Police weapons ‘no match’ for Wieambilla shooters’ rifles, coroner says
Andrew Messenger
In his findings, Ryan said the weapons carried by police officers who went to the Trains’ property – in relation to a missing persons report filed about Nathaniel – “were no match” for the rifles used by the shooters who were in ambush positions.
“Once the shooting commenced the officer’s Glocks [handguns] were woefully inadequate for defending themselves,” he said.
He said it was unclear if better body armour would have prevented their deaths, and it was difficult to see how any officer could have been adequately equipped for the incident that unfolded.
Key events
Petra Stock
Bureau of Meteorology issued cyclone warning for large parts of the Top End including Darwin
Tropical Cyclone Fina was likely to cross the Northern Territory coast either very late on Friday or early Saturday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a cyclone warning for the Tiwi Islands, and from Darwin to Warruwi. This includes Cobourg Peninsula, Minjilang and Gunbalanya, and also Pirlangimpi, Milikapiti and Wurrumiyanga.
The system was currently a category one cyclone, but was expected to re-intensify to category two as it made landfall. There remained a chance it could reach category three as it moved into the Van Diemen Gulf.
Fina was likely to cross at the Cobourg Peninsula near Cape Don, with rain already building at Croker Island, off the Northern Territory coast.
The Northern Territory Emergency Service has advised those in affected areas to prepare for the risk of destructive winds, torrential rain, dangerous storms and coastal flooding, with potential disruption to essential services.
Residents in Milikapiti to Maningrida, including Cobourg Peninsula, Minjilang and Warruwi were asked to enact their emergency plans and secure their properties.
Those in affected areas -Daly River Mouth to Gunbalanya, including Dundee Beach, Darwin, Batchelor, Pirlangimpi and Wurrumiyanga (Tiwi Islands) – have been advised to prepare emergency plans and kits and stay informed.
Watch a reconstruction of the events at Wieambilla
The Guardian’s video team published a reconstruction of the events at Wieambilla, using body-worn camera footage, police aerial vision and a triple-zero phone call presented as evidence at the inquest.
You can watch it here:
Police weapons ‘no match’ for Wieambilla shooters’ rifles, coroner says
Andrew Messenger
In his findings, Ryan said the weapons carried by police officers who went to the Trains’ property – in relation to a missing persons report filed about Nathaniel – “were no match” for the rifles used by the shooters who were in ambush positions.
“Once the shooting commenced the officer’s Glocks [handguns] were woefully inadequate for defending themselves,” he said.
He said it was unclear if better body armour would have prevented their deaths, and it was difficult to see how any officer could have been adequately equipped for the incident that unfolded.
Wieambilla police shooting: coroner delivers findings into Train family killings of three people on remote Queensland property
Andrew Messenger
Queensland state coroner Terry Ryan has begun releasing his findings into how three members of the Train family shot dead two police officers and a neighbour their Wieambilla property nearly three years ago.
Officers Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold were killed by the trio of conspiracy theorists at the remote property about 270 kilometres west of Brisbane on 12 December 2022.
The killers, Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel Train, also shot dead their neighbour, Alan Dare, before being killed in a shootout with police.
Ryan is delivering his findings on Friday, after the inquest held five weeks of hearings last year. He said the Trains had a psychiatric illness at the time of the shootings.
“On 12 December 2022, Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel each had an undiagnosed and untreated psychotic illness … shared paranoid delusions,” Ryan said.
Read more here:
Patrick Commins
APRA mulls lending limits as home loans surge
There’s growing speculation the regulator is preparing to place limits on higher risk home lending, amid a surge in investor borrowing.
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s latest report on risks in the financial system found that “while overall housing lending standards remain sound”, it was “seeing some signs of a pick-up in higher risk lending, particularly high debt-to-income borrowing by investors”.
While APRA has not made any official statements of intent, it has been working with banks over recent months to ensure they are ready and able to throttle lending in certain areas if directed to.
