Two boys killed in a car crash in Sydney, The Prime Minister to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Australian Storm Hunter thrives in the 2023 Women's Tennis finals.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Two boys killed in a car crash in Sydney.
- The Prime Minister to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
- In sport, Australian Storm Hunter thrives in the 2023 Women's Tennis finals.
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Two boys have died in a car crash in Sydney's southwest as police search for a duo seen running from the wreckage.
Emergency services were called to Ashcroft following reports of a car crashing into a tree and power pole this morning.
The two boys who were killed are yet to be formally identified but are both believed to be aged between 10 and 15.
Investigators have established a crime scene, which is expected to be in place for some time.
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Police say children are among those killed and injured after a car ploughed through a regional Victorian pub.
Two family groups who knew each other were at the Royal Daylesford Hotel sitting in the roadside beer garden when an SUV came down the street, mounted the kerb and hit patrons last night.
Five people were killed, and five are in hospital being treated for a range of injuries.
Residents say they couldn't believe the incident had happened when they first heard.
"Quite a few people, I think people are in shock. A bit of disbelief that something of this scale and severity has happened right in the middle of our town."
"You can just feel it today it's very sombre, that's the only way I can put it. Yesterday was buzzing, and it was such a shame that it was such a nice night."
"Just indescribably sad for the families, I just can't even imagine."
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he's looking forward to a constructive dialogue with Chinese president Xi Jinping later today and says his visit to China has so far been positive.
Mr Albanese says his trip is an opportunity to retrace history, noting his visit marks 50 years since Labor former prime minister Gough Whitlam's historic trip.
But the Prime Minister says the relationship between China and Australia has changed a lot in those 50 years.
"It has changed in 50 years, China has changed. Australia has changed and the relationship has changed. We're dealing with strategic competition in the region. What is important and what needs to be consistent is the way that Australia deals with our international relations that were upfront that were respectful that we deal through diplomacy."
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The offence of public drunkenness will be decriminalised in Victoria from tomorrow, replaced with a health-led approach which focuses on support provision.
The new model will see dedicated outreach services available to support those intoxicated in public and provide them with transport to a safe place.
Areas of safety, also known as sobering services, will also provide a place to recover.
Victorian Mental Health Minister Ingrid Stitt says the changes will prioritise services for Indigenous Victorians, recognising the disproportionate impact that public intoxication laws and interactions with police, have had on Aboriginal people.
"There will be outreach services available. They'll be led by a range of different Aboriginal Health Organisations, and there will be teams that will be able to assist people to either reconnect with family members or get home safely and if they are unable to get home safely, there will be places of safety, that will be set up right across Victoria. It's important to note that there will still be that emergency response available to all Victorians that might be outside one of those outreach service areas. "
The laws, which will be introduced on the same day as the Melbourne Cup, bring the state's approach to public drunkenness in line with all other states except Queensland.
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The New South Wales government has announced a $2.5 million research fund to look at the impact of screen use on child development.
The fund will provide grants to support research into the effects of screen use on children's behaviour, wellbeing and learning, as well as ways to address problematic screen use.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the research will look at games and social media, as well as the impact of access to vast amounts of information.
"Anecdotal evidence suggests that adults with fully formed brains and impulse control find it difficult to fully concentrate and put down mobile devices and screen time and interact with their peers and colleagues. I'm not sure why we expect younger people to have better discipline than a lot of old people and a lot of adults. "
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And in sport,
Australian tennis ace Storm Hunter has secured the year-end world Number 1 doubles ranking despite falling in the semi-finals of the 2023 Women's Tennis Association Finals in Mexico.
Hunter joins former grand slam singles champion Samantha Stosur as only the second Australian to claim the honour.
Hunter and her Belgian partner Elise Mertens topped their group unbeaten after winning all three of their round-robin matches in Cancun.
