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Search continues for missing hiker on NSW south coast
A multi-agency search continues today after hiker went missing from the New South Wales south coast.
Christopher Moore, 38, was last seen on Twelve Mile Road, Jerrawangala, about 32km south of Nowra, about 10.30am on Wednesday, when he was dropped off for a camping trip, NSW police said in a statement.
The man was due to be picked up at the same location on Friday, and when he did not arrive, officers attached to the South Coast Police District were notified and a search commenced to locate him, police said.
Search efforts in bushland around the Jerrawangala or Wandandian areas have been coordinated by NSW Police Rescue Squad, with assistance from local police, Polair, SES, and NSW Rural Fire Service, police said.
Police and family hold concerns for Christopher’s welfare. He is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 180cm tall, of thin build with short light brown hair, a beard and a moustache.
He was last seen wearing khaki and black pants and a khaki-coloured hooded jumper.
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Updated at 20.23 EDT
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A long-running inquest into the death of an Indigenous teenager who fatally self-harmed in the troubled youth wing of an adult prison is set to resume.
Cleveland Dodd was found unresponsive inside a cell in Unit 18, a youth wing of the high-security adult facility Casuarina Prison in Perth, in the early hours of October 12, 2023, reports AAP.
The 16-year-old was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died a week later, causing outrage and grief in the community.
It also led to an expedited inquest that started in April 2024 and is scheduled to return to the Western Australian Coroner’s Court on Monday for more submissions.
The inquest previously heard Cleveland had been locked in his cell, which had no running water, for most of the day. He made multiple calls asking for medical treatment and water as the night wore on. He was found in his cell shortly before 2am, when attempts were made to revive him. He died on October 19, 2023.
Cleveland’s heartbroken mother Nadene Dodd previously told the inquest Unit 18 was a “hellhole”.
Coroner Philip Urquhart previously said Unit 18 should be closed “as a matter of urgency” when he delivered his provisional recommendations in December.
ShareJonathan Barrett
Regulator sues Bupa over hospital claims
The consumer regulator has taken Bupa to court over allegations the health insurer incorrectly advised members they were not entitled to claim various benefits for hospital visits over a five-year period.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said in a federal court claim that Bupa had engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct. The regulator and Bupa have agreed to ask the court to impose a $35m penalty.
The ACCC said:
Most of the claims impacted by the admitted conduct were claims for hospital treatment, in which two or more procedures were performed at the same time.
In cases where part of the treatment was covered by a member’s policy and part of the treatment was not covered, Bupa incorrectly rejected the entire claim.
The conduct allegedly affected “thousands of consumers over a period of more than five years”, the regulator said, referring to the period between May 2018 and August 2023.
Bupa has apologised to affected customers and said it had compensated members and providers, which included paying interest and customer goodwill payments.
Bupa’s Asia-Pacific chief executive, Nick Stone, said:
We are deeply sorry for failing to get things right for our customers and are saddened by the impact this has had on them and their families.
This should never have happened.
ShareJosh Butler
Julie Bishop goes to Moscow
Former foreign minister Julie Bishop has travelled to Moscow as part of her role as UN special envoy on Myanmar, in a rare example of public diplomatic engagement by an Australian with Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Bishop, the former Liberal politician, posted several Instagram photos from Russia last week, including inside a government building and in Moscow’s Red Square.
The trip was first reported by the Nine newspapers, who reported Bishop had said the trip was part of her role in engaging with UN Security Council members regarding Myanmar.
One Instagram photo, posted as a disappearing story but archived by Bishop on her profile, was captioned “Moscow UNSC P5 visit” – P5 referring to the five permanent members of the security council.
Another, inside an ornate building with the location tag “Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia main building”, was captioned “shuttle diplomacy” with an emoji of the UN flag; a third, of Bishop in Red Square, included the hashtag “UNSG Special Envoy Myanmar”.
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Updated at 20.38 EDT
Erin Patterson trial: jury expected to begin deliberations
Adeshola Ore
The jury in Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial is expected to begin deliberating its verdict today.
Justice Christopher Beale will finish instructing jurors this afternoon before their deliberations begin, as the trial enters its 10th week.
Two of the 14 jurors will be balloted off, leaving the remaining 12 to deliberate a verdict.
Jurors have been told they will be sequestered during their deliberations, meaning they will return to supervised accommodation each night to ensure they have no contact with the outside world.
Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha, in regional Victoria, on 29 July 2023.
She is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and her estranged husband’s aunt, Heather Wilkinson. The attempted murder charge relates to Heather’s husband, Ian.
