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The Guardian
20-05-2025
- The Guardian
Security chief tells Bondi Junction inquest Westfield has ‘very strong security culture' due to Frank Lowy
Westfield's global security chief has pushed back against criticism of how guards responded to the Bondi Junction stabbing attack, telling an inquest the company has a 'very strong security culture' established by founder Frank Lowy. John Yates, the director of security at Scentre Group, which operates Westfield malls globally, told the New South Wales coroners court about his previous career serving as the most senior detective in London's Metropolitan police from 2007 to 2009. Yates then worked as the most senior counter-terrorism figure in the UK, including providing protection for the royal family and at Heathrow airport, the inquest was told on Tuesday. He was questioned about security operations at Westfield Bondi Junction after the inquest previously heard a security officer had left the CCTV control room for a toilet break when Joel Cauchi, 40, launched his stabbing attack that killed six people and injured 10 others in April 2024. During Monday's proceedings, a British counter-terrorism expert claimed that even when they returned to the control room, the guard, known as CR1, did not respond in a timely manner as the attack unfolded. In a triple-zero call played in court, the security officer could be heard telling police there had been 'shots fired'. Asked if there were injuries, she replied: 'We're not aware, we're just evacuating the centre as quickly as we can.' Later in the call, she added: 'So I was just informed that we've got three to four injuries and two stabbings' and 'the police are doing CPR on someone on level five'. On Tuesday, Yates told the inquest he thought earlier evidence criticising CR1's behaviour was 'very harsh'. He suggested it was 'unrealistic' to expect security guards – who undergo 80 hours of training and are paid between $26 and $28 per hour – to perform like police, who in NSW attend a residential training college for six months before being paired with a senior officer. 'Their role is to observe, report, escalate ... it's certainly not to engage [with an attacker],' Yates told the court. Yates said Scentre Group had a security team, including a small intelligence operation, which monitored physical safety and cybersecurity. He said that was unusual for a shopping centre company and was due to founder Frank Lowy taking security seriously. 'I'd say we have a very strong security culture,' Yates said on Tuesday. The security chief responded to criticism of the triple-zero call that CR1 made to report the incident that could have confused NSW police. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion He said that sitting in the CCTV control room was more complicated than 'monitoring a bank of screens' – with only the main exits and entries displayed constantly. He said there were hundreds of cameras installed across Westfield Bondi Junction and that knowing which camera to bring up to follow a live incident was not straightforward. 'The idea that you can go straight to the right camera and then immediately start to follow, track ... is totally unrealistic,' Yates told the inquest. In addressing concerns about CR1's clarity in the triple-zero call, Yates referenced his time at London's Metropolitan police, and examples of even highly trained professionals making 'catastrophic errors'. Yates brought up the Metropolitan police killing of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes – who they suspected to be a terrorist – at Stockwell tube station in the weeks after the 2005 London bombings as an example of 'people under pressure making poor decisions'. Yates defended CR1 as 'competent to be in that control room' on the day. 'I think she did the best she could with what she knew herself,' he said. 'She undoubtedly struggled on the day,' he conceded, but added it was a 'horrible multigenerational event'. The inquest continues.
The Guardian
20-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Australia and 22 other countries demand Israel allow aid into Gaza stating ‘the population faces starvation'
Australia has joined with 22 other nations in condemning Israel over its decision to allow limited aid into Gaza while announcing a military expansion to 'take control' of the besieged strip. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said his troops were 'making progress' on taking control of Gaza after Israel's military had earlier declared a central city a combat zone, killed more than 60 people in airstrikes, and a senior minister said Israel's army would 'wipe out' what remains of Palestinian Gaza. The escalation comes as those in Gaza face a looming famine following Israel's 11-week blockade of food, fuel and aid supplies from entering the territory. In a statement on early Tuesday morning Australian time, 23 countries, including the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, urged Israel not to politicise humanitarian aid for the starving population. Around nine aid trucks were reportedly allowed into Gaza after the nearly three-month siege but the UN's humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, warned it was a mere 'drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed'. The joint statement acknowledged 'indications of a limited restart of aid' but implored Israel to uphold humanitarian principles by allowing the full resumption of aid and for aid to groups to be able to work independently and impartially. 'Food, medicines and essential supplies are exhausted. The population faces starvation. Gaza's people must receive the aid they desperately need,' the countries said. Netanyahu's plan for aid distribution in Gaza was yet to be announced, but the Israel-backed and US-led Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was expected to distribute food through militarised compounds. 'Advanced discussions' suggested heads of households would be expected to collect boxes weighing up to 20kg with several days' worth of food and basic hygiene items like soap for their families. There would be no provision for those too sick or weakened by famine to walk long distances across Gaza's ruined landscape with heavy loads. The United Nations has already raised concerns about GHF's capacity to deliver enough aid to the territory's population. The 23 countries raised concerns about the GHF proposal, stating existing aid groups already had the 'logistical capacity, expertise and operational coverage to deliver assistance across Gaza to those who need it most'. 'The UN has raised concerns that the proposed model cannot deliver aid effectively, at the speed and scale required. It places beneficiaries and aid workers at risk, undermines the role and independence of the UN and our trusted partners, and links humanitarian aid to political and military objectives,' the joint statement read. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Humanitarian aid should never be politicised and Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change.' Australia joined the joint donor statement overnight but not a separate statement signed by Canada, the UK and France warning Israel against expanding its military campaign in Gaza, threatening 'further action', including targeted sanctions. 'The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable. Yesterday's announcement that Israel will allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza is wholly inadequate,' the three countries said. 'Israel suffered a heinous attack on October 7. We have always supported Israel's right to defend Israelis against terrorism. But this escalation is wholly disproportionate. 'We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.' Guardian Australia contacted the office of the foreign minister, Penny Wong, for comment.
