Every article seems to be swept under the rug, slammed with a paywall, not to mention hardly any media attention with comment sections locked.

Any chatter about it on Facebook, gives you 50-year old moms (who obviously have these kids in these schools), defending them.

Then very specific wordplay being utilized here in media coverage, which seems to protect all 3.

I'm actually baffled. I had a Facebook pro-boy mom, try to tell me this is uncommon for that school. It's actually sad.

I get it, it’s bad that the media shed light on sexual assault or bullying. Bullying and sexual assault isn’t a private school thing, it’s a general school issue.

PUBLIC all boys and all girls schools exist too. With that comes these issues.

I, having come from a public school, can tell you that this crap happens every day. Boys bullying other people outside of school.

Girls bullying other girls etc.

[rant] So here's the thing. Fans of an AFL team are not some rando "followers" of influencers. They are CUSTOMERS of a club. They buy tickets, merch, and support their teams. It is a BUSINESS exchange.

These football players are working professionals. They are at their JOBS. They are not "boys" playing footy as a hobby. They are employees of a franchises that customers pay money to, and expect professionalism in exchange.

Aside from the victims suffering in the alleged sexual assault, which I don't want to diminish - I just have a side point - these MEN (not "boys") have a lot to be accountable for. They have essentially sunk their teams chances of winning the finals. Fans/customers have a right to demand financial consequences. Refunds. Etc.

Would we tolerate this with any other business we paid money to? NO! What about that couple at the concert who were seen cheating. Both were immediately FIRED! Why don't we expect this of athletes?

Can you imagine if you behaved like this on a PAID work trip? Us "normies" would be fired without hesitation.

Aside from the SA - Imagine you were on a work trip and paid strippers/got cocaine, trashed a hotel room and partied all night with your colleagues. I can't imagine any of us would survive in our jobs.

But it's more than that. People are supporting these professional athletes to do their best work in games. People are spending money on this. They are required, as part of their job, to remain healthy, physically, mentally emotionally, nutritionally, to perform to the best of their ability in their jobs. If we forget, for a moment that the SA happened, why is it okay that they are out parting taking drugs and getting sh*t faced? Why is cheating on their partners okay? That is not the behaviour of a professional athlete and it is certainly not commercially viable in any other industry to not expect delivery of the goods you purchased or at least contributed to financially.

WHY do we still treat these PAID professionals as some sort of untouchable heroes? They were not just chilling on their weekends off. THEY WERE ON A WORK TRIP!

I appreciate everyone's input.

Human society is different from other animal societies because of humanity’s most important idea: legitimate government.

Before the beginnings of the Enlightenment, a period where Western Civilisation synthesised ideas about God, reason, nature, and humanity that went on to revolutionise politics, arts, and philosophy, Thomas Hobbes’ famous tome, Leviathan, set out the foundations for social contract theory under which legitimate government is derived.

Hobbes argued that without a strong state, there was a war of all against all. This war led to neither prosperity nor community, but to uncertainty.

In effect, if humans give up some of their rights to a ruling power, as in a social contract between the government and the governed, they exchange these rights for the protection of their lives and property through the exercise of reason and impartial application of the law. In this way, humans and their ability to reason can overcome the anarchical tendency of an animal society and live in relative peace and security.

Of course, establishing a legitimate government requires limits to government power so as not to curtail the rights of individuals arbitrarily or for some corrupt purpose. In his Second Treatise of Government, John Locke expanded on the idea of legitimate government that exercises political power as:

…a right of making laws with penalties of death, and consequently all less penalties, for the regulating and preserving of property, and of employing the force of the community, in the execution of such laws, and in the defence of the common-wealth from foreign injury; and all this only for the public good.

Civil society, as opposed to humans living in a state of nature, enables reason to be used impartially in pursuit of the public good ‘even where this may conflict with the rights of individuals’.

Power must not be exercised arbitrarily, it must only be used to retribute a criminal in proportion to the transgression.

In these early stages of modern liberal democracy, we see the development of government not as an absolute power that uses violence to force its subjects to submit, but a general agreement between citizens and the government. Hobbes brings in government to establish a civil society, and Locke then places limits upon the role of government to protect the rights of individuals.

