Latest news with #NorthernSuburbs
ABC News
17-07-2025
- ABC News
Law firm Maurice Blackburn investigating alleged historical sex abuse at Perth's Beldon Primary School
Law firm Maurice Blackburn has confirmed a number of people have come forward as part of its investigation into alleged sexual abuse claims at a Perth primary school dating back 30 years. The civil case is being brought by a former student of Beldon Primary School, which is in Perth's northern suburbs, who claims they were abused by a teacher. Specialist abuse lawyer Lily Hart has told the ABC the firm was looking to speak to anyone who was at the school between 1990 and 1994. "Witnesses we're hoping to speak with aren't always other survivors who may have experienced abuse," Ms Hart said. "It's also maybe former students, or parents that were involved with the school and might be able to provide further information about what was going on during that period." Ms Hart said while the case was yet to be formally presented to the court, any information uncovered during the investigation would be vital. "Often the defendants have all of the information and all of the power. "So if we're able to speak with other witnesses from that time period, that can really assist our clientele level that playing field a little bit." The Department of Education said it was not aware of the case or the potential claim and would not comment further. Ms Hart said given the department may end up being a defendant if the case gets to court, accessing documents from the period of the alleged abuse could be challenging. She said the firm would follow court processes in the event of that scenario, but the evidence-gathering process was already well advanced. "We're already spoken with quite a few witnesses. They've been really helpful and taken the time to speak with us," she said. "I appreciate it can be quite upsetting to hear if someone's attended a school that they really loved themselves and had good memories there, it can be upsetting to hear about these allegations. "But we have spoken with former students and members of the school community. And they've all been really lovely and really helpful and I want to thank them for their time as well."
ABC News
23-06-2025
- ABC News
Hot pursuit
And now, from fast missiles, to a fast car on the backstreets of Melbourne: BLAKE JOHNSON: It was pinched from a hospital car park … … triggering a wild pursuit across the northern suburbs 'Emergency services; what address do you need the police?' MALE PASSENGER: 'Hey mate, I'm on a pursuit of a stolen car. - Seven News (Melbourne), 7 June 2025 A fed-up driver taking the law into his own hands was the lead item on Seven's Melbourne bulletin earlier this month and was also given a spot in Seven's evening bulletins in Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide and even Perth. This foot-to-the-floor performance by the car thief was also given a splash on Seven's website: FAST AND FURIOUS - Seven News Online, 8 June 2025 The victims of this theft had been visiting an elderly relative on her deathbed when they returned to the car park to discover their prized Holden Commodore missing. But! More drama ahead. A set of airpods left in the centre console turned into a tracking beacon. The chase took a dramatic turn when an accomplice driving a Subaru performed blocking manoeuvres, as if at Albert Park: PAUL DOWSLEY: They kept losing sight of their Commodore but finally found it empty, dumped in a court. They retrieved it, fearing the thief might still be nearby. - Seven News (Melbourne), 7 June 2025 Victims of crime forced to play cops and robbers? What a yarn. With John Theos delivering for Channel Seven the killer grab: JOHN THEOS: We had no support from the police so we had to get our car back. - Seven News (Melbourne), 7 June 2025 No support from the police? Hmmm, we wondered whether it might just be worth checking that one. A Victoria Police spokesperson told us the owner of the car was warned: … to go back to their house and not to follow the vehicle … - Email, Victoria Police Spokesperson, 13 June 2025 Victoria Police … made four attempts to contact the family to cease pursuing the vehicle. On each of those occasions the call was unanswered. - Email, Victoria Police Spokesperson, 12 June 2025 Uhuh. In addition the police claimed they located the car and in all, made seven calls to the car theft victims. We've also been told that Triple Zero operators issued their usual advice to the driver to not put himself at risk. Seven did ask questions of the police. But when the cops failed to meet its deadline the network pushed ahead anyway, deciding its car pursuit story was too hot to hold. So, what did Victoria Police's statement say when it finally arrived the following day? The victims were told to cease pursuing the vehicle for their own safety and that of other motorists in the vicinity. - Email, Victoria Police Spokesperson to 7NEWS, 8 June 2025 It also explained that after a risk assessment the police had decided: … not to pursue the vehicle due to safety concerns for other road users and there was the capability to track the vehicle. - Email, Victoria Police