Arizona state House Speaker Rusty Bowers (R) on Sunday said he’ll never vote for former President Trump again, a reversal of earlier claims that he’d back Trump in a match-up against President Biden.
“I’ll never vote for him, but I won’t have to. Because I think America’s tired and there’s some absolutely forceful, qualified, morally defensible and upright people, and that’s what I want. That’s what I want in my party and that’s what I want to see,” Bowers told moderator Jonathan Karl during an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”
The Arizona lawmaker called Trump a “demagogue” who maintains hold on his base through “thuggery and intimidation.”
“I have thought, at times, someone born how he was, raised how he was — he has no idea what a hard life is. And what people have to go through in real—in the real world. He has no idea what courage is,” Bowers said.
Bowers’s comments were a reversal of his remarks in June, when he said he’d support the former president in a rematch of the 2020 election.
“If he is the nominee, if he was up against Biden, I’d vote for him again. Simply because what he did the first time, before COVID, was so good for the county. In my view it was,” Bowers told The Associated Press before testifying in June to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the US Capitol.
Testifying before the House panel, Bowers rejected the former president’s claims that the two men had discussed a rigged 2020 presidential election in Arizona.
Bowers said members of his party called him a “traitor” after his appearance before the committee. Trump lambasted the lawmaker as a “coward.”
Bowers on Sunday said he hoped Trump would never return to a position of power.
“I would certainly hope not. I certainly don’t trust that authority that he would exercise.”
Bowers is running for Arizona’s state Senate in this year’s midterms, and Trump has endorsed his challenger, David Farnsworth.
But there are reasons to remain cautious, or at least watchful.
The Fed still has plenty of work to do on inflation. The market sees US rates getting to about 3 per cent and then falling as the central bank tries to support a weakening economy. But if inflation remains sticky – which it clearly has for 18 months – then the Fed may need to go much harder. And remember, stronger equity and bond markets represent a loosening of financial conditions, which ironically may force the Fed to take higher rates to cool things down. Friday’s employment cost index in the US rose 5.1 per cent in the June quarter. The Fed will want to be sure the labor market is cooling before it can breathe easier on inflation.
Earnings were less worse than feared but were still not amazing. Apple’s much-hyped results saw it deliver revenue growth of 2 per cent in an environment of surging global inflation. Further, profit margins are still close to all-time highs despite the factors that have increased them in the last decade – falling rates, cheap offshore labor, falling tax rates, uncomplicated supply chains – all reversing.
Stocks remain relatively expensive. Wall Street’s forward price to earnings multiple of about 16 times is obviously down from 21.4 times in January, but remains higher than it was in 2007, before the global financial crisis started.
Dead cat bounces happen frequently in real bear markets. From March 2000 to April 2002, the Nasdaq lost 78 per cent. But during that time stocks rallied more than 10 per cent on 11 occasions, with one rally adding 45 per cent across 15 weeks.
The world remains susceptible to shocks. The war in Ukraine means energy markets remain fragile. Housing bubbles in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany are deflating in potentially unpredictable ways. How China navigates its COVID-19 mess will have consequences for inflation and supply chains.
The Porsche 911 GT3 R race car project took three years to be finished, starting in 2019.
By :
HT Auto Desk
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Updated on:
Jul 31, 2022, 10:19 AM
Porsche 911 GT3 R gets power from a 4.2-liter naturally aspirated flat-six engine.
Porsche has covered its 911 GT3 R race car ahead of its track debut next year. The GT3 sportscar’s development commenced in 2019, and it is based on the 992 general models. The new model claims to come with improved driveability, streamlined handling and reduced running costs as well. The new Porsche 911 GT3 R comes promising additional power output, while the aerodynamic efficiency of the model too has been improved significantly.
In an attempt to make the new 911 GT3 R more attractive for drivers, the German luxury car brand has made several mechanical adjustments. It comes with a new suspension and more precise steering. This results in reduced wear on the rear tires. The KW shock absorbers come available in five different adjustment settings. At the front, it gets double-wishbone and multi-link at the rear. The suspension setup allows the car to have an elevated underbody that helps airflow to reach the rear diffuser without significantly increasing drag.
At the rear, the rear wing gets a swan-neck mount, further improving the car’s aerodynamics. The wheelbase of the 911 GT3 R has been extended in order to ensure better handling and lower tire wear. The carmaker has moved the rear wheels further back, extending the wheelbase from 2,459mm to 2,507mm.