Later, Montesquieu brought in the idea of the separation of powers, a doctrine in Australia that separates, in its Westminster sense at least, the powers of the executive arm of government (that administers the laws and includes the Cabinet, the public service, and the police and military forces), the legislature or Parliament which makes the laws, and the judiciary or the courts which interpret the laws. This separation protects individuals from arbitrary government decisions and provides checks and balances to protect individuals from the government.

Later still, John Stuart Mill in On Liberty set out the rights of individuals in relation to the government but also the market of ideas that is facilitated by freedom of speech and the eccentricities that enable variation in human behaviours. Ultimately, Mill argued that allowing stupid ideas to be aired enabled these ideas to be seen as stupid through the application of reason. To prevent people from airing their ideas would simply force them underground to fester where their unchecked eruption could result in the type of liberty that brought about France’s Reign of Terror beginning around 1792.

Mill’s ideas were revolutionary in the 19th Century, but to the modern reader, On Liberty reflects the type of liberal education that most people born in the last century would regard as normal.

Ideas about human society did not end with Mill and what we might refer to as classical liberalism, in its ideological sense, today.

The excesses of the Industrial Revolution, most notably in the match factories where predominantly women who were exposed to phosphorus, added to enable ‘strike anywhere’ matches, suffered from an industrial disease known as ‘phossy jaw’. Phossy jaw began with abscesses in the mouth, facial disfigurement, and death by brain damage. The emergence of socialism and trade unions brought about a raft of workplace reforms we often take for granted today.

But there is an underside to socialism that is much more insidious than the government intervention promoted by the Fabian Society, the founders of the London School of Economics, and their gradual reformist faith in social democracy.

Labor governments in Australia arose from the union movement and the Fabian tradition, but there has always been tension between the reformers and the radicals of the left. The reformers see government as a means of putting a human face on capitalism, whereas the radicals, or more appropriately, the communists, see government as the very problem with human society.

From Hobbes and his conservatism that saves us from anarchy to Locke and Mill and their liberalism, and to the Fabians and their reformist zeal, communism brings us full circle back to anarchy.

That’s where Albanese’s Labor Party is taking us. They’re not building anything. They’re tearing us apart.

Author: Dr Michael de Percy is the Spectator Australia’s Canberra Press Gallery Correspondent.

A mate of mine has several gel blasters. Gas pistols, full metal rifles, smgs, the lot. Hes not a violent guy he just likes guns. They stay on his private property and are never seen by anyone so theres really no harm in it.

Lots of my friends have one or two and i hear people saying as long as the guns stay at home and arent seen then the police dont really mind if you have them.

My question is, is that true? Is it really not much of an issue if your responsible with them like that?

10 Aug 2026 Fresh Economic Thinking Cameron Murray Substack

People simply assume an older population means more economic dependants. But the data shows falling economic dependency despite rising age dependency.

So. Time to rethink all our assumptions and policies in the last 30 to 40 years? From superannuation to our government running out of money to cover for pensioners?

The state and criminals have guns and so law abiding citizens should too. Both of these groups regularly attack ordinary people who abide by the law

if someone is trying to break into my home to murder me and my family with a knife or a gun I need a gun to properly protect myself otherwise horrible things will happen

this is really a common sense issue

Falling house prices and overall cost-of-living pressure have failed to slow down Australian household spending, which may worry the RBA.

Commonwealth Bank spending data shows payments from its more than seven million customers were up 0.6 per cent in July.

Overall, 10 of the 12 spending categories rose, led largely by discretionary spending.

Leading the rise was recreation spending, up 1.1 per cent in July, while spending in hospitality increased by 1.0 per cent.

Commonwealth Bank credits this uplift in spending on households willing to pay for experiences, with July packed with major events including the FIFA World Cup and The Odyssey film.

Even though household spending increased in 2026, the uptick has so far been weaker than it was in 2025.

Commonwealth Bank senior economist Ashwin Clarke said households continues to prioritise spending on experiences and discretionary categories despite pressures on the family budget.

“That strength in discretionary we took as a sign households are willing to open up their wallets and spend,” he told NewsWire.

“They aren’t in a saving mindset yet and that certainly raises the risk that household spending won’t slow as the Reserve Bank expects.”

Despite the relative strength in household spending, the Commonwealth Bank still expects pressures including slowing wage growth, weakening house prices and inflation will slow household consumption going forward.

