Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: ACT Police

A 70-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman will face the ACT Magistrates Court today after allegedly choking their partners in two family violence incidents over the weekend.

About 8.30pm on Saturday (18 May 2024), the 70-year-old man allegedly choked his partner after a verbal argument at their residence in Bruce.

He was arrested that evening by police and was charged with aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm and choking, suffocating or strangling another person.

In a separate incident, about 2.30am on Sunday (19 May 2024), police responded to a report of a 30-year-old woman choking her partner to unconsciousness following a verbal disagreement.

After speaking to the victim, police charged the woman with choking another person and rendering them unconscious.

In both instances the victims were treated by ACT Ambulance Services.

Police understand the significant coercion and control exerted in relationships where family violence exists, and encourage anyone impacted by any type of family violence offending to contact police and seek support.

If you are a victim of family violence or believe someone you know is the victim of family violence, you can contact police on 131 444 or Triple Zero (000) in an emergency, or attend any police station.

The following support services are also available:

ACT Domestic Violence Crisis Service 02 6280 0900

Canberra Rape Crisis Centre 02 6247 2525

YWCA Canberra 02 6185 2000

ACT Government family violence services

Source: ACT Police

A 31-year-old Mawson woman will face the ACT Magistrates Court today after a road rage incident where she allegedly assaulted the male driver of another vehicle while travelling with children in her car.

About 10am yesterday (Sunday, 19 May 2024), a man in a silver Mitsubishi Outlander was driving along Horse Park Drive in Amaroo when the driver of a silver Ford Mondeo became agitated when he stopped at a red light.

He was overtaken by the Ford and the female driver then allegedly started driving in an erratic manner, speeding up and slowing down while she was in front of him.

While stopped at another set of traffic lights, the woman got out of her car and allegedly assaulted the man, pulling him out of his vehicle while punching and spitting on him. She then took his car keys and threw them away before leaving the scene.

After speaking with the victim and witnesses, police attended the woman’s residence and spoke to her before charging her with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and driving while suspended.

Police would also ask anyone who witnessed the incident or the vehicle being driven around this time, or may have dash-cam footage, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website. Please quote 7752613. Information can be provided anonymously.

Source: ACT Police

A 19-year-old man has had his motorbike seized by police and his licence suspended for 90 days after being caught travelling at 174km/h on the Majura Parkway on Wednesday.

He was one of 20 people issued with traffic infringement notices by ACT Road Policing officers on the day (Wednesday, 15 May 2024).

About 6.50am on Wednesday morning, police observed a motorbike travelling at excessive speeds in the northbound lanes of the Majura Parkway.

The rider was pulled over, his motorbike was seized and he was served with a court attendance notice to face charges of dangerous driving, high range speeding, not display L plate and learner riding a motorcycle greater than 150 kilowatt/tonne power to weight ratio.

That same day, a blue Mazda CX5 was detected travelling at 142km/h in a 100km/h zone, also on the Majura Parkway.

The 46-year-old driver allegedly provided an explanation for his speeding that he was ‘travelling to Fyshwick to collect a vehicle part’ to the officer after he was pulled over.

He was issued with a $700 traffic infringement notice and incurred four demerit points.

Source: ACT Police

A 23-year-old man and a 41-year-old man, both from Greenacre, NSW will face the ACT Magistrates Court today (Friday, 17 May 2024) following their arrest and extradition in relation to an arson in Giralang in October last year.

Between 12am and 1.15am on Friday 13 October 2023, police believe a person – the primary offender – arrived at a property on Gidjili Place in a green Ford Mondeo with NSW registration EUB 48T.

This person is alleged to have walked down the driveway of the residence carrying a red jerry can before setting fire to the property and fleeing the scene on foot.

Two women who were asleep in the house at the time of the arson attack were unharmed.