Lending to landlords by value grew by nearly 19% in the year to September, its fastest pace in a decade, and accounted for two in every five home loans from July to September.
The chief executive of the country’s biggest bank, CBA’s Mat Comyn, told a parliamentary committee hearing this week that he was worried that housing credit was growing too swiftly, and foreshadowed a potential intervention by the banking regulator.
Greens senator Barbara Pocock has written to the head of APRA urging him to “pull the handbrake” on investor lending.
APRA last intervened to slow lending in late 2014.
Maria Kovacic attacks Labor’s economic record in NSW
NSW senator Maria Kovacic has released a statement, thanking Mark Speakman for his leadership, calling him a “a decent and principled man” while also congratulating Kellie Sloane.
Kovacic said:
Under Labor, NSW is going backwards. Recent ABS data shows that the NSW economy is growing slower than any other state or territory and is well behind national growth.
While Chris Minns and his ministers spend their time cutting ribbons on Coalition projects, his government presents no vision or plan that the people of NSW can look towards with hope and aspiration. NSW deserves better.
Sloane defends photo of her eating caviar on a yacht
Sloane was also asked about the photo that has resurfaced of her eating caviar on a yacht.
In her original caption, Sloane wrote: “Eating caviar – Russian style – off the back of my hand on board”. She hashtagged the picture #ghost #australiansuperyatchs and #luxury.
Sloane said:
I don’t think I need to rebrand from one picture a decade ago at the Sydney Boat Show. I was chuffed of the opportunity to tour that boat. If that’s the worst they can come off with, I think it’s a good start.
Sloane says taking the leadership has “been a harmonious ascension, which is I’m very lucky.”
Asked if she was considering a cabinet reshuffle, she said:
The problem I’m going to have is we have so much talent in the party. I’ll be spoilt for choice. So, yeah, I’ll be having those conversations with colleagues over the coming week probably.
She said if former leader Mark Speakman wants a position he will have one.
Kellie Sloane says she doesn’t believe in gender quotas ‘at the moment’
Sloane was also asked if she believed in gender quotas. She paused before answering:
I need to think about that one. I have wavered back and forth. I … Not at the moment.
Not at the moment in NSW but I’m open to those conversations with colleagues.
I mean, I certainly want to see more women in our federal party. I love to see more women in our state party. I hope that when they see a female-female leadership team, which wasn’t [about] gender but just happened, that will inspire more women to enter politics. That’s my hope.
Asked what voters were expected to think when about the Coalition having two positions on net zero, she says:
I like to stop talking about those two words and be focused on the here and now and the pain for families in NSW. We – we have had a consistent position on net zero since 2016 as a Coalition.
I believe we can work through the nuts and bolts of policies that will drive practical outcomes, reduce the expenses for families in NSW and we will all, you know, come to a happy conclusion around that.
Sloane says she wants ‘to be a chippy or a cementer’s best friend’
Asked how she will be different from former leader Mark Speakman, she said:
I bring my own personal style to leadership. I’ll be consultive, I’ll try to remain myself, be authentic, listen to people. We’ve got to do a better job of telling our story and reminding the people of NSW what we stand for.
She said she is pro-housing and wants to make sure everyone in NSW, including essential workers and families, can buy a home.
“I want to be a chippy or a cementer’s best friend.”
Sloane has started her speech, talking about how her team is young and full of women:
We have one of the youngest parliamentary teams and I don’t count myself amongst them but we do have six colleagues under the age of 40 and they bring unique perspectives as well.
Almost half of our team are women. We could do with some more but we have rich experience, we have ideas, and we have energy, and we are ready to serve the people of NSW and provide a really positive ambitious vision for our state.
She also talked about how she is not a career politician:
I’m a country-raised, public school-educated working mum who has built a career listening to people telling their stories and advocating for them.
She says she has worked as a CEO for a not-for-profit and as a journalist.
