clive palmer will bear the majority of the costs from his defamation battle with mark mcgowan but West Australian taxpayers remain on the hook for some expenses.
Federal Court Justice Michael Lee on Thursday ordered Palmer to cover the costs of the WA premier‘s cross-claim from December 22 last year, around when the billionaire had rejected his rival’s offer to settle the proceedings.
I have ordered that both parties cover their own expenses incurred prior to that date.
Clive Palmer will bear the majority of the costs from his defamation battle with Mark McGowan. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
McGowan, whose trial barrister Bret Walker SC is reported to charge up to $25,000 per day, on Thursday told parliament he didn’t know the full amount but there would be some cost to taxpayers.
Justice Lee last week found Palmer and McGowan had defamed each other in 2020, when they feuded over Western Australia’s COVID-19 response and a damage claim involving one of Palmer’s mining projects.
He ordered Palmer to pay $20,000 to McGowan, who was in turn directed to pay $5000 to the Queensland businessman.
In a letter sent to Palmer’s lawyers last December, McGowan’s legal team proposed discontinuing the proceedings with both sides bearing their own costs.
Palmer did not respond to the proposal, the court heard.
Justice Lee said the billionaire had been obliged to resolve the proceedings as quickly as possible, having launched them in the first place.
“The notion that Mr Palmer and Mr McGowan are equally responsible for these proceedings having consumed significant private and public resources cannot be reconciled with the objective facts,” the judge said.
WA Premier Mark McGowan. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
“Both men went too far in their political jousting, and both men litigated, but only one was willing to draw back and avoid a long and costly hearing.”
It should have been evident in December that the cost of the litigation was “disproportionate to any benefit it was likely to produce”, Justice Lee added.
Palmers lawyer Barry Dean earlier said the offer had been made late in proceedings and would have deprived his client of the court’s vindication.
“The main point is that ultimately my client did succeed on his claim,” Dean told the court.
Palmer had sought up to $30 billion in damages over a 2012 decision by the former Liberal state government not to assess his proposed Balmoral South iron ore project.
The McGowan government in 2020 rushed through extraordinary legislation to block the claim.
Speaking under parliamentary privilege on Thursday, McGowan claimed Palmer had sought to “force his hand” through the defamation lawsuit.
“His real frustration was my government’s legislation that stopped him taking us for $30 billion,” the premier said.
“I believe his real motivation was to get billions of dollars from taxpayers… by the construct of suing me for defamation.”
The premier added that the $20,000 in damages he had been awarded would be returned to state coffers.
Justice Lee last week found McGowan’s insults against Palmer – including labeling him an “enemy of the state” – were not trivial but ultimately caused very little damage to his reputation.
Palmer’s attacks on McGowan had probably only enhanced the premier’s reputation and popularity within his home state, the judge said.
The number of international tourists visiting Australia since the country’s borders opened back up is way down on pre-pandemic levels, according to new data.
Much of the decrease is due to international conflicts and a dip in the number of Chinese nationals choosing to holiday Down Under.
Chief executive officer of the Tourism and Transport Forum, Margy Osmond, said getting tourists back to the country’s landmarks is “not as easy as turning on a switch”.
“There is international conflict going on at the moment, but in the middle of it there are people,” she told Today.
“China was our number one visitor previously.
“And also, most importantly, not just by numbers, but by the amount of money they spent when they got here.”
Overall, just 131,000 international tourists visited Australia in May – down 65 per cent from pre-pandemic levels.
Ms Osmond said regional areas which had economies propped up largely by tourist visitors were still far from fully recovering.
“This is a really big issue for many businesses, particularly places like Far North Queensland, which rely almost entirely on international travellers,” she said.
“So we really need those travellers.”
The revelation comes after data revealed the dire state of Melbourne and Sydney’s CBDs almost a year after the cities’ crippling Covid-19 lockdown restrictions ended.
The figures, released by the Property Council, indicate just one in five workers are showing up to the office during the course of a typical working week.
Overall, the average office occupancy has dipped from 49 per cent in June to just 38 per cent in July, with the drop coinciding with continually spiking Covid cases, resulting in tens of thousands of new infections each week.
Elsewhere in the country, workers’ attendance in CBD offices in Sydney dropped from 55 to 52 per cent, Brisbane dipped from 64 to 53 per cent and Adelaide’s changed from 71 to 64 per cent.
