SA Police say “significant” police resources have been deployed near a school in Adelaide’s west following an alleged incident where a student was grabbed by a man.
Key points:
A man allegedly grabbed a girl at Glenelg Primary School
The student managed to escape and gave police a detailed description of the suspect
Police have deployed significant resources to the investigation
The incident at Glenelg Primary School was reported to police about 10am on Tuesday.
Police say a man approached a female student on the first floor of the school’s main building, grabbed her right wrist and pulled her down the stairs.
The girl was able to pull away from his grip before the man ran away.
The man is described as being about 180cm tall, bald and was wearing a knee-length light blue shirt, black pants, a black face mask and carrying a beanie.
The student told detectives the man had purple nail polish on one thumb and was wearing a distinctive black ring with bright dots.
The suspect was also wearing a black twisted bracelet on his wrist as well as two earrings on one of his ears.
Assistant Police Commissioner Scott Duval has dismissed incorrect information shared about the incident.(ABC News: Ethan Rix)
Assistant Police Commissioner Scott Duval said detectives have spoken with staff and students and viewed security footage in the vicinity, but have not found any witnesses.
“So, someone who is not meant to be there, and in this case approaching a student, is really concerning,” he said.
“We have had significant police deployment in the area around the school. The amount of deployment to this investigation is really akin to the type of seriousness we put in it.
“The involvement of the police has not wanted and will not want until we get to a point [where] we’ve exhausted all our investigation, or hopefully arrested the person responsible for this incident.”
The student was not injured during the incident.
Security at Glenelg Primary School after a man allegedly trespassed and grabbed a girl.(ABC News: Chris McLoughlin)
Assistant Commissioner Duval said reports that the man was in the female toilets at the school and chased students were incorrect and “unhelpful.”
“There have been reports of this man going into the female student toilets — I can categorically say that is incorrect,” Assistant Commissioner Duval said.
“There have been other reports that this man chased the student, and again, I say that is not true.
“There were reports that other students, and perhaps staff, witnessed this incident and again I say those reports are untrue and in many respects are not helpful to this investigation.”
He urged anyone who witnessed the incident or may have seen a man matching this description in the area to contact Crime Stoppers.
A review into transitional accommodation for people with disabilities who have been discharged from hospital has found some people are getting stuck at facilities almost permanently, amid reports from patients that they are receiving substandard care.
Key points:
A state government review reveals people with disabilities get stuck in transitional accommodation after hospital discharge
Last week, the ABC revealed complaints from patients at the Repat center
Human Services Minister Nat Cook, who commissioned the review, says the government needs to do better
The State Government ordered a review of the Transition to Home facilities after multiple complaints, including the case of a man known as “Mr D” who was found by ambulance staff in squalid conditions with an infected wound.
Mr D was at a Hampstead facility that has since closed, but the remaining Transition to Home programs at The Repat and St Margaret’s Rehabilitation Hospital have also come under fire for a lack of care, with allegations clients have been left to soil themselves in their wheelchairs .
Last week, the ABC revealed multiple complaints from patients at the Repat Health Precinct, including allegations that patients were being left in their own faeces and had been given the incorrect doses of medication.
Originally designed to help NDIS clients stuck in hospital waiting for support to return home or to permanent accommodation, the independent report has found clients were being referred to the service without a discharge pathway, “resulting in clients being admitted whose length of stay in T2H will most likely to be static, long stay or permanent.”
A man known as Mr D was found by ambulance staff in squalid conditions with an infected wound.(ABC News: Che Chorley)
It found while the expected length of stay in a T2H facility was 90 days, the average length of stay was 207 days. As of June this year the longest stay was 536 days.
Staff and clients told the reviewers that in some cases clients were waiting on simple home modifications, but NDIS requirements to get three quotes, combined with the post COVID-19 market was leading to delays.
Major facility misunderstanding
The report found the centers were designed to operate as step-down facilities, but there were frequent misunderstandings with clients who expect ongoing hospital-level care, a situation exacerbated by their location in a hospital setting.
While both facilities were supposed to be a home-like environment, the report found they had significant limitations including shared rooms with just curtains to separate clients, a lack of storage, limited access to outdoor areas and a lack of amenities like kitchen and laundry facilities. .
