Good afternoon. Kathleen Folbigg is free, after spending two decades in prison over the deaths of her four children.
It’s an extraordinary tale. Folbigg was convicted in 2003 of murdering three of her children and the manslaughter of one child. She has always maintained her innocence and new findings by an inquiry cast doubt over her conviction. “This is our Lindy Chamberlain case,” said NSW Greens’ justice spokesperson, Sue Higginson. Read the full report.
In other news, the written judgment into Ben Roberts-Smith’s verdict has been released.
- Ben Roberts-Smith full defamation verdict | Among the key notes, the judge was scathing about Roberts-Smith’s evidence. “I have difficulty accepting the applicant’s [Robert-Smith’s] evidence on any disputed issue.” The judge also found Roberts-Smith and four key witnesses were not honest or reliable when it came to their evidence in relation to one of the main allegations in the case.
- Deadly Queensland camel crash | A school bus driver in his 40s has lost his life after his vehicle crashed into two escaped camels and went down an embankment in Livingstone, east of Rockhampton.
- Bruce Lehrmann insists he didn’t rape Brittany Higgins | The alleged sexual assault “simply didn’t happen”, Lehrmann told the Seven Network, adding that he has not ruled out suing Higgins. Lehrmann is also suing the ABC for defamation, accusing the network of acting maliciously by broadcasting Higgins’ National Press Club address. The ABC says the broadcasts didn’t defame Lehrmann and even if they did, did not cause “serious harm” to his reputation.
- Government crackdown on migrant worker exploitation | Australian employers who exploit migrant workers will be banned from hiring other visa holders and will face new criminal penalties, including jail terms, as part of a government crackdown. The federal government will introduce the changes to parliament within weeks.
- Jacinda Ardern becomes a dame | New Zealand has awarded Ardern one of the country’s highest honours, making the former prime minister a dame for her service to the country during the Covid-19 pandemic and Christchurch terror attacks.
- Ukrainian offensive in Donetsk | Russia has claimed its forces thwarted a “major offensive” in the south-eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk and killed hundreds of pro-Kyiv troops, but its statement could not be verified by news agencies and Ukrainian officials made no comment.
- Afghan schoolgirls poisoned | Nearly 80 girls were poisoned and hospitalised in two separate attacks at primary schools in northern Afghanistan. It is thought to be the first time this kind of assault has happened since the Taliban swept to power in August 2021 and began their crackdown on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls.
- Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira | Brazilian police have charged the alleged leader of a “transnational criminal organization” with being the mastermind of the murders of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in the Amazon one year ago.
- Barbie film drains world of pink paint | Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie film required so much pink paint during set construction that it wiped out an entire company’s global supply. Rosco, the paint company used by the film, confirmed the film “used as much paint as we had”, but qualified that production on Barbie had coincided with wider global supply chain problems.