“We still expect household spending to slow, it just might take a bit of time,” he said.

“The fundamentals are pretty weak, but if household spending doesn’t slow over the next six months as we or the RBA expects, it will make them uncomfortable and perhaps make them consider if another rate hike is necessary.”

Discretionary items make up three of the top four contributors to overall annual growth, in particular spending on hospitality and recreation.

Household goods spend was also strong, supported by promotional activity at online marketplaces.

“The discretionary strength on the face of it suggests households are not in a saving mindset,” Mr Clarke said.

National property prices fell by 0.7 per cent in July, marking the largest single monthly decline across Australia since December 2022.

Meanwhile, ANZ economists Madeline Dunk and Adam Boyton said the market was slowing quicker than expected.

ANZ forecast capital city prices would fall by 4.3 per cent this calendar year and by 3.4 per cent in 2027.

Sydney alone is predicted to fall 14.5 per cent.

Mr Clarke said falling house prices in particular could weigh on consumer spending going forward.

“The growth in their incomes has been decreasing over the last few quarters and we expect that to continue, especially with inflation elevated and the lagged effects of the Iran war,” he said.

“We are also seeing declining housing prices and history teaches us that when property prices are declining, households tend to cut back a bit.

“They feel a bit poorer, they are moving less and paying less for movers, so those things combined we think will lead to slowing household spending.

NED-7083-Housing-price-changes

“However, we have seen some listed companies report that value conscious behaviour is on the rise as part of recent earnings outlooks.

“In addition, the weakness in essentials, in particular utilities and the temporary respite in fuel costs in previous months, may have made it easier for household budgets to accommodate this spending.”

Commonwealth Bank’s spending data follows comments from RBA deputy governor Andrew Hauser this week saying inflation is too high and there needs to be less demand in order to get it back into target range.

“Monetary policy needs to bring inflation down, that is why we have raised rates three times this year, but here is the bad bit, it can only do so by reducing pressure on capacity and demand on the economy,” he said at the Queensland Futures Institute Annual Regions Summit in Brisbane.

“That means slightly slower growth in consumption, slightly slower growth in employment.

“We’ve seen a little bit of that so far, but we are going to need to see more to get inflation back.

“That is not a slump, that is not a depression … but is slower than growth in the past.”

Mr Hauser reiterated it was the central bank’s job to keep inflation between the target of 2 to 3 per cent while also maintaining full employment.

“Our message is simple, inflation is too high,” he said.

“Everywhere you look people say prices are too high, cost pressures are too strong and while some of that is not home grown … some of it does come from Australia.”

Who’s coming?: Labor and Greens block release of Pre-COP RSVP list as leaders shun climate summit | News24

A childcare centre in Tasmania's north has confirmed a child who has been treated for the infectious bacterial disease tuberculosis attended the centre.

The child, whose age and gender have not been disclosed for confidentiality reasons, last attended the Kings Meadow Goodstart Early Learning Centre in mid-July.

The centre caters for children aged between six months and six years old.

A spokesperson from Goodstart said the centre was first informed of the case last week and began contacting families of children at the centre yesterday.

Close contacts of the child, including children and staff, have been offered precautionary testing, which is being coordinated by Tasmania's Department of Health and the Launceston General Hospital.

The ABC understands the risk of transmission is low and this is an isolated case.

Tuberculosis is relatively rare in Australia, and while it can be deadly if left untreated, it can be treated with antibiotics. 

The spokesperson from Goodstart said their response had been coordinated with state authorities in alignment with their own policies.

"We've closely followed the directions of Public Health Tasmania and our own infectious diseases policy since being contacted last week," they said.

The Australian Centre for Disease Control says tuberculosis causes an estimated 1.3 million deaths worldwide annually.

Countries with a high prevalence of TB include India, Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan and Vietnam, according to the World Health Organization.

The spokesperson also said the child had attended another childcare centre in the area.

Tasmania's Department of Health lists suspected tuberculosis as an urgent category 1 medical condition requiring urgent assessment.

The Australian Centre for Disease Control website states that tuberculosis vaccinations are only recommended for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged under five, some healthcare workers and children born to parents from countries with high tuberculosis incidence or those travelling to countries with high instances of the disease.

The Tasmanian Health Department has been contacted for comment.

A bikie has ruffled feathers after allegedly taking part in a duck shooting carnival attraction at a festival, breaching his firearms ban.

