A Canberra drug dealer who was shot in the face during a home invasion last year says he was targeted by people who thought he was a paedophile.
Key points:
Sugimatatihuna Bernard Gabriel Mena has been charged with attempted murder while Bradley Joe Roberts and Rebecca Dulcie Parlov are charged with aggravated burglary
All three have pleaded not guilty
The victim claims Mr Mena shot him three times, injuring his face, arm and stomach
The ACT Supreme Court has heard the man had been accused of being a “kiddie fiddler” before being shot three times at a home in Spence in Canberra’s north on March 11, 2021.
The man said he had been at a friend’s house in the early hours of the morning after “catching up with people for drug deals.”
He said Sugimatatihuna Bernard Gabriel Mena, 24, Bradley Joe Roberts, 24, and Rebecca Dulcie Parlov, 25, had then all stormed his friend’s home to “whack” him.
Mr Mena has been charged with attempted murder while Mr Roberts and Ms Parlov were each charged with aggravated burglary.
They have all pleaded not guilty.
The man told the court he had armed himself with a knife for protection and had been prepared to “knuckle on” with the trio when they appeared at the home.
“I was going to stab them,” he said, before adding that he at no point used or attempted to use the knife on any of the three.
He alleged it was Mr Mena who had pulled the trigger, shooting him three times and injuring his face, stomach and arm.
He also told the court Mr Mena, Mr Roberts, and Ms Parlov were all known to him through his drug deals.
Once wounded, the man said he had retreated to the bathroom to call a friend to drive him to Calvary Hospital’s emergency department.
The friend he had called was Ms Parlov’s brother.
Defense says finger was wrongly pointed
During cross examination, defense barristers showed the court text message conversations between the victim and his partner at the time.
The messages showed the man had asked the woman for $750, telling her he had to pay off bikes otherwise they would harm him.
The defense put to the man that the reason he presented to the hospital instead of calling police when he was shot was that he was “frightened of the bikies.”
“No, I don’t like police,” the man replied.
He then confessed that the messages he had sent to his ex-partner had been lies.
“I made up whatever I wanted to get the money out of her because I’m a fiend,” he said.
“I was a druggo… I lied to her.”
The defense also put to the victim that he had falsely accused Mr Mena of being the gunman as it was easier than having to point the finger elsewhere.
But the man said: “No, I saw him do it … I saw him come through the door”, referring to Mr Mena.
TV presenter Erin Molan has been spotted with a mystery man at an event in Canberra.
Todd Selby was spotted alongside Ms Molan at a book launch for her father Jim Molan at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday before the pair stopped to pose for a photo together.
Newly welcomed onto Sky News with her show ‘Erin’, the mum-of-one told media earlier this year that she was ready to share more about herself and her private life.
Ms Molan confirmed she had met a special someone in May after revealing she was back on the dating scene earlier this year following her shock break-up with finance Sean Ogilvy in September 2021.
The 39-year-old told the Hughesy, Ed and Erin radio show that happy with her new man, but that dating with a kid was “complex.”
The pair were pictured together as Mr Molan launched his new book Danger on our Doorstep in Parliament House.
“It’s still early-ish days. It’s really nice actually. I think anyone who’s been in a long-term relationship, when that ends – particularly if you’ve got kids – you kind of go through this stage where you don’t know if you’ll ever meet anyone again,” she said.
The presenter also revealed the unexpected way she met her partner, saying it seemed like ‘fate’.
“I was driving into the car park, he was driving out. That’s the first time we saw each other but we didn’t meet until a couple of months after that,” she said.
“I’m not a believer in fate… but the timing of it was pretty incredible. We locked eyes and I felt something.”
Erin’s co-host Hughesy described the mystery man as looking “like he might have played rugby league.”
“He’s tall and strong and fit. He’s handsome and he’s got a very deep voice. He’s got a great sense of humour,” he said, adding that the pair look really happy together”.
The former sports reporter who has had her fair share of controversies.
In 2020, Ms Molan put a spotlight on the harms of cyber bullying, tearing up on 60 Minutes as she recounted the horrifying abuse she experienced at the hands of online trolls.
Anthony Albanese has been caught in a fresh parliamentary scandal after questions were raised about the legitimacy of his moves on the footy field.
The Prime Minister joined the Parliamentary Friends of Rugby League on Tuesday morning for their fourth annual State of Origin touch football match.
Just before half time in the clash against Queensland, Mr Albanese dived to plant the ball on the try line to give NSW the upper hand.
Sports Minister Anika Wells protested, claiming she had tagged Mr Albanese before he scored.
The referee ultimately gave Mr Albanese the benefit of the doubt, awarding NSW what would turn out to be the final try of the day.
