Australia news live: Ley says Albanese ‘should have been more proactive’ as Trump meeting cancelled; Victoria criminalises ‘post and boast’ content | Australia news

Burst water main leads to evacuations at Sydney’s Downing Centre court

Judges and magistrates had just taken the bench to hear 550 cases in Sydney’s Downing Centre courtrooms on Tuesday morning when the power suddenly went out throughout the building, AAP reports.

After a few moments of confusion, an alert asked everyone to leave the building due to a “street emergency”. Crowds of lawyers, judicial staff, accused criminals, and a gaggle of schoolkids on an excursion streamed down fire escape staircases onto Liverpool Street in the city centre.

Three people were trapped in the busy elevators inside the court complex. Fire and Rescue NSW confirmed crews had released one person while two others remain stuck in an elevator trapped between two floors.

In a statement, Ausgrid said a burst water main had flooded an underground substation in the city, causing the power outage. More than 400 customers in the CBD are still without power just before 1pm.

Rafqa Touma

Woman identified after body found in bushland in Sydney’s west

A man has been charged with murdering a woman whose body was found in western Sydney by a passerby on the weekend. New South Wales police officers were called to Irwin Street in Werrington on Sunday after the body of 47-year-old Leanne Akrap was located in bushland. She was discovered lying next to clothing and rubbish.

A crime scene was established and an investigation commenced with the homicide squad. NSW Police did not comment on the alleged cause of death. A report was to be prepared for the coroner. Bryan Steven Johnson, 47, was arrested at a home on Powell Street in Hobartville on Monday evening and charged with murder, police said.

He was refused bail to appear before Penrith local court on Tuesday.

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Cait Kelly

Police looking at link between burnt-out cars and Sydney shooting

NSW detectives are investigating the links between three burnt-out cars and a shooting in Auburn yesterday. In a statement, NSW Police said about 1.15pm yesterday officers were called to South Parade after two men, with their faces covered, entered a kebab shop and fired eight shots.

They left in a black Audi Q7 bearing cloned numberplates. NSW Ambulance paramedics treated three people for gunshot wounds before all were taken to a hospital for further specialist treatment.

A 26-year-old man suffered wounds to his shoulder and arm, a 47-year-old woman was shot twice in the torso, and a 25-year-old man was shot in the face. The first two victims are said to be in a stable condition while the second man is said to be in a serious condition.

A crime scene was established, and three cars were subsequently found burnt out on Wigram Street in Harris Park, Hilltop Road in Merrylands and Gerald Street in Greystanes. Crime scenes were established at all three locations with officers attached Taskforce Falcon deployed to assist with the investigation.

Police are currently examining potential links between the three fires and the shooting at Auburn.

Ley says Albanese should have been ‘more proactive’ in seeking Trump meeting

Tom McIlroy

The federal opposition leader, Sussan Ley, says the Albanese government should have done more to secure a meeting with US President Donald Trump before his early exit from the G7 in Canada today.

In a statement, she said Trump’s decision to leave a day before his meeting with Anthony Albanese is understandable but regrettable.

“Given the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, this decision is understandable but to the detriment of Australia.

“This was an important opportunity for the prime minister to seek assurances on Aukus and protect Australia from tariffs.

“Given global volatility and the growing list of issues in our relationship with the United States, this underscores that the Albanese government should not have merely relied on meeting with the president on the sidelines of international summits.

“The prime minister should have been more proactive in seeking to strengthen this relationship – Australia’s most important – and we encourage him to change his approach to advance our national interest.”

Dan Jervis-Bardy

Fate of NSW Liberal party to be decided at crunch meeting after federal takeover

The fate of the New South Wales Liberal party will be decided at a crunch meeting today, where the party’s federal executive will weigh up whether to end or extend its control over the division.

The federal Liberal party forcibly took over the NSW division in September last year after the NSW branch failed to lodge nominations for 140 candidates in 16 councils before the local government elections. A committee was appointed to replace its state executive for a period of 10 months.

On Tuesday, the Liberal party federal executive will decide the next steps for new Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s home state division in one of her first major challenges.

Read more here:

Josh Butler

Chalmers refuses to comment on if Trump meeting cancellation was ‘rude’

In a quick doorstop after his Sky interview, Chalmers wouldn’t comment on whether Australia saw the Trump meeting cancellation as a snub. The treasurer said the Iran-Israel situation was a “a perilous moment for the Middle East – a perilous moment for the global economy as well.”

“It’s understandable and not especially surprising that President Trump has headed back to the White House,” he said.

Asked by a journalist if it was “rude” that Australia may have found out about Trump’s movements via social media posts from the president’s office, Chalmers said “I’m obviously not going to comment on that, I’ve made my view really clear.”