She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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Updated at 20.36 EDT
Sarah Basford Canales
Albanese says online graphic material is ‘a scourge’
Anthony Albanese has described the “scourge” of graphic material online as promoting misogynistic attitudes to young men and boys against women.
At a press conference in Canberra this morning, the prime minister was asked whether YouTube should be included in a social media ban for under-16s.
While Albanese didn’t address the question directly, he lamented the impact social media can have on young people, including the rise of misogynistic content among young males.
We’ve got to also consider what is going on with young men and boys being exposed to graphic material, which does not promote healthy relationships. It can often promote a violent perception and misogynistic attitude towards women and it is a scourge … we have to tackle this as government. We have to tackle this as media. We have to tackle this as – the whole of society needs to recognise this is an issue we have to confront.
The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, urged the government last week to rethink its decision to carve out the video sharing platform from the minimum social media age which will apply to apps such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
YouTube criticised the “inconsistent and contradictory advice” advice from Grant, noting the commissioner previously flagged “concerns the ban ‘may limit young people’s access to critical support’”.
The ban is to come into force in mid-December but details on how companies will be able to check age and prevent under-16s from joining are still unclear.
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Updated at 20.22 EDT
Sarah Basford Canales
Aukus will make ‘our region and the world’ more secure, Albanese says
The US Pentagon announced a 30-day review of the Aukus defence pact earlier this month, which is being undertaken by US defence undersecretary Elbridge Colby.
Colby has been critical of the deal and has urged Australia to lift its defence spending to 3% of GDP. Australia is currently on track to lift defence spending from about $53bn a year, or about 2% of GDP – to an estimated $100bn, or 2.4% of GDP, by 2033-34.
The prime minister has said Australia raises its points at “every opportunity” and flagged an upcoming meeting with the US as part of the two countries’ annual strategic dialogue, Ausmin, as another opportunity to highlight to the US Aukus’s advantages.
Anthony Albanese told reporters earlier:
Aukus benefits three countries – Australia, the UK and the US. But it does something more than that as well. It benefits the world because it makes our region and the world more secure because it is such an important agreement going forward.
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Updated at 20.16 EDT
Albanese reaffirms US tariffs on Australia ‘should be zero’
Sarah Basford Canales
Anthony Albanese says tariffs placed on Australia by the US Trump administration “should be zero” as leaders around the world prepare for a second “liberation day” announcement following a 90-day pause on tariffs.
In a frosty, sub-zero morning in Canberra’s Bruce, the prime minister said Australia would continue to put its case forward with the close ally.
Albanese said:
We’ll continue to put our case forward that it shouldn’t be 10. It should be zero. That is what a reciprocal tariff will be. We have a US free trade agreement, of course, and we’ve put forward very clearly our arguments.
Flanked by finance minister Katy Gallagher and skills minister Andrew Giles, Albanese was there to talk up a new $10,000 incentive payment for students in construction but the questions centred heavily on defence spending and tariffs.
Asked whether his government could increase defence spending next April as part of the national defence strategy, Albanese bluntly replied “No”.
No, because you’re seeing it now with $57bn that we have in the budget – $57 bn isn’t nothing … What we want to do is to use defence procurement, not just to assist in the defence of Australia, but also to be a facilitator of that advanced manufacturing.
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Updated at 20.23 EDT
NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson calls for ‘agenda of intolerance and anti-protest measures’ to end
New South Wales Greens MP Sue Higginson says in relation to allegations by Greens candidate Hannah Thomas that she was assaulted by police during a protest:
The level of impunity the police displayed doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s written there in black and white – a direct reference to the anti-protest laws rushed through the NSW parliament.
The Greens spokesperson for justice said in a statement that she called for the “agenda of intolerance and anti-protest measures” to be reversed.
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Updated at 20.09 EDT
Sporadic communications for regional Queensland residents ‘rather traumatic’, local mayor says
Councillor Andrew Smith, the mayor of Western Downs regional council, which includes the town of Dalby, has said locals without connectivity from 16 June to today are “frustrated”.
The ABC said 13,000 people in regional Queensland had had sporadic mobile communications for two weeks while upgrades were made to the local 5G network.
Speaking with the ABC’s Radio National, Smith said the past two weeks had been “rather traumatic”.
“We live and die almost by our communications these days, and unfortunately, the Dalby community has had sporadic communications via upgrades that Telstra are delivering,” he said.
He said Telstra’s messaging was “unclear about the planned outages and the potential consequences” and had impacted emergency services, businesses, farmers and schools.