Police allege that on the day before the incident, Thursday, 12 October 2023, the 23-year-old man assisted the primary offender in purchasing the green Ford Mondeo from a car yard in Belmore, NSW, and also by providing them with a mobile phone which was used during the arson.

It is further alleged the 41-year-old man accompanied the primary offender to the ACT in another vehicle and provided support to them before, during, and after the offence.

About 6:30am yesterday (Thursday, 16 May 2024), ACT Policing’s Major Crime Squad executed a search warrant at an address in Greenacre, NSW and recovered several evidentiary items, including mobile phones.

Both men were arrested at the scene and are due to face court today.

They have been charged with one count each of aid and abet arson with an intent to endanger life.

Investigations into the primary offender and other suspects are ongoing.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or on the Crime Stoppers ACT website. Please quote reference 7563568. Information can be provided anonymously

Source: ACT Police

A 22-year-old Chifley man will face the ACT Magistrates Court today charged with multiple offences following a dangerous driving incident yesterday.

On Monday, 13 May 2024, a white Santa Fe, jewellery, and a wallet were stolen from a residence in Chapman.

About 12.15pm yesterday (Wednesday, 15 May 2024), the white Santa Fe was observed driving erratically at speed, and mounting gutters along Cotter Road.

A short time later, police observed the vehicle on Bindubi Street, Aranda, allegedly bearing stolen numberplates, travelling at speed, weaving in and out of traffic, and ignoring red lights.

About 1.20pm, police received information that the vehicle was parked at Belconnen mall. The man was located inside the mall, where he was allegedly found in possession of a knife and illicit substances.

He was subsequently arrested and charged with driving while licence was suspended, driving with a prescribed drug in oral fluid, possessing a knife without a reasonable excuse, dangerous driving, driving a motor vehicle without consent, and driving a vehicle with number plate issued for another vehicle. The man was subject to an Intensive Corrections Order at the time of his arrest.

Further charges in relation to this matter are expected.

Police would also ask anyone who witnessed the vehicle being driven around this time, or may have dash-cam footage of the vehicle being driven dangerously to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website. Please quote 7749423. Information can be provided anonymously.

Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

Graham Symons receives Life Membership from DCO Cook

Omeo Fire Brigade honoured its dedicated volunteers on Saturday 18 October during a special awards night held at the Hilltop Hotel in Omeo.

The celebration brought together members, families and supporters for a night of appreciation, recognising the vital role that volunteers play in keeping Omeo safe.

The event recognised 28 members for their outstanding commitment, with a combined total of more than 1,100 years of service. Awards were presented by Deputy Chief Officer Garry Cook assisted by Commander Tony Ford from District 11.

DCO Cook praised the brigade, remarking that the number of service hours represented “an exceptional amount of volunteer time for a small country town,” and extended his thanks to all members for their dedication to protecting the community.

The night’s final and most significant award was presented to Ex-Captain Graham Symons, who was recognised for 35 years of service. Captain Ben Lawson presented Graham with Life Membership to the Omeo Fire Brigade, followed by the presentation of a CFA Life Membership from DCO Cook.

Submitted by	Kylie Findley

Source: Minister of Infrastructure

KARL STEFANOVIC: Well, Rex Airlines has been saved from the brink after being snapped up by a US company. But the battle over essential service routes has only just begun. For more, we’re joined by Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King in Sydney. Hey, Catherine. Good to see you this morning. Look, the government has signed off on the deal. It started as a $50 million bailout, then I think it went to 80. Just how much have we have we given them?

CATHERINE KING: So we haven’t given Rex Airlines anything. What the government has done isi three things. One is funded the continuation of Rex as an airline through the administration period to allow those important regional routes and regional services to keep going. We then provided a customer guarantee, so to make sure people kept booking with Rex to say if you couldn’t fly, then you’d get your money immediately refunded. I’m so grateful to the hundreds of regional Australians who’ve continued to operate on Rex. You’ve kept the airline in the sky and you’ve kept jobs. And then the other thing is we bought the debt of the major creditor so that it wouldn’t suddenly force it into a sale, because we knew from the administrators, we needed time, time to actually really get a handle, for the administrators to get a on what was happening with this business, and then actually then find a buyer for the business. And that’s really what the government has stepped in to do. Some of that money, as we’re creditors, we would expect to get some of that back. And then obviously, that’s sort of the commitment we made as a government, because we knew Rex was too important to fall over, and we wanted to try and make sure we had those services for regional Australia.

