A critical incident investigation is underway after a woman was seriously injured following a crash in the state’s Northern Region.
Just after 11.10am yesterday (Thursday 11 November 2021), officers attached to the Northern Region High Visibility Policing Unit were conducting proactive patrols at Everton Street, Hamilton, when they observed an unregistered red Suzuki Swift.
The driver allegedly failed to stop as directed and a pursuit was initiated, before being terminated a short time later due to safety concerns.
Officers continued patrolling the area and located the Suzuki rolled on its side after colliding with a Toyota Hilux at the intersection of Lawson and Denison Streets.
A rear seat passenger of the Suzuki – a 27-year-old woman – was trapped in the vehicle before being extracted by emergency services. She was taken to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition, where she remains.
The driver and two other passengers of the Suzuki fled the scene on foot; however, were located and arrested by police a short distance away.
The driver – a 38-year-old man – was also taken to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition, where he remains under police guard.
The two passengers – a 29-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man – were also taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the Toyota Hilux – a 40-year-old man – and his passenger – a 21-year-old man – were not injured during the incident.
A crime scene was established and examined by specialist police from the Crash Investigation Unit.
A critical incident team from the Hunter Valley Police District will now investigate all circumstances surrounding the incident.
That investigation will be subject to an independent review.
No police officers were injured during the incident.
Author: admin
Another man charged with murder following fatal shooting – Port Stephens
A third man has been charged over his alleged involvement in a fatal shooting in Port Stephens in August this year.
About 1.45pm on Sunday 29 August 2021, emergency services were called to Hideaway Drive, Salt Ash, following reports a white Ford Ranger utility had hit a tree.
Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended along with NSW Ambulance paramedics and located a male driver suffering a fatal gunshot wound.
He was later identified as 45-year-old David King.
A short time later, officers located a burnt-out white Santa Fe located on Masonite Road, Heatherbrae, which police believe is allegedly linked to the shooting.
Detectives established Strike Force Breve to investigate the incident, with assistance from State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad.
On Friday 5 November 2021, two men – aged 27 and 39 – were arrested and charged. They are currently before the courts.
Following further inquiries, about 9am today (Friday 12 November 2021), police arrested a 26-year-old man at Grafton Police Station.
He was charged with murder, take/detain person in company without to obtain advantage, possess shortened firearm (not pistol) without authority and aggravated sex assault- offender in company with other person/s.
Police will allege in court that after shooting David King, the men fled the scene in a white Santa Fe, where the 26-year-old man allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in the car without her consent. The car was then allegedly set on fire and destroyed.
The 26-year-old appeared in Grafton Local Court today where he was refused bail, to reappear in Raymond Terrace Local Court on Monday 20 December 2021.
Australia must not sabotage Glasgow climate consensus: Greens
As the Glasgow climate summit comes to a head and the Liberals’ weak 2030 targets place Australia under increasing pressure, Scott Morrison is again readying Australia to sabotage a global climate consensus by blocking political momentum for a ‘ratcheting up’ of 2030 targets.
With Australia failing to raise ambition for 2030, the draft communique from COP26 is planning to specifically call upon nations who have insufficient mid-term targets to return next year to COP27 in Egypt with increased ambition consistent with the science.
The Liberal Party has a demonstrated history of sabotaging international climate talks by blocking consensus and demanding the right to keep polluting. The notorious ‘Australia clause’ loophole that allowed countries like Australia to increase its emissions under the Kyoto Protocol was added into the agreement at the demand of the then Howard Government.
“Scott Morrison is getting ready to sabotage global climate action just to save face,” Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, said.
“Scott Morrison must not hold the rest of the world back from climate action just to suit his domestic climate denial.
“If we don’t do more by 2030, we won’t stop the climate crisis. The rest of the world gets that and they’re urging countries like Australia, Russia and Saudi Arabia to do more.
“Instead of trying to fudge the science and rip clauses out of the Glasgow agreement, Scott Morrison should sign on to the agreement and lift Australia’s 2030 targets, like the US and UK have done.”
“Removing clauses that recall nations who fail to increase 2030 ambitions may appease the coal and gas corporations in the lead up to the 2022 election, but it gives cover for other recalcitrant petrostates to join Australia’s lead and refuse to act.
“We’re in a critical decade for climate action and the rest of the world is no longer distracted by the Liberals’ accounting tricks. The only action that will count is urgently phasing out coal, oil and gas, the main causes of the climate crisis.
“This draft communique recognises the urgency from the latest IPCC report. Pushing back action to later decades is as dangerous as climate denial.”
Police violence is a national crisis, say Greens
Gomeroi man, Stanley Russell, a father, was shot dead by NSW police. His brother, Eddie Russell, died in police custody in 1999. “Violence against First Nations people is a national crisis and the Morrison Government is doing nothing about it,” said Gunnai, Gunditjmara and DjabWurrung Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe.
