Queensland LNP candidate alleges he was physically assaulted by two people
The LNP candidate for Gregory in the upcoming Queensland election, Sean Dillon, has told 4BC radio he was assaulted and threatened near his home by two people.
He alleged he was told “shut your union bashing mouth” by two people, and thrown on the bonnet of his car.
Dillon told the station the incident was “terrifying” and “pretty horrific”, occurring 20km from his house after he pulled over to assist someone.
I was physically accosted at that point, and it was pretty explicit … the instructions about what they thought around my continued involvement in politics and what I should or shouldn’t do.
Dillon said he was in shock afterwards, because “it was the last thing that you expect as a political candidate”. He said the alleged offenders did not have their faces covered, but were not known to him.
Dillon said he has good relationships with various union members, and “there’s certainly no union bashing when it comes to me”.
Queensland police confirmed it received a complaint in relation to an alleged assault on 27 August, around 6.30pm, at the intersection of Eulimbie Road and Clermont Alpha Road in Alpha.
Police said investigations are continuing.
Key events
Second person dies following crash on Sydney Harbour Bridge
A second person has died following the crash on Sydney Harbour Bridge, police say.
Emergency services were called to the bridge at about 1.40pm on Thursday, where they found three cars and a bus had collided. Police confirmed one man died at the scene and a second was in a critical condition.
In a statement released just now police said a second person had now died:
NSW Ambulance paramedics have treated multiple people for injuries; however, two men died at the scene.
They have not yet been formally identified.
The bus driver was uninjured, and no passengers were on board at the time.
Bombshell report reveals systemic bullying and harassment at Nine
We mentioned earlier the independent review commissioned by Nine Entertainment was due today. That report is now out and has revealed systemic bullying and harassment – you can read the full story from Amanda Meade:
People ‘languishing’ in hospital while waiting for NDIS care
Hundreds of people with disabilities are “languishing” in public hospitals while they wait for adequate support, leaving them vulnerable to harm and infection, AAP reports.
Workforce shortages and a lack of disability accommodation in rural areas has led to an increase in NDIS participants staying in hospital, the Western NSW Local Health District chief executive, Mark Spittal, said at an inquiry today.
NSW hospitals had 294 such people yet to be discharged in early October because no NDIS supports were in place or their assessments had not been finalised.
Spittal told the federal inquiry examining the experience of rural NDIS participants in Dubbo that hospitals were the support providers of last resort for people with disabilities:
That’s certainly not the place that somebody with a significant disability should be languishing. Their risk of acquiring infection, the risk of being marginalised because the acute care needs of somebody else in the ward will take predominance and, as a result, being unintentionally harmed are very, very high.
An NDIS assessment can take several weeks involving a number of health practitioners at a time when GPs in major regional centres had closed their books, he said.
If you’re a highly complex person with highly-complex disabilities needing access to primary care and you do not already have a (GP), your chances of being able to execute that are virtually zero.
People living with disabilities in small towns were also having to move and leave their families behind to access specialised support, he said.
Rafqa Touma
Debris balls getting smaller, EPA says
The size of the debris balls vary between a marble and tennis ball, Stephen Lemon from the Environment Protection Authority tells press:
We are actually seeing, as we move away from the Coogee area, the size of the balls are getting smaller.
Probably getting a lot of wave action in the surf zone, breaking that material up.
Rafqa Touma
NSW EPA analysing “quite unusual” tar ball debris
The NSW Environment Protection Authority is currently analysing samples of the black ball-shaped debris.
Stephen Lemon, EPA’s executive director of operations, confirms their tests results are matching up with those of Randwick city council’s.
Speaking from Coogee, Lemon told press:
We’ve had our specialists out collecting samples and having these samples analysed by our laboratories. We’re using this information to get further detail on what the nature of the material is, so we can use that to identify the … sources of contamination.
Lemon told press the material “is quite unusual,” and that “it is quite a fibrous material”. He said it has a hydrocarbon base.
He said it is too early to predict where it has come from, and clarified that oil can come from both boats and land sources.
Natasha May
Thanks Emily and good afternoon everyone!
Emily Wind
Many thanks for joining me on the blog today, I’ll hand over to Natasha May who will be with you for the next little while. Take care.
Rafqa Touma
Circling back to the Sydney beach debris
Reverse and drift modelling will be used to consider the currents and wind in ascertaining where the black ball-shaped debris is coming from.
David Wood from NSW Maritime has told reporters:
We are also working with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to find where these contaminants may have come from. They will do reverse modelling and drift modelling, taking into account the currents and wind, for us to be able to work out whether it comes from south, north or east of NSW, to try and give better information on the likely source.
Weather agencies warning of severe storms, unsettled weather
The Bureau of Meteorology has published a severe weather update, with severe thunderstorms possible throughout central and southern Australia today.
The NSW SES has also shared an update, urging people in western parts of the state to prepare for unsettled weather in the coming few days.
Rafqa Touma
NSW Maritime says they can’t see any more tar balls drifting towards Sydney beaches
NSW Maritime said they have seen no more sheen or balls drifting towards Sydney beaches, after black debris forced the closure of seven beaches.
Speaking to reporters from Coogee, David Wood from NSW Maritime said:
We’ve been working over the last two days with Port Authority of NSW.
We’ve had vessels out on our water. We can ensure that we can’t see any more sheen on that water. We also can’t see any more balls that are drifting in towards the beaches of the city, which is a good sign at the moment.
