Latest news with #Macarthur
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Thirlmere, NSW: Man charged after ‘mystery explosions' rocked town for months
A man has been charged after a semirural town in Sydney's Macarthur region was rocked for months by a series of 'unknown explosion type noises at night'. The noises, centred around Thirlmere, prompted much public discussion over what the noises could be. Wollondilly Shire Mayor Matt Gould took to social media last week in response to community concerns. 'Over the last couple of months there have been a series of unknown explosion type noises at night that have been heard in Thirlmere and surrounding areas,' he said on July 29. 'This has understandably led to a fair few concerns and questions from residents so I wanted to try and give a quick update on the current state of play as far as these explosions and what we know. 'Unfortunately the short answer is we still don't have any idea what these explosions/noises actually are, although we think we've ruled out what some of what it isn't.' Mr Gould said council inquiries had ruled out activity on the rail lines or nearby coal mine and urged residents to report incidence of the 'bangs' to police. 'We're also not aware of any other kind of industrial or agricultural activity in the areas reporting these explosions that should be making these noises, certainly not at night and with the frequency they now seem to be happening,' he said. 'The scale of the area that seems to be hearing them is also far to big for fireworks or the like as well.' On Saturday, NSW Police said officers had been called to Estonian Rd in Thirlmere following reports of a 'large explosion'. The following day, investigators raided a Estonian Rd property where a 40-year-old man was arrested. He was later charged with one count of possess, supply or make explosive for unlawful purpose. 'A man has been charged following an investigation into reports of numerous alleged explosions being heard in the Thirlmere area,' a police spokesman said. 'Officers attached to Camden Police Area Command were made aware of reports from Wollondilly Council that explosions have been heard in the Thirlmere area over the past few months.' According to police a number of items were seized from the home, including gel blasters, stun devices, knives and a blow dart gun.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Labor MP's new push for a sugar tax that will affect every Australian gains momentum
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is seeking to tax Australia out of its dueling obesity and diabetes epidemics. A sugar tax could be placed on soft drinks, sweetened juice and cordial if the government were to adopt the AMA's latest advice released this week. Macarthur MP Michael Freelander believes the new tax should be introduced alongside a broader public education effort about the harms of excess sugar. The association has called for a new tax at a rate of 50c per 100g of added sugar for each of these drinks to be paid by beverage manufacturers. This means a 375mL of normal Coke with 39.8g of sugar would be hit with a tax of 19.9c. A 600mL bottle of Berry Ice Powerade with 34.8g of sugar would incur a 17.8c levy. Some government officials have already begun championing the new suggestion and even pushing to take it further. Dr Freelander, who is a practising pediatrician, hoped the new tax would prompt drink companies to put less sugar into their drinks going forward. Labor however has shut down any idea of itself helping to push these measures forward. 'What we're now seeing is children presenting with obesity and with type two diabetes. And we should not be seeing that,' Dr Freelander said. 'We do now see lots of societal changes that are causing health problems and one of the issues is the access to highly processed foods.' 'So it's not just about drinks, it's also about making people aware of the dangers of high calorie highly-processed foods.' The Parliamentary Budget Office found in 2024 that a 20 per cent tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would boost revenue by more than $1.3bn in two years. Dr Freelander requested the costings as a means to garner support but stressed that any policies should be trialled before they were implemented. Alongside the proposed tax Dr Freelander suggested alterations to future town planning which would make it easier for children to walk to school. This combined with greater access to healthy food and less fast food outlets would go a long way towards making the country healthier, he said. AMA Vice President, Julian Rait, agreed these measures would guarantee the 'best chance' at reducing rates of obesity and chronic disease. The proposal would drive down consumption by as much as 2kg per person and increase the bottomline budget by $3.6 billion, Mr Rait said. These savings could be 'invested in other crucial preventive health measures', he added. 'For people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, reducing sugar intake through swaps like drinking water over soft drinks can make a profound difference to their long-term health,' he told 'Last year it was revealed the sugar content in popular soft drink Fanta had increased by 60 per cent, despite industry assurances that sugary drinks were being reformulated.' Thus far Labor itself has ruled out any potential levy or tax and said it will instead seek to implement 'front-of-pack labelling' on sugary items. It will also work with companies to reduce the amount of sugar in foods, Health Minister Mark Butler said. 'There is no plan in our government for a sugar tax. We're instead focusing on education and also working with food manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar that they put into their products,' he said in May.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bold push for new tax on soft drink, juices
A sugar tax on soft drink, sweetened juice and cordial is being backed as a way to reduce soaring rates of obesity and diabetes. Coinciding with National Diabetes Week, the Australian Medical Association has called for a new tax at a rate of 50c per 100g of added sugar, to be paid by beverage manufacturers. Under the proposal, a standard 375mL of full-sugar Coke with 39.8g of sugar would incur a tax of 19.9c, while a 600mL bottle of Berry Ice Powerade would be hit with a 17.8c levy for its 34.8g of sugar. Macarthur MP Michael Freelander, who is also a practising pediatrician, said a levy on sugar-sweetened beverages would encourage companies to put less sugar in drinks, however a tax should be considered alongside of broader education measures. 'I think that we owe it to the next generation to try and make sure they are healthier than our generation,' he told NewsWire. 'And what we're now seeing is children presenting with obesity and with type two diabetes. And we should not be seeing that.' In 2024, costings released by the Parliamentary Budget Office and requested by Dr Freelander found a 20 per cent tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would boost revenue by more than $1.3bn in two years, however he said any policies should be trialled before further implementation. Dr Freelander stressed education was the best way to improve public health outcomes. These included town planning to ensure children could walk to schools and shopping centres and not fast food outlets, plus increased access to healthy food, like subsidies on 'certain forms of food'. 