As Google continues the great merger between its Duo and Meet video communications apps, the company today announced that it’s introducing new Apple SharePlay-like live-sharing features to Meet, making it easier for call-participants to engage with content together in real time.
It’s worth noting that Google already introduced some live-sharing features (eg watching YouTube videos together) to Duo back in February, and now it’s bringing them to Meet as the part of the merger.
The live-sharing feature will let users watch YouTube videos together, for example, and listen to songs on Spotify or play games such as Heads Up!, UNO! Mobile or Kahoot!
These new features will be available under a new Activities tab — which also hosts Q&A and polls options — and is accessible through the three-dot menu. From there, users can start a shared activity — for instance, if they want to listen to a Spotify track together, they would tap on the Spotify icon and Meet redirects them to the Spotify app where they can join a group session. Notably, the group session feature is only available for Spotify Premium customers, with support for two to five participants.
Last week, Google took the next step of merging both video calling apps by updating the icon for Duo and renaming it Google Meet. As for Google Meet, it will now be called “Google Meet (original),” with a green icon — yes, it’s all very confusing. The tech giant has been adding other new features to Meet, too, such as instant and schedule meeting options, in-meeting chat and virtual backgrounds.
While these latest updates work well for Meet calls across different platforms, consumers embedded in Apple’s ecosystem will already be familiar with this type of social content consumption through SharePlay, which works across a broader array of apps such as Apple TV+, TikTok, Disney+, Hulu , HBO Max, NBA, Twitch, TikTok, MasterClass, ESPN+, Paramount+, Pluto TV, Apple Fitness+, and Apple Music.
Former Australian boxing champion Marc Bargero is fighting to avoid being sent to jail after being found guilty of drunkenly sexually assaulting a teenage girl as she slept.
Bargero contested allegations he had performed an oral sex act on the 15-year-old girl after putting her to bed, however was found guilty after facing a judge-alone trial earlier this year.
Bargero confessed to “sniffing” the girl’s crotch in an attempt to relive his first sexual experience, but had denied he had licked the girl’s vagina.
The court was told during his trial that Bargero was visiting a woman at her home on Sydney’s northern beaches when the teen arrived with a group of other youths.
When the girl passed out after drinking alcohol, Bargero took her upstairs and placed her on a bed.
The court was previously told he returned a short time later, moved the girl towards the edge of the bed, pulled her pants down, got on her knees, kissed her stomach and licked her vagina.
The girl woke up and fled downstairs, crying and saying: “I just woke up and he was just eating me out.”
In an interview with police, Bargero told officers he wanted to relive his first sexual experience, where he would get under a table and “sniff” an older woman.
“I had my head down there but I was just sniffin’ it,” Bargero told police, the court previously heard.
“I got carried away at the moment, I got a bit too drunk.”
He stated that he had not touched the girl’s vagina.
However, Judge Tim Gartelmann accepted the girl’s evidence and noted that due to his level of intoxication, Bargero could not remember all he did that night.
Bargero was found guilty of sexual intercourse without consent and intentionally sexually touching the girl.
During a sentence hearing on Friday afternoon, his barrister Stephen Russell said he had shown considerable contrition, despite pleading not guilty and fighting the allegations.
Mr Russell said Bargero had experienced significant “public shame and humiliation” through social media and the media.
The court heard that during his police interview he had asked officers if he could meet with the complainant and her family to apologize for his actions.
He had also offered to plead guilty to lesser charges, however it was rejected by the prosecution.
Mr Russell said Bargero had been “through the ringer” in life, had suffered mental illness and depression and had to be hospitalized and medicated following the death of his mother.
He submitted that Bargero could serve his sentence by way of a community corrections order or intensive corrections order, pointing to his lack of criminal history.
“He’s a man who had no history of anything like this,” Mr Russell said.
“People speak of him being respectful. The evidence given before your honor by a female witness indicated that he was very respectful towards women.
“This event must be seen as… a complete aberration. And he knows that himself.
“He was offended by his own behavior that he believed he had committed at that time, he stressed it so profoundly in both interviews.”
However, the crown prosecution submitted he should be jailed, with Judge Gartelmann to decide his fate later this month.
