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Neale Daniher’s daughter Bec: ‘You inspired so many, but to me you were simply my dad’
Benita Kolovos
Daniher’s son Luke said while the crowd knew him as a footballer, coach and campaigner, to him he was a “man with a sweet tooth who occasionally hid his chocolate biscuits from us four kids”.
One of Dad’s happiest memories wasn’t a football memory at all. It was watching the children become parents and seeing the grandchildren grow. The older I get, the more I realize Dad’s greatest legacy isn’t what he achieved, it’s what he passed on – the values, the perspective, the example.
Daughter Bec, who is the executive director and spokesperson for FightMND, says her dad was her mentor:
I once heard that grief is the price that we pay for love, and I loved you boundlessly. So, I’ll carry that grief gladly, because it comes from it, comes from such a deep privilege to have had those laughs, those lessons, the challenges, and all those moments in between, the big and small, that shaped who I am today. I wouldn’t trade a single one. To the world you inspired so many, but to me you were simply my dad, the one who guided me when I couldn’t see the next step, whose laughter filled the room, whose charm and cheeky smile could light up anyone around him.
She said in the coming weeks she will welcome a baby boy he was desperate to meet but she knows he will have Daniher’s “spirit and laugh”.
Son Ben described Daniher as his “kindred spirit”, who he talked “endlessly” to about politics, movies and music:
My dad was a tyrant when it came to the control of the music, and anyone who knows me well knows I inherited that trait. We both like to rule the speakers with an iron fist. Some have said they haven’t seen a more autocratic father-son duo since Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un … and they’re probably right.
There have also been touching tributes from his young grandchildren, Cooper and Rosie. Cooper said:
When I was born, Pops couldn’t hold me with his arms. He still found a way to rock me with his legs, even when he couldn’t talk. He used his machine to chat and called me and my brother Ollie cheeky monkeys. My pops was strong, brave, and courageous, and I hope I can be like him when I grow up. I miss you, Poppy, play on.
Rosie said she wishes he could “come back to see us and take me on adventures:
I wish he could come back to the Big Freeze. Poppy, I see you as a star in the sky. I hope you got to see me push the sliders down. I love you.
Key events
Benita Kolovos
Neale Daniher’s state funeral comes to an end
The state funeral for Neale Daniher has come to an end, with his casket escorted out of the MCG by pallbearers – daughter Lauren, sons Luke and Ben, son-in-law Drew and brothers Terry and Chris – to Sting’s “Fields of Gold.”
Master of ceremonies Hamish McLachlan says:
Neale, we will honour your wishes and play on. Rest in peace.
NSW councils call for $5bn loan facility to boost infrastructure and housing
Councils from across NSW have come together to call for the state government to establish a $5bn interest-free loan facility so councils in the regions and Western Sydney can deliver infrastructure that will help unlock more housing supply.
In a plan released today titled Unlocking Homes, Local Government NSW – the peak body for council’s in the state – has proposed a new system that it says would unlock up to 70,000 homes.
This includes the $5bn interest-free loan facility, which it said council’s would repay after developer contributions were paid, and would be spent on up-front investments like roads and sewage.
Darcy Byrne, the LGNSW president and mayor of the Inner West council, said:
We are seeing across Western Sydney, in particular, that without up-front investment in roads, water, sewage and stormwater, housing is simply not being built.
It also called for an expansion on what developer contributions can be used for, and to include social infrastructure such as libraries, childcare facilities and pools.
Byrne said:
We agree with the NSW Government that the housing crisis is the number one challenge facing the State, but we also know that too little investment in the basic infrastructure needed for new homes is making the crisis worse.
Put simply, if we are serious about actually fixing the housing crisis, we need the NSW Government to do more to fix the infrastructure roadblocks that are preventing housing supply.
Alex Greenwich says ‘justice prevailed’ after Mark Latham appeal dismissed
Alex Greenwich has said “justice prevailed” prevailed today after the federal court upheld a ruling that Mark Latham defamed him in a “a sexually aggressive social media post”.
Greenwich, the independent MP for Sydney, said in a statement after the court dismissed the appeal:
Justice is a long game. More than three years ago, Mr Latham defamed me in a sexually aggressive social media post that subjected me to an avalanche of homophobic hate.
He failed to take responsibility for his actions. Today, justice prevailed: his appeal has been dismissed and the judgment in my favour upheld.
