Nearly 200 tipoffs sent to police since $1m reward offered over alleged Porepunkah gunman
Police are providing an update amid the ongoing hunt for Dezi Freeman near Porepunkah, Victoria, saying they have searched extensively, including caves and mine shafts. They said while hundreds of tips had come through in their search, police are still asking for more information to track down “every avenue of inquiry possible”.
Nearly 200 pieces of information have come through since police offered up to a $1m reward for information leading to his capture.
Supt Craig Darlow said:
We’ve searched caves, we’ve searched mine shafts, huts, and we’ll continue to do that over the coming weeks if need be …
Whilst some of the people in the community might be frustrated with this and have difficulties with this, we request they be patient and understand that we have a job to do in identifying where Desmond Freeman is, and trying to arrest him to enable the community to feel safe.
Updated at 01.00 EDT
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A defiant Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has said she “won’t be silenced” when speaking up mass migration, a week after she suggested Labor was giving India preferential treatment for political benefit.
Speaking to reporters in Perth, Price said she was grateful to the Indian Australians who had offered her “overwhelming outreach” and support in the wake of her controversial comments. She said:
Last week, I made comments on the ABC. I almost immediately clarified those comments and expressed, of course, the fact that while, you know, my comments were certainly clumsy, unfortunately the issue that’s of great concern, which I won’t be silenced on, is the issue of mass migration in our country … and we should all be focused on that.
I’ve spoken directly to those who are Australians of Indian heritage and they have pointed out to me that that’s how they like to be regarded as well and have thanked me for my previous efforts in the Voice [to Parliament campaign] to ensure that we’re not divided along the lines of race in our country.
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Luca Ittimani
Thanks to the wonderful Nick Visser. I’ll be with you for the rest of the day.
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Nick Visser
That’s all for me. Luca Ittimani will guide you on the blog for the rest of the day. Take care!
Wet and unsettled weather, including threat of severe thunderstorms, coming for NSW this afternoon
Large stretches of NSW may be in for severe thunderstorms this afternoon as a band of clouds pushes across the state, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning of “wet and unsettled weather”.
Central and eastern NSW may see severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding and large hail. That includes the Sydney metropolitan area, northern parts of the Illawarra and the Hunter district, which could see severe weather most likely in the afternoon and evening.
The BoM is also warning of intense and hazardous surf and swell conditions along large parts of the NSW coastline on Thursday, which will generate from strong to gale force winds.
Strong to gale force south to southwesterly winds around a coastal low are expected to generate large and powerful surf conditions on Thursday, with damaging surf possible.
These are expected to ease during Thursday evening.
More: https://t.co/scFbjpLi1I pic.twitter.com/bXm1g0NTJm— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) September 10, 2025
Updated at 01.08 EDT
Nearly 200 tipoffs sent to police since $1m reward offered over alleged Porepunkah gunman
Police are providing an update amid the ongoing hunt for Dezi Freeman near Porepunkah, Victoria, saying they have searched extensively, including caves and mine shafts. They said while hundreds of tips had come through in their search, police are still asking for more information to track down “every avenue of inquiry possible”.
Nearly 200 pieces of information have come through since police offered up to a $1m reward for information leading to his capture.
Supt Craig Darlow said:
We’ve searched caves, we’ve searched mine shafts, huts, and we’ll continue to do that over the coming weeks if need be …
Whilst some of the people in the community might be frustrated with this and have difficulties with this, we request they be patient and understand that we have a job to do in identifying where Desmond Freeman is, and trying to arrest him to enable the community to feel safe.
Updated at 01.00 EDT
Tom McIlroy
PM will negotiate an upgrade to security deal with Fiji
Anthony Albanese says he will negotiate an upgrade to Australia’s security agreement with the government of Fiji, part of regional efforts being pushed at the Pacific Islands Forum in Solomon Islands.
The prime minister held a one-on-one meeting with his Fiji counterpart, Sitiveni Rabuka, on the sidelines of the summit in Honiara on Wednesday, agreeing to upgrade security ties through the Vuvale agreement.
Progress on the Fiji deal follows talks between the two leaders in Australia in July, and comes a day after Vanuatu said a separate $500m deal with Australia needed more work before it could be signed.
Anthony Albanese. Photograph: Dominic Giannini/AAP
Albanese said preliminary discussions were under way for the scope of the agreement:
That could range from increased interoperability, the sort of training we are seeing with the Pacific policing initiative being expanded, to increased engagement between our defence forces.
I don’t want to pre-empt the discussions. They’re at early stages but certainly the relationship with Fiji is an important one. Fiji has a very significant position in the Pacific.
Australia is pursuing agreements across the Pacific in an attempt to push back on China, as it seeks to build influence in the region through infrastructure deals and funding for national governments. Deals with Tuvalu and Nauru have already been signed, and a major defence treaty with Papua New Guinea is complete.