More than 100 former detainees of Tasmania’s Ashley Youth Detention Center have lodged a class action in Tasmania’s Supreme Court, alleging they were whipped, kicked, bullied, encouraged to join gangs, sexually abused and stripped naked.
Key points:
The court documents detail the claims of the four men dating back to the early 1990s
One man alleged that he found the body of another inmate the morning after they were beaten by staff
All four men say they now have post-traumatic stress disorder due to their time there, with some experiencing flashbacks, nightmares and suicide attempts
Warning: This story contains details some readers may find distressing.
The court documents include numerous allegations made by four plaintiffs, with the action launched on behalf of another 101 former detainees.
Out of the 101, the earliest claimant alleges abuse dating back to 1961, while the most recent is from 2019.
“That’s a span of just under 60 years,” lawyer for the plaintiffs Angela Sdrinis said.
“On one level it was surprising and appalling. On another level we know children in care, not just in Tasmania but in Australia and around the world, have been victims of abuse.”
The court documents detail the claims of the four men, dating back to the early 1990s.
They allege the former detainees were physically or sexually assaulted by staff or other detainees at the Ashley Youth Detention Center (AYDC) and their complaints about the incidents were dismissed.
The plaintiffs say that as far as they were aware, complaints were not recorded and no action was taken.
In particular, it is claimed that staff would enter detainees’ cells to commit physical and sexual assaults or deliberately leave doors unlocked, knowing that detainees would enter the rooms, sometimes as gangs, “to commit violent physical and sexual assaults on each other.”
One man, known as JC, alleged that he found the body of another inmate the morning after the inmate was beaten by staff. A coronial inquiry found the assault had taken place two weeks earlier and cleared the staff.
Another plaintiff, known as CA, alleged that after he fought off a sexual attack by a staff member, he was assaulted by other staff members, knocked unconscious, and locked in an isolation cell naked for five days with only a blanket.
He also said that on numerous occasions he was exposed to the sounds of other detainees being sexually assaulted in their cells by staff at night.
The third plaintiff, RI, claimed that after he refused to perform oral sex on a staff member, he was “punched and knocked out by other staff” and had to go to Launceston General Hospital.
All four men allege they now have post-traumatic stress disorder due to their time there, with some experiencing frequent flashbacks, nightmares and suicide attempts.
The center is about to be the subject of the Commission of Inquiry into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)
AYDC ‘didn’t vet staff properly’
The claim also takes aim at staff hiring, training and supervision at the detention center.
It is alleged that not only did some of the staff have sexual or physical allegations against them, but there were also members of outlaw motorcycle gangs such as the Rebels and Outlaws working at the centre.
One plaintiff claimed that on numerous occasions he saw staff members encouraging details to contact gang members when they were released.
It is alleged that AYDC did not vet staff properly and had no — or at least not adequate — systems for de-escalating confrontations with detainees or supervising staff to ensure they were not verbally, physically or sexually abusive.
Instead, it claimed staff used inappropriate force, punished detainees who tried to make complaints against other staff, assaulted them and exposed them to other detainees who were known or alleged to have engaged in physical or sexual violence against previous detainees.
In one example, JC alleged that after he misbehaved, he was removed by four guards who proceeded to abuse him.
“[They] grabbed him by the neck, threw him to the ground, kicked him in the ribs, and dragged him across the yard to his cell, where he was thrown onto a wooden bed and held down with pressure to his neck until he lost consciousness,” the document says.
“When JC regained consciousness three hours later, he was naked and handcuffed. JC was not provided with medical attention.”
‘Don’t forget, children as young as 10 were sent to Ashley’
Plaintiffs also described instances of being shoved, throttled, punched, whipped, stripped naked, almost drowned, abused to the point where they needed to be hospitalized, and denied medical attention after suicide attempts.
The claims also detail degrading strip searches with guards who would harass and laugh at details.
“A common occurrence when children were admitted to Ashley was that they would be strip searched,” Ms Sdrinis said.
Ms Sdrinis said the evidence that would come out of the public hearing into the detention center would be “confronting”.(ABC News: Maren Preuss)
“They’d have the scabies cream applied to them whether or not they had scabies… we’ve been told it burnt the skin, including in the genital area.
“Don’t forget, children as young as 10 were sent to Ashley.”
But these allegations are not revelations.
