Bruce Lehrmann withdraws from ‘Restoring the Presumption of Innocence’ conference
Tory Shepherd
Bruce Lehrmann has pulled out of a conference called “Restoring the Presumption of Innocence” the day after Justice Michael Lee found that, on the balance of probabilities, he raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019.
The sponsors, Mothers of Sons, said Lehrmann “decided not to appear”. They posted on Facebook:
He is being subject to extremely aggressive pursuit by the media and is concerned that his participation may threaten the audience, jeopardise this important event, and distract from its main purpose.
Bettina Arndt, who describes her work as “denouncing feminism and advocating for men’s rights”, is organising the conference along with Australians for Science and Freedom (ASF).
Bruce Lehrmann leaving court yesterday. Photograph: Don Arnold/Getty Images
In promotional material shared by Arndt before the trial, Lehrmann is described as the “poster boy for trial by media” who has “endured years of having his reputation trashed”.
ASF comprises people who “objected to the government’s response to the pandemic”, that material said.
The conference is sponsored by Mothers of Sons, who describe themselves as a group of women whose “sons have faced extraordinary ordeals in our unjust, anti-male legal systems and workplaces”.
They said the conference would go ahead with an alternative presenter:
[While] ensuring that the Lehrmann case still receives appropriate attention at the conference as a powerful example of trial by media undermining the vital legal principle of the presumption of innocence.
There was already a petition to cancel the event, which is scheduled for 1 June at a mystery location in Rushcutters Bay. Tickets are $110 for ASF members and $132 for non members.
Queensland health minister questioned on government investment in mental health care and services
Queensland’s health minister, Shannon Fentiman, says she is “working very closely” with the state’s mental health commissioner and housing minister after the Bondi mass stabbing incident on Saturday.
Joel Cauchi, the Queensland man who killed six people in Bondi, was diagnosed with mental illness when he was a teenager and had reportedly been sleeping in his vehicle or in backpackers’ accommodation in the lead-up to the incident.
The state’s only independent MP, Sandy Bolton, asked Fentiman about how the government could support those with serious mental health issues in light of the stabbing incident.
Fentiman said the state government is investing $1.6bn over five years in mental health care and services:
I’m also working very closely with the minister for housing and the mental health commissioner to look at what more we can provide [in] supported accommodation.
Words cannot express how devastating the attack was that we saw come out on Saturday afternoon. And of course my condolences go to the friends and families of those who were killed alongside everyone else and witnesses at the hospital that are still recuperating.
Queensland health minister Shannon Fentiman. Photograph: Darren England/AAP
A 42-year-old man from Doncaster East had a lucky escape after his car was left hanging over a 5-metre drop last night.
According to a statement from Victoria police, the man allegedly reversed through a garden bed, before crashing into a fence and ending up with his car precariously balanced on the edge of a retaining wall at Blackburn shopping centre at about 6.25pm last night.
The car was winched up by Fire Rescue while the man was still inside, and then pulled to safety in the car park.
Officers spoke to the driver who allegedly returned a reading of .255 on an evidentiary breath test, which police said is more than five times the legal limit.
His licence was immediately suspended and he is expected to be charged on summons with drink-driving offences.
RMIT journalism student Mia Cutugno shared this photo of the incident:
A person has reversed their car and almost gone over the edge at the Pines Shopping Centre, corner of Blackburn road and Reynolds road, in Doncaster East.
The incident occurred at about 6:30pm today, with emergency services attending the scene. pic.twitter.com/ikXeNaWD11
Consumer confidence perked up a little but Sydney unease won’t help
The economy hasn’t been the centre of news lately for understandable reasons. We do get March jobs figures on Thursday that may create a few ripples in the media pond, depending on how strong or weak they are.
Australians’ consumer confidence, meanwhile, improved a tad last week but “remains stubbornly weak”, according to ANZ/Roy Morgan and their survey of 1,509 people in the week to Sunday.
Inflation expectations also improved a bit, easing 0.1% to 5.2%. (We get the ABS’s March CPI quarter numbers on 24 April.)
Markets have lots to churn over, though, including signs the US economy is running a bit hotter than investors expected. Inflation there has halted its recent decline, prompting forecasts other nations will face similar challenges to rein-in price increases.
A shopper at Rundle Mall in Adelaide. Photograph: The Guardian
For Australia, investors have nudged back to December the month they are fully pricing in an RBA interest rate cut from 4.35% to 4.1%, according to the ASX rates tracker.
China, meanwhile, will release its March quarter GDP figures (and a bunch of others) at noon, AEST. Economists are expecting annual growth to come in at 4.8% (versus 5.2% for 2023).
Statistics from China tend to draw some scepticism. Still, a stronger-than-expected GDP growth number (or signs of a slowing of the slide in property sales) will probably revive confidence about the strength of the world’s second-biggest economy. (Or the reverse.)
We’ll find out soon enough if optimism or pessimism wins out on that particular front.
Asio boss says evidence suggesting religious motivation led to quick labelling as terror incident
Earlier, the Asio boss, Mike Burgess, explained why the church stabbing was classified quickly as a terror incident.
He said the incident appeared to be religiously motivated, but that there was no indication of wider threat or danger to the community, or any indication that there was anyone else involved – but wouldn’t say when the alleged offender, a 16-year-old, first came to police attention, or if he may have been radicalised online.
Simple answer is, to call it a terrorist act, you need indications of information or evidence that suggest actually the motivation was religiously motivated or ideologically motivated. In the case of Saturday [the stabbing at Bondi Junction], that was not the case. In this case, the information we have and the police have before us indicates that is strongly the case. That is why it was called an act of terrorism.
But it’s prudent that we do this to determine there’s no threats or immediate threats to security. At this time, we’re not seeing that.
The director-general of Asio, Mike Burgess. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Burgess explained that one incident of terror did not actually raise the terror threat level that Asio sets, which is currently at “possible”.
When we lowered the terrorism threat level to possible, I said at the time ‘possible’ does not mean ‘negligible’ and the most likely attack is an individual that goes to violence with little or no warning with a knife, car or gun … Our investigation and support of the police continues.
‘Western Sydney is united in standing against all forms of hatred and violence’: Chris Bowen
The federal climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, has also issued a statement after last night’s stabbing incident:
Such violence has no place in any community.
We stand in solidarity with the Assyrian community, condemning this heinous act, and sending strength for a swift recovery to Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and others who were victims of this attack.
Western Sydney is united in standing against all forms of hatred and violence. Thank you to the service men and women who are assisting our community at this difficult time.
Minister for climate change and energy Chris Bowen. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
AFP commissioner labels attacks on police outside Wakeley church ‘un-Australian’
The AFP commissioner, Reece Kershaw, and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, have been scathing of attacks on police outside the Wakeley church last night. At their press conference earlier, Kershaw called it “a disgraceful act from the community who attacked police at that scene”.
My support goes to the New South Wales police commissioner and the New South Wales police officers who were there to protect the community. It was really un-Australian to see that happen last night.
Albanese called the stabbing attack on the bishop as a “disturbing incident”, saying “there is no place for violence in our community, there’s no place for violent extremism”:
Can I say that we understand the distress and concerns that are there in the community, particularly after the tragic event at Bondi Junction on Saturday. But it’s not acceptable to impede and injure police doing their duty, or to damage police vehicles in a way that we saw last night.
People should not take the law into their own hands but should allow our police, and our security agencies, to do their job. My job as prime minister is to give them that support. And I will continue to do so.
Anthony Albanese and Reece Kershaw earlier today. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
NSW opposition leader joins premier and faith leaders in calling for calm
The NSW opposition leader, Mark Speakman, has issued a statement on the stabbing incident in Wakeley overnight.
He said his thoughts and prayers are with victims of the attack, and with police and paramedics who “exercised their duties under extremely difficult conditions”.
Speakman said the response by “some members of the public was unacceptable”.
The scenes we saw last night have no place in NSW.
I join with the premier and faith leaders in calling for calm.
Speakman said NSW is “one of the greatest testaments to multiculturalism” and during these times “we must come together to support one another”.
He added:
It is important that people receive their information from official sources and don’t contribute to speculation and misinformation through social media.
NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman. Photograph: Paul Braven/AAP
Supermarkets inquiry threatens to hold Woolworths CEO in contempt
Jonathan Barrett
An Australian parliamentary inquiry has threatened to hold Brad Banducci, the chief executive of Woolworths, in contempt for repeatedly refusing to answer questions about the company’s profitability.
The Greens senator Nick McKim, who is chairing the Senate inquiry into supermarket practices, ordered a short suspension in the hearings this morning after telling Banducci he may be held in contempt:
I also feel compelled to advise you that that opens up a range of sanctions, personal sanctions that can be applied against you, if that’s what the Senate decides to do.
McKim said a person found to be in contempt could be subject to a penalty of up to six months’ imprisonment.