The power source for the new Porsche 911 GT3 R is a 4.2-liter naturally aspirated flat-six engine, which is up from 4.0 liters in size. The engine can produce up to 565 hp power output, which routes through a sequential six-speed contest-mesh gearbox with paddle shifters, which has been derived from the 911 GT3 Cup race car. This engine is tilted by 5.5 degrees towards the front of the car in an attempt to make enough space for the underbody diffuser. It also helped the car’s weight balance.
England won a major international soccer tournament for the first time in more than half a century. The fact it was the women’s team, not the men’s, that ended decades of pain made it all the sweeter for many fans.
Crowds erupted in joy at London’s Wembley Stadium, at fan zones across the country and in pubs, clubs and living rooms as the whistle blew after extra time with the score England 2, Germany 1. It was the first-ever European victory for England’s Lionesses , and the first major international trophy for any England team — male or female — since 1966.
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England have won the women’s Euro soccer tournament. (Getty)
In London’s Trafalgar Square, fans chanted “It’s coming home!” — a reference to the England anthem “Three Lions,” with its chorus “football’s coming home” — and jumped into public fountains in celebration.
“I’m so happy,” said 24-year-old Becca Stewart.
“It shows that after all these years, women’s football is something to care about and something to scream about. We did it — the men couldn’t do it but we did!”
Fans celebrate at London’s Wembley Stadium. (AP)
At Wembley, the crowd broke into “Sweet Caroline,” the Neil Diamond song that has become a soccer anthem.
“The girls finally brought football home,” said Mary Caine, who attended the game with her eight-year-old daughter.
“We’re delighted! It’s historic. It was magic in there and a breakthrough moment for women’s sport.”
Whatever the outcome had been, the Lionesses have energized a nation and brought interest in women’s sport in Britain to an entirely new level. Their success has provided a welcome distraction from the UK’s political turmoil and its cost-of-living crisis amid soaring prices for food and fuel.
Chloe Kelly scores the winning goal for England. (Getty)
The final was watched by a record crowd of more than 87,000 at Wembley and a huge TV audience, after a tournament that received an unprecedented level of media coverage. More than nine million people watched the broadcast of England’s 4-0 semi-final win over Sweden last week.
Before Sunday, no UK team – England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland – had won a major international soccer tournament since England’s victory over West Germany in the 1966 men’s World Cup.
At that time, women’s teams were banned from using facilities by the Football Association, the sport’s governing body in England. The FA had ruled in 1921 that “the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged.” The ban was not lifted until 50 years later.
It’s the first major tournament win by a UK team in decades. (AP)
Now, said Jade Monroe, watching the women’s finale on big screens in Trafalgar Square, her six-year-old daughter will know she can do “anything she wants in life.”
England’s trophy drought was almost broken a year ago when the men got to the final of a pandemic-delayed Euro 2020 competition, only to lose to Italy in a penalty shootout.
The dynamic men’s team under coach Gareth Southgate was also hailed as a team that represented modern Britain – a multi-ethnic squad whose members took a knee against racism before games, supported LGBT pride, campaigned hard against poverty and vanquished longstanding rivals like Germany.
England supporters celebrate. (AP)
The 2021 men’s Euros final was marred by some drunken disorder outside Wembley Stadium, however, and racist social media messages directed at some players after England’s defeat were a reminder that there’s still a long way to go.
There was no repeat of the boorish behavior at Sunday’s match, where the crowd included many families with soccer-mad girls.
Girls in many parts of England still have far fewer opportunities to play than boys, and the national women’s team lacks the diversity of the men’s side. But its stars have thrilled a nation.
Mitra Wilson, who watched the final in Trafalgar Square, said the team was an inspiration to her daughters, aged eight and nine.
“It is empowering them to know they can do it and nothing has to hold them back,” she said.
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Uniform controversies that have rocked sport around the world
More secret files on US trade role to be made public
Mr Barilaro will appear next week before a parliamentary inquiry into his appointment.(AAP: Joel Carrett)
Secret government documents relating to John Barilaro’s appointment to a lucrative trade role in New York are set to be made public this morning.
Last week, the government agreed to stop the documents being deemed privileged, after the opposition fought to have them released into the public domain.
The documents are set to put the government under further pressure over the controversy that has been escalating for weeks.