The issues with the detention center are well known and just last year the state government announced it would close it down.
It is also about to be the subject of the Commission of Inquiry into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, with hearings set to start late next week.
“I believe the evidence that will come out of the public hearing into Ashley will be very confronting as well,” Ms Sdrinis said.
A spokesperson for the state government said they were unable to comment as “legal action has been flagged.”
“The Commission of Inquiry will be examining the AYDC in the upcoming hearings and as we have shown, we will not hesitate to act where required to ensure our children and young people are safe,” they said.
The German manufacturer says the Porsche Taycan Turbo S completed a lap of the 20.8 kilometer track in 7min 33.3sec, making it the fastest electric car in production.
That effort, recorded by development driver Lars Kern, undercuts the 7min 35.sec mark of Tesla’s Model S Plaid by more than two seconds.
The 2023 model year Taycan Turbo S benefited from a new performance kit including lightweight 21-inch wheels, high-performance Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres, and a software update allowing its electronically controlled suspension to make the most of the new rubber.
The 560kW sedan reached 268km/h during the lap, benefiting from a two-speed transmission that gives it a performance advantage over most electric cars.
But it fell short of the fastest times set by petrol-powered V8 sedans, including the 7min 29.8sec mark of Porsche’s V8-powered Panamera, the 7min 29.5sec of BMW’s latest M5, or the 7min 27.8s of Mercedes-AMG’s GT 63 S .
While the Porsche runs out of puff just shy of 270km/h, the nine-speed transmission in Mercedes’ heavy hitter allows it to reach 298km/h on the Nurburgring, or 315km/h if you can find a longer straight.
Expect the electric car performance battle to heat up in the near future, powered by fresh metal such as the Tesla Roadster, Lotus Evija, Pininfarina Battista and Porsche’s electric successor to the Cayman GT4.
As Google continues the great merger between its Duo and Meet video communications apps, the company today announced that it’s introducing new Apple SharePlay-like live-sharing features to Meet, making it easier for call-participants to engage with content together in real time.
It’s worth noting that Google already introduced some live-sharing features (eg watching YouTube videos together) to Duo back in February, and now it’s bringing them to Meet as the part of the merger.
The live-sharing feature will let users watch YouTube videos together, for example, and listen to songs on Spotify or play games such as Heads Up!, UNO! Mobile or Kahoot!
These new features will be available under a new Activities tab — which also hosts Q&A and polls options — and is accessible through the three-dot menu. From there, users can start a shared activity — for instance, if they want to listen to a Spotify track together, they would tap on the Spotify icon and Meet redirects them to the Spotify app where they can join a group session. Notably, the group session feature is only available for Spotify Premium customers, with support for two to five participants.
Last week, Google took the next step of merging both video calling apps by updating the icon for Duo and renaming it Google Meet. As for Google Meet, it will now be called “Google Meet (original),” with a green icon — yes, it’s all very confusing. The tech giant has been adding other new features to Meet, too, such as instant and schedule meeting options, in-meeting chat and virtual backgrounds.
While these latest updates work well for Meet calls across different platforms, consumers embedded in Apple’s ecosystem will already be familiar with this type of social content consumption through SharePlay, which works across a broader array of apps such as Apple TV+, TikTok, Disney+, Hulu , HBO Max, NBA, Twitch, TikTok, MasterClass, ESPN+, Paramount+, Pluto TV, Apple Fitness+, and Apple Music.
FIFA has made a controversial decision to start the Men’s World Cup a day earlier than planned to give the host nation, Qatar, a prime-time kick-off.
Qatar will now play Ecuador on November 20, 24 hours earlier than initially planned.
While the host nation has played the first match of the World Cup since 2006, it’s still unclear why Qatar’s first game was not originally scheduled as the tournament opener.
From Qatar’s successful 2010 bid to hold the World Cup to the month-long tournament, there was already plenty of controversy around this year’s event.
What changes have been made?
Qatar will play Ecuador on November 20, at 7pm local time (2am AEST, 3am AEDT)
The Netherlands and Senegal had been scheduled to play the first game, on Monday, November 21. This match now moves to the 7pm Monday slot vacated by Qatar vs Ecuador.
‘A huge problem’
Sponsors could have their plans disrupted, according to Ricardo Fort, a former marketing executive with World Cup top-tier backers Coca-Cola and Visa, who described the late date change as “a huge problem”.