Albanese is expected to sign it during a visit to coincide with 50 years of PNG’s independence from Australia later this month.
Updated at 00.48 EDT
Eva Corlett
Solomon Islands PM calls for unity in Pacific Islands Forum opening address
The Solomon Islands prime minister, Jeremiah Manele, called for Pacific unity during the opening plenary at the annual Pacific leaders summit today, amid intensifying geostrategic competition.
The Pacific Islands Forum (Pif) kicked off in Honiara on Monday, against a backdrop of tensions over Manele’s decision to exclude external partners – including China, the US and Taiwan – from talks.
Jeremiah Manele. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
Manele told leaders the Pacific’s strength lay in its “solidarity” and how it responds to challenges as a collective:
The world around us is changing fast, competition among powerful interests is intensifying and the Pacific must never be seen as an arena for others.
Pacific nations were not “passive bystanders” and he urged leaders to commit to defending regionalism.
Solomon Islands is China’s biggest security ally in the Pacific and Manele’s decision to block external partners fuelled speculation he was trying to keep Taiwan out – a claim Manele has rejected.
The forum is expected to endorse a climate resilience fund and a declaration calling the Pacific an “Ocean of Peace”.
Updated at 00.35 EDT
Benita Kolovos
Victorian premier says no one has the right to use the ‘cloak’ of protest to be violent
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, was asked earlier about the protests planned in Melbourne’s CBD for Saturday, after police earlier warned neo-Nazis may again be involved.
The premier said “everyone has the right to protest peacefully”, adding:
No one has the right to use the cloak of a protest to bring violence to our streets … I thank Victoria police for the work that they do to keep our community safe every day, but for also how they are responding to people who are using the cloak of protest to bring violence and extremist behaviour to our streets, and I say very clearly that the Victoria police will deal with that behaviour with the existing powers and tools and resources that they have.
Updated at 00.17 EDT
Sarah Basford Canales
The NDIS minister, Jenny McAllister, said NDIS participants could feel confident the therapies were now being delivered by “qualified therapists, recognised by a professional association”.
The NDIA announced last November it would remove creative arts-based therapies as fully funded supports under the scheme, saying there was no evidence to support their effectiveness.
Under the agency’s proposed changes, participants could still use music and arts therapy but it would be relegated to a community participation budget.
Jenny McAllister. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
A one-to-one session would have a maximum rate of $67.56 an hour while group sessions, with at least four participants, would have a maximum rate of $193.99 an hour shared between the participants involved.
The former NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, defended the decision but ultimately announced Duckett’s review to look at the supporting evidence.
Read more here:
Updated at 00.04 EDT
Music and art therapies to stay on NDIS with capped costsSarah Basford Canales
Music and art therapies will remain on the NDIS – but the cost of sessions will be capped – after a snap independent review concluded the therapies did benefit some participants.
The National Disability Insurance Agency, the scheme that administers the multi-billion dollar NDIS, announced today participants could continue to access the therapies but providers around the country would be capped at a maximum charge of $156.16 per hour.
Photograph: Daniel Beloumou Olomo/AFP/Getty Images
The review, led by health economist Dr Stephen Duckett, found there was some evidence that music and art therapies could benefit participants, including children with autism and people with multiple sclerosis. He recommended the therapies be delivered by qualified professionals and a national cap be introduced to how much providers can charge.
Duckett said:
It is clear that art and music therapies can be effective, and event life changing, for some people with disability.
Updated at 00.05 EDT
About 500 machetes surrendered under Victoria’s amnesty programBenita Kolovos
The Victorian premier has confirmed about 500 of the knives have been handed in since the state’s amnesty period began.
On 1 September, Victoria enacted a ban on machetes as a prohibited weapon, making it illegal to own, carry, use, buy or sell them without an exemption. The ban includes a three-month amnesty period from September to November 2025, during which people can safely surrender their machetes at bins at police stations.
Allan said earlier:
It’s only a week or so into the machete ban … Half of the 45 bins have had the machetes counted, so you can expect it to be at least double that amount in terms of the machetes that have already been handed in.
Allan says possession of a machete after the amnesty period will lead to a fine of over $47,000 or up to two years’ imprisonment.
Allan looks at a display of machetes during an announcement in March. Photograph: James Ross/AAPShare
Updated at 00.29 EDT
NSW children’s guardian removed from office for alleged misbehaviour
Penry Buckley
The NSW children’s guardian has been removed from his position for alleged misbehaviour after the handing down of the final report of a special ministerial inquiry into his office.
In a statement this afternoon, the NSW minister for families and communities, Kate Washington, said that the NSW children’s guardian, Steve Kinmond, had been removed from his position today. Washington said:
I acknowledge that this has been a difficult time for many staff at the Office of the Children’s Guardian, including the 70 current and former employees who engaged with the Inquiry. They perform critically important work to protect children and young people, and I thank them for their commitment and their service.