The “Robust Unit” at The Repat was singled out for particular criticism.(ABC News: Isabel Dayman)
The so-called “Robust Unit” at The Repat was singled out.
“The new Robust Units … are stark and confronting, and the current bright white color and fit out are unlikely to contribute to calming a person with challenging behaviour,” the report found.
It found St Margaret’s “arrangements are of a much higher standard, although a number of shared rooms impact client privacy and dignity”.
The facilities have already been subject to multiple investigations, including internal audits and an inquiry by the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner.
But the latest report said, “it became evident during the review that corrective actions by management in response to key reports and investigations lack appropriate timeliness and effective resolution of the gaps and risks that were identified.”
That includes a recommendation for a new role of Health Monitor, which still has not been filled because, “the position was advertised and candidates shortlisted, but they then withdrew.”
Instead, the Director of Nursing is overseeing the role, making weekly visits to the facilities.
Previous reports also recommended clients whose hygiene needs could not be met in the T2H centers should be transferred to a more appropriate facility, but the latest review found no evidence that was happening.
It found that intake assessments were often incomplete and inconsistent, risk assessments of clients were incomplete and in some cases clients who do not meet the eligibility criteria were still being admitted.
SA Minister for Human Services Nat Cook says she had long concerns about this issue.(ABCNews)
The state government it said was introducing new intake and referral forms, carrying out both scheduled and ‘spot check’ audits and introducing clearer terms of engagement with NDIS workers who support residents in the facilities.
Human Services Minister Nat Cook said she’s long had concerns about the T2H facilities.
“Complaints brought to my attention before and after coming to government showed we need to do better,” she said.
“I’m confident that the actions we’re taking to address the review’s findings will better support staff to provide a consistent quality service.”
Ms Cook said she was working towards a future where NDIS clients could leave hospital directly into their own homes.
Adelaide Crows’ chairman and chief executive have apologized to former players Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins over their experience at the controversial 2018 pre-season training camp.
Key points:
Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins spoke publicly about what went wrong at the Crows pre-season camp
Crows chairman and chief executive apologize to both players and club members
A SafeWork SA investigation had cleared the field of work safety breaches
Adelaide Football Club chairman John Olsen and chief executive Tim Silvers have penned an open letter to club members and fans after Betts’ released a book last week revealing how confidential information was used to verbally abuse him during the camp.
Former Crows Josh Jenkins and Bryce Gibbs also expressed their disappointment at the camp and how players were sworn to secrecy about what had occurred.
“We apologize to Eddie, Josh and any other player, coach or staff member, who had a negative experience during this time,” Olsen and Silvers wrote.
“It has been confronting to hear Eddie Betts and Josh Jenkins describe their experiences during the 2018 pre-season training camp on the Gold Coast, as well as the subsequent hurt they have carried.
“Equally we are sorry to hear Bryce Gibbs express his disappointment at the way in which the camp and events surrounding it were handled and its impact on the playing group, and we acknowledge there are others who may feel the same way.
“The most important thing we can do now is listen and offer our support.”
Adelaide Crows chief executive Tim Silvers apologized to Eddie Betts last week.(ABC News: Camron Slessor)
Olsen and Silvers said “moving on” as a club would be “difficult”.
“Everyone will do it in their own time and in their own way, and we sincerely hope that, with the passage of time, the healing process can take place,” they wrote.
“We are committed to emerging from this painful and challenging period and getting better.
“While we cannot rewrite history, we remain determined to learn from the past.”
The pair stressed that the club culture had shifted in the past few years, with changes to several leadership positions.
Coach Don Pyke (left) and Crows chairman Rob Chapman (right) have since left the club.(abcnews)
Then-coach Don Pyke, head of football Brett Burton, chairman Rob Chapman and chief executive Andrew Fagan have since left their roles.
The camp was held after Adelaide’s defeat to Richmond in the 2017 Grand Final.
Silvers and AFL boss Gillon McLachlan have apologized to Betts for the hurt caused by the camp amid a potential class action.
Betts’ biography further detailed misappropriate use of Aboriginal rituals while Jenkins claimed details about his upbringing were used against him during the camp, despite him explicitly requested it not be shared.
The AFL and SafeWork SA completed separated investigations and found no breaches to work safety laws.
