Gold Coast forward Izak Rankine has been heavily linked with a move to Adelaide.
SEN SA’s Michelangelo Rucci claims the Crows will make Rankine their highest paid player if he does depart the Suns.
Rucci has reported that Adelaide is prepared to offer the 22-year-old up to $900,000 a season – $250,000 more than what the Gold Coast have tabled.
Rankine remains unsigned with the Suns beyond 2022.
Brownlow Medalist Gerard Healy is worried Rankine could be being poorly advised by his manager.
Healy and sports day co-host Sam McClure discussed the out-of-contract Sun’s future and Adelaide’s reported offer.
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McClure: “He can’t go, can he?”
Healy: “I would hope not. I’ve got a bad feeling his manager is going to pull him in the wrong direction.”
McClure: “On paper it just looks like a terrible move leaving.”
Healy: “It does to me.”
McClure: “With what they (Gold Coast) are building and with where he is – and his brother’s moved over from Adelaide to live with him, so he’s got family there.”
Healy: “It makes no sense.”
McClure: “He’s going to get well paid.”
Healy: “He’s going to get more than well paid.
“It’s a baffling one and it’s very disappointing for those who have put so much time into him.
“A lot of his peers have signed up and it was all in it together. Let’s hope it stays that way.”
Rankine, a product out of SANFL club West Adelaide, has kicked 55 goals in 47 games for the Suns.
Richard Arow’s girlfriend can still hear the blood-curdling screams as he was shot dead minutes after arriving at melbourne’s Love Machine club.
“What began as the most beautiful day and evening quickly became the most harrowing, terrifying and life-altering event,” Rebekah Spinks told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Arow and Spinks were standing outside the Prahran nightclub with some friends on April 14, 2019, when a car drove by and fired four shots.
Richard Arow and Aaron Khalid Osmani were shot dead outside the Love Machine nightclub. (Supplied)
She watched in horror as her 28-year-old partner and security guard Aaron Osmani, 37, fell to the ground after being shot in the head just after 3am.
Both men died from their injuries.
Security guard Semisi Tu’itufu was struck in the shoulder, while another bullet went through club-goer Ukash Ahmed and into Ali Shohani as they lined up.
“I didn’t see the car coming, I heard the gunfire and I watched as Richard fell to the ground like a ragdoll,” Spinks said, between tears.
“The people on the street ran and Iran to Richard.
“From time to time, I still have to hear the blood-curdling screams from my own lungs.”
More than three years on, Spinks still cannot walk down busy streets filled with cars for fear that someone may fire bullets in her direction.
Police outside the Love Machine nightclub after the 2019 shooting. (Nine)
“They shot at a crowd of defenceless people with no time to defend ourselves, it was completely gutless,” she said.
Jacob Elliott fired four shots from a car driven by Allan Fares at the club, near the corner of Little Chapel Street and Malvern Road.
They went to the club after Elliott’s younger half-brother Ali Maghnie was booted out for poor behaviour.
Maghnie spoke to his father Nabil Maghnie and then to his brother after the incident.
Elliott and Fares drove past the nightclub four times before the shooting.
The pair were found guilty of two counts of murder and three of attempted murder by a Supreme Court jury in April.
A third man, Moussa Hamka, was found guilty of one charge of assisting the men after he knowingly concealed the gun used in the shooting.
Jacob Elliott is the son of slain gangland figure Nabil Maghnie. (Supplied)
All three faced a pre-sentence hearing on Wednesday, where prosecutors asked the court to impose lengthy prison sentences for shooting at innocent bystanders.
“That was a grossly violent act committed upon defenceless victims, who had no reason whatsoever to suspect that they were under any risk or danger,” Justin Bourke QC told the court.
“The victims were selected to send a message that any disrespect, such as an ejection from a nightclub for being intoxicated, would not be tolerated.”
Five victims gave statements to the court about the impact of the shooting, including Tu’itufu who said he wished he could have stepped in and saved Osmani and Arow’s lives.