Latham, the former One Nation turned independent NSW MP, was found in September 2024 to have defamed Greenwich in an explicit tweet during the 2023 state election.
Greenwich said it had been a tough few years and that he was deeply grateful for the support from his loved ones and colleagues.
He said:
This is an important judgment at a time when politics is too often charged with divisive vitriol. Like the original judgment and the NCAT ruling, it makes clear there is no place in Australian civil discourse for the kind of conduct Mr Latham engaged in.
Jordyn Beazley
Good afternoon. I’ll now be taking you through our rolling news coverage for the rest of today.
Nick Visser
That’s all from me. Jordyn Beazley will take things from here. Take care.
Jordyn Beazley
NSW admits pro-Palestine protester Hannah Thomas was assaulted by police officers and falsely imprisoned
The state of New South Wales has admitted that a police officer punched Hannah Thomas in the eye while holding a torch at a pro-Palestine protest – and it’s offered to pay her medical costs.
Court documents seen by Guardian Australia reveal that the state has admitted to false imprisonment and battery in its defence to a civil action launched by the former Greens candidate in October.
NSW has denied claims of malicious prosecution and malfeasance in public office.
Thomas was arrested and charged alongside four others at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney in late June 2025 that was attended by about 60 people at SEC Plating. Three months later, the office of the director of public prosecutions (DPP) dropped all charges against Thomas and three other protesters.
Read more here:
Neale Daniher’s daughter Bec: ‘You inspired so many, but to me you were simply my dad’
Benita Kolovos
Daniher’s son Luke said while the crowd knew him as a footballer, coach and campaigner, to him he was a “man with a sweet tooth who occasionally hid his chocolate biscuits from us four kids”.
One of Dad’s happiest memories wasn’t a football memory at all. It was watching the children become parents and seeing the grandchildren grow. The older I get, the more I realize Dad’s greatest legacy isn’t what he achieved, it’s what he passed on – the values, the perspective, the example.
Daughter Bec, who is the executive director and spokesperson for FightMND, says her dad was her mentor:
I once heard that grief is the price that we pay for love, and I loved you boundlessly. So, I’ll carry that grief gladly, because it comes from it, comes from such a deep privilege to have had those laughs, those lessons, the challenges, and all those moments in between, the big and small, that shaped who I am today. I wouldn’t trade a single one. To the world you inspired so many, but to me you were simply my dad, the one who guided me when I couldn’t see the next step, whose laughter filled the room, whose charm and cheeky smile could light up anyone around him.
She said in the coming weeks she will welcome a baby boy he was desperate to meet but she knows he will have Daniher’s “spirit and laugh”.
Son Ben described Daniher as his “kindred spirit”, who he talked “endlessly” to about politics, movies and music:
My dad was a tyrant when it came to the control of the music, and anyone who knows me well knows I inherited that trait. We both like to rule the speakers with an iron fist. Some have said they haven’t seen a more autocratic father-son duo since Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un … and they’re probably right.
There have also been touching tributes from his young grandchildren, Cooper and Rosie. Cooper said:
When I was born, Pops couldn’t hold me with his arms. He still found a way to rock me with his legs, even when he couldn’t talk. He used his machine to chat and called me and my brother Ollie cheeky monkeys. My pops was strong, brave, and courageous, and I hope I can be like him when I grow up. I miss you, Poppy, play on.
Rosie said she wishes he could “come back to see us and take me on adventures:
I wish he could come back to the Big Freeze. Poppy, I see you as a star in the sky. I hope you got to see me push the sliders down. I love you.
Mark Latham will have to pay Alex Greenwich after failed appeal over homophobic tweet
A maverick New South Wales MP will have to pay more than half a million dollars after he failed to overturn a court ruling over a homophobic social media post aimed at a parliamentary rival, AAP reports.
The right-wing independent MP Mark Latham was found in September 2024 to have defamed Sydney MP Alex Greenwich in an explicit tweet during the 2023 state election.
He posted the tweet – which described a sex act – in response to a news article in which Greenwich described Latham as a “disgusting human being”.
The federal court found the post exposed Greenwich, who is gay and a vocal LGBTQ+ advocate, to hatred and ridicule.
Latham was previously ordered to pay $140,000 in damages as well as an estimated $400,000 to cover a large portion of Greenwich’s legal costs.
