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Victoria police abandon charges against three people as part of Dezi Freeman investigation
Victoria police say they will not proceed with charges against three people as part of their wider investigation into the alleged fatal shooting of two police officers by fugitive Dezi Freeman due to “insufficient evidence”.
There have been no confirmed sightings of Freeman, 56, since he allegedly killed two police officers at a rural Victorian property last August. Police last month said they believed he died only hours after he fled into bushland after allegedly shooting the two officers.
In a statement released this afternoon, police said:
Victoria Police can confirm that we will not be proceeding with charges at this time against three people as part of the broader investigation into the fatal shooting of two police officers in Porepunkah last year.
Police said a 42-year-old Porepunkah woman and a 56-year-old Porepunkah man were interviewed by investigators for allegedly obstructing police. A third person was interviewed for an alleged attempted theft.
Police said briefs of evidence were “not authorised” due to “insufficient evidence to support a prosecution at this time”.
Key events
Man dies after workplace incident in Sydney
A man has died after a workplace incident in Sydney’s west.
Emergency services were called to a business in Emu Plains after reports a man had suffered an electric shock while performing maintenance works on the building, NSW police said in a statement.
Paramedics treated the man, believed to be aged in his 40s, but he died at the scene, police said.
The man is yet to be formally identified.
Victoria police abandon charges against three people as part of Dezi Freeman investigation
Victoria police say they will not proceed with charges against three people as part of their wider investigation into the alleged fatal shooting of two police officers by fugitive Dezi Freeman due to “insufficient evidence”.
There have been no confirmed sightings of Freeman, 56, since he allegedly killed two police officers at a rural Victorian property last August. Police last month said they believed he died only hours after he fled into bushland after allegedly shooting the two officers.
In a statement released this afternoon, police said:
Victoria Police can confirm that we will not be proceeding with charges at this time against three people as part of the broader investigation into the fatal shooting of two police officers in Porepunkah last year.
Police said a 42-year-old Porepunkah woman and a 56-year-old Porepunkah man were interviewed by investigators for allegedly obstructing police. A third person was interviewed for an alleged attempted theft.
Police said briefs of evidence were “not authorised” due to “insufficient evidence to support a prosecution at this time”.
Petra Stock
More than 800 people in evacuation centres as flooding continues in the Top End
More than 800 people remain in evacuation centres at Katherine, Mataranka and Darwin as flooding continues in the Top End.
NT police force acting commander Emma Carter said disaster assistance payments were being rolled out.
Our key message to the community remains simple: avoid unnecessary travel and never drive through flood waters. Flood waters can hide damaged roads, debris and other hazards and in the Territory they also present a very real crocodile threat.
The Bureau of Meteorology said Daly river levels were still rising, having crossed 16 metres overnight, and were expected to peak close to the 1998 flood (16.25 metres) over the weekend. It was likely to be a prolonged flood event with the river above major flood levels for the next week or more.
Rivers at Katherine and Wugularr (Beswick) have fallen below the minor flood level and continue to recede.
Electricity was set to be restored to all four pumps at the Darwin river dam on Friday.
As of Friday morning, 196 customers in Katherine were still without power.
Nick Visser
That’s all from me. Adeshola Ore will take you into the arvo. Enjoy the weekend!
Penry Buckley
NSW government laments lowest ever GST share
The NSW government has lamented receiving its lowest ever share of GST since the tax was introduced, despite efforts to lobby the federal government to reform the distribution system.
As we reported earlier, Australia’s most populous state and its largest economy will now receive 82 cents back for every dollar its residents pay in GST in 2026-27, down from 86 cents at last year’s determination, and 92.4 cents in 2024.
The state treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, who is in the US this week to spruik investment opportunities in NSW, has been lobbying the federal government to reform its GST distribution formula.
In a statement, the NSW government said “the complex and opaque calculations used by the Commonwealth Grants Commission once again highlight a broken and unfair system in urgent need of reform”.
The acting treasurer, Courtney Houssos, says the decision “again demonstrates the need for a fairer allocation of how the GST is distributed across the states and territories”.
Successive NSW governments have identified the need for reform. We will continue to engage with the Commonwealth and work towards a more transparent system which can deliver NSW our fair share.
Bunnings to remove powerful rat poisons from shelves after regulator’s recommendation
Petra Stock
Bunnings will remove second-generation rat poisons from its shelves by 30 June after a federal regulator recommended the chemicals be declared a restricted product.
The hardware giant welcomed the “clarity and direction” in a recommendation from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority this week, which said it was in the public interest for chemical products containing any second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides – known as SGARS – to be declared restricted chemical products.
Bunnings chief operating officer, Ryan Baker, said:
We are now working with our team and suppliers to remove these products by June 30, close to nine months ahead of the proposed 12- month implementation timeframe.
We recognise and understand the views raised by community and environmental groups, wildlife advocates and others who have taken a strong interest in this issue.
We will also work with suppliers to ensure our customers can continue to access effective solutions to manage infestations and protect their homes and businesses.
For years, conservationists and scientists have called for the rodenticides to be banned or highly restricted due to their impact on wildlife.
If the regulator’s recommendation is accepted by federal and state governments, the declaration will limit access to the poisons to licensed professionals. Read more:
Luca Ittimani
More on the release of nearly 20% of Australia’s fuel stockpile
Australia will begin releasing its stockpile of fuel after the government directed fuel companies to release nearly a fifth of reserve petrol and diesel supplies.
