Latest news with #TweedHeads
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Banora Point man may lose sight in one eye after acid attack, court told
A court has heard a 59-year-old man remains in an induced coma and could lose his sight in one eye after his son allegedly attacked him with acid in northern NSW. Randall Perrin Laurie, 35, made a brief appearance in the Tweed Heads Local Court on Friday accused of causing grievous bodily harm with a corrosive fluid. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in jail. Emergency service crews were called to a unit on Darlington Drive, Banora Point, about 9.15am on Thursday after receiving reports of a domestic violence-related incident. Police will allege a 59-year-old man was found at the scene suffering serious injuries caused by acid. He was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a serious condition. The 35-year-old man was arrested on Minjungbal Drive at Tweed Heads less than an hour later. Police applied to the court to seek DNA evidence from Mr Laurie as part of their investigation. In the Forensic Order Application tendered to the court, police allege the Mr Laurie bought a one-litre bottle of hydrochloric acid from a nearby hardware store about 8.50am on the day of the alleged attack. The 35-year-old is alleged to have asked a staff member, "does this burn you?" before saying someone had "poisoned his family" and he was going to "throw it on them". Police allege the man threw acid over his father's face and chest while shouting "get outside, I want to fight you, you dog". The older man has been placed in an induced coma, and doctors indicated he would lose all sight in his left eye. On Friday, defence lawyer Simon Enderwick told the court he had concerns about the accused man's ability to provide instructions to him, citing mental health concerns. The 35-year-old interjected throughout the proceedings, saying, "I don't want to go see a mental health or doctor please, if that's OK with you chief, lawyer". Bail was not applied for and formally refused. The matter is due to return to court on August 15.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Man rushed to hospital after alleged acid attack in Banora Point, NSW
A man has been charged after allegedly pouring acid over another man, who is in hospital with serious injuries. A man has been rushed to hospital after suffering acid burn injuries in an alleged domestic-violence incident in the NSW Northern Rivers on Thursday. Emergency services were called to a Banora Point unit on Darlington Drive, near Tweed Heads, just after 9am, following reports of a domestic-violence incident. The 59-year-old was found by NSW Police to be suffering 'serious injuries believed to be caused by an acid'. He was treated at the scene by paramedics and subsequently flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a serious condition. A 35-year-old man was arrested at Minjungbal Drive, Tweed Heads. He was charged with do grievous bodily harm by the use of corrosive fluid etc (DV). Police allege he poured acid on the other man, who was known to him. The accused has been refused bail and is due to appear before Tweed Heads Local Court on Friday.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Disgraceful': Fury over controversial cuts
Workers have rallied outside NSW parliament and in regional centres across the state, warning that the Minns government's proposed changes to workers compensation laws would leave injured employees without adequate support. The protest, led by Unions NSW on Monday, drew supporters from the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, the Teachers Federation, and a broad coalition of workers furious over what they say is a betrayal by the Labor government. Protests were also held in Tweed Heads, Wagga Wagga, and Newcastle as part of a co-ordinated campaign against the Exposure Workers Compensation Bill, which unions claim will gut access to compensation for psychological injuries. Among the proposed changes is a plan to lift the permanent impairment threshold for psychological injury to 31 per cent – a move Unions NSW and the Teachers Federation say would prevent up to 95 per cent of workers from receiving damages. There is also outrage over a proposal requiring workers alleging psychological injury caused by bullying, racial abuse, or sexual harassment to obtain a court determination before being eligible for compensation. Sue Walton, an aged care assistant-in-nursing with more than 20 years' experience and a history of workplace injuries, attended the rally, arguing the changes would prevent people like her from accessing workers compensation. 'You'll be sitting at home without any support or any medical help through workers compensation if this Bill goes through,' she said. 'You get penalised when you're on workers comp anyway because you don't get your full wage, but now they want to take that away from every single worker. It's disgraceful.' Retired union worker Kenneth, who spent 20 years in the manufacturing industry, said the proposed changes would undo hard-fought gains. 'To have governments breaking their pledge is not a good thing and this is a big issue for everybody,' he said. 'You have to assist workers, not cut their rights.' He said anyone injured at work, either physically or mentally, knew how difficult it could be to access compensation. 'I've had lots of injuries in my time and it's always been a hard battle,' Kenneth said. 'We made some progress over the years and we don't need them to be stripped back; if anything, you need more help.' Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said frustration among workers was turning to anger. 'There is a growing anger around why (the NSW government) are doing this,' he said. Mr Morey acknowledged the Minns government had made progress in other areas but said these proposed reforms were undermining its credibility. 'These sorts of fights detract from them being seen as a positive Labor government to a government that's fighting with all its workforce,' he said. 'I think they're getting a name for themselves of always fighting with their workforce.'