The Guardian
06-05-2025
- The Guardian
Police mental health officer tells Bondi Junction stabbings inquest lack of resources makes role ‘overwhelming'
A Queensland police officer has told a coronial inquest that a lack of resources explains why her colleague overlooked an email requesting mental health support for Joel Cauchi, a year before he stabbed six people to death in Sydney's Bondi Junction. The inquest on Monday heard from an officer who was acting as the police force's only mental health officer for a district serving 220,000 residents when he received an email from another officer asking him to follow up with the Cauchi family. It came after an incident in January 2023, when Cauchi called the police to his parents' home in Toowoomba after his father confiscated his knives amid concern about his son's mental health. Cauchi's mother told police: 'I don't know how we're going to get him treatment unless he does something drastic.' On Tuesday, the officer who was normally the mental health officer cried when asked about her colleague who was acting in the role for five weeks and missed the email. 'His oversight of [that] email is devastating and is not indicative of him as an officer or how he performed my role,' she told the court. The inquest, scheduled for five weeks, is examining the stabbing of six people by Cauchi, who had schizophrenia, at Westfield Bondi Junction in April 2024. Cauchi, then 40, killed Ashlee Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, and Faraz Tahir, 30, and injured 10 others at the shopping centre on 13 April last year before he was shot and killed by police inspector Amy Scott. The inquest heard on Tuesday that between 2016 and 2020, police responses to mental health call-outs in Queensland jumped by more than 50%, but officers were not equipped with the 'skills and knowledge' to cope. The officer in charge of mental health intervention in the Darling Downs district – where Cauchi's parents lived – said her position was 'fast becoming an overwhelming role'. 'On any given day, I could receive 30 to 40 emails,' she told the court when referencing requests from other officers regarding mental health incidents. The court heard that she was unable to find another officer to backfill her role while she was giving evidence during this week's inquest at Lidcombe coroners court. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion She was due to take three weeks of leave soon, but there was only someone backfilling for one week. The court heard had she been at work when the email was sent requesting a follow-up for Cauchi, she would have either called or met with the Cauchi family to discuss their options. She told the court she would have searched Cauchi's history in the police database and discovered he had three interactions with police for erratic driving. The court heard she would have learned that in July 2022, Cauchi had repeatedly called a boarding school asking if could watch female students undertake sporting activities. In 2021, police visited his share house following reports he was screaming and stating he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and off his medication. The officer told the court that part of her follow up would have included 'immediately' reaching out to her Queensland health counterpart to learn about their engagement with Cauchi.