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“[The sponsors] invited and confirmed hospitality guests, booked flights and hotels, and contracted with all the necessary logistics. Imagine changing it all? “Fort wrote on his Twitter account of him.
Qatar’s controversial winning bid
The Persian Gulf nation was plagued by corruption and bribery allegations when it won the right to host the event in 2010.
In the decade since, Qatar has spent billions building seven stadiums and vast infrastructure to host the event.
Human rights groups have highlighted the slum living conditions and even deaths of migrant workers during the construction of stadiums.
Last year, it was reported that more than 6,500 migrant workers had died in Qatar since it won the rights to host the World Cup.
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar. A report by Norwegian Broadcaster showed three of the 69 hotels on FIFA’s official list of recommended accommodations would deny entry to same-sex couples, despite FIFA promises of delivering an inclusive experience that is welcoming and safe to all.
Isn’t the world cup in June-July?
yeah. Qatar committed to stay on soccer’s normal calendar and promised innovative stadium-cooling technology when it bid for hosting rights.
Temperatures routinely hit 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in the June-July period in Qatar.
However, in 2015, FIFA eventually concluded that a June World Cup in scorching temperatures might not wise for players or fans.
This meant the league games had to change too
So, to escape the desert heat, the tournament was moved into the cooler months of November and December, ultimately screwing up the global football calendar for leagues everywhere.
When FIFA accepted the inevitable need to delay until Qatar’s cooler months, a tough negotiation with European leagues and clubs led to an agreement for a shorter, 28-day program to minimize disruption for domestic soccer.
European leagues — such as England’s Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A — will play until the weekend of November 12-13, just seven days before the new opening game date.
However, it’s not just European competitions that are pausing. The A-Leagues in Australia will also be on hiatus during the World Cup
World Cup stadium stands could be alcohol-free
Qatar’s World Cup stadium stands are set to be alcohol-free, with beer sales outside arenas only allowed before and after some matches.
An estimated 1.2 million soccer fans — many of whom are used to drinking beer without limits on match day — are expected to attend the November tournament.
While public drinking is illegal in Qatar, World Cup organizers plan to create specific “zones” and curfews for traveling fans.
When will Australia play in the World Cup?
The Socceroos’ first match will be against France on Wednesday, November 23.
The Men’s World Cup opening game on Sunday evening should play well with viewers in Asia and Europe time zones.
While the final Men’s World Cup game is scheduled on Sunday December 18.
A whistleblower suing Hillsong in the Federal Court has alleged the megachurch moved millions of dollars in payments through overseas entities to avoid scrutiny by the Australian charities regulator.
Key points:
Former Hillsong employee Natalie Moses has filed a case against Hillsong, claiming it breached the Fair Work Act
She alleges her internal audits of Hillsong uncovered dubious bookkeeping unlikely to be compliant with legislation
Hillsong’s lawyers told the ABC it will be defending the matter
ABC Investigations can reveal the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) launched an investigation into Hillsong in March, which is examining its compliance obligations as a registered charity.
The existence of the ACNC probe was revealed in Federal Court documents lodged by former Hillsong employee Natalie Moses on Wednesday as part of a Fair Work case against the church.
The documents allege dubious financial record-keeping, the misappropriation of church finances, and claim Hillsong leaders used tax-free money for “large cash gifts” to Hillsong founder Brian Houston and his family.
The 25-page statement of claim filed by Ms Moses’s lawyers at Maurice Blackburn includes accusations Hillsong illegally hid its international transfers by making payments through its US-based entities.
Hillsong Church is yet to file a response in the Federal Court and Ms Moses is the sole source of the allegations in her statement of claim.
The church’s lawyers told the ABC it will defend the matter.
“We are further instructed that Hillsong is continuing to work with the inquiries made by the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission,” they said.
“As the matter is now before the Federal Court of Australia, it is inappropriate to make any further comment.”
Ms Moses, who worked within the church’s financial department, claimed the Australian leadership team suspended her employment after she refused a directive to deceive regulators about its overseas activities.
Natalie Moses was employed by Hillsong for more than two years.(Supplied)
Her lawyers argue Hillsong contravened the Fair Work Act, claiming it breached its own whistleblower policy by preventing her from raising serious complaints about the church’s financial operations.