“To this day, I never felt like I did enough,” he said.
The hearing continues before Justice Andrew Tinney.
While the spotlight may be on races such as attorney general or the first congressional district in Tuesday’s primaries, many Senate and House seats across the state are up due to state-wide redistricting. Here are the legislative primaries we’re watching closely. Results will be shown below.
Senate District 5
In northern Minnesota, this race is between Republican Sen. Paul Utke, endorsed candidate Bret Bussman and Republican Dale Anderson, a lifelong Walker resident and pastor. Utke currently represents District 2 in northwestern Minnesota. Bussman emphasized the Republican party is moving too far left, so he is running as a Christian Constitutional Conservative. The Democratic primary is uncontested.
Senate District 10
An open seat in central Minnesota has former Jim Newberger, Steve Wenzel and Nathan Wesenberg competing. Newberger and Wenzel are former state representatives and Wesenberg is a Wildlife Biologist and resident of Little Falls, Minn. The Democratic primary is uncontested.
Senate District 23
Incumbent Republican Sen. Gene Dornink is being challenged by restaurant owner Lisa Hanson for his seat in southern Minnesota. There has been controversy of Dornink’s residency status after he bought a new house in a nearby town after new district boundaries paired him with a fellow incumbent. He insists he met residency requirements in state law despite allegations he has spent considerable time in his family’s prior home to him. Hanson says Dornink was n’t forceful enough in taking on COVID-19 restrictions, she has said she believes Democrats will raise their own residency challenge if he wins Tuesday. The Democratic primary is uncontested.
Senate District 54
This Prior Lake race is between Republican Sen. Eric Pratt and endorsed candidate Natalie Barnes. Pratt currently serves District 55. Barnes is a nurse and small business owner. Currently, District 54 is controlled by Democrats. The Democratic primary is uncontested.
Senate District 56
On the DFL side, the race is between endorsed candidate Justin Emmerich and former state Rep. Erin Maye Quade. Earlier in the year, Maye Quade entered labor and during the DFL debate leaving some confusion on if she was still running. Shortly after, she announced that although she was not endorsed, her campaign would carry on. The Republican primary is uncontested.
Senate District 62
In south Minneapolis, DFL Sen. Omar Fateh is up against Shaun Laden. Fateh won his seat in 2020 and is endorsed by the party. Laden is an educator and community organizer. The Republican primary is uncontested.
Senate District 65
In St. Paul, longtime DFL Sen. Sandy Pappas has two competitive challengers in Zuki Ellis and Sheigh Freeberg. Ellis currently serves on the school board for Saint Paul Public Schools and Freeberg is a part of the union movement. The Republican primary is uncontested.
House District 50B
This Bloomington area contest pairs two DFL incumbents — Reps. Andrew Carlson and Steve Elkins. Carlson was elected in 2016 and Elkins in 2018 for District 49B. The Republican primary is uncontested.
House District 52A
In Eagan the race is between two DFL incumbents — Reps. Sandra Masin and Liz Reyer. Masin was elected in 2006 and currently serves 51A. Reyer is the current representative for 52A and was elected in 2020. The Republican primary is uncontested.
House District 54A
A third rematch is occurring in Shakopee between Republican state Rep. Erik Mortensen and former GOP state Rep. Bob Loonan. In 2021, Mortensen was voted out of the New House Republican Caucus for disagreements with leadership. He currently serves 55A. Loonan served 55A in 2014, ran for reelection in 2018 and 2020 but lost to Mortensen.
In just a few weeks, Apple’s annual fall cavalcade of new products will begin with the iPhone 14 event. And you’re going to notice a trend among this year’s big announcements: They’re going to be, well, big.
Alongside the usual spec bumps and refreshes of existing models we’ll reportedly be getting two new large-screen devices: a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max and a 50mm Apple Watch Pro.