The ABC understands there is growing frustration within the government that Premier Dominic Perrottet isn’t taking decisive action, while there are also ongoing questions about Trade Minister Stuart Ayres’ involvement and whether he misled parliament.
Mr Barilaro is no longer taking the job and will front a parliamentary inquiry into his appointment next week on Monday, August 8.
This week, Investment NSW CEO Amy Brown will front the inquiry for the second time.
Mr Ayres has released a statement on his Facebook page overnight, defending his actions in the controversy.
Mr Ayres said he had made decisions placing the interests of the community first.
“While I respected Mr Barilaro in his role as deputy premier, leader of the National Party and his passionate (and at times excessive) advocacy of regional NSW, I don’t think we ever called each other close friends,” he said.
“Every action I have taken has been to remove politics from the recruitment of these roles and put the people of NSW first.”
Sydney Metro faces serious risks, documents show
The price tag for the Sydney Metro City and South West had blown out by about $6 billion, budget papers revealed earlier this year.(Supplied: NSW Metro)
The Sydney Metro public transport project faces serious risks that have been revealed in a confidential internal document, the NSW opposition has warned.
NSW Shadow Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said the document, prepared by Sydney Metro officials, shows the project’s core strategic objectives are now at risk because of a range of serious issues.
The long list of risks, rated high or very high, includes further cost blowouts, safety and security concerns, inability to attract and retain skilled resources and compromised operations.
“After spending billions of taxpayer dollars, the government’s signature public transport project now faces a series of major risks, including failure to deliver expected long-term benefits as well as more delays,” Ms Haylen said.
“This will increase the total cost of the metro line between Chatswood and Bankstown via the CBD to $18.5 billion, which is far higher than the original budget of $11.5 billion to $12.5 billion.”
In June, state budget papers revealed the price tag for the Sydney Metro City and South West had blown out by about $6 billion, as NSW’s major transport infrastructure projects face significant cost hikes.
Union slams new school trial
The teachers union says the new staffing resource will only touch the surface.(ABC News: Tim Swanston)
The NSW teacher’s union says the state government’s announcement of 200 school support staff is “not even window dressing”.
Yesterday, the NSW government announced a trial of new administration roles in public schools to help teachers with non-teaching tasks such as data entry, paperwork and coordinating excursions.
But the president of the Teachers Federation, Angelo Gavrielatos, said the 200 support staff across the state would have next-to-no impact on teachers.
“This is not even window dressing,” he said.
“We need afundamental reset to deal with the underlying conditions that have created the teacher shortage, unsustainable workloads and uncompetitive salaries.”
The new roles will be trialled in public schools from term four.
Inquest into man fatally shot by police to begin
Jacob Carr, 53, was fatally shot by police on August 17, 2019.(Supplied)
An inquest is due to start today into the death of a Sydney man shot by police after a domestic violence incident.
Fifty-three-year-old Jacob Carr died after being shot by police in August 2019.
Officers say they were called after he fought with his mother at his nephew’s engagement party at Ingleside on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
They say after the fight, Carr went into a granny flat attached to the house and refused to come out.
Police say after they entered through an unlocked door, I pointed a gun at them.
He was shot in the leg but died on the way to hospital.
Family and friends say Carr had struggled with chronic pain and depression for years before his death.
DNA collection sites open for families of missing loved ones
Four pop-up familial DNA collection sites will operate this week.(Supplied: AFP)
Relatives of people who have been missing for a long time are being urged to provide DNA at collection centers across New South Wales from today.
The pop-up sites in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and Penrith are part of National Missing Persons Week and will operate until Saturday, August 6.
NSW currently has 751 outstanding cold cases, some dating back to the 1940s. There are also about 330 unidentified bodies.
It’s hoped the familiar samples can help find links between the two.
The manager of the NSW Missing Persons Registry, Glenn Browne, said the initiative, which is now in its second year, had been extremely useful.
“At the moment, we don’t have a direct result where we’ve identified an unidentified body but there have been a couple of cases where… we’ve discovered that we’re actually heading down the wrong path,” he said.
“[It] can rule out lines of inquiry for us just as easily as it can rule in certain lines of inquiry.”
Mr Browne also reassured people that the mouth swabs would only be compared against missing persons databases in Australia.
New Chinese cultural museum for Sydney
The Haymarket Library will be converted into the new Museum of Chinese in Australia (MOCA).(abcnews)
The contributions made by the Chinese community nationally and in NSW will be recognized in a new museum in Sydney — the first of its kind in the state.