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- The Guardian
Parents of Bondi Junction killer confiscated his ‘pigging knives' year before stabbings, inquest told
Joel Cauchi called the police to his parents' home more than a year before he stabbed and killed six people at Bondi Junction, to complain that his father had taken away his knives due to concerns about his mental health, an inquest has been told. Body-worn camera footage played at the coronial inquest in Sydney on Monday showed an officer telling her colleague, after speaking to Cauchi's mother, that 'Mum just wants him to get help'. 'She's like 'Yeh he's not getting his knives because who knows, who knows what's going on, especially if he's going to lose contact with reality,' the Queensland officer said in Toowoomba in January 2023. The inquest, scheduled for five weeks, is examining the stabbing of six people by Cauchi, who had schizophrenia, at Westfield in Bondi Junction in April 2024. Cauchi, then 40, killed Ashlee Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, and Faraz Tahir, 30, and injured 10 others at the shopping centre on 13 April last year before he was shot and killed by police inspector Amy Scott. On Monday, officers from Queensland police gave evidence about the early warning signs of Cauchi's deteriorating mental health – and the force's response. The court heard from a Queensland police officer, who can't be named for legal reasons, who said the number of mental health-related call-outs generally had 'increased a lot'. He was trained 'very briefly' to respond to mental health incidents when attending the academy prior to beginning in the force in 2005, but had 'no direct training' since. The officer was one of two officers who responded after Cauchi called the police to his home in January 2023 after his father confiscated his knives. At that time, Cauchi had not been on his medication for his schizophrenia for five years, the court was told. Before that, he had been medicated since he was 17. Cauchi was waiting on the front lawn outside his parents' suburban Toowoomba home when the police arrived, the body-worn camera footage showed. The police officer described Cauchi, who appeared relaxed and friendly, as 'quite reasonable to talk to' when later talking to another officer. Cauchi had explained to the officer: 'My dad has taken some of my property … and he will not give it back. I tried to negotiate ,but he is not willing.' The police officer asked if there was a reason his father took the knives away, and Cauchi responded that he did not know. The officer searched Cauchi on the police database while speaking with him and saw an alert that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was a weapons holder, the inquest was told. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The officer later asked how Cauchi's mental health had been. He responded: 'It's been very good.' Cauchi also told the officer his medication was 'dropped down'. At the same time, another female officer spoke to Cauchi's mum. The court heard, via her body-worn camera footage, that Cauchi had reportedly 'laid hands' on his 75-year-old father in an attempt to get the knives back. 'Part of his delusion is not thinking clearly,' the officer told her colleague when recounting the conversation with his Cauchi's mother. 'He's not made any threat to harm anyone, but he's up at 3am and he's pacing around and being disruptive.' 'She's just so tired and exhausted.' That officer referred to the knives as 'pigging knives'. The court heard Cauchi's parents had only planned to keep the knives until they were satisfied their son's mental health had improved. Someone was coming to the house the following day to 'try and figure out where he can live'. The officer who spoke to Cauchi then returned to him and said: 'They're just a little bit concerned about your mental health' and that they weren't taking the knives off him 'permanently'. 'They just want to make sure you're OK is all,' the officer told him. Cauchi responded: 'Well, I'm perfectly fine,' The inquest continues.
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Liberal senator launches extraordinary attack on Angus Taylor amid search for new leader: ‘Concerns about his capability'
Liberal leadership frontrunner Angus Taylor will have to overcome significant internal opposition to take the top job, with outgoing senator Hollie Hughes criticising the shadow treasurer over a lack of economic policy for voters. Taylor is among a group of possible candidates to replace defeated opposition leader Peter Dutton, along with the deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, and frontbenchers Dan Tehan and Andrew Hastie. A vote for the Liberal leadership is expected as soon as next week. Hughes' intervention on Monday makes public the criticism of Taylor, which has persisted for months inside Coalition ranks. She said many Liberal MPs did not support Taylor, blaming him for failures during the disastrous election campaign. 'I have concerns about his capability. I feel we have zero economic policy to sell,' Hughes told ABC radio on Monday. 'I don't know what he's been doing for three years. There was no tax policy, there was no economic narrative.' The NSW Liberal senator is due to leave parliament in July after losing a preselection fight. She said Taylor, a senior conservative in the party, was partly responsible for a more than 3.5% swing against the opposition on Saturday. 'Whilst [he has made] efforts to get rid of people like me in his leadership ambitions, I am still in the party room until 30 June and get to vote for the next leader,' she said. 'The biggest issue — and I am hearing this from everyone I am speaking to — [was] the complete lack of policy and economic narrative was incredibly difficult for everyone out on the ground. People just had nothing to sell.' Hughes said the Coalition's expenditure review processes delivered very few fully formed policies, with proposals from MPs either ignored or quietly rejected. 'There's a reason I won't be voting for someone in the leadership ballot should they put their name forward,' she said. Comment was sought from Taylor. NSW Liberal senator Andrew Bragg said the party needed to offer voters more differentiation from Labor. 'Largely speaking, we didn't do enough on the economy, and I don't think we did enough to capture the centre of the Australian public support,' he said. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Traditionally, people have voted for the Liberal party for a better life, a better economy, and I don't think we had enough strong economic policies to win the day.' Citing Dutton's dumped policy to force federal public servants back to the office rather than working from home, Bragg said the Coalition had been guilty of 'fundamentally misreading the Australian society'. 'We have a healthy 'live and let live' ethos in this country, and we have diversity, and generally speaking, that's what most Australians are comfortable with. 'They don't want to see division, and so I think it's very important that we focus on the economic issues and that we avoid these cultural issues at all costs.' The Liberal leadership vote is yet to be formally announced. Dutton was soundly defeated in his Brisbane seat of Dickson, won by Labor's Ali France following a swing of more than eight percentage points. Ley said in a statement on Sunday night that the party would meet when counting was complete in all remaining seats. Victorian Liberals expect former MP Tim Wilson to win back the electorate of Goldstein, as counting continues against teal independent Zoe Daniel. The Liberal party room meeting will be organised by western Sydney MP Melissa McIntosh. She was named as acting party whip following the defeat of Queensland MP Bert van Manen.