The parliamentary Blues ended up taking home bragging rights, winning 3-1.
Asked about the dubious try later in the day, Ms Wells laughed off the controversy.
“I think we can all agree that the referee is going to be the next governor-general based on that decision and I think we can say ultimately, glory to Queensland,” she said.
On if the Prime Minister could be trusted given his shady moves on the footy field, Ms Wells left that question unanswered.
But she joked NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo should take the inquiry straight to the league’s commission as a “top priority”.
Speaking earlier, Mr Albanese took issue with former Wallaby turned Senator David Pocock joining the Queenslanders for the grudge match.
“I can report the greatest scandal since (Greg Inglis) playing for Queensland. David Pocock from the ACT pulling on a Queensland jumper,” Mr Albanese told Nine.
“They will stop at nothing.”
He also complained about former deputy prime minister and NSW MP Barnaby Joyce also donning the Queensland jersey.
“Barnaby has very short stints on the field. Even though he represents the NSW seat, he has a Maroons jersey on as well,” Mr Albanese said.
“Look, there should be an inquiry into some of these players and where they are playing for, I tell you.”
ACT Independent senator David Pocock has delivered his maiden speech to federal parliament, during which he welcomed the deaf community using Auslan.
Key points:
David Pocock had asked if he could have an Auslan interpreter alongside him on the floor of the Senate but said both major parties denied his request
Senator Pocock says he will work to continue to make the Senate more accessible for all Australians in the future
He again made clear that action on climate change and restoring territory rights were among his key focuses
In preparing to make his first speech, Senator Pocock asked last week if he could have an Auslan interpreter alongside him on the floor of the Senate.
But Senator Pocock said both major parties denied his request – a decision he labeled “disappointing.”
Instead, as Senator Pocock delivered his first speech to the chamber, Auslan interpreter Mandy Dolejsi appeared on a large TV behind him and was also broadcast translating his words for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
“When I was asked by people in our community to have this first speech live-translated into Auslan I didn’t hesitate to say yes,” Senator Pocock said.
“So, thank you, Mandy, for being here today and translating my words.”
But Senator Pocock said the compromise that had been struck to have Ms Dolejsi in a studio and not on the chamber floor was “the difference between accessibility and inclusion”.
“Today we have achieved the former but not the latter. In future, I hope we can achieve both,” he said.
In a message to further demonstrate what he said was his intention to make Australia’s parliament more inclusive, Senator Pocock himself signed a short welcome to the deaf community, though the Senate cameras were too far away to effectively capture it.
New senator doubles down on action on climate change, restoring territory rights
Senator Pocock says he hopes the latest attempt to restore territory rights will be successful.(ABC News: Ian Cutmore)
Senator Pocock made history on the night of the federal election when he became the first territory senator who was not from a major party.
One of the so-called “teal independents”, he had campaigned on a range of issues, including action on climate change and territory rights.
In addressing the chamber, Senator Pocock solidified his support for the issues, saying he wanted “to be a peace broker in the 47th parliament.”
“There is no challenge greater than facing up to the climate and biodiversity crises we face,” he said.
“Today, the systems that sustain life on earth are at the brink of collapse. The climate as we know it is breaking down and the impacts are now being felt with distressing regularity.
“The challenges facing us are so important. I want to be part of making sure we don’t just end the climate wars, we win them.”
Senator Pocock on Monday threw his support behind a bill introduced to parliament by Canberra MP Alicia Payne and her Northern Territory colleague Luke Gosling.
If successful, the bill would repeat the 1996 ban on the territories debating voluntary assisted dying laws.
“It is time for us to restore the right of the territories to make decisions for themselves. To ensure that our Legislative Assembly here in the ACT gets to make decisions about the future of Canberrans, not MPs from around the country whose own constituents already enjoy these same rights,” Senator Pocock said.
“This is not the first time the parliament has tried to repeal the Andrews Bill. But I hope it will be the last.”
ACT ‘no longer a safe seat’, senator says
Senator Pocock says “for too long we have been neglected, ridiculed, looked down on or flat out ignored.”(ABC My Photo: @outdooraus)
In concluding his speech, Senator Pocock vowed to use his power as an independent senator and crossbencher “in the best interests of the people of the ACT.”
“For too long we have been neglected, ridiculed, looked down on or flat out ignored,” he said.
“We’re the nation’s capital. I want this to once again be a source of great pride.
“No longer are we a safe seat … The days of the ACT getting less than a quarter of our share of infrastructure funding by head of population are over.
“And so finally, I would like to say thank you to the people of the ACT. Whether you voted for me or not, I will work on your behalf for the next three years.