Spokesperson to 7NEWS, 8 June 2025 And what about the rather enthusiastic driving in pursuit of the stolen car? John and Kosta Theos would not say who was driving the car. And we don't know either. They also declined to give us the raw footage. But, whoever was driving, Channel Seven's snippets appear to show the car accelerating through a tight gap, overtaking up the inside of the left lane and driving across the wrong side of a roundabout. And what about these colourful descriptions of the escapade given to Seven by John Theos? JOHN THEOS: I'm thinking it's going to clip a tree or clip a car and then it would have been mayhem. KOSTA THEOS: He just drove like a maniac and put everyone at risk. JOHN THEOS: … we risked our lives, we had the chase … - Seven News (Melbourne), 7 June 2025 So, what hard questions did Seven's Paul Dowsley put to John and Kosta Theos about their part in the affair? Apparently, not a one. And how do we know? Because we asked John and Kosta Theos ourselves. He was a true gentleman. Nothing hard, no. They wanted the story and didn't go any further than that and I'm happy with that. - Phone, John Theos, 12 June 2025 I'm sure you are, John. John Theos and his son said Seven paid no money for the footage, denied the police had told them to stop the pursuit and said their car had not gone over the speed limit. Kosta Theos said the pursuit only occurred because the police had told them: '… we don't have the resources, you guys have to go and get it.' They had more important cases. Once we found the car, they said, 'we can't help you, if you guys want to go and get it, it's up to you.' - Phone, Kosta Theos, 12 June 2025 Funnily enough there's now a touch of remorse creeping in about contacting a TV station in the first place: My son should not have called Channel 7 because all of a sudden it's about us and not the morons out there committing crimes. - Phone, John Theos, 12 June 2025 Indeed. We sent the Seven story to the founder of the Australian Road Safety Foundation who told us: … there could have been multiple people killed that day. … Do we need to give this sort of thing air time? - Phone, Russell White, Chair, Australian Road Safety Foundation, 19 June 2025 We asked Seven News to defend the tone of its Fast and Furious news story, why it failed to ask tough questions of the father and son from whom it had secured the dashcam footage and why it failed to update its online version of the story with the Victoria Police statement. A spokesperson told us we had missed the point entirely: Our reporter conducted a respectful interview with a grieving father and son the day after their car was stolen from Sunshine Hospital, where they had just said their final goodbyes to their much-loved mother and grandmother, who had passed away. - Email, Seven Spokesperson, 20 June 2025 I'm not so removed from the thrill of the hunt to suggest Seven should not have run that dashcam footage or publish a story. But to have done so without any tough questions of those who took the law into their own hands and without a single word from the cops, was to glorify street justice in its thirst for ratings, and it was an abrogation of Seven's responsibilities to the community it serves.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Yahoo
Chilling letter sent to 1200 Sydney families
More than one thousand families in Sydney have been sent a chilling letter about a man who worked with children being charged with criminal offences. The man, who worked with children in Sydney's northern suburbs and the CBD, was charged by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in October last year in relation to alleged criminal activity that allegedly involved a 'very small number of children'. The AFP said the man remains in custody and poses no threat to children. His identity, place of work and alleged victims associated have been suppressed under strict non-publication orders. Under strict conditions of the Royal Commission and in accordance with the Joint Child Protection Response Program, NSW Police and the AFP, in partnership with NSW Health, NSW Department of Communities and Justice, NSW Department of Education and Training, the Office of the Children's Guardian, have begun to notify families. Letters have been distributed to 1200 families and carers who may have come into contact with the man, even if they were not one of the alleged victims. 'Based on information currently available, investigators believe the alleged behaviour of the man involves a very small number of children, however, the parents and carers of any child who may have had contact with the man has received a letter,' an AFP statement read. The letter contains important information about the investigation and provides information regarding health and support services available to those who need it. 'The letter provides instructions on how to contact a local hotline if parents or carers have concerns about their child,' the statement read. Those who receive the letters are asked to read the information carefully and thoroughly. If further assistance is required, the families and carers can contact the local hotlines as per the instructions.