“There are very serious allegations that our client makes about Hillsong effectively misleading an investigation [by] the ACNC,” Josh Bornstein, who is representing Ms Moses in her employment law case, said.
“There are concerns that Australian taxpayers are being ripped off by Hillsong.
“On top of that, [the allegations] also raise moral and ethical issues about the conduct of a religious institution and what appears to be a cowboy culture operating within that empire.”
Hillsong’s global empire includes campuses, ministries, and musicians across six continents.(Facebook: Hillsong)
Court documents allege internal audits conducted by Ms Moses uncovered dubious bookkeeping unlikely to be compliant with legislation and which would bring the church into disrepute if those details were ever made public.
She claims this included leaders making “significant” gifts to church directors and their family and friends, as well as using credit cards to pay for international travel and designer products.
Hillsong was misleading donors, whistleblower alleges
Ms Moses was employed as the church’s fundraising and governance coordinator on March 25, 2020.
Her responsibilities included ensuring the “Hillsong Global Corporate Group” — entities overseeing religious and business activities across Australia, the US and the UK — were compliant under the Australian Charities Not-for-Profit (ACNFP) Act.
She alleged in her statement of claim the church repeatedly breached charity rules, particularly in regard to transferring money to fund overseas projects.
Hillsong’s chief financial officer Peter Ridley.(Linkedin: Supplied )
Many Australian Hillsong entities are prohibited from doing this because the money would no longer be subject to local oversight designed to ensure the funds are appropriately spent on charitable services.
Ms Moses claimed she regularly raised concerns with chief financial officer Peter Ridley about how Hillsong should manage its financial operations.
The statement of claim suggested the two were often at loggerheads about the church’s compliance obligations.
During a telephone call in early March 2022, Ms Moses alleges she raised the alarm about Australian Hillsong entities asking for donations to renovate Melbourne’s iconic “Festival Hall”, which was purchased by a Hillsong-related entity in 2020.
She allegedly warned Mr Ridley the church may be committing fraud and misleading its followers by spending money it was falsely claiming it was tax deductible.
Hillsong Church was receiving donations to renovate the iconic Festival Hall in Melbourne.(Supplied: Ruel/Michelle Grace Hunder)
She also complained it was unethical and illegal for the church to use tax-deductible donations given to its charity arm, the Hillsong Foundation Trust, in 2022 to cover the church’s $9 million deficit.
The Hillsong Foundation Trust’s stated mission is “to bring care and justice to vulnerable groups in the name of Jesus.”
Ms Moses alleges during the telephone call Mr Ridley “became angry and dismissive and said he just did not understand what Ms Moses’ problem was”.
‘God protects the righteous’
Less than a month after the Festival Hall conversation, the ACNC commenced an investigation into four Australian Hillsong entities to determine if the church was complying with its legal obligations.
At about the same time, Ms Moses was tasked with preparing internal responses to the ACNC investigation.
It was during a March 29, 2022 meeting that Mr Ridley allegedly told key members of the financial department that the charity regulator was putting Hillsong under the microscope.
The statement of claim said the chief financial officer declared in this meeting that God would shield Hillsong during the probe because “God protects the righteous and Hillsong is the righteous.”
Ms Moses said it was after this March 29 meeting that she approached the ACNC anonymously about making a whistleblower inquiry and was advised to obtain independent legal advice.
Brian and Bobbie Houston established Hillsong in 1983 in Sydney’s north-west. (Facebook: Hillsong )
It is alleged that in this meeting Mr Ridley instructed Hillsong’s financial controller to not proceed with a pending cash payment representing five per cent of the megachurch’s income, but instead offset it against money owing.
“The consequence was that there was no record of any cash payment from Hillsong Church to the United States of America,” the statement of claim reads.
Ms Moses also alleged Mr Ridley directed the finance department to reverse a payment owed to a pastor responsible for Hillsong Tokyo as a “transaction error” and instead make the same payment from the US-based Hillsong Global entity.
An ACNC spokesperson said it was “unable to comment or confirm on compliance activity unless it is already in the public domain, or if we take action against a charity”.
“Such action includes issuing warnings and directions, suspending or removing responsible persons, and ultimately, revoking charity registration,” the spokesperson told the ABC.