“I’m committed to being accessible and transparent and I certainly know that you will hold me to account.”
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has released the details of his 11th budget as Treasurer — his third since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Here are some of the ways the budget may affect you and Canberra.
Winner: Home owners
Hang on: don’t rising interest rates make home owners with mortgages losers?
Maybe, but the ACT government doesn’t have much to say about interest rates.
It does set household rates bills, though. And, while these will still increase, this year’s rate rises for Canberrans who own homes will be much gentler than in recent years.
The average bill is set to increase by 2.5 per cent — or $111 per year — in 2022-23.
That’s well below inflation and comes after a decade in which rates typically rose by 6 to 7 per cent a year.
Loser: Unit owners
Canberrans who own units and townhouses face much steeper rate rises than owners of houses.
The average bill for these properties will increase by 9.9 per cent — or $67 per year — in 2022-23.
These owners had been spared some of the very large hikes that house owners had borne in previous years.
But as the value of units and townhouses rises, their owners’ taxes will increase, too.
Winner:Economy
If you looked at Canberra’s economic indicators and nothing else, you might well conclude: “The pandemic must be over.”
The ACT economy is hurtling along, fueled by a relatively fast-growing population. The federal government has played a big part, employing more staff and consultants.
State final demand (the size of the economy) grew by 3.2 per cent last year after accounting for inflation. Residents and businesses are spending significantly more than they were.
And while rising electricity prices are weighing down other jurisdictions, the ACT has been largely spared due to its long-term renewable energy contracts.
All this has left the ACT budget hundreds of millions of dollars better off than was expected a year ago.
But, can it last?
Winner: Workers
Make hay, Canberra workers: now, more than any other time in living memory, is the moment to ask for a pay rise or find a new job.
Treasury officials note there are consistently more job vacancies in the ACT than there are workers. They also expect new employment opportunities to continue to outpace population growth.
This hasn’t yet contributed to real pay rises; inflation is hitting everyone.
But salaries are already rising in Canberra, mostly in the private sector. The Albanese government has also ditched the 2 per cent a year ceiling on public servants’ pay rises.
Wage growth is forecast to reach about 3.5 per cent within a year, while inflation is expected to drop well below that.
Neutral: Employers
Job vacancies in Canberra are at record highs and under-employment is at a record low, and that’s not great news for employers.
The budget papers cite the lack of skilled workers as a significant risk to the economy. The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have also led to shortages of a range of materials.
Nonetheless, consumer confidence in Canberra is high. Household spending and business investment are buoyant, too.
The current shortages are a challenge to businesses, but the ACT has more than its share of market opportunities to make up for that.
Neutral: Homebuyers
The ACT is continuing to phase out stamp duty in favor of land taxes, which will make housing cheaper than it would otherwise be.
Stamp duty will fall this coming year for properties priced below $1.5 million.
The budget also details plans for 30,000 extra dwellings in Canberra over the next five years.
Nonetheless, that’s what’s needed to house the ACT’s growing population.
There’s no quick fix — at least, not in this budget — for the ongoing crisis in housing affordability and rental availability.
Winner: Schools
Canberra is growing quickly, and the city needs either new or expanded schools to cope with the influx, particularly in northside suburbs.
This budget confirms funding for a new early childhood and primary school in Whitlam, as well as a new high school in Taylor.
Majura Primary, in Watson, and Margaret Hendry School, also in Taylor, will be expanded to take on more students.
The government has also set aside money to install shades, improve ventilation and hire more cleaners for schools across Canberra.
Loser: Gambling
It’s about getting a little harder to make a profit from gambling.
The ACT’s betting operations tax — paid by casinos and businesses that run pokies, lotteries or betting games — is rising from 15 to 20 per cent.
The government says the increase will improve both the economy and Canberrans’ wellbeing.
Winner: Recycling
It’ll cost 1.75 per cent more to dump household, business or industrial waste at the tip.
That’s on top of the usual increase that’s part of the government’s indexation for fees and charges.
Tip fees had been frozen during the pandemic, but the government says it wants people to try to recycle more and reduce their waste.
Loser: Fossil fuels
The ACT already buys enough renewable electricity to cover 100 per cent of what it uses.
The government is now focused on cutting fossil fuels used for heating and transport.
Government offices that use gas will switch to electricity, and poorer Canberrans will be funded to replace gas appliances and install insulation.
Canberra’s gas and diesel buses will be replaced, gradually, with electric ones.
This budget also begins to fund incentives for electric vehicles, such as free registration and exemption from stamp duty.
Last year, 5 per cent of new motor vehicles in the ACT were electric. The government wants that to be as high as 90 per cent by 2030.