ABC News
01-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Meet the women making Australian workplaces more menopause-friendly
Liz Bonner has a lot on her plate. She cares for her mother, teenage kids and two older siblings with Parkinson's disease, and she has a demanding job. She's the President of the Australian Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association and the CEO of the Cloverdale Community Centre in Geelong's disadvantaged northern suburbs. On top of all this, she's perimenopausal. And it hasn't been easy. "I literally thought I was going crazy. My mental health hit a low that I'd never expected," Liz says. Her experience is similar to many other women with caring responsibilities who work through menopause at a high point in their careers. She's part of a growing push to make workplaces more menopause friendly. That can mean providing flexible working arrangements, access to quiet rooms, adjustable air conditioning and encouraging open conversations about menopause. Liz says openness and honesty about menopause is vital. "I had a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister before the election and I said I'm going to talk about passionate topics and I'm probably going to cry and I can't help that, but I'm not embarrassed by it either." She extends that honesty to her clients, colleagues and staff. She's also up-front about being diagnosed with ADHD while she was dealing with menopause and her challenging home life. "A lot of our workforce is older women. So, a lot of people come into our sector who have had careers in other vocations," she says. "It's these wonderful older women who have a real heart for community and as a result we have to be flexible. "And we largely serve female participants in our centres as well, so we live and breathe menopause. We live and breathe women's health." Through workplace flexibility, candid discussions and support, Liz reckons she works at the most menopause-friendly workplace in Australia. That's music to the ears of Grace Molloy. Grace didn't know what was happening when she first had menopause symptoms, so she started the workplace accreditation company Menopause Friendly Australia to raise awareness. "I was shocked that I didn't know anything about 'peri' [perimenopause] when I was in it, because my dad was an obstetrician, and my mum was a midwife, so we talked about women's health around the dinner table," she says. "And I also did a Master of Nursing, and I didn't learn anything about it at all in my nursing degree. For me, it was like many women, a bit of a struggle." So, she partnered with Menopause Friendly Accreditation UK, where more than 125 workplaces have been accredited. "I just felt that I was teary all the time. I was emotional. I had physical symptoms as well, like heart palpitations. And for me, it was more of the psychological symptoms that were the most challenging," she says. "So that's why I started Menopause Friendly Australia because I don't want anyone else to struggle through this feeling confused and alone." So far, only four Australian companies are accredited as officially menopause friendly: Deloitte Australia, AngloGold Ashanti Australia, St John WA and Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. But 38 other companies are currently working to gain accreditation including the Parliament of Victoria, the Commonwealth Bank, Melbourne Airport, BHP, Gippsland Lakes Complete Health, Sydney Water and City of Melbourne. Accreditation involves meeting standards around culture, policies, training, communications and engagement, and the working environment. The cost of accreditation varies depending on the number of employees in an organisation and if it's a small business or not-for-profit. Last year unions told a senate inquiry into menopause and perimenopause that Australian women are leaving the workforce early because of a lack of menopause support. It's been described by academics as a crisis for organisations employing women aged between 45 and 55 who decide to step away from leadership positions, go part time or retire early. Macquarie University research shows 45 per cent of women retiring early list sickness or disability as the reason. Not everyone has a difficult menopause. Triggered by declining levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, it usually occurs between age 45 and 55. The most commonly reported difficulties that menopausal women report at work include poor concentration, tiredness, poor memory, reduced confidence, feeling low or depressed. Two years ago Australian-first research from Jean Hailes for Women's Health and Monash University warned against "catastrophising" menopause, particularly to sell goods and services. Study co-author Sarah White said that could unintentionally erode women's resilience and stigmatise women as they approach midlife. According to Jean Hailes, about 20 per cent of women have no symptoms, 60 per cent have mild to moderate symptoms and 20 per cent have symptoms that significantly interfere with their daily life. Jeanette Anderson works with Liz Bonner at Cloverdale Community Centre. "I was probably quite lucky in that I didn't have extreme symptoms. I can honestly say it didn't interrupt me at all," she says.
