have deteriorated, shall we say, since the government announced earlier this month that Australia would be recognising the state of Palestine when the UN General Assembly is on in New York later in September. Now, other countries had done that and Israel had been critical of those decisions, saying it played into the hands of Hamas. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister: To have European countries and Australia march into that, march into that rabbit hole and buy this canard is disappointing. And I think it's actually shameful. Laura Tingle: But this decision to cancel the visa seems to have tipped Mr Netanyahu over the edge into this really extreme language. But once again, I wonder the extent to which it's playing to a domestic audience using very sort of Trumpian language and the sorts of things that we see President Trump saying to his base about foreign policy issues as well. Sam Hawley: Well, Laura, Benjamin Netanyahu, he's now appeared in a Sky News interview in Australia where he's just doubled down on this criticism of Anthony Albanese. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister: But I think his record is forever tarnished by the weakness that he showed in the face of these Hamas terrorist monsters. You know, when the worst terrorist organisation on earth congratulate the Prime Minister of Australia, you know something is wrong. Sam Hawley: Interesting. All right. Well, Laura, let's then consider the history of our relationship with Israel. Of course, we've been closely associated with Israel since its founding after the Second World War. It's a really important relationship, isn't it, that Australia has? Laura Tingle: Well, it's an important relationship. And essentially, Australia played an absolutely crucial role in the founding of the state of Israel. We were the first country to vote in favour of the plan, even though the UK asked Commonwealth countries to abstain because, of course, this was about partitioning Palestine, which at that stage was a British colony. And we've continued to push the case for Israel in those international forums, defended Israel when it was seen to be under sort of unfair attack from other countries. So we've had a very strong relationship with Israel going right back to its absolutely formative days. Our view of Israel has gradually changed or our our sort of approach to Israel has gradually changed as it has made further and further incursions into land originally designated for the Palestinians. But the latter day rationale has always been, look, it's the democracy sitting in this sort of sea of non-democracies in the Middle East and the only functioning state and all those sorts of things. But I think the fact that the current government in Israel is so far to the right, plus all these charges in the International Criminal Court against both Prime Minister Netanyahu and other figures in the government, that the argument that it's a democracy we have to defend also looks a bit sad at the same time. Sam Hawley: What about then, Laura, social cohesion here? Netanyahu thinks Anthony Albanese has abandoned Australia's Jews. There has been concern about anti-Semitism in Australia. Could this be damaging? Laura Tingle: Well, I think as we've seen from comments from the Jewish community in Australia, they don't see it that way. You know, I think you mentioned the Executive Council of Australian Jewry's comments and they were saying that the suggestion that Mr Albanese has abandoned Australian Jews wasn't true, wasn't the sort of language they'd use, even though they've been critical of him and they don't think it helps. Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australia Jewry: We've expressed concerns for nearly two years now about some of the government's rhetoric and policies and handling of the anti-Semitism crisis. We've had serious misgivings and we've made them known, but we've never felt abandoned. We've always felt like we can speak to government and speak to the public of this country and make our case and make our appeal for a more harmonious society. But we've never felt abandoned by this government, no. Laura Tingle: So will it come back? Will the relationship come back? The question is what happens, I think, in terms of the domestic politics of Israel and what happens post Netanyahu. So, I mean, these are really important questions, but there's no reason to think that if Israel shows a more democratic approach in its internal affairs and particularly if its actions in Gaza don't continue and the West Bank, for that matter, don't continue to create outrage around the world, you know, I don't think Australians have any... They don't have any gripe with Israeli people. Sam Hawley: Laura Tingle is the ABC's global affairs editor. This episode was produced by Sydney Pead, Grant Wolter and Cinnamon Nippard. Audio production by Sam Dunn. Our supervising producer is David Coady. I'm Sam Hawley. ABC News Daily will be back again on Monday. Thanks for listening.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
Jim Chalmers' three-day roundtable builds consensus on road user charge, clearing housing approvals backlog