KARL STEFANOVIC: You didn’t give them any money. Effectively you bailed them out. How much did you bail them out to the tune of?

CATHERINE KING: Basically, so all of that’s on the public record, I think, as I said, the 50 million in debt, I think it was 130. But as I said, not all of that is none of that’s actually gone to the airline itself. It’s gone to the administration to keep them actually going. So, the previous operators of the airline haven’t received any of It’s actually gone to the administration to keep it going, so we could save an important regional service.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Is Air T the right buyer considering they’ve never operated a regional airline?

CATHERINE KING: Well, that’s a matter for the administrators. The government hasn’t undertaken the sale process. Obviously, the administrators are looking for the best outcome for creditors. That is their job. The government has stepped in because we want to get the best outcome for regional Australians, and that’s why we’ve been working so hard to get this outcome. And as I said, against some Opposition from the Liberal Party and National Party, I was surprised by who said our intervention was “a bridge too far”, frankly. So, you know, we’re very, very pleased that the administrators have now come out and said they have a buyer. It’ll now be up to the second creditors meeting to determine whether they accept that.

KARL STEFANOVIC: My only concern is that, I mean, these guys trade in parts that there’s no chance they’ll just shut it down and break up the planes.

CATHERINE KING: We’ve done a lot of due diligence as a government on company as has the administrators, these are long term aviation operators, they buy businesses to grow their business. And that’s one of the good things about that, because Rex obviously owns and operates Saab aircrafts. They are coming you know they’re not making them anymore. So really having access to parts means that they can extend the life of that aircraft while they look at recapitalising, the actual airline itself. So that again, you know, I don’t want to bias any of the creditors’ process, but the administrators have got to. And the due diligence that we’ve done on this company, they’re long term investors in aviation. They’re not, you know, a venture capital company coming in and trying to strip the company and get out. They’re an aviation business.

KARL STEFANOVIC: The point is you’ve got to know what you’re doing, especially in Australia. There’s some really interesting little companies like East Air operating out of Cairns that I note with interest has started up. Maybe they’ll be able to fill the gap if Rex falls over again. But overall, I think it’s a good thing just to make sure that this company does the right thing.

Look, also looking at Western Sydney Airport, it’s almost ready for takeoff. It’s getting pretty exciting now out there.

CATHERINE KING: Yeah, it sure is. So we’ve got a Cessna testing the flight paths. We’ve got Civil Aviation Safety Agency CASA is supervising those tests. We’ve got the baggage handling system being tested. And next week you’ll see a 737 also testing the flight paths. And there’ll be an emergency operation, a test up there as well of all the fire services and other emergency procedures. So a lot of testing is happening to get this airport operational; first freight middle next year, first passengers at the end of next year. So she’s nearly there.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Do you mind if the today show does a broadcast on the runway before it opens up?

CATHERINE KING: You’ll have to ask the airport itself.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Come on, Minister.

CATHERINE KING: I reckon you should. I reckon it would be unbelievable. Well, they’re the operators, so, you know, you know, safety, safety, safety first when it comes to aviation. But I’d love you to. I want so many people to go out there. It is absolutely, it’s a magnificent airport. She’s going to start slow. You know it’s not going to have the same number of flights as Kingsford Smith on day one, but it’s such a huge opportunity for those, you know, millions of people who live out in Western Sydney to actually have jobs, but also to access an airport themselves around the country and to the world.