Neutral: Healthcare
Healthcare is the giant of every ACT budget, accounting for about 30 cents of every dollar spent.
This budget significantly increases health spending — mostly for the expansion of the Canberra Hospital and to buy new clinical equipment.
However, many of the ACT’s ongoing healthcare problems stem not from a lack of facilities but from the perennial challenge of recruiting skilled staff.
That problem will continue to hang over the health system, and will likely worsen as a result of the ACT’s tight labor market.
Winner: Visitors
The borders have reopened, which means the battle for tourists is on.
The ACT government is bolstering two annual drawcards — Floriade and Enlighten — to attract interstate visitors.
Money has also been set aside to help secure blockbuster art exhibitions.
The budget continues to fund the redevelopment and expansion of the Canberra Theater Centre, though that will take years to complete.
The former boss of the Canberra Rebels bikie club has been jailed over a series of phone conversations, riddled with expletives, during which he threatened to hurt several people.
Key points:
Ali Bilal pleaded guilty to three charges of using a carriage service to threaten serious harm and two charges of using a carriage service to menage, harass or offend
Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker said the conversations displayed “manipulative aggression”
Bilal was sentenced to 13 months in prison, but that will be suspended after four months
Ali Bilal, 50, pleaded guilty tofive charges relating to using a carriage service to harass or threaten serious harmafter the conversations were captured in telephone intercepts.
In one conversation played to the ACT Magistrates Court, he told a woman he was trying to contact someone and wanted her to arrange the meeting, ignoring the woman’s pleas to listen to her.
“Get him to meet me. That’s it,” Bilal screamed into the phone.
“I’m gonna f*** him, his mother, his father. I’m not gonna leave anybody tonight,” Bilal told her.
In another conversation, Bilal asked a man who had angered him where he was.
“We’ll just come to you now,” he said.
“Forget the bulls***.
“We’ll come to the site where you are now and we’ll deal with you in public in front of everybody to finally make a statement in this town.
“I’m happy to go to jail for it. Let’s not f*** around anymore.”
Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker said the conversations revealed a grandiose and alarming attitude and displayed “manipulative aggression”.
But she noted Bilal had said he never intended to carry out the threats.
Chief Magistrate Walker said Bilal had also expressed some remorse in his pre-sentence report, although she said that he should be qualified.
“He has not demonstrated contrition in any practical sense,” she said.
The court heard that Bilal had left the Rebels, although Chief Magistrate Walker said that news was also “received with some skepticism” given Bilal’s long association with gangs.
Chief Magistrate Walker said some of the conversations may have been driven by some kind of perverted form of moral authority.
But she said there was no other option but to send him to jail.
Bilal has been sentenced to 13 months in prison, but that will be suspended after four months.
He will also have to sign an 18-month supervision order.
An Australian TikToker has shown off the crazy amount of fruit and vegetables he salvaged after going dumpster diving behind a supermarket.
Luca Corby filmed himself dumpster diving in Canberra to prove just how much fresh produce gets thrown out each day, captioning the video: “Anywaysss f**k big corporations.”
Mr Corby and two friends donned head torches before heading to a nearby store and taking a look in the bins.
“Food is expensive at the moment, so let’s go dumpster diving” he said.
First off, the group managed to salvage a number of potatoes, carrots, leeks and a huge knob of ginger, which Mr Corby estimated to be worth about $20.
“Look at this lettuce, it is literally fresh. There is a couple of dead leaves on the outside but the inside is all fresh,” he said.
The group also found rhubarb, mandarins, capsicums, oranges, grapes and asparagus.
Mr Corby filmed himself the following day explaining once they game home they washed all the fruit and vegetables and put them in the fridge.
“Our fridge is stocked for the next week. Our groceries for this week were essentially free,” he said.
“It’s crazy because we just went to a small supermarket, but you can imagine Coles and Woolworths would be throwing out so much stuff while families are struggling to buy fresh vegetables.”
A few weeks earlier, Mr Corby shared a picture of the huge amount of fresh produce his friend sourced after it was thrown out at a local IGA.
“Literally so many people are struggling to buy fresh produce at the moment and this is how much food my friend got dumpster diving yesterday,” he said.
“That was all going to go in the bin. That’s f**ked.”
The first video has clocked up more than 70,000 views, with many people shocked at how much fresh produce had been thrown away.
“This is so heartbreaking to see. The food looks so fresh. People are struggling right now,” one person said.
“So much wastage!” another wrote.
Another added: “Well done! It’s an absolute crime that those perfectly good foods can be thrown in the trash.”