These represent the largest iPhone and Apple Watch, respectively, that the company has ever made. There are rumors of a 14-inch iPad Pro and 15-inch MacBook Air in the works as well, although they probably won’t arrive this year.
As a general rule Apple has tried to resist the trend towards big; it took the company until 2018 to deliver a 6.5-inch iPhone in the XS Max. But this year all four models will be larger than six inches for the first time. And the Apple Watch Series 3’s tiny 38mm screen, which is likely going away once and for all, is a whopping 12mm smaller than the rumored Apple Watch Pro.
So like it or not, Apple is going big in 2022. The pace of innovation is outrunning the ability to shrink batteries and engineer smaller devices, and even Apple has to give in and accept the truth: if you want devices that last longer, they ‘re going to have to be bigger.
Credit: IDG
Larger than (battery) life
According to basically every rumour, the iPhone 14 Max will replace the iPhone mini, which was seemingly a giant flop. Just two years ago, Apple introduced the iPhone 12 mini to much anticipation and demand as handsets continued to grow in size, people had been clamoring for a small premium phone for years, and Apple delivered a 5.4-inch iPhone with the same screen, camera , and processor as its larger sibling.
But the iPhone mini had a small problem: demand wasn’t there, in part perhaps because of widespread concerns about battery life. Even after a boost with the iPhone 13 mini, battery life still seriously lags behind the larger models. The 13 mini lasts about half as long as the 13 Pro Max, according to Apple’s own estimates (25 hours vs 13 hours).
The same goes for the Apple Watch. Ever since the original model debuted in 2015 it’s been rated for 18 hours of battery life. That’s not terrible, but it’s also not enough for all-day use once you factor in sleep and exercise tracking. And it pales in comparison to the multi-day battery life offered by Samsung and Fitbit watches.
The iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Pro will reportedly correct both of those faults. We don’t have exact specs yet, but reports say the iPhone 14 Max will have a 4325mAh battery, much bigger than the 2406mAh battery in the iPhone 13 mini. That could mean the iPhone 14 Max lasts twice as long as the iPhone 13 mini and significantly longer than the iPhone 14.
The Apple Watch Pro could similarly be the greatest leap in battery life for Apple’s wearable. The larger size will allow Apple to increase the battery from 308mAh capacity to something that will likely last at least 24 hours and maybe even closer to 36.
And while we don’t know much about Apple’s other rumored embiggened products, it’s not a stretch to say battery life will be a primary factor here as well.
The iPad, for instance, has had the same 10 hours of battery life for the past 12 years, but with the battery gains afforded by the M1 processor in the Mac, it’s not a stretch to think Apple could push it to 15 or 20 hours in a 14-inch model. And a 15-inch MacBook Air could easily stretch the 13-inch Air’s 18-hour battery life to more than 20.
But to get those battery gains, you’ll need to embrace Apple’s biggest devices ever.
Australia captain Meg Lanning will take indefinite leave from cricket effective immediately, Cricket Australia announced on Wednesday.
The announcement comes just days after Australia won gold at the Commonwealth Games.
A Cricket Australia statement said Lanning will take leave due to “personal reasons”, and has withdrawn from the upcoming Hundred, where she was due to play with Trent Rockets.
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Maxwell suffers back injury during win | 01:26
“After a busy couple of years, I’ve made the decision to take a step back to enable me to spend time focusing on myself,” Lanning said in the statement.
“I’m grateful for the support of CA and my teammates and ask that my privacy is respected during this time.”
CA Head of Performance, Women’s Cricket, Shawn Flegler said: “We’re proud of Meg for acknowledging that she needs a break and will continue to support her during this time.
“She’s been an incredible contributor to Australian cricket over the last decade, achieving remarkable feats both individually and as part of the team, and has been a brilliant role model for young kids.
“The welfare of our players is always our number one priority, and we’ll continue to work with Meg to ensure she gets the support and space she needs.”