“This is not especially surprising. It’s understandable, given the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. We have a number of opportunities to engage with American counterparts,” he said.

Josh Butler

Chalmers downplays ‘understandble’ move from Trump to leave G7 early in face of Middle East crisis

It’s “understandable” and “not especially surprising” Donald Trump is leaving the G7 early in the face of a spiralling situation in the Middle East, says the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, downplaying the impact of Anthony Albanese’s meeting being cancelled.

Trump, as our Tom McIlroy has been bringing you from Canada, will leave the G7 meeting not long after arriving, and the scheduled meeting with Albanese is now not expected by the Australian side – one of likely several meetings the US president will skip.

Chalmers, in a Sky News interview just now, said Trump’s movements are “not especially surprising.”

“It’s understandable that President Trump [will leave] the meeting early. This was always a chance of happening, given what’s happening around the world and particularly in the Middle East,” the treasurer said.

“Prime Minister Albanese has had three conversations with President Trump in recent months, we’ll continue to engage in the usual way. But I don’t think it’s especially surprising. I do think it’s understandable, given events that are unfolding in a really dangerous part of the world.”

Chalmers said Albanese had “other good reasons” to travel to Canada, besides the now-unlikely Trump meeting, noting the PM’s meetings with other world leaders.

“It’s a really important opportunity to speak up for and stand up for Australia’s interests in the world. Obviously, we were looking forward to a meeting between the leaders of Australia and the United States. But again, I don’t think it’s especially surprising, given the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, that President Trump wants to get back to the White House,” Chalmers said.

“This was always a prospect of this happening. It’s understandable. It’s not especially surprising, and there’ll be other opportunities to engage.”

Victoria announces new ‘post and boast’ laws to combat youth crime

Crooks who post videos of their crimes online will cop extra jail time as part of a crackdown on youth crime, AAP reports. The “post and boast” laws, announced by the Victorian government on Tuesday, will affect anyone who brags about their crimes on social media and messaging apps.

The crimes amendment (performance crime) bill will apply to anyone who publishes content about their involvement in serious and violent crimes such as affray, car thefts, home invasions, burglary and robbery and carjackings, the Victorian attorney general, Sonya Kilkenny, said:

It’s about sending the strongest and clearest message to these offenders now that … crime is not content, it is certainly not entertainment.

Third parties such as witnesses, bystanders and journalist won’t be captured by the laws.

Albanese to continue with plans at G7 despite Trump departure

Tom McIlroy

Anthony Albanese will continue with his program at the G7 summit here in Canada tomorrow, despite Donald Trump leaving early tonight local time. The pair had been due to meet for the first time on the sidelines of the event in Kananaskis in the Rocky Mountains.

After the news broke, a government spokesperson said:

Given what is occurring in the Middle East this is understandable. As the prime minister said a short time ago, we are very concerned about the events in the Middle East and continue to urge all parties to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy.

After a dinner for G7 partner countries hosted by Canada’s governor general tonight, Albanese is due to meet with the leaders of the UK, Germany, the European Union and France at the summit.

Death cap mushrooms found in NSW

NSW Health said today death cap mushrooms have been found in parts of the state, including Sydney, the Southern Highlands and southern NSW. Officials issued warnings about the health risks of eating wild mushrooms, noting the consumption of death caps can be fatal.

Brett Summerell, chief scientist at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, said it can be difficult to identify safe species:

There is no easy or reliable way to identify if a wild mushroom is edible or poisonous, so we advise people against foraging for, and eating, wild mushrooms. Cooking poisonous mushrooms does not make them safe to eat.

You should only eat mushrooms you buy from a reputable grocery store, supermarket or produce market.

There were 23 hospitalisations for the toxic effect of ingested mushrooms in 2024, including two in children under the age of five. If you are worried that mushroom poisoning may have occurred, do not wait for symptoms to appear and call the Poison Information Centre on 13 11 26.

Tabcorp fined $4m for VIP customer spam

Jack Snape

Tabcorp has been fined $4m for sending more than 5,700 marketing messages to VIP customers last year in breach of Australia’s spam laws.

The penalty is the outcome of the first investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority into a VIP gambling program.

Between 1 February and 1 May 2024, 2,598 SMS and WhatsApp messages were sent by Tabcorp to customers without an unsubscribe option and 3,148 SMS and WhatsApp messages did not contain adequate sender information.

Samantha Yorke, an ACMA member, said the breaches were “deeply concerning” given Tabcorp is an established provider that targets VIP customers. She said:

These programs often involve personalised messages offering incentives such as bonus bets, deposit matching, rebates and offers of tickets to sporting and other events.