'We do now see lots of societal changes that are causing health problems and one of the issues is the access to highly processed foods,' he said. 'So it's not just about drinks, it's also about making people aware of the dangers of high calorie highly-processed foods.' The Australian Medical Association have renewed calls for a sugar tax on sweetened drinks like soft drink, juice and cordials. AMA Vice President Julian Rait said the sugar tax was the 'best chance' or reducing rates of obesity and chronic disease like type 2 diabetes. He said the proposal would drive down consumption by 2kg per person and increase the budget bottomline by $3.6bn which could be 'invested in other crucial preventive health measures'. He added that more than 100 jurisdictions have implemented a sugar tax, like the UK, France, Mexico and Ireland. 'For people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, reducing sugar intake through swaps like drinking water over soft drinks can make a profound difference to their long-term health,' he said. 'Last year it was revealed the sugar content in popular soft drink Fanta had increased by 60 per cent, despite industry assurances that sugary drinks were being reformulated.' Health Minister Mark Butler said Labor had ruled out a potential levy or tax, and said the government's priorities were on 'front-of-pack labelling' and working with companies to reduce the amount of sugar in foods. 'There is no plan in our government for a sugar tax. We're instead focusing on education and also working with food manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar that they put into their products,' he said in late May after the federal election. As it stands, health labels are administered by the Health Star Rating system which companies can voluntarily adhere to. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
AMA, Labor MP Michael Freelander calls for sugar tax on sweetened drinks
A sugar tax on soft drink, sweetened juice and cordial is being backed as a way to reduce soaring rates of obesity and diabetes. Coinciding with National Diabetes Week, the Australian Medical Association has called for a new tax at a rate of 50c per 100g of added sugar, to be paid by beverage manufacturers. Under the proposal, a standard 375mL of full-sugar Coke with 39.8g of sugar would incur a tax of 19.9c, while a 600mL bottle of Berry Ice Powerade would be hit with a 17.8c levy for its 34.8g of sugar. Macarthur MP Michael Freelander, who is also a practising pediatrician, said a levy on sugar-sweetened beverages would encourage companies to put less sugar in drinks, however a tax should be considered alongside of broader education measures. 'I think that we owe it to the next generation to try and make sure they are healthier than our generation,' he told NewsWire. 'And what we're now seeing is children presenting with obesity and with type two diabetes. And we should not be seeing that.' In 2024, costings released by the Parliamentary Budget Office and requested by Dr Freelander found a 20 per cent tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would boost revenue by more than $1.3bn in two years, however he said any policies should be trialled before further implementation. Dr Freelander stressed education was the best way to improve public health outcomes. These included town planning to ensure children could walk to schools and shopping centres and not fast food outlets, plus increased access to healthy food, like subsidies on 'certain forms of food'. 'We do now see lots of societal changes that are causing health problems and one of the issues is the access to highly processed foods,' he said. 'So it's not just about drinks, it's also about making people aware of the dangers of high calorie highly-processed foods.' The Australian Medical Association have renewed calls for a sugar tax on sweetened drinks like soft drink, juice and cordials. AMA Vice President Julian Rait said the sugar tax was the 'best chance' or reducing rates of obesity and chronic disease like type 2 diabetes. He said the proposal would drive down consumption by 2kg per person and increase the budget bottomline by $3.6bn which could be 'invested in other crucial preventive health measures'. He added that more than 100 jurisdictions have implemented a sugar tax, like the UK, France, Mexico and Ireland. 'For people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, reducing sugar intake through swaps like drinking water over soft drinks can make a profound difference to their long-term health,' he said. 'Last year it was revealed the sugar content in popular soft drink Fanta had increased by 60 per cent, despite industry assurances that sugary drinks were being reformulated.' Health Minister Mark Butler said Labor had ruled out a potential levy or tax, and said the government's priorities were on 'front-of-pack labelling' and working with companies to reduce the amount of sugar in foods. 'There is no plan in our government for a sugar tax. We're instead focusing on education and also working with food manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar that they put into their products,' he said in late May after the federal election.
News.com.au
19-06-2025
- News.com.au
Tactical police have shot man during siege at a Sydney caravan park
Police have shot a man who allegedly lunged at them with a knife during a siege in a caravan park in southwestern Sydney. Police were called to a caravan park in Elderslie, in the Macarthur region, just after lunchtime on Thursday. NSW Police said in a statement the man was 'armed with a knife and made threats to self-harm.' 'Specialist resources attended to assist, and negotiators attempted to speak to the man who refused to co-operate,' the statement said. 'Just before 3.30pm, officers attached to the Tactical Operations Unit gained entry to the premises and the armed man rushed at officers with the knife. 'Police discharged a taser and less than lethal tactical rounds which were ineffective before the man was shot.' Police had locked down the area and refused to let locals back into the park as the situation developed. In footage obtained by 10 News, an officer in tactical gear can be seen pointing a rifle at somebody off-screen before three loud, sharp cracks are heard. The 52-year-old man was immediately treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics on scene and taken to Liverpool Hospital in a critical condition. He was reportedly shot at least three times, once in the arm, once in the leg and once in the abdomen. A witness at the scene said he was addressed by two 'heavily fortified police officers'. 'There was about eight of them all up and they weren't messing around. They had the full riot gear on, ready to go.' A critical incident team from State Crime Command's Homicide Squad will lead the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The investigation will be reviewed by the Professional Standards Command and oversighted by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC).