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
‘Disgraceful': Workers slam Labor's compensation plan
Workers have rallied outside NSW parliament and in regional centres across the state, warning that the Minns government's proposed changes to workers compensation laws would leave injured employees without adequate support. The protest, led by Unions NSW on Monday, drew supporters from the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, the Teachers Federation, and a broad coalition of workers furious over what they say is a betrayal by the Labor government. Protests were also held in Tweed Heads, Wagga Wagga, and Newcastle as part of a co-ordinated campaign against the Exposure Workers Compensation Bill, which unions claim will gut access to compensation for psychological injuries. Among the proposed changes is a plan to lift the permanent impairment threshold for psychological injury to 31 per cent – a move Unions NSW and the Teachers Federation say would prevent up to 95 per cent of workers from receiving damages. There is also outrage over a proposal requiring workers alleging psychological injury caused by bullying, racial abuse, or sexual harassment to obtain a court determination before being eligible for compensation. Sue Walton, an aged care assistant-in-nursing with more than 20 years' experience and a history of workplace injuries, attended the rally, arguing the changes would prevent people like her from accessing workers compensation. 'You'll be sitting at home without any support or any medical help through workers compensation if this Bill goes through,' she said. 'You get penalised when you're on workers comp anyway because you don't get your full wage, but now they want to take that away from every single worker. It's disgraceful.' Retired union worker Kenneth, who spent 20 years in the manufacturing industry, said the proposed changes would undo hard-fought gains. 'To have governments breaking their pledge is not a good thing and this is a big issue for everybody,' he said. 'You have to assist workers, not cut their rights.' He said anyone injured at work, either physically or mentally, knew how difficult it could be to access compensation. 'I've had lots of injuries in my time and it's always been a hard battle,' Kenneth said. 'We made some progress over the years and we don't need them to be stripped back; if anything, you need more help.' Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said frustration among workers was turning to anger. 'There is a growing anger around why (the NSW government) are doing this,' he said. Mr Morey acknowledged the Minns government had made progress in other areas but said these proposed reforms were undermining its credibility. 'These sorts of fights detract from them being seen as a positive Labor government to a government that's fighting with all its workforce,' he said. 'I think they're getting a name for themselves of always fighting with their workforce.'