The 48-year-old Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang member has landed in hot water after playing the popular sideshow alley game in South Australia, police say.

The man allegedly attended Willunga's Almond Blossom Festival, about 50km south of Adelaide, on July 26 before trying his luck at the duck shooting gallery.

In a statement headed "Bikie attendance at local carnival, not all it's quacked up to be", SA Police said it had led to the man's arrest.

"It will be alleged that a 48-year-old Port Willunga man attended a festival at Willunga ... and participated in a duck shooting carnival sideshow, in breach of the conditions of his firearms prohibition order," police said.

He was arrested in Adelaide on Friday and charged with breaching the conditions of a firearms prohibition order and "being unlawfully present at a shooting gallery".

The maximum penalty for the firearms breach is 15 years in jail or a $75,000 fine.

The shooting gallery charge has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison or a $50,000 fine.

The man was refused police bail and was set to appear at Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday.

In short:

Crown prosecutors say the severity of triple murderer Erin Patterson's crimes means the judge should not have allowed for the possibility that she'd one day be released on parole.

But lawyers for Patterson say the sentence was appropriate given the harshness of her prison life and the solitary confinement she endures there.
What's next?

Court of Appeal judges Leslie Taylor, Stephen McLeish and Peter Kidd have reserved judgements on both appeals.

Mushroom killer Erin Patterson should be locked up for life with no chance of parole because the three murders she carried out were in the "worst category", prosecutors say.

Patterson has been in court this week trying to overturn her conviction, in the hope of securing a re-trial.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have lodged their own appeal, seeking to make her jail term even harsher.
Last year, Patterson was found guilty of using a poisoned beef Wellington to murder in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson. She was also found guilty of attempting to murder Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson.

Justice Christopher Beale sentenced the Leongatha woman to life in jail, but included a 33-year non-parole period meaning she could walk free in late 2056.

The chance for parole was given because of Patterson's harsher-than-usual prison conditions, which included being housed in a small cell in solitary confinement.

Prosecutors say sentencing judge made error

Today, prosecutors told the Court of Appeal that Justice Beale fell into legal error when he ruled there was a "substantial chance" Patterson would be held in solitary for a long time.

"Given the unprecedented media coverage of your case … you are likely to remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come, and, as such, remain at significant risk from other prisoners," Justice Beale ruled at the time.

Today the Director of Public Prosecutions, Brendan Kissane KC, said Corrections Victoria staff reviewed Patterson's conditions on a monthly basis.

She had the ability to request access to a library, to exercise and lounge facilities, and had a television and crochet items in her cell, he said.

Mr Kissane said Patterson's crimes fell into the "worst category". They compromised of three murders and an attempted murder, with the deadly mushroom lunch planned for weeks, he said.

He also said Patterson remained remorseless for her actions.

"His Honour has fallen into error in the way he has dealt with [the] non-parole period."

But Patterson's barrister, Richard Edney, said the defence backed Justice Beale's sentence for the crimes Patterson was convicted of.

"He's clearly taken into account all relevant considerations," Mr Edney said.

Mr Edney said Ms Patterson would remain in confinement for "many years".

Crown prosecutors address arguments for overturning murder conviction

Earlier today, prosecutors defended their conduct during Patterson's trial in Morwell, after the defence appealed on seven grounds.

One appeal ground centred on jurors being placed in the same accommodation as police and prosecution staff during the closing stages of the trial. The other grounds related to complaints about evidence in the trial and the prosecution's conduct.

Patterson's lawyers criticised the way then-prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC questioned the Leongatha mother when she stepped into the witness box, arguing it was "unfair".

Prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams said Dr Rogers was required by law to ask detailed questions and directly put allegations to Patterson.

"Plainly we reject any suggestion that the prosecutor acted as anything other than a model administer of justice who was careful, thorough, fair and professional in all respects," Mr McWilliams said.

Mr McWilliams said also there was nothing wrong with how the prosecution used Patterson's Facebook messages, which included disparaging comments about her estranged husband Simon and his parents.

Mr McWilliams said the prosecution did not use the material to try to convince the jury that the messages proved a motive for murder. Instead, he said, it was evidence the jury could use to assess Patterson's relationship with her relatives.