Hi there. It’s Wednesday, August 10, and you’re reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of today’s news.
Here’s what you need to know:
Ahead of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, One Nation has been registering several domain names after Pauline Hanson declared her party would become the face of the “no” campaign last week.
She said her campaign had acquired and registered 46 domain names in opposition to an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, a practice known as “cyber-squatting”, which can be used to maximize search engine traffic.
Some of the websites registered by One Nation included voicetoparliament.org.au and ulurustatement.com.au.
Pauline Hanson has vowed to campaign against an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.(ABC News: Ian Cutmore, file photo)
The entity responsible for licensing Australian domains (websites with .au at the end) has told the ABC that they will suspend several of the domains One Nation has registered.
It’s unclear exactly how many of the domains the regulator will take down, but its policy says entities must have a “close and substantial connection” to their registered domain name — simply put, they must match the name they’re known by or the service they offer.
One Nation has not commented, but the party has since registered several new businesses with names matching the domains in question.
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We heard a lot about China and Australia’s relationship
China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, addressed the National Press Club today, where his country’s relationship with Australia and Taiwan was firmly under the microscope.
After his speech, Mr Xiao said Beijing would not compromise on Taiwan and would use “all necessary means” for “a peaceful reunification”.
“If every country put their ‘One China’ policy into practice with sincerity, with no compromise, it is going to guarantee the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
When challenged about when China would conclude its military exercises around the island of Taiwan, Mr Xiao was non-committal.
“There’s no room for compromise. How long it’s going to last, a proper time? I think there will be an announcement.”
Mr Xiao also said the change in Australia’s government provided an “opportunity to reset” relations between the two countries, and while recent high-level meetings had been productive, “there’s a lot of work to be done”.
You can look back at Mr Xiao’s address and read analysis from our experts here.
Xiao Qian shared his views on the China-Australia relationship and tensions with Taiwan.(AAP: Mick Tsikas)
News alerts you might have missed
Lauren Jackson will make her return to international basketball after being named in the Opals world cup squad.
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The Commonwealth Bank has reported a 9-per-cent profit increase, making a $9.7 billion profit in the past financial year. It will pay shareholders a fully franked final dividend of $2.10 a share.
The Liberal Party has rejected an invitation from the federal government to attend a national jobs summit in Sydney next month, labeling it “a stunt”.
What Australia has been searching for online
The COVIDSafe contact tracing app has been scrapped.(ABC News: Lara Smith)
Matthew Guy: The leader of the Victorian opposition’s media manager, Lee Anderson, has quit just two days after Mr Guy’s new chief of staff was announced, citing “personal reasons”. The party’s Deputy Leader, Georgie Crozier, says rumors there was a disagreement between the two is false.
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One more thing: Arrivederci Domino’s
The pizza chain has called time on its franchises in Italy after seven years, according to a Bloomberg report.
Domino’s first planned to open 880 stores that would allow it to control about 2 per cent of the Italian pizza market by 2030, with its Italian chief executive, Alessandro Lazzaroni, saying there was an opportunity for the company to capitalize on pizza delivery in the country .
However, it appears the rise of food delivery services during the pandemic took away its planned competitive edge, with its last 29 franchises shutting their doors and no longer accepting orders online.
Donald Trump’s legal team was in discussions with the Justice Department as recently as early June about records stored at the former president’s Mar-a-Largo home, which FBI agents searched Monday, one of his attorneys confirmed to NBC News.
Trump attorney Christina Bobb said Tuesday that the FBI removed about a dozen boxes from a basement storage area and that a search warrant left by agents indicated they were investigating possible violations of laws dealing with the handling of classified material and the Presidential Records Act.
With her account, multiple sources have now confirmed to NBC News that the unprecedented search was related to classified material.
The Washington Post first reported the new details from Bobb, who said she was present for Monday’s search, while CNN previously reported aspects of the spring meeting.