KARL STEFANOVIC: That’s terrific. Western Sydney absolutely booming. Well done. Nice to have you on. Appreciate it. And we’ll see you at the broadcast.

CATHERINE KING: Great, great.

SARAH ABO: Also no curfew at that airport, very handy indeed for NSW.

Source: NGARKAT HIGHWAY, NGARKAT (Grass Fire)

PETER STEFANOVIC: Well, testing is about to begin at the Western Sydney International Airport across the runway and terminal precincts. Joining us live this morning is Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King. Minister, thanks for your time this morning. So can you elaborate on what tests will now be done and how they’ll be carried out?

CATHERINE KING: Yeah, of course. Good to be with you, Pete. It’s a pretty milestone day for Western Sydney International Airport. The testing, the first test of the flight path will be underway. It’ll be a Cessna plane supervised by CASA our Civil Aviation Safety Agency, to really make sure that the flight paths are going to work. There’ll be more testing again, we’ll have a bigger plane, a jet next week, but the Cessna will be the first one. And also then, and so that’s testing all the technical equipment in terms of landing and the flight paths themselves. And then we’ve also got lots of walkthroughs of the airport, the baggage handling system, which is really one of the world’s first really in this country, coming here, a really automated baggage handling system, much more than any other airport in the country. So they’re going to be testing that, putting some bags through. So all of that work getting ready to have this airport open to freight and mid next year and passengers at the end of next year

PETER STEFANOVIC: So there has been some pushback, some conjecture when it comes to flight paths particularly from those who live underneath it so is there going to be more community consultation when those tests begin?

CATHERINE KING: Well, there’s already community consultation underway while those flight paths are finalised. So that sort of has happened and is happening now. We’ve undertaken the, Airservices Australia who’s responsible for the flight path design, have undertaken really significant consultation right the way through this process, including releasing noise tools and trying to really make sure people understand what the impacts of these flight paths will and won’t be. The nature of airports is there will always be some noise. We can’t mitigate that completely but we have got plans in place obviously for noise amelioration for affected properties and then obviously the flight path testing as well. That also is partly underway.

PETER STEFANOVIC: Only four airlines have so far committed to the Western Sydney Airport. So far, two of them are Australian. Do you have any worries about that slow uptake at this early stage?

CATHERINE KING: Look, no, I don’t. I think that, you know, will Western Sydney International Airport have the same number of flights as Kingsford Smith on day one? No, it won’t. We’re expecting it to slowly build up and that’s right for the way in which we’ve actually operationalised the airport. But of course, a shout out to the other Australian airline. We’d be really keen for you to get out there as well. We’re keen, the airport and the CEO’s been out there talking to international airlines and Australian airlines as well. Qantas was a first mover. We’ve got Singapore as well as Air New Zealand and looking forward to seeing more to come.

PETER STEFANOVIC: Okay, on another airline, Rex, it’s finally got a buyer, the American company, Air T. Just looking at it, part of its business is parts and several business types that I’ve spoken to have questioned the value of Rex, particularly long term. Do you have any concerns that this company bought Rex just to part out the aeroplanes?

CATHERINE KING: Well, we’ve done a lot of due diligence on the company and I think the good thing about this is that the government stepped in. This would not have happened frankly had the opposition been in power. The government stepped in to allow the administration time to find a credible buyer for Rex. It will now be up to the creditors to determine if they’re comfortable with that plan and they’ll have a creditors meeting to see whether Air T can do it. We’ve done our due diligence on the company. I think the good thing, and there’s a lot of reports about this today, is it is an aviation business. It’s an aviation business that buys other aviation businesses for the long haul to stay in and invest. And I’m assured by the assurances given yesterday by Air T in its release that they’re looking forward to being in the Australian market with a passenger airline and servicing all of the regions that it now services.

PETER STEFANOVIC: So what guarantees have you received that they will continue to operate Rex long term without reducing their network footprint?