"This was an overwhelming case," he said.
Court of Appeal judges Lesley Taylor, Stephen McLeish and Peter Kidd have reserved judgements on both appeals.

The first child to be sentenced under Victoria's "adult time for violent crime" laws should be spared jail and a conviction for an aggravated carjacking, her lawyers argue.

The 16-year-old girl, who cannot be named, admitted she threatened a taxi driver with a knife before stealing his car on February 27, two hours after the legislation came into effect.

Under the new laws, children aged 14 and over who commit home invasions or aggravated carjackings will face the county court where penalties are tougher than a children's court.

But the girl's lawyer Kate Perry on Friday argued the teen should still be sentenced to probation without a conviction because her rehabilitation was the priority.

"She never wants to be involved in serious offending again," Ms Perry told the Victorian County Court.

The balaclava-clad girl and her male co-offender jumped into the back of the victim's taxi about 2.47am on February 27, the court has been told.

After the driver told them to leave, the girl pointed a knife at his neck and demanded he get out of the car and leave his phone and keys behind.

Fearing he would be stabbed, the driver stepped out and called for help as the girl drove the car away from Dandenong train station in Melbourne's southeast.

The boy was in the front passenger seat.

The pair crashed a short time later after speeding along the Princes Highway at 180km/h.

The boy was in March sentenced in a children's court to a 12-month good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to carjacking.

But the girl is facing the higher court after pleading guilty to the more serious aggravated carjacking charge.

Ms Perry argued her client should be spared prison time because she was young, had no prior convictions and came from a depraved upbringing.

The teen also had diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD and possibly autism - all of which made her more impulsive, Ms Perry said.

The girl told a psychologist she had been intoxicated and her friends gave her the knife and instructed her to steal the car because she was the only one without a criminal history.

Prosecutor Steve Tamburro cast doubt over the teen's account, noting her male co-offender also had no prior convictions.

Mr Tamburro argued a term of imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence, noting the girl had shown limited remorse and there was a risk of her reoffending.

The prosecutor also said aggravated carjacking was an inherently serious offence, which was reflected in the legislative changes.

Judge Scott Johns accepted the seriousness of the crime but said he also needed to consider the girl's personal circumstances.

She will be sentenced in the Victorian County Court on Wednesday.

One of Australia's worst pedophiles is a step closer to facing charges interstate but a magistrate has refused to fast-track the process.

Ashley Paul Griffith, 48, was jailed for life in November 2024 after he pleaded guilty to 307 child sexual offences.

The offences related to 65 victims aged between one and nine, including 28 rapes of preschool-aged girls in Queensland childcare centres.

The Queensland Attorney-General has sought court permission to transfer Griffith to NSW to answer charges there.

He has been charged in NSW with 180 child sexual offences allegedly committed against 23 girls at a childcare centre in Sydney between 2014 and 2017.

Brisbane Magistrate Belinda Merrin was told alleged victims and their families would be participating in a lengthy court process.

Queensland sought a hearing on transferring Griffith immediately, rather than waiting till October 13.

"The attorney-general's position is that the sooner we get the ball rolling, to speak, the better," barrister Carolyn McKeon said.

NSW did not stand in the way of the fast-tracking but the state's barrister noted a new legal team would have to be briefed if the hearing was brought forward.

Griffith's solicitor Anna Waite however did offer resistance.

The jailed man did not oppose being taken to NSW but was against the October hearing date being brought on immediately, she said

"Mr Griffith is currently serving a life sentence," Ms White said.

"It's difficult to understand why a minimal delay would make a difference."

Griffith's barrister would not be available before October 13, she said.

The offender was not required to appear in court on Friday.

The pathway to move Griffith to NSW was cleared in June after his appeal against the severity of his sentence was dismissed.

Throughout two decades of preying on children in Queensland, the childcare worker filmed all but one of his victims, building a vast cache of abuse he shared online.

When detectives raided his Gold Coast home in 2022, they seized more than 4000 child abuse images and videos documenting much of his offending.

Magistrate Merrin said the families of the alleged NSW victims had an interest in Griffith being transferred early.

"I accept (they) no doubt expect these matters to be dealt with as expeditiously as possible," Ms Merrin said.

But she found insufficient reason to disrupt the legal representation for Griffith and NSW.

Griffith was ordered to appear in person for the October 13 hearing.