Under the NSW’s government’s $2.28 million investment, Chinatown’s historic Haymarket Library will be refurbished into the Museum of Chinese in Australia (MOCA).
Minister for the Arts Ben Franklin called it a “wonderful project” that would “fill an important space in the cultural storytelling of this nation.”
Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said the museum was also a wonderful example of the community’s multicultural success story.
“I think this will uniquely show how well our multicultural society works — highlighting our historical past and the contributions of the Chinese community,” he said.
“While this museum will be about celebrating their valued contributions, it will help foster greater unity and understanding of those of Chinese heritage and how they have helped make New South Wales the great state it is today.”
GOP Ohio Senate Candidate JD Vance Campaigns With Reps Gaetz And GreeneDrew Angerer/Getty Images
Over 12,000 Christians signed a petition condemning Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s embrace of Christian nationalism.
“Christian nationalism is unchristian and unpatriotic,” the petition says, slamming it as a political ideology.
Greene has repeatedly called for the Republican party to be one of Christian nationalism.
A faith-based organization has amassed more than 12,000 signatures rejecting Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s embrace of Christian nationalism, calling the idea “unchristian and unpatriotic.”
Faithful America, an online Christian community that works towards promoting progressive ideas and social justice, launched an online petition on Thursday condemning Greene’s perspective of faith and politics.
“Christian nationalism is unchristian and unpatriotic,” the petition, which had reached 12,00 signatures as of Sunday, says. “It is defined not as a religion but as a political ideology that unconstitutionally and unbiblically merges Christian and American identities, declaring that democracy does not matter because only conservative Christians are true Americans.”
Last week, Greene advocated for the Republican party to be one of Christian nationalism.
“We need to be the party of nationalism and I’m a Christian, and I say it proudly, we should be Christian nationalists,” Greene said in a recent interview.
Christian nationalism is defined as “the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way,” according to Christianity Today.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger liked Greene’s comments to the “American Taliban.”
“There is no difference between this and the Taliban. We must oppose [sic] the Christian Taliban. I say this as a Christian,” Kinzinger tweeted Friday.
An Oregon minister also slammed the Georgia lawmaker for pushing Christian nationalism in her political comments, calling it “a racist ideology incompatible with Christianity.”
“Jesus was for all the world, not one nation,” Minister Rev. Chuck Currie tweeted. “Beware false teachers like Greene. She dances with the devil.”
The petition by Faithful America charged Greene and Christian nationalist leaders with worshiping “the false idol of power with the ultimate goal of seizing all authority for themselves and those like them.”
“Time and time again, Rep. Greene has shown herself to be an anti-Semitic white supremacist who opposes religious freedom for everyone but herself and her fellow right-wing Christians,” Faithful America said in a statement.
While the economics of electric buses may make them an increasingly irresistible public transport option, year 4 student Annabelle Nicolson has a different reason for liking her new electrified ride to school.
Key points:
Hillcrest Christian College begins Gold Coast’s first electric bus school-run trial
Transport research indicates car dependency is driving up congestion around schools
A Griffith researcher predicts an uptake in the use of electric vehicles in public transport as costs drop
“If the gas from the bus goes into the air, then we, and the plants and the animals, can get sick,” she said.
Annabelle will be among the first students at Hillcrest Christian College to ride on its new electric bus as part of an upcoming trial.
The trial is the only one of its type on the Gold Coast, with the school hoping to transition its fleet over five years.
But according to Griffith University’s Transport Research Group, as fuel prices rise and maintenance costs drop, more schools should follow suit.
“We’re at the inflection point now, where if you were setting up a new operation with the depot and fleet, you would probably want to invest in electric,” Griffith University’s Matthew Burke said.
“The costs are just starting to become obvious that that’s what you do, particularly with fuel prices having leapt up in recent months,” Professor Burke said.
“The maintenance burden, in particular, of an electric vehicle is significantly lower than that of an internal combustion engine.”
Hillcrest students Milena Garcia Mariano, Emilia Savage and Annabella Nicholson on an electric bus.(ABC Gold Coast: Camille Chorley)
‘Unsustainable’ transport problem
Professor Burke said Griffith studies have shown unsustainable trends in Gold Coast transport, with about three-quarters of students being driven to school in cars.
“People have shifted into SUVs, which with light trucks, are about three-quarters of all sales here now,” he said.
“It’s pretty polluting.”
