Police informant to testify in Erin Patterson's murder trial
He's told the jury a phone linked to Ms Patterson was never able to be recovered.
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ABC News
a few seconds ago
- ABC News
Former CEO of domestic violence helpline DVConnect defends service following audit
The former head of a Queensland domestic and family violence helpline has defended the service, after an audit found thousands of callers had hung up while waiting for their calls to be answered. A report into DVConnect, released by the government last week, found the total number of abandoned calls increased by 388 per cent from July 2023 to March 2025. In total, more than 2,500 calls were abandoned in that period. At its peak in October 2024, three months after Beck O'Connor left, the volume of abandoned calls was almost equal to the volume of answered calls. The review noted this corresponded with an increase in demand that month. Those who waited to speak to a responder were in the queue for more than 20 minutes, while those who hung up waited about 13 minutes, it found. A review into the service was launched in December last year, following concerns the organisation had been underfunded. Following budget estimates hearings last week, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Amanda Camm expressed concerns about resource allocation at the service. Ms Camm told a parliamentary hearing on Thursday evening there had been a lack of transparency from DVConnect in 2024, during contract negotiations with the former Labor government. Ms Camm alleged the service failed to disclose it had lost a multimillion-dollar contract with Telstra Health to deliver the 1800RESPECT service at the time. Ms O'Connor last week denied "any wrongdoing or impropriety". On Monday, Premier David Crisafulli said the report left "questions that need to be answered". Ms O'Connor was the chief executive of DVConnect for five years, resigning from the role in July 2024 to become Queensland's first victims' commissioner. She said her term had coincided with some of the "most challenging conditions in the sector's history". Ms O'Connor claimed none of Australia's domestic and family violence services had enough funding to meet demand. "Throughout my tenure, I always followed governance standards. I stepped away from all operational authority and decision-making in mid-July 2024," she said in a statement on Tuesday. "I have read and reviewed the reports and would welcome any discussion with the Premier." Ms O'Connor, who is currently on leave, thanked those who had reached out to her privately, saying victim-survivors would always be her priority. "As Queensland's independent victims' commissioner, I remain focused on the work that matters most — amplifying the voices of victim-survivors, advocating for system-wide reforms, and ensuring every decision is guided by their safety and dignity," she said. Minister for Victim Support Laura Gerber's office confirmed it was seeking a meeting with Ms O'Connor upon her return. Ms O'Connor said she had spent her career standing alongside victims of domestic and family violence. "As a professional and as someone who has lived through it, I know how vital it is that help comes with compassion, urgency and a focus on safety," she said. "I have been relentless in working to improve the services and responding to the growing demand, ensuring governments on both sides knew and understood the pressure the whole DFV victim support sector was, and still is continuing to face." She said these challenges included rising call volumes and the "increasing complexity" of what people experiencing violence were living through. Mr Crisafulli said the victims' commissioner was an important role and one people needed to have "faith in". "I just would like to see answers, and I think so do Queenslanders, and we're doing it in a respectful way. "There have been questions that have been raised, and they are serious questions, and [Ms O'Connor] deserves an opportunity to afford answers to us." The government received the DVConnect report, which it released publicly last week, in May. Shadow Health Minister Mark Bailey on Tuesday questioned the delay in its release. "This government has had a report for more than four months, which they've sat on," he said. "I think the government needs to stop playing petty politics with this."
Perth Now
30 minutes ago
- Perth Now
‘Critical': Big AUKUS call amid Trump fears
AUKUS is 'critical' to Australia's defence, Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil has declared while spruiking it in Adelaide with visiting US congressmen. US representatives Joe Courtney and Trent Kelly are in Australia for the Australian American Leadership Dialogue – an annual conference aimed at highlighting the deep ties between Canberra and Washington. Both men are staunch supporters of the US-Australia alliance, including AUKUS, which the Trump administration is reviewing. Speaking to media, Mr Kelly, a Republican like Donald Trump, said the bilateral relationship was like no other. 'Our relationship with our Australian partners is one that cannot be can't be replicated,' he told reporters, standing alongside Mr Khalil and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas. 'And so it's important that we continue to grow as friends. 'I've seen that relationship over the last two or three years as AUKUS has matured, grow stronger and better.' Republican congressman Trent Kelly says the US-Australia relationship 'can't be replicated'. Naomi Jellicoe Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Kelly was speaking from Osborne Naval Shipyard, where five nuclear-power AUKUS submarines will be built, assuming the US stays in the defence pact. More than $1.5 billion in federal funds have already been pumped into preparing to build and maintain them. Australia will also get at least three American-made Virginia-class submarines under the agreement. Mr Khalil said the Albanese government welcomed the Trump administration's review, declaring it 'brings forward the issues that are actually important for us to discuss about how we can get the best out of this partnership'. 'The AUKUS partnership is something that is historic,' he said. 'It's critical, it's important.' He went on to say the 'advanced capability that we get out of the Virginia-class and the future AUKUS submarines is extremely important'. 'We're talking about making sure that we have the ADF and the defence capability to deter and deny adversaries from impacting negatively our national interests, forcing others to come back to the negotiating table rather than using force,' Mr Khalil said. 'Investment in defence is about investment in peace.' Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil says AUKUS is an 'investment in peace'. Naomi Jellicoe Credit: News Corp Australia US President Donald Trump's defence policy chief Elbridge Colby announced he was delaying the AUKUS review late last month and did not give a firm date for its completion. Instead, Mr Colby, an AUKUS sceptic, said the review would be completed 'in the fall' – much longer than the initial 30 days. The delay comes as the Albanese government resists Washington's demand to hike defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP in response to China's rapid military build-up. Announcing the delay, Mr Colby's office said the AUKUS review would 'be an empirical and clear-eyed assessment of the initiative's alignment with President Trump's America First approach'. 'As part of this process, the (US Department of Defence) looks forward to continuing regular engagements on this important matter with other parts of the US government, the US Congress, our allies Australia and the United Kingdom and other key stakeholders,' his office said. 'The department anticipates completing the review in the fall. 'Its purpose will be to provide the President and his senior leadership team with a fact-based, rigorous assessment of the initiative.'
