NSW MP Jamie Clements has been accused of attempting to kiss a Labor staff member during budget week in late June while in Parliament House.
Stefanie Jones is a staff member to Labor’s Campbelltown MP Greg Warren and was directed to Labor leader Luke Foley’s office about the alleged incident. She was referred to counselling by the department of parliamentary services, and later went to police. A statement released last night from police stated, “Police from the Sydney City Local Area Command are conducting inquiries into the alleged assault of a woman within a room at Parliament House in June 2015.” Mr Clements is believed to have admitted that there was a previous conversation between the two members, but denies touching Ms Jones and has gone on leave to fight allegations.
Mount Isa Caravan Explosion under further investigation
The caravan blast that occurred last week in north-west Queensland is now being treated as a double murder-suicide by police. The explosion killed 38-year-old Charlie Hinder and his two infant children River and Nyobi. Fifty-five nearby houses were evacuated as debris was found 50 metres away from the scene, and police now believe that explosives were used as an ignition point for the blast. Mount Isa District Officer Superintendent Russell Miller said,”This was a horrific event which has had a significant impact not only on the families, neighbours and friends of the victims but also the wider Mount Isa community.”
Two men arrested after 20kg drug haul and money recovered in raid
Two men have been arrested after police seized about 20 kilograms of drugs during a raid. Their yacht has also been impounded off Western Australia’s north-west coast. The two men were arrested after they had entered Australian waters, travelling from Indonesia, according to the ABC. Police began the search of a unit in Perth where allegedly 20kg of drugs, believed to be ice and a large sum of cash were found. More information is expected to be released later today by the Australian Federal Police.
Reviews over ‘buy now, pay later’
Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg released terms of reference for the review for the national consumer credit protection laws. The five month government review will put pressure on payday lenders and consumer lease companies as the reviews cover both sectors in the credit laws. Mr. Frydenberg said, “The government wants to ensure that the regulatory framework strikes the right balance by protecting vulnerable consumers without imposing an undue regulatory burden on industry.” The review panel will also investigate the ‘buy now, pay later’ consumer leases, for items like TVs and fridges, to determine whether they should have the same limits as payday loans.
Species will benefit from logging according to Timber NSW
The NSW timber sector believe that sustainable forest management principles, like controlled logging, will benefit vulnerable species in national parks. Timber NSW argue that current land management legislation is failing native species, but if national parks and Crown lands were opened up to controlled logging, species will flourish as well as communities and the timber industry. Timber NSW said, “Native forests are not static museums that can be locked up forever. Like your own garden or backyard they need careful management to keep them healthy…the timber industry can play an important role in active, adaptive management to tackle common threats across all tenure types.” National Parks Association science officer Dr. Oisin Sweeney said, “Of course species have declined. Logging national parks is not going to restore key habitat features: time will.” – Luke Rufford.
Top photo from Johnseyweb’s Flickr Photostream.
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