The Gold Coast City Council’s transport strategy, which is currently being revised, shows the population increasing from 640,000 to one million people by 2041 “could lead to a doubling of car trips on our road network by 2031”.
Moreover, each car only carries an average of about one person during peak hours.
But Professor Burke said the Gold Coast had taken steps in the right direction, with Australia’s first 100-per-cent electric bus depot opening in Currumbin earlier this year that would service a local fleet of 14.
“I first rode on these vehicles in China in Guangzhou,” he said.
“100 per cent of their fleet is electric now, has been for a long time, and as a user it was so much more pleasant than riding on the buses in Australia.”
‘Irresistible’ economic prospect
While the up-front cost of electric vehicles exceeded their combustion alternatives, Professor Burke said that the change over time with the price of core minerals used in EV production was expected to drop.
“I’d imagine most fleets will convert over the next 10 years just because the economics will be irresistible,” he said.
“It’ll just be cheaper to run, cheaper to maintain in the long term.”
The electric bus depot in Currumbin is powered by renewable energy, including a 56-kilowatt solar panel array.(Supplied: Translink)
State government estimates show lower-end EV cars cost $3 per 100km to operate, compared to $14.25 for a four-cylinder internal combustion engine.
EV manufacturer Nextport estimated that its electric buses were 30 per cent cheaper to maintain than their diesel counterparts.
“Charge time on the bus that is in the trial is between four to five hours,” Nexport’s director of mobility Pierre El Chiekh said.
“Our standard range is about 320 [kilometres].”
A lesson in the unknown
Hillcrest has begun trialling the buses along school pick-up routes with weights to test range, running costs and load capacity.
But Hillcrest’s finance manager Rachel Collins said there was also a symbolic lesson for students.
“The jobs that our kids are going to be going for, 65 per cent of them don’t even exist,” she said.
The Gold Coast faces congestion issues due to relatively high levels of car dependency.(ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)
“What we can teach them is to be curious about the world, to research, and to find their way.
“When we bring in new technology early, like the bus, we’re modeling that we don’t really understand all of it, we’re going to make mistakes, and we might have issues charging the bus or problems along the way.
“But that’s what life is, and that’s what you need to learn.”
Intel’s Arc graphics cards have been the main discussion of this weekend in the rumor mill and now we have more info coming in from Igor’s Labs. According to Igor Wallossek, who managed to obtain an updated Arc schedule, the lineup would see a gradual launch starting from the 5th of August till the 29th of September.
Intel’s Arc Desktop Graphics Card Are Coming! Launching Between August & September To Meet Summer 2022 Deadline
This would be the third launch schedule that we have heard this weekend regarding Intel’s Arc line of desktop graphics cards. The first came from Moore’s Law is Dead in a rumor which was turned down by Intel’s CEO, Pat Gelsinger, and VP of Graphics, Raja Koduri with both confirming that Arc is still very much on track for a Q3 2022 launch and now we have Igor’s Labs confirming this as well.
If they’re going to stick to the current timeframe, the range that’s being colocated to me now is between Aug. 05, 2022 and Sept. 29, 2022. This means that there is enough time to launch the three announced larger models one slice at a time. It is interesting that the internal documents no longer report about a large-scale, joint launch event, but it could rather be a kind of “silent” launch, which could be carried out gradually in the retail sector and via only a few media.
via Igor’s Labs
The launch is said to take place gradually and we may even see each card become available in retail one by one rather than all being launched at once. If you look at Intel’s marketing strategy, they are doing this already. The Intel Arc A380 launched first and then Intel started talking about their high-end Arc A750 Limited Edition graphics card followed by the Arc A770 Limited Edition.
Intel’s representative, Ryan Shrout, holding an Intel Arc A770 Limited Edition Graphics Card. (Image Credit: LinusTechTips / WAN Show)
The company is also said to give select media the opportunity to review these cards ahead of the launch but whether these media only include tech YouTubers or written media outlets remains to be seen. The exclusive reviews will only be based on Intel’s own Arc reference designs while AIBs models will have no such restrictions but the rest would also have to wait longer considering that we have already seen one AIB, limited to China, release its cards weeks after launch to DIY and all reviewers who tested it had to purchase the product rather than Intel sending them out one by themselves for reviews.
We are very much committed to our roadmap. We are ramping Alchemist and will continue to improve the experience. You will see more updates from us this quarter. AXG is also on track to ramp 4 new product lines by the end of the year.