Washington has now tabled the report to NSW parliament. Acting children’s guardian Rachael Ward will continue to lead the office until a new guardian is appointed.
Kinmond agreed to step aside from his role as the state’s child safety watchdog in March while “serious and disturbing” allegations against him were investigated as part of the independent inquiry.
At the time, Kinmond told Guardian Australia he welcomed the inquiry but was not aware what serious allegations had been directed at him, saying he needed “further and better particulars” before he could comment.
Updated at 23.33 EDT
Albanese says Australia remains a friend to the Pacific and will support efforts to address climate change
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, just spoke from the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum in Solomon Islands.
Albanese said:
The big challenges facing the Pacific require solutions designed and delivered for the Pacific by the Pacific, and Australia has a key role to play as a partner and leader.
He spoke about Australia’s commitment of $100m to help the Pacific find solutions to the climate crisis, saying the money was not just a fund but a “promise to Pacific communities they will not face climate threats alone”.
The prime minister said Australia was continuing to advocate to host next year’s UN climate summit, Cop 31, alongside Pacific island nations, saying there was a strong argument to do so given the threat of climate change to the region.
Updated at 23.33 EDT
Jordyn Beazley
NSW premier questioned in parliament about police officer who allegedly punched Hannah Thomas
Chris Minns has responded to concerns raised about the police officer who allegedly punched Hannah Thomas in the face during a protest, saying in parliament the officer has the right to due process.
On Tuesday, the director of public prosecutions dropped all charges against Thomas, who was arrested in June and sustained a serious injury to her eye after an officer allegedly punched her at a Sydney pro-Palestine protest.
Hannah Thomas. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
In question time a short while ago, Greens MP for Newtown, Jenny Leong, asked the NSW premier what steps had been taken to ensure the officer did not harm other peaceful protesters.
Minns responded:
It’s the subject of a professional standards investigation, oversighted by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission. That’s the process that we have in New South Wales.
I think everyone would appreciate that in those circumstances, anyone who’s accused of something like that has the right to due process and an investigation, and that’s the system that we have.
In case you missed it, here’s the story from yesterday on the DPP dropping charges against Thomas:
Updated at 23.14 EDT
Benita Kolovos
Victorian premier rejects calls to trial personal use of pepper spray
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has rejected calls to permit a trial of pepper spray for personal protection in the state. Asked at a press conference earlier today whether Victoria should follow the Northern Territory in allowing a 12-month trial amid escalating crime, she said it was not under consideration by her government.
She said the government had given police additional knife search powers, introduced Australia’s first machete ban and toughened bail laws. Allan went on:
I’ve seen those reports out of the Northern Territory, and I’ll be honest, they’re not something that is on our current consideration, because what we’ve got to do is work with community, understanding some of the root causes of what’s behind some of these violent repeat offending that is so shocking the community.
Jacinta Allan. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShare
Updated at 22.59 EDT
Luca Ittimani
Markets less confident on interest rate cuts
Financial markets have pushed back their predictions for interest rate cuts, now expecting just two more with the second not until May 2026.
The Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, was talking about “two or three more” interest rate cuts when the RBA board met a month ago but the economy now seems in slightly better health. Recent data shows steady growth in average weekly earnings, stable and low unemployment, and a returning momentum in consumer spending.
After that data released last Wednesday, Bullock was reported to have said:
If it keeps going, then there may not be many interest rate declines yet to come.
Michele Bullock. Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty Images
Economists and investors agree. Over the week since, markets have been leaning towards the next rate cut coming in December, instead of November, and a second cut in May, instead of March. Bets on a third cut have dried up.
Commonwealth Bank, meanwhile, has been warning there won’t even be a second easing in interest rates, unless business and government spending both slip and put more people out of work. Lucinda Jerogin, a CBA economist, said:
It would take a considerable deterioration in the labour market and an uneasy hand over from the public sector driving growth to the private sector to see additional easing in 2026.
ShareLuca Ittimani
Man charged with trying to break into charity bin at Sydney airport
A man is facing seven years in prison after allegedly trying and failing to rob a charity donation bin at Sydney airport before asking an airline employee for bolt cutters.
The 54-year-old is alleged to have visited the arrival concourse in August and attempted to use bolt cutters to break into the bin, which the Australian federal police believe contained between $1,000 and $7,000.
After failing to cut through the charity bin’s padlock, the man is alleged to have asked an airline employee for larger bolt cutters, pretending to be from the charity.
The AFP has alleged officers located the man and found a suitcase containing bolt cutters and other tools. He will face court today, charged with being armed with intent to commit indictable offence, with a maximum penalty of seven years in prison if convicted.
Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAPShare
Updated at 22.35 EDT