TRANSCRIPT
- 'Radicalised' teen armed with a knife shot dead by WA police.
- The government says spending cuts are becoming harder ahead of the federal budget.
- Potential flash flooding warnings issued for parts of New South Wales.
Police in Western Australia have allegedly shot and killed a sixteen year old boy armed with a knife after he called them saying he was going to commit acts of violence.
Western Australia's Premier Roger Cook says the teen was known to police and there are indications the teenager had been radicalised online.
Police say the teenager called in shortly after 10pm warning authorities that he was going to commit a violent act before someone else called in reporting a stabbing incident in a Bunnings carpark.
Police allege the teen stabbed a member of the public before rushing at police with a large kitchen knife, they say they then attempted to tase the teenager before shooting him.
Western Australia's police commissioner Col Blanch has acknowledged community concerns in the wake of recent stabbing incidents, but says they are "very rare".
"We have a very large population in Australia and we don't see these type of attacks - almost never, really. So my message to the community is one of assurance. We live in one of the safest places in the world, one of the safest places in the world. This is a tragic and sad event, and we've always got to work on doing it better. One is too many. But we do live in a safe place, and people in W-A are safe, and the police responded extremely quickly."
—
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher says finding savings in the upcoming federal budget is getting harder and harder as economists warn to keep spending in check.
Senator Gallagher told ABC's Insiders that the government will deliver one billion dollars in savings on consultants and contractors but says this is becoming more difficult.
The federal budget will be delivered in less than two weeks and economists are calling for restraint and caution to prevent it from being inflationary.
Speaking to Sky News, Minister for Employment and Workplace relations Tony Burke says there are a series of drivers of inflation.
"Some of them international, some of them supply constraints and, and issues within Australia and some are history under the previous government of budget measures that were deliberately and knowingly inflationary. You compare that to what's happened since Jim Chalmers and Katie Gallagher started dedicating the budget, where effectively when extra revenue comes in, huge proportions of that extra revenue are being put back to pay down debt."
—
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning of potential flash flooding in the Illawarra region south of Sydney with heavy rainfall predicted to last until nightfall.
Thousands on the New South Wales south coast are bracing after being told to stay indoors with the heaviest expected rains to hit Wollongong, Bulli, Port Kembla, Albion Park, Kiama and Huskisson.
Strong wind warnings are also in place for the Illawarra region and areas along the Byron Coast, Coffs Coast, Macquarie Coast, Hunter Coast and Sydney Coast are all on alert for Monday.
Senior Meteorologist Dean Narramore told Nine News the latest updates.
"Yeah, look, it's pretty wet through parts of New South Wales. We did see around 20 in the city and some heavy falls right now in the southern suburbs, but it's a little bit further south where we've seen the heaviest rainfall, we've seen 130 to 150 millimeters, around the point perpendicular and the Jarvis Bay Area and widespread falls of 50 to 80 millimeters to the Illawarra so it's very very wet down there is a rain continues to fall."
—
Orthodox Christians around the world are celebrating Orthodox Easter today, more than a month after the more-widely recognised western Easter Sunday.
Around half a million Australian's identify as Orthodox Christians with many hailing from central and eastern Europe as well as parts of the Middle East and Africa.
Orthodox communities in Australia come predominantly from Greece, Ukraine and Moldova as well as Orthodox Assyrians from Iraq, Orthodox Armenians and Eastern Orthodox from the Palestinian territories.
Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Priest Botros Samy says Easter is a time for hope.
"The message that I can deliver, at a time the entire world is suffering from trouble, problems, wars and crisis, whether it is economic crisis or related to wars happening everywhere. I want to say that Easter always brings joy and hope. And while all of this is happening, we want to hang on to hope and joy and pray for peace all over the world while the whole world is witnessing all these troubles."
—
The Australian Olympic Committee says it is committing to more investment in First Nations athletes ahead of the 2024 Paris Oympic Games.
President of the Australian Olympic Committee Ian Chesterman made the announcement following an annual general meeting.
Mr Chesterman says they're incredibly excited about the future of the games.
"We're really delighted to announce today that a grant we made to every Indigenous athlete in the team for Paris who meets the criteria set down by our own Indigenous advisory committee. That's a $5000 grant and we're hoping that at least 10 athletes will take advantage of that, hopefully a whole lot more, if they get to be on the team in Paris."
