Key Points
- Outback Wrangler star to appeal after Darwin jury verdict
- Damaging winds, rain forecast where Victoria police are searching for fugitive
- Socceroos coach reveals line-up in the lead up to the World Cup
TRANSCRIPT
A jury in the Darwin trial of reality TV personality Matt Wright, has found him guilty of two of three charges of perverting the course of justice.
The charges stem from a February 2022 helicopter crash that killed Wright's best friend and co-star of the series Outback Wrangler, Chris Wilson and left pilot Sebastian Robinson a paraplegic.
The group had been on a crocodile egg collecting trip in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
Wright has consistently denied his guilt on all charges and will appeal the verdict.
Lead Northern Territory police investigator in the case, Corey Borton, says further investigations will follow.
"There is still a coronial investigation to come. So, it is a matter for the coroner and whether she decides to run a full inquest. If she decides to run an inquest, we'll be down at the coroner's court and will go through all the evidence again."
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Victoria Police Chief Commissioner, Mike Bush, has called on alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman to surrender to police, while reassuring the public that police won't leave Porepunkah until Freeman is in custody.
Commissioner Bush says the agency has invested every resource, including 450 police officers, to search for the fugitive, while support from the Australian Federal Police , New South Wales, ACT and South Australia Police are also on the way.
"They know the impact. It's not just the Victoria Police that are hurting at the moment. It's an entire police family."
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The weather is making conditions even more difficult for air and land crews, as hundreds of police officers scour the bush land around Porepunkah in Victoria's north-east.
The town is at the foot of Mount Buffalo, 300 kilometres northeast of Melbourne, where the Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds on the fourth day of the search.
Meteorologist Jonathan Howe says a cold front is approaching across Victoria's east which will come into effect tomorrow.
"We could see damaging wind gusts of more than 100 kilometres an hour across Mount Buffalo national park and also the surrounding area. That rain will increase as we head into tonight and then, the cold front sweeps across Victoria overnight and into Saturday morning. And that is when we will see the really cold air move across the state.”
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Queensland nurses and midwives are set to be the highest paid in the country.
An agreement between their union and the Queensland state government has clinched an 11 per cent pay rise.
It's their biggest pay increase since 2012.
The deal overtime paid at double time for all shifts, 10 days of domestic violence leave, and 14 weeks of paid parental leave.
The deal comes after three years of talks.
At one point, 45,000 workers took part in industrial action after negotiations broke down.
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Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has approved of a large windfarm project on Robbins Island in north-west Tasmania.
The windfarm is expected to generate up to 900 megawatts of clean renewable power, with 100 turbines being built.
Environmentalists have previously raised concerns that the project could impact the migratory shorebird population, which are identified as an endangered species.
Mr Watt says he's attached strict environmental conditions to the project, but still expects it will face criticism.
"But our nation has to be realistic about the fact that we need more renewable power to tackle our climate change challenges to reduce submissions and to reduce power prices. But of course in doing that, we need to pay very close attention to the environmental impacts of these proposals, and the community impacts of these proposals."
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The Australian Space Agency has announced Australia's first-ever moon rover will be making a mission to the moon by the end of the decade.
The agency says the rover, which has been named 'Roover' is expected to operate for up to 14 Earth days on the moon.
Roo-ver will be tasked with collecting data to help study the moon's surface and support further space exploration.
Head of the Australian Space Agency, Enrico Palermo, says the ambitious national mission is a major milestone for local industry groups, scientists, and academics.
"We have an enduring partnership with NASA that goes back more than half a century, and we've been developing Rover with our partners for a couple of years now. Now with precision, we know the two sites where we will put Roover on the moon. There have been five nations to date that have successfully operated a rover on the moon, and we look to add to that."
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In football, Nestory Irankunda is back in the Socceroos colours for the first time in ten months.
The 19-year-old attacker has been picked in the Australian squad for their two matches against New Zealand, the first of which is in Canberra next Friday.
Coach Tony Popovic says Irankunda appears to have matured, and he's excited to see where the former Adelaide United man is at.
Popovic is looking to try out players ahead of the World Cup next year, and seven players in the 25-man squad have never played for the Socceroos before.
"We need to build some continuity with some senior players, but also we need to get the balance right and give some of these young boys an opportunity where they could feature at the World Cup. They could be a surprise."
