Australia news live: severe weather due in Porepunkah as manhunt continues; Roo-ver to head to moon | Australia news

Key events

Police raid Porepunkah property overnight

Guardian Australia confirmed a raid took place on a property in Chandler Court last night in Porepunkah.

The house was quiet this morning, but some residents appeared to be at home – with a note on the door saying private.

Victoria police have not commented on the matter yet.

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Gina Rinehart can be served a subpoena to produce documents, court finds

A court has ordered Gina Rinehart can be served a subpoena after Ben Roberts-Smith lost his appeal against Fairfax Media.

The federal court on Thursday ordered that Rinehart can be served a subpoena by a solicitor for Nine newspapers – formerly Fairfax Media – to oblige her to produce documents.

It is not known what the documents contain.

The order said that the original service of the subpoena in July should be dispensed with.

Gina Rinehart. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

In May, former SAS soldier Roberts-Smith lost his appeal against a defamation case ruling, with three justices of the federal court agreeing he was not defamed by Nine newspapers and journalists Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters when they published reports in 2018 which claimed he had committed war crimes.

Rinehart criticised what she called the “relentless attack” on Roberts-Smith, arguing it weakened the nation and a defence force “already struggling with inadequate numbers to defend us”.

Australia’s richest person, who has donated to a fund designed to support the legal costs of former SAS soldiers, has declined to say whether she personally funded Roberts-Smith’s legal costs.—-

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Queensland nurses union reaches ‘bargaining consensus’ with state government

Queensland’s nurses union says it has reached a “bargaining consensus” with the state government after months of industrial action over a new enterprise bargaining agreement.

Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union secretary, Sarah Beaman, said the government had presented a new offer which the union has agreed to take to members.

“We’ve secured an offer that better respects the work nurses and midwives do every day across Queensland Health,” Beaman said.

The offer adds double-time overtime for all shift workers, in line with male-dominated frontline professions, Beaman said. The state government describes this as a nation-first.

Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union secretary Sarah Beaman. Photograph: Savannah Meacham/AAP

It is based on a longstanding government pay offer of an 11% increase over three years.

It also includes a new pay point for RNs and midwives, raising the earning potential for more than 23% of nurses and midwives, Beaman said. Existing rights and entitlements are also protected, among other changes, she said.
The health minister, Tim Nicholls, said Queensland health and the unions had reached “a consensus focused on attracting, retaining, valuing and respecting nurses and midwives”.

“The Crisafulli government’s proposal will ensure nurses and midwives on the health frontline in public hospitals get ahead and stay ahead on wages, conditions, penalty rates and cost-of-living,” Nicholls said.

The offer will be put to members of the union in coming months.

Negotiations have been under way since January and industrial action has been under way since July, the union’s first since 2002. The parties have conducted more than 150 hours of bargaining and 13 “intensive conciliation sessions”.

Read more here:

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Updated at 17.31 EDT

Good morning, Nick Visser here to take over for Martin Farrer. Let’s get rolling.

ShareAustralia’s Roo-ver to the moon

Australia will send its first ever rover to the moon in a partnership with Nasa, which the federal government says will be the furthest any Australian space project has travelled.

The rover, called Roo-ver, will be sent to the moon by 2030 with a Nasa payload capable of analysing its surface and collecting data to assist with future space exploration trips.

An impression of what the rover will look like. Photograph: Australian Space Agency

Its mission will help global efforts to determine whether a human presence in space could be sustainable, the government said.

The moon rover was created by a consortium of around 20 Australian organisations in partnership with the Australian Space Agency. The federal government will invest $42m in the project to send Roo-ver to the moon.

Australia’s space rovers will join a Nasa mission. Photograph: Australian Space Agency

The science minister, Tim Ayres, said:

This is one of the most specialised robotics and advanced manufacturing projects in the country. It’s accelerating the development of Australia’s advanced technical capabilities and deepening local manufacturing expertise.

ShareSevere weather due in Porepunkah as manhunt continues

The search for gunman Dezi Freeman will enter its fourth day today, with the weather again expected to create a major hurdle for the manhunt.

Yesterday, the Bureau of Meteorology released a severe weather warning that included parts of the alpine region. It also warned of snow for lower areas.

It could also bring the risk of blizzards about elevated alpine areas on Friday and early Saturday … As the strong winds combine with snow.

The bureau said there would be snow showers in areas above 1000m, before moving lower to 600m. Porepunkah is at 280m but the slopes of Mt Buffalo rise sharply from the town with the summit at 1723m so show does seem likely to affect the manhunt.

Yesterday, the search was affected by low cloud cover and near-constant rain. The bushland Freeman has disappeared into is thick and dangerous – filled with sheer cliffs, granite tors and, locals say, plenty of old mine shafts.

The police presence in the area is large, with detectives raiding homes, a helicopter often searching around the hills, and police creating roadblocks.

We will bring you updates from the scene and situation as they come. Stay with us.

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Updated at 16.51 EDT

Police raid house in Porepunkah

Police reportedly raided a house in Porepunkah last night.

The Herald Sun reported that local residents saw police arrive at a property in Francis Street and remove “five or six” people. There were no reports of any arrests.

Police issued an emergency alert to people in the town warning them to avoid the area.

Earlier, Freeman’s estranged extended family issued a statement to Seven News in which they said that he had “detached himself” from the family “decades ago”.

They also said that they were “devastated” about the death of the two police officers allegedly shot dead by Freeman.

Seven News said a family member who wanted to remain anonymous said:

The family are actively assisting police with their investigation and are providing details of our knowledge of the area and property,” the family member said.

We are devastated, heartbroken and sickened by the loss of two police officers.

Decades ago, Dezi detached himself from us in both name and ideology.

We stand with the brave members of the Victoria Police and the families of the murdered officers.

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Updated at 17.05 EDT

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the best overnight stories and then Nick Visser will guide you through the day.

Poor weather is expected to hamper the search for suspected Porepunkah gunman Dezi Freeman as the manhunt enters its fourth day today. There was also a reported police raid on a property in Porepunkah last night. More coming.

Australia will send its first ever rover to the moon in a partnership with Nasa, which the federal government says will be the furthest any Australian space project has travelled. More to follow.

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