According to Bobb, Trump’s lawyers earlier this year searched through two to three dozen boxes of material in a storage area, looking for possible presidential records, and they turned over “a few pages” that might meet the definition.
Bobb said she and Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran met later with a senior Justice Department official whose name she could not recall. Trump appeared at the beginning of the meeting, in June, and greeted investigators, Bobb said, adding that the former president was not interviewed. Federal officials then looked through boxes of material, Bobb added.
Corcoran did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department has declined to comment on the FBI search at Trump’s home for him.
Bobb told NBC News that the Justice Department officials said they did not believe the storage unit housing the documents was properly secured. She said that Trump officials added a lock to the facility and that FBI agents broke the lock when they searched the property Monday.
Bobb added that she did not know what prompted the Justice Department to escalate its investigation to a court-ordered search.
A source close to Trump who is familiar with the search said there are no plans to release a copy of the warrant. The source added that Trump had personally shown the Justice Department officials the room where the materials were housed during the spring meeting, which the source said took place June 3.
In a lengthy email statement issued by his Save America political committee, Trump said his home was “currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents” who “broke into my safe.”
Trump this year had to return 15 boxes of documents that the National Archives and Records Administration said were improperly taken from the White House.
The National Archives subsequently asked the Justice Department to examine whether Trump’s handling of White House records broke federal law.
A spokesman for Trump, Taylor Budowich, blasted the FBI’s search, calling it both “brazen” and “completely unnecessary.”
“President Trump and his representatives have gone to painstaking lengths in communicating and cooperating with the appropriate agencies — something that is routine for all similar instances,” Budowich said in a statement Tuesday.
Ken Dilanian is the intelligence and national security correspondent for NBC News, based in Washington.
Vaughn Hillyard
Vaughn Hillyard is a political reporter for NBC News.
Zoë Richards is the evening politics reporter for NBC News.
The Reno 8 series will be one of the first handsets to run it
It’s fair to say that ColorOS is a lot more important to a lot more people now since it not only powers Oppo phones, but also shares its code base with OnePlus’s OxygenOS skin. What started off as subtle changes on OnePlus devices, as we saw on the Nord 2, went on to become a much more homogenous software experience between the two sister brands with the current latest versions of ColorOS and OxygenOS sharing more elements than ever. While this means that the OxygenOS 13 launch from last week may have unintentionally provided clues as to what to expect with ColorOS 13 already, you won’t have to wait to see the full thing for much longer now that Oppo has a game plan.
ANDROID POLICE VIDEO OF THE DAY
According to 91mobiles, the Android 13-based ColorOS 13 update will launch globally this month. This will be followed by a rollout to the Reno 8 series in September. It may seem outlandishly quick since that’s the very same month Google’s Pixel phones might see Android 13 go stable, but considering that Oppo already has a ColorOS 13 beta program up and running, the company might just pull it off.
For folks who want to skip the wait and check out all of what Oppo has in store with its latest update, that beta program is live for the Find N, Find X5, and Find X5 Pro (presumably any of these will get the stable ColorOS 13 update this month). It’s limited to Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, UAE, France, and Australia, though, and only a thousand users will be selected for it. If you haven’t signed up yet, then chances are that you’ve missed the opportunity already since recruitment days are officially over. Still, there’s no harm in checking for any remaining slots: simply navigate to Settings > About device > Trial versions all so
Just keep in mind before proceeding that beta software like this can be a bug-fest. Oppo has already warned of problems like NFC issues, janky auto-brightness, “display malfunction” after sending messages on WhatsApp, and there’s a good chance that there are many more waiting to be encountered.
Jake Turpin is out in the cold after the Broncos confirmed he will not be at the club next season, while a potential suitor has denied they are interested in his services.
Meanwhile, the Broncos are set to give Kobe Hetherington a pay rise in a bid to ward off NRL rivals and Eels star Will Penisini is open to a switch to rugby union.
Read on for all the latest NRL Transfer Whispers.