Intel Vice President of Accelerated Computing Systems & Graphics (AXG), Raja Koduri
Our software release on our discrete graphics was clearly underperforming,” said Gelsinger. “We thought that we would be able to leverage the integrated graphics software stack, and it was wholly inadequate for the performance levels, gaming compatibility, etc. that we needed. So we are not hitting our four million unit goal in the discrete graphics space, even as we are now catching up and getting better software releases.
While we will not hit our GPU unit target, we remain on track to deliver over $1 billion in revenue this year.
In Q2, we started to ramp Intel Arc graphics for laptops with OEMs, including Samsung, Lenovo, Acer, HP, and Asus. COVID-related supply chain issues and our own software-readiness challenges caused availability delays that we continue to work to overcome. Intel Arc A5 and A7 desktop cards will start to ship in Q3.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger
In addition to this, the primary reason why Intel is not doing a massive global launch but rather relying on a gradual rollout between August and September still has to do with the blue team’s readiness in terms of drivers and support. Chipzilla wants to assure that Arc is ready for users & only then will it ship the products globally.
Richmond have pulled off the biggest comeback win in 2022, after coming back from 42 points down to top Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.
The Lions will be left kicking themselves after coughing up the seven-goal lead as the Tigers finals hopes remain alive with the win.
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Lions defender Darcy Gardiner turned the ball over in the dying seconds as the ball ended up in the hands of Tom Lynch who kicked the sealer to claim the 15.14 (104) to 13.13 (97) win.
Mitch Robinson and Charlie Cameron missed shots late in the fourth quarter as they failed to make the most of the opportunities presented to them.
Richmond at the other end made no mistake as they stormed home in front of a raucous MCG crowd.
The damning loss for the Lions thoroughly exposes the biggest hurdle in their premiership hunt.
Not for eight-years have the Lions emerged victorious at the MCG. The latest loss makes it a damning 11 straight defeats.
With the league no longer in Covid protocols, the Grand Final is set to return to the home of football for the foreseeable future and until the Lions show they’re a serious threat on the road … they won’t be adding to their trophy cabinet any time soon.
The Lions are currently fourth favorite according to Sportsbet to win the premiership, behind Geelong, Melbourne and Sydney.
Brisbane finish the 2022 home and away season with games against Carlton, St Kilda and Melbourne. Two of those games take place at the Gabba.
The loss has them sitting in fifth spot on the ladder, equal on points with the Sydney Swans in fourth.
For Richmond the win propels them into the ninth spot on the ladder, two points behind St Kilda with games against Port Adelaide, Hawthorn and Essendon to come to close out their season.
Win all three and they’ll almost certainly book a finals spot, two and the run the gauntlet.
AK was full of life, kind hearted, and an amazing mother.
Key points:
AK’s family has remembered her as a warm, loving mother who was full of life
NT Police have been criticized for not releasing more information about the murder-suicide in which she was killed
Her sister says she doesn’t believe NT Police took her sister’s calls for help seriously
That’s how her heartbroken sisters remember the 30-year-old mother, who was allegedly killed by her partner last month, along with her 15-week-old baby, in Central Australia, north of Alice Springs.
“We loved her and we are going to miss her,” the sisters said.
Her family has given the ABC permission to share her initials and their images, in the hope that she is remembered as “more than a statistic”, and to push for systemic change.
AK’s partner’s body and a gun were also found at the scene, and Northern Territory Police have confirmed they are investigating the episode as a murder-suicide.
Police at the crime scene the day after the incident.(ABC News: Samantha Jonscher)
Speaking out for the first time since her death, AK’s family said they’re frustrated at the lack of information that has been made available to them by police.
Close in age, her three sisters said the four of them “were pretty much always together” and “very close”.
Her younger sister, Michelle, has taken custody of AK’s two surviving young children.
She said her sister was “extremely funny” and a dedicated mum, “always taking the kids on little adventures.”
Wendy, AK’s adoptive mother, remembered her as “very funny”.
“She never had a serious side and if she tried to be serious, she’d just got a look at you, and she’d burst into laughter or something… she was my scatterbrain,” she said.
“It’s a tragedy. It’s devastating. And everyone’s at a loss for words.”
The family says police have provided them with little information about the deaths. (ABC News: Samantha Jonscher)
‘We still have lots of questions’
More than two weeks on from her death, Northern Territory Police has still not responded to a number of detailed questions asked by the ABC about the incident, and AK’s family said they don’t know much more than the public.