ABC News
30 minutes ago
- ABC News
David Pocock calls for ANU Chancellor Julie Bishop to stand aside while bullying allegations investigated
ACT independent Senator David Pocock has called for the Australian National University (ANU) Chancellor Julie Bishop to stand aside while bullying allegations against her are investigated. Warning: This story contains details some readers may find distressing. ANU academic Liz Allen yesterday appeared at a Senate committee hearing, where she accused Ms Bishop and other members of the executive of bullying. Dr Allen said that since 2024, she had experienced "threats, intimidation and bullying, because I sought greater probity of council conduct". Dr Allen said that as a result of the distress she experienced, she became suicidal. "I was bullied into near suicide. I miscarried a much-wanted baby," she told the Senate committee hearing. "I've lost the opportunity of a promotion. I fear for my job and my career has been derailed. In a statement, Ms Bishop denied any wrongdoing. "I reject any suggestion that I have engaged with Council members, staff, students and observers in any way other than with respect, courtesy and civility," she said. "The witness concerned has initiated grievance proceedings and it is not appropriate for me to comment further at this time." This morning, Senator Pocock, who is part of the Senate committee, said "everyone in the room was really moved" by Dr Allen's submissions. "It just highlights the human toll of poor governance and poor leadership at the ANU," he said. "This is something I've been hearing about from staff and students there for months and months and months now. "Someone like Liz Allen has put a big chunk of her life into helping build the ANU." Senator Pocock said there were very "serious problems at the ANU ... and I think we should expect better". "Our national university should be setting the standard when it comes to governance and that is not happening," he said. He said he believed Ms Bishop should step aside while the allegations were investigated. Dr Allen was not alone in her criticisms of the council or Ms Bishop. ANU Students' Association president William Burfoot is also the undergraduate student member of the 15-member ANU Council and told the Senate inquiry that he had "serious issues" with how the council operated. He said he felt "unfairly targeted" at a council meeting earlier this year, along with Dr Allen. "Our integrity was questioned and it was not so subtly suggested that we might have been the cause of leaks to media," he said. "This environment and culture is certainly not what I would have expected from such an important body and it has left me profoundly discontent with council." He told the inquiry that Ms Bishop was "demeaning" and "dismissive" at the meeting. Mr Burfoot said students felt "betrayed" by the university. "We have students who have come from all parts of Australia and internationally that have come to the ANU because of its reputation," he said. "Students feel betrayed. They signed up to a university that is not what they expected." He said there was an increasing risk students would choose not to study at ANU, or leave the university before graduating. "Many report they are unable to participate in their tutorials anymore," he said. "With so many people in the class, they are forced to sit on the ground if they want to be involved. "Students are angry that their time at university is getting worse and that there has been no meaningful consultation on the cuts or the university's future direction. "Make no mistake: the ANU is in crisis." The university is currently proposing a number of changes, including cutting jobs and absorbing the School of Music into a new School of Creative and Cultural Practice. It will also abolish the National Dictionary Centre and downsize the National Centre for Biography. Freestanding centres such as the Humanities Research Centre and the Centre for European Studies would also be cut under the proposal. It is part of broader cost-cutting measures in what the university said was a bid to save $250 million. The university recorded operating deficits of more than $400 million between 2020 and 2023 and despite a financial plan being put in place, the university said last year it remained on an "unsustainable trajectory". Last month, the university announced it would cut a further 59 jobs, in addition to 41 previously announced in June. At the time, Vice-Chancellor Genevieve Bell said the proposal was still subject to change. "Last year, for instance, we had multiple change plans and in each one of those instances, the number of staff that was impacted changed and it became a smaller number in those plans," she said. In March, she responded directly to criticism of her leadership and that of Ms Bishop. "I am not dismissive of the fact that people are concerned about their livelihoods and their jobs," she said.