Clinicians were told to stay within wi-fi range, while “diabetes alert devices were rendered inoperable” with “no back-up support”, he said.
He said:
It’s really not acceptable in 2025, from what’s considered to be our national carrier, that the planning isn’t clearer, but also the contingency planning was basically nil.
We’ve got a regional community that is very active. People are on the road, they’re out in paddocks, and those people lost communications altogether. That’s not only an emergency services issue, but it makes business very, very difficult.
So, you know, we’ve got schools that are trying to get in touch with parents with sick children. Parents are unattainable via the communications, it becomes a real concern, and we had those concerns during the week.
He said “people were left with no communication whatsoever” and that people “weren’t aware of the impacts and consequences” before the work took place.
“It goes back to the contingency planning, something needs to be in place to continue with communications through these upgrades. We really appreciate the upgrades,” he said.
In a statement to the ABC, Telstra said:
Our technicians made good progress and services were restored on Monday. Landline, NBN and other broadband services were not affected at any stage.
We sent customers texts to give them a heads up about the upcoming works and we thank everyone for their patience.
Having a second type of connection like NBN, satellite internet or a landline is the best way for customers to make sure they can stay connected even when any mobile outage occurs.
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Updated at 20.07 EDT
Remains found during Melbourne search for 23-year-old
Loved ones and community members have been left heartbroken after human remains were discovered during the ongoing search for 23-year-old Joshua Bishop.
Officers executed a search warrant at a home in the quiet suburb of Westmeadows, north-west of Melbourne, on Saturday, where they made the grim discovery and arrested a man, later charging him with murder, reports AAP.
While the remains are yet to be formally identified, in the hours following the discovery, a close friend, who had organised a fundraiser on behalf of the family, provided an update.
The family had been fiercely searching for Bishop, who was last seen by his housemate on Lalor Crescent in Sunbury, in the city’s north-west, on 27 May.
“With the heaviest hearts, we share that our beloved Joshua Bishop has been found – but sadly, not in the way we had hoped. We are devastated and struggling to find the words,” Daniel De Vivero wrote.
“Your incredible support, generosity, and compassion throughout this heartbreaking time have meant more than we can express. The Bishop family has felt truly surrounded by love through every moment of this journey.”
“Rest in peace, Josh. You are deeply loved, and you will never be forgotten.”
Bishop was reported missing on 29 May by his mother, after he failed to access his phone or bank accounts. The home on Erinbank Crescent, where the remains were found, is just kilometres from Broadmeadows Valley Park, where Bishop’s phone had last been traced.
Detectives arrested a 27-year-old Westmeadows man, who was charged with murder on Sunday night. He will appear in Melbourne magistrates court on Monday.
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Updated at 19.23 EDT
Pheobe Bishop to be farewelled in Queensland funeral
A teenage girl allegedly murdered by her housemates will be laid to rest in a funeral service as loved ones remember the “free-spirited” girl.
Family and friends donned in bright colours will farewell Pheobe Bishop in southern Queensland on Monday afternoon, six weeks after the 17-year-old disappeared, reports AAP.
Pheobe was last seen near Bundaberg airport about 8.30am on May 15 after booking a trip to Western Australia to see her boyfriend.
Queensland police allege her housemates, Tanika Bromley and James Wood, drove Pheobe close to the airport in a grey Hyundai, but no one left the car.
Pheobe was allegedly murdered and her body was moved more than once from the Good Night Scrub national park, an hour’s drive from the airport.
Phone data had led officers to focus their search on the park before her remains were found on June 6.
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Updated at 19.21 EDT
Search continues for missing hiker on NSW south coast
A multi-agency search continues today after hiker went missing from the New South Wales south coast.
Christopher Moore, 38, was last seen on Twelve Mile Road, Jerrawangala, about 32km south of Nowra, about 10.30am on Wednesday, when he was dropped off for a camping trip, NSW police said in a statement.
The man was due to be picked up at the same location on Friday, and when he did not arrive, officers attached to the South Coast Police District were notified and a search commenced to locate him, police said.
Search efforts in bushland around the Jerrawangala or Wandandian areas have been coordinated by NSW Police Rescue Squad, with assistance from local police, Polair, SES, and NSW Rural Fire Service, police said.
Police and family hold concerns for Christopher’s welfare. He is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 180cm tall, of thin build with short light brown hair, a beard and a moustache.
He was last seen wearing khaki and black pants and a khaki-coloured hooded jumper.
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Updated at 20.23 EDT