Michelle said she had first heard about what had happened through the rumor mill, as friends and family called her to ask “if it was true.”
Detectives visited her that night and said “there was an incident that happened involving my sister and her partner,” but Michelle said police did not give her much more information than that.
In the two weeks since, their bodies have been released to the family, but police information has been thin on the ground.
AK’s little sister, Mouse, said the family had not been told if the gun was registered, if there were witnesses to the event or other key details about their sister’s alleged murder.
The broad strokes of the situation were only clarified early last week by the Police Minister, Kate Worden, who said the gun had been found in the possession of the man, revealing that he was the alleged perpetrator of the violence.
The crime happened at a property about 25 kilometers north of Alice Springs.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)
Police took several more days to confirm they were investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide and that the pair were in a domestic relationship.
NT Police has only addressed the media once about the incident that left three people dead, and have declined to take any public questions.
Police ‘failed at their jobs’, family claims
According to court documents obtained by the ABC, AK’s partner was sentenced in the Northern Territory Supreme Court earlier this year, after he pleaded guilty to unlawfully causing harm to a previous partner.
He was given a nine month suspended sentence for the incident, which he would need to carry out if he committed another offense in the following two years.
AK’s family want to know how it was possible that his history of domestic violence did not alert authorities to the fact that she might have been in trouble, given they were allegedly called out to their property several times, over domestic incidents.
Mouse said the man was “really controlling,” and showed signs of coercive control.
“When we would go and sit down with her, he had to be sitting right there,” she said.
Mouse said she had also witnessed him be physically violent with AK, and one time her sister’s partner allegedly hit her.
“When I rang the police they refused to take my statement and they didn’t come and see me the next day,” she said.
AK’s family feels she was let down by police.(ABC News: Peter Garnish)
After the alleged incident, Mouse said that AK had called police who attended the house, however she said they again didn’t take a statement.
“If the police actually did take it seriously, when he hit me, he would be in jail, because he was on probation, and she and the baby would still be here,” she said.
Mouse said she felt that the police had “failed at their jobs”, because she claims they allegedly made AK feel like the perpetrator, when she called for help.
This experience is common for women across Australia and is a significant issue for Indigenous women such as AK
A 2017 Queensland analysis of 27 domestic homicides, found that almost half the women who were killed by their partner had previously been identified by police as the perpetrator on a protection order.
Nearly all of the Aboriginal women killed by their partners had been recorded by police as both perpetrators and victims.
NT Police said in a statement: “as with all homicide investigations, a review of all the circumstances surrounding the deaths includes assessment of any reported prior family violence incidents of both the deceased, and a review of the relationship history of all the parties involved” .
Police said they “appreciate there is a lot of public interest, however police must maintain the integrity of the investigation and will not comment on the details”.
‘Why is this extreme act of violence being kept quiet?’
Peta-Lee Cole-Manolis has 12 years experience working on the front line of child protection and domestic and family violence.
Peta-Lee Cole Manolis says the deaths of AK and her baby highlight flaws in the system.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)
She’s been supporting AK’s family since her alleged murder, and said she was concerned by the lack of public information being made available by police.
“Why is this extreme act of violence being kept quiet?”
“Where is that information, why isn’t it being made available and why isn’t it strong, clear language being used that would hold the perpetrator to account?”
“It’s a missed opportunity to shine a light on this … and support other women experiencing similar power and control to understand they are at risk,” she said.
Ms Cole – Manolis claimed it was clear that AK was at risk of being murdered based on the standard assessment tool used across Central Australia.
“I just don’t know whether or not we are equipped, or we are spending enough time on doing these really important assessments and education and support to women experiencing violence and men who are perpetrating violence,” she said.
Larissa Ellis says information from police is crucial for raising public awareness.(ABC Alice Springs: Samantha Jonscher)
Larissa Ellis, chief executive of Women’s Safety Services of Central Australia, also called on police to release as much information as possible about what had happened because without information, the “horrific” incident of domestic violence was going unremarked by the nation.
“We’ve had at least five deaths over the last 18 months of women and children in the Northern Territory; none of them have really made national coverage, none of them have created an outcry,” she said.
The Northern Territory has the highest rates of domestic violence in the country which advocates attribute to the ongoing effects of colonization and the legacy of inter-generational trauma.
Ms Ellis said the Northern Territory “is beyond crisis”.