CATHERINE KING: Yeah well that’s certainly part of the negotiations the Australian Government has had with the company. We’ve entered into an agreement with them as well and that was part of why the Government stepped in in the first place. We knew that it was too important to let Rex fall over for regional Australia. We wanted to make sure that those routes would continue to thrive and I also note that the company has said as it wants to bring more aircraft online and it has the capacity to do that because it is in the business of the SAABs which Rex operates as it brings more aircraft online it would also hope to strengthen those routes and potentially open new routes so that’s been part of the discussions my department has had with the operator through the administrator as well.

PETER STEFANOVIC: Would you be hoping Rex flies out from Western Sydney Airport?

CATHERINE KING: Maybe. There’s certainly an opportunity for it to do so. But let’s let the second creditors’ meeting happen. But, again, as I said, when we started this process, I think the opposition said this was all a bridge too far. We were putting too much money into this. We’ve been proved that this was the right thing to do, give the administrators time to actually find and really save this airline because it was too important for our regions to let this fall over.

PETER STEFANOVIC: Is Western Sydney Airport, final one here, on track? Any more delays on track for opening?

CATHERINE KING: Yes it is, yeah it is. So, freight will start, so the first planes out will be freight planes, so that will start in mid next year and then passengers for the end of next year, 2026.

PETER STEFANOVIC: That’s the Transport Minister, Catherine King. Thank you so much, Minister. We’ll chat again soon.

Source: ACT Police

A 38-year-old Canberra City man will face the ACT Magistrates Court today (Friday, 31 May 2024) charged with murder and arson in relation to the fatal house fire in Holt last week.

About 2.50am on Wednesday, 22 May 2024, police and ACT Fire & Rescue were called to a house fire at Giltinan Place, Holt.

The fire was extinguished, however the body of a 36-year-old man was located inside the home.

The fire was deemed suspicious, and police commenced an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.

This investigation identified the 38-year-old man, who was known to the deceased – police believe the house was set on fire due to a dispute between the men.

Police allege the man purchased accelerant which was used to assist in setting the house on fire.

About 7.30am yesterday (Thursday, 30 May), police executed a search warrant at a Northbourne Avenue residence where the man was arrested. He participated in an interview with police, and was subsequently charged with one count of murder and one count of arson.

Police allege the man should have known that the deceased would have been in the residence at the time of the arson, and therefore the charge of murder is appropriate.

Source: ACT Police

ACT Policing has again been left disappointed by the behaviour of some Canberra drivers following an early morning traffic enforcement operation yesterday.  

Yesterday morning (Wednesday, 29 May 2024), ACT Road Policing members conducted enforcement activities focused on the ACT’s arterial road network.  

The operation saw 61 Infringement Notices issued for offences including speeding, operating unregistered and uninsured vehicles, using mobile devices while driving, and intersection offences. 

One driver, a 26-year-old woman from Weston was also detected driving under the influence of alcohol, returning a positive breath analysis result of 0.178 at Tuggeranong Police Station – more than three-and-a-half times the legal limit.

She was issued an Immediate Suspension Notice, suspending her ACT drivers licence for 90 days, and was served a Court Attendance Notice to appear in the ACT Magistrate Court on a charge of drink driving.  

ACT Road Policing Sergeant Travis Mills said police will continue to target poor driver behaviour on our roads.  

“This operation is a timely reminder that police can be anywhere at any time, and we will continue to conduct enforcement activities such as yesterday’s to ensure all drivers are adhering to the road rules,” Sergeant Mills said.  

“Some of the behaviour observed during this operation is beyond disappointing, particularly the woman caught drink driving.  

“It is truly shocking for someone to be that intoxicated and think they’re in a fit state to operate a motor vehicle on a public road.  

“With five lives tragically lost on ACT roads already this year – including one in the past week week – we want to see everyone getting to where they’re going safely and legally, and the way we do that is by following the road rules, obeying speed limits, driving to the road conditions, and not driving under the influence.”