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BRONCOS HOOKER IN NRL WILDERNESS
Jake Turpin is out in the cold after the Broncos confirmed he will not be at the club next season, while the Knights have denied they are interested in his services.
Newscorp reported Turpin will not be at the Broncos next season, while the Knights have denied they will make a play to lure him to the Hunter.
The Broncos are set to invest in incumbents Billy Walters and Cory Paix as well as rising rookie Blake Mozer as their dummyhalf options moving forward.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters confirmed Turpin is not in the club’s long-term plans and will not be offered a new deal in 2022.
“At the moment, there is nothing for Jake with us for next year unfortunately,” Walters told Newscorp.
“The reality is it was going to be hard to keep Jake.
“We have Billy (Walters) and Cory Paix in our squad at the moment, so as much as you would love to keep all your players, with the salary-cap it’s difficult.
Payten opens up on time with Cowboys | 06:27
“’Turps’ has played some great games for the Broncos, and he is good at those little effort areas, particularly in defense, but with our roster, we don’t have any spots left for the hooker position.”
Knights Director of Football Peter Parr poured cold water on reports Newcastle will target Turpin as a back-up to Jayden Brailey.
“He is a wholehearted player but his name hasn’t been mentioned to me at all (by recruitment manager Clint Zammit), so we have no plans to sign him” Parr said.
The 25-year-old has scored four tries in 56 games for the Broncos since his debut in 2018 and won the club’s most consistent player award just last season.
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‘MEDICAL DECISION’: Turbo opens up on Manly season…
Jake Turpin is on the lookout for a new club.Source: Getty Images
EELS STAR OPEN TO CODE SWITCH
Eels young gun Will Penisini is open to a switch to rugby union in the future as the club looks to lock him to a long-term extension.
Newscorp reported Penisini, who played the rival code at school with Roosters star Joseph Suaalii at Kings College, hasn’t shut the door on a potential move to the 15-man game in the future.
“I’m not closing the door on rugby union,” Penisini told News Corp.
“Right now, I am content with where I am at Parramatta and I’m loving rugby league at the moment. I am just at the start of my career and I want to build my game and focus on playing consistent footy for Parramatta and try not to look too far ahead about the decision between rugby league or rugby union.”
The Eels are already trying to extend Penisini beyond his current deal, which expires in 2023.
The 20-year-old center has scored seven tries in 25 games for the Eels since his debut in 2021 and has already played one Test for Tonga, who he is likely to feature for at the World Cup.
Will Penisini is open to a switch to rugby union.Source: Getty Images
BRONCOS UP OFFER TO YOUNG GUN AS RIVALS CIRCLE
Broncos lock Kobe Hetherington is set for a massive pay rise as Brisbane aim to ward off approaches from rival clubs for his services.
Newscorp reported Hetherington is set to earn a pay rise of $200,000 a year as the club aims to lock him up on a two-year extension.
However, it is believed Hetherington, who is starting for Brisbane in the absence of the suspended Patrick Carrigan, could command upwards of $300,000 on the open market.
Hetherington is a versatile forward who can cover back row, front row and hooker, with no shortage of clubs keen on a player of his ability.
The 23-year-old has scored three tries in 33 games for the Broncos since his debut in 2021 and has been a mainstay of Kevin Walters’ pack rotation this season.
Kobe Hetherington is set for a pay rise.Source: Getty Images
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ACT police have hired a criminal psychologist to help them tackle the problem of hoon driving in Canberra.
Key points:
Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan says “better solutions” are needed to prevent hoon drivers
Uriarra residents say the behavior particularly affects their village, and not enough is done to stop it
Deputy Commissioner Gaughan say police cannot attend every call for help
ACT Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan said hooning had grown as an issue in the ACT over the past few years, and that police were considering a range of tactics to try to deal with it.
The ACT Legislative Assembly has meanwhile launched an inquiry into the issue of dangerous driving, and is currently accepting submissions from the public.