News.com.au
25-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Workers to rally outside NSW parliament in fight to quash workers compensation reform
NSW is on the brink of more worker chaos after months of train strikes and nurse walkouts, with the teachers' union poised to take their fight to stop reforms to workers compensation to the steps of state parliament. The NSW Teachers Federation and Unions NSW will rally outside parliament on Monday as part of a statewide campaign, including regional hubs such as Tweed Heads, Wagga Wagga, and Newcastle, to stop the proposed Exposure Workers Compensation Bill. Released last week, the draft bill aims to dramatically alter the compensation claim system. Among the changes are plans to lift the permanent impairment threshold for damages for psychological injury to 31 per cent, which unions, including the Teachers Federation and Unions NSW, claim would leave up to 95 per cent of workers unable to make a claim. The changes, which also face opposition from industry groups and legal experts, also propose requiring workers claiming psychological injury because of racial or sexual harassment, or bullying, to obtain a court determination before receiving compensation. Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey said there was a 'great frustration' among workers planning to rally on Monday that a 'Labor government would even contemplate doing this', adding that frustration was quickly turning to anger. 'When they get into the detail (of the proposal), there is a growing anger around why (the NSW government) are doing this,' he said. Mr Morey said while workers 'are acknowledging some of the good things' the Minns government has done, 'these sorts of fights detract from them being seen as a positive Labor government to a government that's fighting with all its workforce'. 'I think they're (the Labor government) getting a name for themselves of always fighting with their workforce,' he said. 'They should be in a position where they're supporting their workforce.' The latest salvo between the Labor government and the unions comes after months of protracted, and oftentimes hostile, negotiations with the Combined Rail Unions, led by the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union NSW. Industrial action wrought by the union brought Sydney's vast train network to a near-stand still on multiple occasions since pay negotiations began last year. The RTBU and other rail-related unions were also dragged before the Federal Court and the Fair Work Commission by the state government in a bid to forward negotiations and stop industrial action. Earlier this year, the Fair Work Commission upheld an order for a 'cooling off period', pausing industrial actions and encouraging the Combined Rail Unions and the state government to continue negotiations. That period is set to expire on July 30, 2025. The NSW government has also faced pressure from the NSW Nurses and Midwives Associations, whose members are expected to join Monday's rally, over their pay and conditions, including hospital ramping. In November, thousands of nurses walked off the job. The NSW government also reached an agreement to increase the pay of police and to fully-fund the state's public school system. While not discussing strikes yet, Mr Morey urged the state government to take the proposal 'off the table' and 'have a tripartite approach with government, business and unions to actually fix the system. 'I know business finds the system problematic and doesn't help them returning people to work. We need to actually have a system that does that and that means restructuring the whole system and that's a big job so we should take the time to get it right'. If the proposal was passed by parliament in its current form, Mr Morey warned workers who would have traditionally received mental health support will no longer be able to get it 'and will be forced onto the care of their families or the federal welfare system'. 'They won't be able to return to work because there will be no support mechanisms in place,' he said. The first public hearing into the proposed changes was held last week. NSW Treasurer Daniel Moohkey used his address to the parliamentary inquiry to draw a clear line in the sand over payments to the Treasury Managed Fund, the government's self-insurer, telling the committee he would not authorise further cash injections. Mr Moohkey told the committee during his address that the upcoming state budget would report a $2.6bn writedown arising from the TMF, and that since 2018 the state government had borrowed a whopping $6.1bn so that the TMF's assets equalled its liabilities. 'As the TMF continues to deteriorate, the pressure for cash injections grows,' he said. 'I will not be authorising any further injections. Not until parliament decides its collective response to a scheme that most acknowledge is failing. Not when that money is coming at the expense of schools, hospitals or kids in need of out-of-home care. 'That choice is clear for me.' Questioned during the hearing over whether he believed the reforms would solve both a financial problem and 'workers getting injured', Mr Moohkey said he did and that the Labor state government 'accepts the fact that these are hard changes'. 'I'm here to say to the parliament – doing nothing is not an option.' Mr Moohkey said. 'Doing nothing is to lock in a system we know is failing. Doing nothing is to condemn even more workers to a system that's not succeeding, and to ask businesses to pay more and more, knowing full well that those resources are not being well expended.' Business NSW chief executive Daniel Hunter agreed the current system was 'broken'. He told the inquiry the nominal insurer, the private sector workers compensation scheme, had seen premiums rise by eight per cent each year, and that 'on dollar terms, the scheme went backwards by $1.8bn last year, all while premiums went up by more than double CPI. If nothing is done, Mr Hunter warned 'then the scheme costs will send some businesses bankrupt'. 'There is also a human cost to this. The pressure and stress it places on business owners struggling to survive. 'NSW has a once in a generation opportunity to reform the workers compensation system.'