Greens spokesperson for Justice and First Nations, Senator Lidia Thorpe said:
“This is colonial violence. This is the continuation of the genocidal project that started in 1788. Over 470 people have died since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and we’re still waiting for true accountability. Is the system broken, or working according to its design?
“The police are supposed to protect people, not kill them. Why does being around the police have fatal consequences for First Nations people? My heart aches for this family. The police have a duty of care and that has been completely ignored for this family.
“We’ve had the solutions to end deaths in custody for over 30 years. The Morrison Government needs to work with the families of people who have died in police custody and implement all of the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. How many more of us need to die?
“The Greens have listened to the families and we are joining their call for a national ban on spit hoods and lethal choke holds, greater transparency in reporting deaths in custody and more funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and Family Violence Prevention Legal Services and their peak bodies.
“As a matter of national urgency, we’re also calling for the full implementation of an independent prison oversight system under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT). Without independent monitoring of places of detention, more First Nations people will die in custody.
“OPCAT is a critical instrument of international human rights law. It needs to be culturally safe, properly resourced and nationally consistent. The Liberal party signed onto it in 2017, and since then have done the bare minimum and called it progress.
“Everyone has the right to be treated fairly, no matter where they are. Humane treatment in police custody cannot be a game of chance. Every person in this country deserves to be treated with dignity and be free from torture. Always.” Said Thorpe.
The Office of Senator Thorpe has asked for permission from the family to speak on this, and use their names.
David Shoebridge, Greens NSW MP said:
“Deaths in custody are not an accident, they are the result of a criminal justice system that is designed to be dangerous, often lethal, for First Nations people.
“Recurring deaths in custody send renewed waves of pain and hurt across communities. It never seems to have an end.“This is a national crisis that many political leaders refuse to recognise, because those that pay the cost are not the people they are in power to represent.
“Indifference, platitudes and empty gestures from politicians allow these killings to continue, and it’s well past time they were held to account for their inaction,” Said Shoebridge.
Launch of the national forum on workplace sexual harassment
Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations, Michaelia Cash will today open a national forum hosted by Commonwealth work health and safety (WHS) regulator Comcare, focussing on the prevention, management and regulation of workplace sexual harassment.
“I am proud to launch this forum today as it brings together WHS regulators, professionals and employers across the country to promote cultural change in our workplaces. That’s reflected in the forum’s theme – Influencing positive change,” said the Attorney-General.
“Education is a central to the Government’s action to implement the ‘Roadmap for Respect: Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces’. The forum will help drive a national approach to prevention strategies, as announced in the 2021-22 Budget.”
Participants will hear from a range of speakers at the event including Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Chair of the Respect@Work Council, Kate Jenkins, who will focus on the findings of her landmark National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces.
The program has been co-designed in collaboration with Safe Work Australia and state and territory WHS regulators. It will help to ensure that WHS authorities are equipped to assist businesses and workers to understand their duties and obligations in relation to sexual harassment under WHS laws, and deliver best practice regulation.
The forum builds on the education resources Comcare has developed in collaboration with the Australian Human Rights Commission and aligns with the national Guidance from Safe Work Australia. These resources provide practical guidance for employers, managers, supervisors and workers to prevent and respond to workplace sexual harassment.
For more information on the event, visit the Comcare website.
If you need immediate assistance or support you can contact 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732.
Life's work on show at Newcastle Art Gallery
The unexpected beauty that can be found in the microscopic elements of the natural world will be on show at Newcastle Art Gallery as part of an exhibition that celebrates the 40-year career of Adelaide artist Angela Valanamesh.
Angela Valamanesh: About being here is an exploration of the interconnectedness of life on earth and the links between humans, animals and plants.
The exhibition is presented by JamFactory as part of their Icon series, which celebrates the achievements of South Australia’s most influential artists working in craft-based media.
While Valanamesh is primarily known for her intriguing biomorphic ceramic sculptures, which use abstract forms to invoke the shapes and patterns of living things, this exhibition will survey the breadth and depth of her artistic practice, including evocative drawings, watercolours, and mixed media works created from the late 1990s until the present.
Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton said the touring exhibition will be augmented with works by Valamanesh from the gallery’s own highly regarded collection, giving visitors an even broader appreciation of her art.
“Newcastle Art Gallery is proud to be the custodian one of the most valuable art collections in regional Australia, which presents a comprehensive overview of Australian art from colonial times to the present day and is worth $115 million,” Ms Morton said.
“Our collection includes several works by renowned Adelaide artist Angela Valanamesh, and we are thrilled to be able to showcase these when we welcome this wonderful exhibition to Newcastle.”
Valamanesh’s artworks elicit intrigue and a strong sense of personal investigation as she manipulates seemingly familiar anatomical, botanical and parasitic forms in beguiling and unusual ways.