“The gambling industry needs to understand that spam laws apply to all direct marketing – whether it’s generic campaigns or personalised messages,” Yorke said, noting VIPs were not necessarily “high-rollers” and could be under financial strain. “It is utterly unacceptable that TAB [Tabcorp] did not have adequate spam compliance systems in place.”

TAB has entered into a three-year, court-enforceable undertaking, which includes an independent review of its direct marketing systems, quarterly audits of its VIP direct marketing and training staff.

Senator David Pocock, an independent, said over the weekend the gambling sector had been “emboldened” by the Albanese government’s failure to act on the recommendations of a 2023 review into the industry by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy.

Adam Morton

New court bid filed to stop extension of North West Shelf gas project in WA

A new court bid has been launched to stop Woodside Energy’s plan to extend the life of the North West Shelf gas export facility in northern Western Australia until 2070. The proposal, which last month won conditional approval from the federal government, has been challenged in the WA supreme court by Friends of Australian Rock Art.

In papers lodged with the court last week, the organisation argued the WA government did not properly follow state environment laws when it approved the development last year. Specifically, it alleged the state assessment failed to consider the climate impact of greenhouse gas emissions linked to the project.

Judith Hugo, a co-convener of Friends of Australian Rock Art, said:

It is clear that the state government is providing enthusiastic support for Woodside’s ongoing gas exports, but that does not detract from the obligation to follow the requirements of our legislation, and that means ensuring the impacts are properly assessed and managed to acceptable levels before any approvals are granted.

A Woodside spokesperson said the company was aware of the court action and had “confidence in the robustness of the state government’s comprehensive approval process”.

Tasmania premier calls Smith a ‘proud and brave Tasmanian’

The Tasmanian premier, Jeremy Rockliff, is speaking about Const Keith Anthony Smith’s long career of service. Rockliff said:

Yesterday a proud and brave Tasmanian man, Constable Keith Smith, started his day by putting on his Tasmania Police uniform. A day that began like many others. A day where he started, like all others, to protect and serve us all.

Tragically, Constable Smith did not return home to put on the civvies. To be with the people that he loved.

Tasmania Police name officer killed in shooting yesterday

Tasmanian police have identified Const Keith Anthony Smith, 57, as the victim of a shooting yesterday.

Smith, a 25-year-veteran of the police service, was walking up to a home in the state’s north-west yesterday afternoon to serve a warrant when a person inside the house allegedly opened fire, killing him.

Tasmania’s police commissioner, Donna Adams, called Smith a dedicated officer and said his death will be mourned by the entire force:

Keith was a respected and committed officer, and his loss will be deeply felt across our policing family and the wider community. My heart goes out to Keith’s wife and family. We will be supporting them in every way we can during this incredibly difficult time.

The blue family will come together today, and over the next days and weeks, and will support the family and each other.

A 46-year-old man remains in hospital under police guard. No charges have been filed so far.

Cait Kelly

A two-bedroom Bondi Junction unit for $1,100 a week. Is ‘affordable housing’ in Australia really affordable?

A two-bedroom apartment in Bondi Junction that is part of an “affordable” housing scheme run by the NSW government has been listed at $1,100 a week to rent, prompting advocates to warn that programs designed to help low-income earners are increasingly out of reach.

Across the country, affordable housing programs are meant to offer rent below market rate for low-to-moderate income households that make too much for social housing but not enough for the private market.

The two-bedroom two-bathroom apartment in Bondi Junction is listed under the Affordable Housing Scheme by HomeGround Real Estate Sydney, with the guidelines set by the NSW government.

Read more:

Tom McIlroy

Trump’s departure a blow to PM

Donald Trump’s press secretary has confirmed he will leave the G7 summit in Canada a day early, snubbing leaders including Anthony Albanese before planned talks tomorrow.

It is a blow for Albanese, who had expected to hold his first face-to-face talks with the president, including covering trade issues and the US review of Aukus.

The PM will still meet with leaders including the UK’s Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron at the Kananaskis summit site.

US president Donald Trump is leaving the G7 meeting early, and will depart Canada tonight. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, just wrote on X:

President Trump had a great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Much was accomplished, but because of what’s going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State.

Albanese says he’s always prepared before major meetings

The prime minister was asked how he’s prepped himself before his meeting with Trump tomorrow on the sidelines of the G7. Albanese said he’s always prepared:

I always prep seriously for meetings where I’m representing Australia. I’ve just been through a test. It’s called a federal election. …

I think that I have a great responsibility. I take that responsibility seriously and I look forward to tomorrow’s meeting, and not just with President Trump. It is important to say that tomorrow as well I’ll be meeting with the prime minister of Japan and I’ll be meeting with the European leaders.