Progressing road user charging and clearing a backlog on homes awaiting environmental approvals are among the 10 immediate reform directions to result from a three-day roundtable aimed to boost Australia's ailing productivity levels. Speaking after talks ended on Thursday, Jim Chalmers said there was 'a lot of conceptual support for road user charging', however no final model had been settled. The next steps will involve presenting an options paper to state treasurers at a meeting in two weeks on September 5, which would be drafted by NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, Infrastructure Minister Catherine King and other relevant ministers. 'The model is not determined, but the key considerations are what's in and out and whether that's sequenced or not and over how long a time period,' he said. 'Treasurer Mookhey was very informed and very constructive on this question and really right around the table people had a view that this is an idea whose time has come and so we will do that work.' The charge, which would likely capture EV drivers currently exempt from the fuel excise, would reform how the government collects revenue to fund road maintenance and infrastructure upgrades. Other short-term reform initiatives involve fast-tracking deadlocked reforms on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act to speed up approvals for projects while protecting the environment, and further work to remove nuisance tariffs and regulation reductions. Speeding up housing approvals was another 'quick win' which achieved consensus following 29 hours of discussions, with Environmental Minister Murray Watt set to work with Housing Minister Clare O'Neil to speed through the 'backlog of environmental approvals for new homes, most likely in the tens of thousands'. Longer-term reform areas included investigating prefabricated and modular housing, plus more modern methods of construction to increasing housing supply. Mr Chalmers also highlighted three priority areas of tax reform, which dominated the last day of talks, and appeared to achieve little consensus beyond agreement on the need for reform. This included improving intergenerational equality, 'affordable, responsible' offsets to 'incentivise business investment', and a simpler and more sustainable system to fund services such as aged care and the NDIS. 'There are hundreds of different changes you can make to the tax system. Some of them obviously unpalatable to our government or to governments broadly,' he said. 'But what they wanted to do was to give us the guidance that they will help us in those three areas to do the work that we need to do to inform future budgets.' Speaking more broadly about the roundtable, which had been criticised as a 'talkfest' and a 'stitch up' by the opposition, Mr Chalmers said he 'finished the three days more optimistic than I was at the start'. He also praised participants for working through the issues in a 'methodical, considered, consultative way'. 'I'm genuine when I say at the end of that three days I looked around the table and I saw people of, you know, big achievers in their own areas representing workers, business CEOs, academics, economists, public servants and others,' he said. 'I drew great strength and confidence from their contributions because not because they had some kind of faux camaraderie, but because they take the challenge so seriously.'
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Childcare worker phone ban, national register to dominate Friday's education ministers meeting
State and federal education ministers will discuss progress on a nationwide mobile phone ban for early childcare workers, among a range of other measures aimed at bolstering safety at centres. States, including South Australia, Victoria and most recently Western Australia, have already gone further with a total ban on personal mobile phones in centres, however all states and territories agreed to the voluntary Model Code set by the Commonwealth. The federal code restricts educators and workers from taking photo and videos on their personal devices. However, centre-issued devices are exempt from the rule. Other measures set to dominate the meeting, which will be held in Sydney on Friday, include funding a National Educator Register to ensure workers who fail to meet standards can't bypass state jurisdictions, tougher penalties to deter noncompliance and mandatory child safety training for all staff. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare will also propose a funding package of up to $189m over four years to implement the changes. The special meeting of education ministers follows a string of child abuse and sexual assault allegations, including Melbourne former childcare worker Joshua Brown who faces more than 70 charges. Australian Federal Police officers allege NSW worker David William James produced child abuse material of 10 victims, the oldest being six years old. As a result, the Commonwealth passed laws which would cut off funding to centres which repeatedly breached standards, plus allow compliance officers to conduct checks without prior warning. Mr Clare said Friday's meeting would discuss the 'next step' in ensuring safety standards in centres. 'No parent should ever have to wonder if their child is safe when they drop them off at child care,' he said. 'We need a national register to ensure we know who is caring for our children and their work history.' He also flagged mandatory child safety training as another priority. 'The overwhelming majority of childcare workers are awesome at what they do caring for and educating our children. They are just as angry as everyone else,' he said. 'They're our best asset here and we need to back them with the skills to spot when something isn't right. 'We also need to ban personal phones and ramp up inspections to make sure centres are up to scratch.' Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh conceded 'there was more to do'. 'Our action supports the overwhelming majority of educators and providers who do the right thing and shuts the door on people and providers who do harm,' she said. 'Our investment of up to $184m is the biggest child safety package the early learning sector has ever seen.' The Coalition's education and early learning spokesman Jonno Duniam said Friday's meeting must produce 'immediate, consistent reforms'. He said there needed to be a consistent phone ban across all states, and backed South Australia's $50,000 penalties for noncompliance on Model Code. 'Every opportunity to shift the dial should be on the table. This includes considering targets in the extended preschool reform agreement,' he said. 'A national register of childcare workers should have been implemented already, and there must be consistency in the implementation of personal phone bans. 'South Australia is imposing $50,000 penalties for noncompliance to the new code. We want to see all states and territories follow suit.'