Her drawings, ceramic objects, and watercolours are the result of an incredible depth of research, referencing complex scientific, historic, and philosophical ideas. The works suggest ambiguity and present a strong sense of personal investigation.
Angela Valamanesh: About being here will be on display at Newcastle Art Gallery from 13 November 2021 – 30 January 2022, with a special online artist talk on Thursday 18 November.
JamFactory ICON Angela Valamanesh: About being here is a JamFactory touring exhibition and has been assisted by the South Australian Government through the Department for Innovation and Skills and the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, Contemporary Touring Initiative.
Angela Valamanesh acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts. Angela Valamanesh is represented by GAG PROJECTS, Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide and Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, Sydney.
First look at Stage Two of $1B Nepean Hospital expansion
Penrith and Nepean Blue Mountains communities can now take their first look inside Stage Two of the $1 billion Nepean Hospital Redevelopment, with the unveiling today of fly-through animation showcasing the world-class health facilities.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said hospital staff and community representatives had provided valuable input into the design of the new facilities to ensure they meet the community’s growing healthcare needs.
“The $1 billion redevelopment and expansion of Nepean Hospital will transform healthcare in the region – bringing world-class health services much closer to home for the Penrith and Nepean Blue Mountains communities,” Mr Hazzard said.
Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres said the redevelopment project would expand and upgrade Nepean Hospital and community health services in two stages, to benefit the Penrith and Nepean Blue Mountains communities for years to come.
“This major project will generate thousands of jobs and deliver the very best healthcare available to the community, making the region an even more appealing place to live and work,” Mr Ayres said.
“This project is a huge win for the wider Penrith community and future proofs healthcare for our growing population.”
Stage Two delivers the expansion and upgrade of essential clinical services including a new intensive care unit, in-centre renal dialysis unit, medical imaging and nuclear medicine, more beds, cardiology services and integrated community health services, as well as the new front of house for the campus.
Member for Mulgoa Tanya Davies said she was very pleased to see Stage Two fast-tracked, delivering more much needed health services sooner.
“We are using the COVID stimulus funding to get on with Stage Two while work is continuing on finalising Stage One of the redevelopment. That means continuing construction jobs for locals and a huge boost to health outcomes for my communities,” Mrs Davies said.
Reforms to better recognise the loss of an unborn child due to criminal acts
Expectant parents who lose an unborn child due to another person’s criminal act will be better supported and offenders will face tougher sentences under a suite of reforms proposed by the NSW Government.
Attorney General Mark Speakman said creating new criminal offences will expressly recognise the loss of an unborn child as a unique injury and loss for the pregnant woman and other family members.
“Currently, there is no stand-alone offence of causing the loss of an unborn child. These proposed changes will better acknowledge the heartbreak suffered by families and punish offenders appropriately,” Mr Speakman said.
The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Loss of Foetus) Bill 2021 proposes to strengthen the law by creating two new offences in the Crimes Act 1900:
- A stand-alone offence of ‘Causing the loss of a foetus’, which will apply to a wide range of criminal acts and carry a maximum penalty of 5 to 28 years imprisonment depending on the type of act (such as dangerous driving or grievous bodily harm with intent to the pregnant woman). The combined maximum sentence for this offence and the existing criminal offence will be 3 years higher than currently available for this conduct under existing law.
- An offence of ‘Causing the loss of a foetus (death of pregnant woman)’ which can be charged with a homicide offence (such as murder, manslaughter, dangerous driving occasioning death) where the foetus is lost and the pregnant woman is killed due to a third party criminal act. This offence will carry a maximum penalty of 3 years imprisonment and apply in addition to the maximum penalty for the homicide offence.
These can be charged where the foetus was at least 20 weeks or 400 grams weight.
The reforms will also improve support and recognition available to parents who have lost an unborn child of any age as a result of a third party criminal act. The reforms will enable:
- family members to make victim impact statements that may be taken into account by the courts when sentencing offenders;
- the name of an unborn child lost as a result of a criminal offence to be included in the formal wording of charges against an accused (the indictment);
- family members to claim funeral costs for the loss of an unborn child caused by a car accident.
When either of these new offences are charged, families may also be eligible for a one-off $3,000 payment when the accused is charged with one of the new offences. This bereavement payment will assist families to seek counselling and other support services.
Mr Speakman said the proposed amendments do not affect reforms introduced by the Abortion Law Reform Act 2019. The offences will expressly exclude any act or omission by the pregnant woman.
Significantly, these reforms are not intended to displace the centuries old ‘born alive rule’, which provides that a crime of violence such as homicide can only be committed on a legally recognised person – a status attained when someone is born and takes their first breath.
“The reforms recognise the loss that parents and families go through in these cases, without undoing longstanding legal principles,” Mr Speakman said.