Ms Moses claimed she ultimately decided against lodging a whistleblower inquiry because she hoped the ACNC’s investigation would force the church to rectify its compliance issues.
However, she continued to keep records and copies of her conversations with Mr Ridley. Her lawyers say she is prepared to produce them in court if necessary.
‘Lying could bite him in the butt’
According to the statement of claim, Ms Moses’s internal audit of the church’s finances uncovered questionable expenditures as well as a need for church leaders to better declare conflicts of interest.
She also alleges artists who were classified as “pastors” were receiving half their salaries tax-free, while also earning millions of dollars in royalties from the sale of music.
Maurice Blackburn lawyer Josh Bornstein is representing Ms Moses in her employment case against Hillsong Church.(ABC News: Sean Warren)
On May 30, 2022, Mr Ridley allegedly told ACNC investigators that Hillsong did not send money overseas beyond small service purchases and that its US operations were disassociated from its Australian entities.
Ms Moses claimed she told the chief financial officer he had lied to the regulator and warned the ACNC could easily disprove him by obtaining board documents or making the connection that Australian staff were managing its US entities.
“Ridley’s lying could bite him in the butt,” the statement of claim reads.
That same month, it is alleged Mr Ridley asked Ms Moses ahead of a meeting with the ACNC to help come up with an acceptable story to give them that would explain transactions between Hillsong’s global entities, which had previously concerned the regulator.
“Ms Moses said she was not comfortable coming up with lies to tell the ACNC,” her claim reads.
Court documents state the relationship between Ms Moses and Hillsong collapsed about June 10, when she discovered she had lost access to her company emails and share files.
On June 14, she said Hillsong advised her that she was suspended.
The statement of claim said Hillsong expressed concern that Ms Moses had downloaded some 40,000 confidential work documents, something Ms Moses claims was necessary to her daily duties.
Court documents state the next day, on June 15, Hillsong staff were informed Ms Moses was taking personal leave.
Ms Moses alleges she was emailed about 24 hours later by a Hillsong human resources representative who threatened to contact the police if she did not return another laptop issued to her.
The case brought by Ms Moses is expected to be heard in the Federal Court later this year.
A Sydneysider returned home to an unexpected – and most definitely unwanted – delivery service on Thursday night.
In a photo posted to a Sydney Reddit forum, an Aramex delivery van appears to be bogged in a homeowner’s front yard, damaging their lawn.
Tire tracks suggest the driver was attempting to use the lawn to do a three-point turn.
But when the vehicle was put in reverse, the wheels looked.
“Delivery driver is stuck in my front yard. They weren’t even delivering to my place – tried to use my lawn to turn around,” the caption accompanying the post read.
While the homeowner is unaware of how long the van was in their yard prior to them returning home, it wasn’t until four hours after the original post that the Aramex franchise owner attempted to free the van.
“The owner came and they have dug a bunch of bigger holes, but still can’t get the van out,” the homeowner posted.
The attempt to remove the van shocked one viewer of the post, who suggested an alternative method to removing the vehicle.
“Please tell me I have let the pressure out of the tires and tried that before digging into your grass,” they said. “It makes the tires wider and distributes the weight.”
However, attempts to remove the van didn’t stop there, with the homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous, telling news.com.au that further damage was done when the company attempted to use a second vehicle and some wooden planks to tow the they go out
As for whether Aramex will reimburse for the damages, the homeowner said the delivery service owner told them that their insurance doesn’t cover a “driver driving where they are not supposed to”.
The franchise owner instead left the homeowner his phone number and offered to pay for the damages out of his own pocket.
The van remains at the property. The homeowner hopes it will be removed on Friday.
The post has attracted almost 100 comments, as Reddit users tell of their own trying encounters with Aramex – a global delivery brand with a website that says it has “29 regional franchises and over 900 franchise partners” across Australia.
News.com.au has contacted the company for comment.
One commenter said: “(They) left my parcels, multiple times, on the front door of an apartment complex in a busy area, without even bothering to ring the doorbell.
“I only realized it was delivered when I went to check the website… By then it had been left outside for half a day. It was stolen of course.”
Another said: “Every time I end up with an Aramex parcel it goes missing.”
While a third posted: “Seen facility footage of their drivers treating parcels like actual garbage.”