Both Woolworths and Coles have initiatives in place to reduce food waste in their stores.
Woolworths has implemented a Food Rescue and Recycling Program to help stores identify and divert surplus fresh food away from landfill, instead using it for things like hunger relief, animal stock feed at local farms and zoos, or for commercial composting.
The supermarket giant works with OzHarvest, Foodbank and FareShare to make left over edible food available to local hunger relief agencies.
Coles has introduced its Together to Zero Waste initiative to help reduce food waste across its stores.
“Our first choice for unsold, edible food is to donate it to food rescue organizations such as SecondBite and Foodban,” the supermarket states in its website.
“Following that, we have other food waste solutions including donations to farmers and animal or wildlife services, organics collections and in-store food waste disposal equipment.”
Coles also uses produce that would typically not be sold in other products, such as bananas being used in frozen banana pieces, banana bread and muffins.
Labor MP Marion Scrymgour has hit back at Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Price over comments she made about the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
The Voice to Parliament was a key element of the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart and called for an elected Indigenous advisory body to the Federal Parliament.
The proposed body would advise the government on issues affecting First Nations people.
Speaking to Sky News Australia on Sunday evening Ms Price said the proposal was being driven by elites.
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“Having just come back from Garma myself, there are people in remote communities who do not have a clue,” she told Chris Smith.
“Make no mistake, this is being driven by elites who have largely been part of the gravy train.
“An industry that has been built on the backs of the misery of marginalized Indigenous Australians, and enshrining a voice is enshrining their voices into parliament to ensure that they can never be removed or dismantled.”
Ms Scrymgour, who represents the Federal Northern Territory seat of Lingiari, was asked about the “offensive” comments just one day later.
“I find that a bit offensive,” Ms Scrymgour told Sky News Australia on Monday.
“Because a lot of the people who have been leading these discussions for many years – including myself – I don’t see myself as an elitist.”
Ms Scrymgour cited her experience being in the remote Indigenous communities as she rejected the gravy train claim.
“I’ve spent nearly 40 years on the ground in communities watching our people struggle and taking it up to governments,” she said.
“I know a lot of the people who work in that industry would find her comments not only offensive but also sad.
“I don’t think there’s been a gravy train of Indigenous members who have worked on this for a long time.
“We have absolute commitment to our people and we will continue to have that commitment.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled his government’s preferred Voice to Parliament referendum question and three provisions to be included in the constitution during his address at the Garma Festival gathering of indigenous leaders in north-east Arnhem Land.
During the speech to the Festival on Saturday, he said the question needed to be “simple and clear”.
The draft question will be posed as: “Do you support an alteration to the constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?”
The three sentences that would be added into the constitution are:
There shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to parliament and the executive government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The parliament shall, subject to this constitution, have power to make laws with respect to the composition, functions, powers and procedures of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
For the Indigenous Voice referendum to be successful, the “Yes” vote needs a national majority and must be carried by at least four of the six states.
There have been only eight successful referendums out of 44, with the last constitutional amendment to be carried taking place in 1977
A slapping game gone wrong between a group of boys has landed a Canberra couple in the ACT Magistrates Court.
Key points:
Prosecutors say the man placed one of the boys in a headlock and kicked a second boy in the head
The woman is accused of threatening the boys with violence
The man has been remanded in custody while the woman was granted bail
The court heard the incident began with a game that involved face slapping between the boys, aged 12 and 13, which escalated, causing distress to one of them.
After the boy reported his distress to his mother, 32, and her partner, 31, they accompanied him back to the house where the other boys were, finding them in a bedroom.
Prosecutors told the court the man placed one of the boys in a headlock and, as the pair fell onto a mattress, he kicked a second boy in the head.
Magistrate Glenn Theakston noted there was an allegation he then tried to choke a third boy.
“He placed his hand around the throat of another boy,” Magistrate Theakston told the court, noting the boy was struggling to breathe.
The court heard the boy’s mother made threats, telling the boys “you are screwed.”
She also allegedly told them her partner had “just got out of jail” and “we’ll get you before school”.
“We’ll get people to get you,” she allegedly said.
Prosecutors told the court it was a disproportionate response and a serious example of an assault not befitting parents.
Magistrate Theakston said he would release the woman on bail, given she had not used any force.
“I am hoping she has cooled down,” he said.
But the man has been remanded in custody after the prosecution raised concerns about reoffending.
Magistrate Theakston agreed, and said it was a bizarre assault, which seemed to have been justified by a sense of grievance to do with his partner’s son.
“I’m just not satisfied that bail conditions would [allay] my concerns,” the magistrate said.
The woman has indicated a plea of not guilty and will return to court in October.