“The NSW Government has consulted community and stakeholders, listened carefully to the variety of views, and developed reform that is proportionate and appropriate to better recognise the loss of expectant parents and their families in these tragic circumstances.”
Netball's finest honoured at 2021 NSW State Awards
GIANTS Netball and Australian Diamonds midcourter Jamie-Lee Price was named the state’s Suncorp Super Netball Player of the Year when she took home the Marilyn Melhuish OAM Medal at the 2021 Netball NSW State Awards on Wednesday evening.
The Medal is presented to the standout player from Netball NSW’s two professional clubs – the NSW Swifts and GIANTS Netball – over the course of the Super Netball regular season. Price tallied the highest number of points throughout 2021 to win the Medal for the first time.
Price’s award was one of several presented on the evening as Netball NSW moved its end-of-season celebration online for the first time in the organisation’s history.
Two of NSW’s best up-and-coming players from the Origin Energy Premier League were celebrated with the Sutherland Stingrays’ Toni Anderson winning the Nance Kenny OAM Medal for the Opens Player of the Year, while Isabella Rankin of the UTS Randwick Sparks collected the Wendy Archer AM Medal in the Under 23s competition.
There was further good news for the GIANTS when Ali Tucker-Munro (Randwick Netball Association), who heads up their Academy, was named the Margret Corbett OAM Coach of the Year with Ang Frketic (Liverpool Netball Association) winning the club’s Marj Groves AM Scholarship for 2021 while Lili Gorman-Brown (Sutherland Shire Netball Association) was named the recipient of the same Scholarship on the Swifts side.
Young Liverpool umpire Sarah McNamara was named the Neita Matthews OAM Umpire of the Year while Margot Patterson (Northern Suburbs Netball Association) was named the Lynn Quinn OAM Bench Official of the Year with Anne Tait (Inner Western Suburbs Netball Association) winning the Dot McHugh OAM Administrator Award.
In recognition of their outstanding contribution to the promotion and growth of netball over many decades, the following volunteers were presented with the Anne Clark BEM Service Award: Doreen Snedden (Newcastle), Maureen Munce (Randwick), Helen Steunkel (Tumut), Karon Dawson (Kiama) and Marie Kelly (Randwick).
In the Judy Dunbar Media Awards categories, the following journalists were recognised: Sarah Keoghan/Sydney Morning Herald (Best Overall Media Coverage), Emma Greenwood/The Daily Telegraph (Best Feature), Steven Markham/Speed Media (Best Photo), Nathan Taylor/Western Weekender (Best Local Media Coverage).
Netball NSW CEO Tain Drinkwater paid tribute to the game’s community after a tough 2021, which was impacted by COVID-19 enforced lockdowns of Greater Sydney and much of rural NSW.
“To say it’s been a challenging year would be the understatement, but here we are – still standing,” she said.
“Netball – as ever – stood up, was counted and didn’t shy away from our responsibility to do the right thing by the wider community.
“Given the huge challenges of lockdowns I am truly honoured and proud that we still have had so much to celebrate at both the elite and grassroots level of our game.
“It may not have been a regular netball season, but it was one where we all collectively focused our energies on what we could control and there were some pretty fantastic results.
“I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone in the netball community for what they’ve done to advance the game as the force of good it is over the past 12 months.”
2021 Netball NSW Awards Winners
Marilyn Melhuish OAM Medal – Jamie-Lee Price (GIANTS Netball)
Nance Kenny OAM Medal – Toni Anderson (Sutherland Stingrays)
Wendy Archer AM Medal – Isabella Rankin (UTS Randwick Sparks)
Marj Groves AM Scholarship – Ang Frketic (GIANTS Academy/Liverpool), Lili Gorman-Brown (QBE Swifts Academy/Sutherland Shire)
Margaret Corbett OAM Coach of the Year – Ali Tucker-Munro (Randwick)
Neita Matthews OAM Umpire of the Year – Sarah McNamara (Liverpool)
Lynn Quinn OAM Bench Official of the Year – Margot Patterson (Northern Suburbs)
Dot McHugh OAM Administrator Award – Anne Tait (Inner Western Suburbs)
Judy Dunbar Media Awards:
– Best Overall Media Coverage: Sarah Keoghan/Sydney Morning Herald
– Best Feature: Emma Greenwood/The Daily Telegraph
– Best Photo: Steve Markham/Speed Media
– Best Local Media: Nathan Taylor/Western Weekender
Missing man located – East Maitland
A man reported missing from East Maitland has been located.
The 24-year-old was last seen leaving his home on David Avenue, East Maitland, yesterday (Wednesday 11 November 2021).
Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District were alerted of the missing man and commenced inquiries into his whereabouts.
Following inquiries, the man was located at Clarence Town about 10.30am today (Thursday 11 November 2021).
Police would like to thank the media and the public for their assistance.