Hoon driving ‘happening daily’
Deputy Commissioner Gaughan said police were getting constant reports of dangerous driving.
“It’s daily occurrence,” he said.
“Yesterday I had the radio on in my office and we were in pursuit of vehicles driving on the wrong side of the road.
“It’s happening daily and it’s not happening at three o’clock in the morning like it used to. It’s happening at three o’clock in the afternoon in Braddon.”
He said action needed to be taken to come up with “better solutions” and prevent hoon drivers from becoming involved in criminal activity in the first place.
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ACT Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan says hoon driving is a major problem in Canberra.
“It seems to be post lockdown, after COVID, we’ve seen an increase in this sort of risky, dangerous behaviour,” he said.
“We’ve actually engaged a criminal psychologist to look at some of the reasons why people are doing it and thinking about how we can entertain kids. You know, I’m keen on trying to keep people out of the criminal justice system.”
Police are also considering placing cameras in problem areas to try to apprehend hoon drivers, Deputy Commissioner Gaughan said, as well as the potential of drones to help in tracking the vehicles.
He also said drivers had learned how to evade police, by crossing onto the other side of the road during a pursuit, where police were not permitted to follow.
“At the moment, if a car goes onto the wrong side of the road, we don’t chase it,” he said.
“Other jurisdictions do things slightly differently.”
He said he was aware that residents shared the concerns of police.
“From a policing perspective, this is the one issue that I know Canberrans are really filthy about,” he said.
I have encouraged Canberrans to make their own submissions to the ACT Legislative Assembly inquiry.
“Hopefully we can see a number of submissions to the committee and they can get together and can work through it and come up with some solutions.”
‘They’ve just blocked passage’
Residents of Uriarra say hooning in the area is a huge problem.(ABC News: Talib Haider)
In Uriarra, hoon driving is a persistent problem.
For resident Jess Agnew, it is a weekly occurrence.
“Sometimes three nights a week,” she said.
“It can be dangerous — there’s times where there’s hundreds of people … and you just cannot get through, they’ve just blocked passage.”
She said she had struggled to get a reaction from the police.
“There really hasn’t been one,” she said.
“We were calling regularly, all the residents, and then we just got us stopped because there was absolutely no reaction that we could see.
“And then the police report came out that hoon behavior had dropped at Uriarra, because we stopped recording because we’d sort of given up.
“And then so the minister said to us, ‘no, you’ve got to continue reporting’, so we so we all report now.”
She said she held concerns for learner drivers.
“We don’t want our kids to have to navigate through those kinds of things,” she said.
“When they’re coming home at night, they’ve already got to deal with kangaroos and wombats.”
‘Up to 100 cars coming out’
Uriarra resident Hugh Hagan, 17, says hoon drivers cause problems for the community every week.(ABC News: Greg Nelson)
Hugh Hagan, a 17-year-old who also lives in Uriarra, agrees.
“Consistently we see on Friday and Saturday nights normally only about 20, but up to 100 cars coming out and just doing burnouts and hooning along roads late at night and blocking traffic,” Hugh said.
“That’s been going on for a number of years now.”
He said he knew of people who had been blocked from driving through while attempting to get into Canberra Hospital, and of fires that had been started by the burnouts.
“[Police] just tell us to call it in and try and get photos and video and they will do whatever they can with the numbers that they’ve got on.
“They might send out a car, it’s not very often that they do, and if they do get sent out they just clear the crowd and then they just end up gathering again later in the evening.”
Hugh said he did not believe that a criminal psychologist would help, and called for harsher punishments for offenders.
Deputy Commissioner Gaughan defended the police response.
“There’s literally thousands of kilometers of roads in Canberra, and particularly if we find these things are occurring in the evening when we’re busy responding to other things such as family violence matters, we simply just don’t have the resources to get to every location on time,” he said.
“So coming up with other ways of dealing with the matter is important and that’s why I welcome the inquiry.”