The former NSW One Nation leader sought to quash the court’s ruling, claiming that calling someone gay or saying gay men had sex was not defamatory.
Greenwich filed a cross-appeal to increase the damages on the basis that the post implied he was unfit to sit in parliament.
On Wednesday, three federal court appeal judges dismissed both the appeal and cross-appeal.
‘I love you, darling’: Daniher’s family pay tribute at state funeral
Benita Kolovos
Neale Daniher’s family also paid tribute to him, with his wife, Jan, speaking first. She says they first met at a family friend’s 21st birthday party and have been together since:
Our first date was a lunch in a dark old pub on Swanston Street that had a very limited menu of sausages, lamb’s fry, and chips. I’m fairly sure this was Neale’s way of checking, just to see how down to earth I was. I must have passed the test. We were married in 1985 and we were married for 41 years.
She says it was when Neale was the general manager of football operations at the West Coast Eagles – when “life was full, we were busy and things were going well” – that he first began to notice weakness in his hand and was later diagnosed with MND.
Being told there is no treatment, no cure, and that the life expectancy is around 27 months. It’s devastating and it was almost impossible to believe, but Neale took on the challenge.
Jan told the crowd the entire family went on the journey together:
There were moments of joy and sadness, fear and love, strength and determination. It wasn’t easy. It was incredibly difficult, but we faced each challenge together, and we never gave up. We’re incredibly lucky that Neale got to meet his six beautiful grandchildren, but MND doesn’t define Neale.
Neale is defined by his character, his integrity, his humility, his honesty, his strength, and resilience, by his sharp wit, his cheeky smile, his love of family and friends, and his wonderful love of laughter. This is how we will remember Neale. I love you, darling.
Daniher’s daughter Lauren said he never complained:
You got up each day and focused on what you could do, and you made the most of every single moment Even when his body was failing, his mind was still fighting on right to the very end, I’ll miss walking through the front door and seeing you smile from your chair.
I will miss the look of annoyance when I misunderstood what you were trying to communicate, and if you’re wondering what that look is, just Google a picture of Dad from his coaching days. I will miss that cheeky grin you would have on your face while you typed a smartarse comment, and I will miss the wink you would give us when we sorted what you needed. We will play on for you, Dad. I love you.
Benita Kolovos
Albanese says Daniher ‘one of the most positive people’ he’s ever met
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, spoke next, describing Daniher as a hero:
When confronted with an adversity that most of us simply cannot imagine, facing odds that could not be beaten, Neale chose to fight. In doing so, he gave new hope to thousands of Australians living their own struggle against motor neurone disease, and he inspired all of us with his courage, with his determination, with his humor, and his invincible optimism.
Albanese says Daniher was “one of the most positive people I have ever had the honour of meeting”.
Finding a cure was always about saving the lives of others. It was the same when he was awarded Australian of the Year in 2025 Neale didn’t see that as an accolade for what he had done. He treated it as a platform to continue his work and to share his call to action.
Victoria premier says Neale Daniher ‘understood football, but more than that, he understood people’
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, was the first speaker at Neale Daniher’s state funeral. A lifelong Essendon supporter, she says she grew up following the “mighty Daniher brothers, all four of them in red and black”.
She went on:
That was how Victoria first came to know Neale – one of the Daniher boys, a country New South Wales footballer who made his mark in the VFL and the AFL, and later Melbourne’s coach, [where he] coached for 223 games, including that grand final here against Essendon in 2000.
Allan says that as a coach, Daniher was known as “the Reverend”, a nickname she says suited him:
A deep thinker, a fierce competitor, a man who understood football, but more than that, he understood people. When Neale spoke, people felt it. He brought them in, not around anger or grievance, but around purpose, around hope, around the belief that if enough people cared, something could change. He really was the Reverend, and all of us were part of his flock.
She says a letter Daniher sent her in late 2025 is on her desk. In it, he wrote: “You can’t always choose what happens, but you can always choose how you respond. Waiting for certainty keeps you stuck, and courage begins the moment you decide”.
Allan says the words have stayed with her:
I think about them on hard days, and they say so much about how Neale lived his life. He did not choose MND but he did choose how he would meet it – with courage, with purpose, with love, by turning his own suffering into something that could help others.
How do you like them apples?
Nicholas Jordan is back with a new taste test: this time, it’s Australian apples.
These are always controversial, so steel yourself to either be vindicated or frustrated.
Check out the results below:
