The Liberal National government in Queensland has been accused of burying a report from its own working group of domestic violence victim-survivors, after the document was heavily critical of police responses and recommended a civilian review mechanism to handle complaints against officers, according to an exclusive report.
Panel findings ignored
The government convened a panel of individuals with lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence to identify gaps in the system and guide reforms. However, the panel's report, which slammed police handling of cases and called for civilian oversight, was never publicly released. The government had repeatedly stated it would "put victims at the heart" of the state's justice policies, but the report's burial contradicts that commitment.
Political toxicity and safety concerns
Incoming Labor president Kate Ellis warned that toxicity in politics is spilling into the broader community and public debate, and that threats against MPs' safety are limiting how elected politicians do their jobs. She emphasized the need to address personal safety concerns that hinder political work.
Rate hike fears amid Middle East crisis
Economists warn that the likelihood of a Reserve Bank interest rate hike has doubled according to market forecasts, as the escalating Middle East crisis drives fuel prices higher amid dwindling global oil reserves. The renewal of conflict makes rate hikes more probable in Australia.
Other notable stories
A surgeon was found guilty of professional misconduct and barred from practising medicine for six months by a tribunal in New South Wales after failing to detect cancer in one patient and operating on the wrong end of the bowel of another. An Aboriginal family preservation program aimed at giving at-risk children space to "tell their own stories" has been launched across New South Wales after a historic state government investment.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have warned shipping companies that their tankers risk being attacked if they use Saudi Arabian ports, as the militia enforces a blockade. Nearly 100 US service members have been injured over the last two weeks of escalating strikes on Iran, the Pentagon said. Donald Trump's administration sought to subpoena phone records of several New York Times journalists and some of their relatives who wrote about the $400m Air Force One jet given to the president by Qatar. Fast-moving wildfires burned two First Nations communities in Canada to the ground, with members saying they were left to self-evacuate without government help. Astronomers found evidence that the Milky Way was flipped on its side after a direct hit from a wayward galaxy. Zendaya has been criticised for wearing 3,000-year-old Iranian jewellery at an event, with some academics calling it a "hijacking" of Iran's contributions to humanity.
Sport and media roundup
Fifa president Gianni Infantino faces calls to quit amid suggestions the World Cup could be increased to 64 teams in 2030. The French Open became the first grand slam to offer players a share of revenue. Angus Taylor quashed suggestions of a Liberal-One Nation merger in South Australia, while Malcolm Roberts made new conspiracy-theory claims about Covid deaths. Almost 70% of voters think the country is heading in the wrong direction, and six in 10 believe immigration levels are too high, a poll shows. Up to two-thirds of patients with imminently life-threatening conditions are not seen within recommended times at Royal Hobart Hospital.