The energy minister, Chris Bowen, acknowledged fuel supplies could face further pressure but ruled out a cut to the fuel excise or rationing fuel purchases.
Bowen said he had cut fuel companies’ minimum stock obligations to about 2.2bn litres of diesel and 700m litres of petrol, freeing up about 500m and 300m respectively to be directed towards regional Australia.
The fuel would not be released immediately and Bowen said he could not be sure when it would reach regional Australia, where some places no longer have access to fuel, “because it’s a big country and every town is different”.
Read more here:
NSW to get an even smaller share of GST pool
NSW will get a smaller share of the GST pool next financial year, while the cost to federal taxpayers of filling up Western Australia’s coffers rose again, AAP reports.
The Commonwealth Grants Commission, an independent body that advises the federal government on the share of GST each state and territory should receive, on Friday revealed the federal budget will take a $6.6bn hit from the WA GST deal in next year’s carve-up.
NSW will get the lowest GST relatively share since GST was introduced, leaving it with $1.4bn less in revenue in 2026-27 than Victoria, despite having 1.5 million more people.
NSW’s share will be 82 cents in the dollar, down from 86 cents last year.
The distribution of GST has historically been decided based on need, which from about year 2000 to 2018 meant resource-rich WA received a lower per capita share than poorer states like Tasmania.
But the 2018 legislation meant that in the past two financial years, WA could receive no less than 75c to the dollar of what it would get based on a per capita distribution.
Amanda Meade
Channel Nine presenter Georgie Gardner to read last bulletin next month
Newsreader and presenter Georgie Gardner will read her last bulletin for Channel Nine next month after 25 years on air, the network announced.
Her career began in 2002 presenting 6pm weekday weather with Brian Henderson and reading the Morning news.
Gardener joined the Today Show in 2007 as newsreader and co-hosted for two years when Karl Stefanovic left the show.
She has been anchoring 9News Sydney’s 6pm weekend bulletin for 17 years.
Executive director, news & current affairs, Fiona Dear said:
Georgie’s versatility as a presenter has seen her hold almost every on-air news role at Nine. It’s a remarkable achievement and during that time Georgie has been loved and respected by audiences across Australia.
Byron Bay Bluesfest cancelled just weeks before festival due to be held
Byron Bay Bluesfest has been cancelled, just weeks before it was set to begin. The festival said in a statement:
After 36 years as Australia’s most awarded music festival, Byron Bay Bluesfest has made the difficult decision not to proceed with the 2026 event. We are deeply saddened by this outcome and the impact it will have on our artists, staff, partners, vendors and the many loyal Bluesfest fans who have been part of the festival’s journey for more than three decades.
This year’s event was meant to feature Split Enz, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Pogues and many more acts.
Peter Noble, the director of Bluesfest, said in a statement:
For more than three decades, Bluesfest has brought extraordinary artists and audiences together in Byron Bay while also driving significant tourism and economic activity for the Northern Rivers and New South Wales.
This makes the decision incredibly difficult. After careful consideration, we concluded we could not proceed in a way that would meet the standard our audiences, artists and partners expect.
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Melissa Davey
Government defends algorithm-driven aged care assessments
The government defended its new aged care assessment system during Question Time and in Senate estimates this week, with the aged care minister Sam Rae saying there were “encouraging signs” the reforms were working.
Rae said on Thursday that changes to the aged care assessment process, including the introduction of the algorithm-driven Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), were “moving the system in the right direction”.
Guardian Australia has reported concerns from clinicians, providers and families about the use of an algorithm alongside the IAT to determine eligibility and funding levels for aged care services. Assessors and carers said the system is “cruel” and “inhumane” as it often under-assessed a person’s needs, leaving them without inadequate funding and care.
Assessors are unable to override the IAT when the algorithm makes a mistake in determining support at home needs.
At Senate estimates on Wednesday, the department of health, disability and ageing’s deputy secretary, Sonja Stewart, was asked by senator Anne Ruston about the large numbers of people complaining about the inaccuracy of the algorithmic assessments.
“Do you stand by the accuracy of your integrated assessment tool?,” Ruston asked.
Stewart said the tool was necessary to ensure fairness and consistency.
“I do stand by this tool as somebody who is responsible for the system,” she said. “This tool provides equity, this tool provides fairness and it also removes bias from the system.”
She said if there were cases where the IAT had not worked, “those cases will be dealt with on their merit”.
Read more here:
Emergency service convoy travels along flooded Victoria Highway near Katherine – video
Two police cars and two NT Emergency Service crews travel on the flooded Victoria Highway near Katherine after assisting with the rescue of a man and his dog stranded in raging flood waters on a creek crossing west of Katherine.
When roads are closed, only emergency services vehicles are allowed to proceed.
Petra Stock
Queensland also subject to flood warnings, with major flooding en route to Longreach
In Queensland, major flood warnings were in place for the lower Condamine, Fitzroy, Flinders, upper Balonne, Thomson, Alice, Barcoo and Georgina rivers and the Cooper and Eyre creek.
No widespread, persistent rain was forecast, but the BoM was expecting major flooding in the Thomson river to approach Longreach, in central Queensland, this weekend.
Narramore said:
They’re kind of having a blue sky flood. They’re going to have major flooding, but the sun’s going to be out each and every day.
Australia experienced its fourth-warmest year on record in 2025, with annual temperature about 1.23C higher than average, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Global heating, driven mainly by the burning of fossil fuels, has increased the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