However, the AFL Players’ Association is contacting all players from the 2018 camp to gain better understanding of the issues that were raised.
Owning a home could soon become a reality for more South Australians with a state-government backed lender lowering their minimum deposit requirements.
Key points:
The HomeStart graduate loan has dropped their minimum deposit from 3 per cent to 2
The scheme is available to South Australians with a Certificate III or higher qualification
The lender is a South Australian government organization providing home loans
Eligible graduates will be able to apply for a home loan with HomeStart Finance with as little as 2 per cent deposit.
Successful applicants will not need to pay lender’s mortgage insurance — required by most lenders if home buyers do not have 20 per cent deposit — potentially shaving off thousands of dollars in upfront costs.
Dwelling prices in July have grown for Adelaide, Perth and Darwin while other Australian major cities dropped as interest rates surge.
Treasurer Stephen Mullighan said the loan could wipe months off savings plans of people trying to buy their first home.
“Rather than South Australians having to spend years and years trying to save 20 per cent deposit to get a loan with one of the big four banks, instead that time is now reduced perhaps to only months,” he said.
SA Treasurer Stephen Mullighan says the loan scheme will open doors for more South Australians into the housing market.
Mr Mullighan said the deposit reduction for the HomeStart scheme would allow low-to-medium income earners an opportunity to compete at auctions.
He said the government was expecting the Adelaide housing market to stabilize as interest rates rise.
“Even though some of the heat is going to be coming out of the market, for the first time we’re going to be seeing South Australians armed properly so they can compete in the market,” he said.
He estimates more than 250,000 South Australians with a Certificate III or higher qualification will be eligible for the scheme.
The previous minimum deposit required for that loan is 3 per cent.
For a $400,000 home, loan applicants will only need to fork out $8,000 in deposit and for a $850,000 price tag, buyers will pay $17,000 instead of $25,500 in deposit.
South Australians will be able to get their homes sooner with HomeStart dropping their minimum deposit requirement.(ABC News: Meagan Dillon)
Electrician Robert Thiel and hospitality worker Beth Mayfield, who are currently renting at Lockleys, say the change will help the couple get into the housing market sooner.
“Any amount you can save as a potential home owner is life-changing,” Ms Mayfield said.
“I never thought it would be possible for myself, to be honest, so it’s really exciting that it might be something really attainable for us.”
Ms Mayfield said her rent has increased in recent months, encouraging her to consider becoming a home owner.
The HomeStart graduate loan will be offered from Tuesday.
When Jasmin Witham started renting in Adelaide, she was forced to make a heartbreaking decision.
Key points:
In South Australia, landlords can deny pets in their rental properties.
The SA government is looking at strengthening laws to allow tenants to have pets
Victoria, Queensland and ACT have strong renter rights regarding pets
In order to move into her new home in Clovelly Park, the 27-year-old would have to give up her kitten, Nina.
Even though more than 60 per cent of South Australian households own a dog or cat, the decision to allow pets in rental properties lies with the landlord.
Property owners can currently refuse tenants’ requests to own a pet and do not have to provide a reason for doing so.
As a result, Ms Witham, who has struggled with rental affordability over the years as a part-time student who lives with bipolar disorder and is on the Disability Support Pension, said she was faced with a difficult choice.
“We approached the landlord and asked to bring the pet with us and they said no, so I wasn’t able to bring my kitten with me to the new house,” Ms Witham said.
“It is still very upsetting, and I don’t see how having a pet or a smaller animal like a cat is detrimental in any way to a property, like if there is any damage there is a bond.”
Nina the cat went to live with Jasmin’s parents instead.(ABC News: Che Chorley)
The South Australian government is currently looking at modernizing the state’s residential tenancies laws which could see tenants allowed to rent with pets.
In 2020, new laws came into effect in Victoria which made it much easier for renters to own a pet.
Now landlords are only allowed to deny a tenant’s request for a pet if they receive approval from the Victorian Civil and Administration Tribunal.
Queensland followed in 2021 by updating its legislation and stripping landlords of the right to refuse pets in rental properties without a reason deemed valid by the state government.
In the ACT, tenants still require consent of the landlord to keep a pet on the property but tenancy agreements can no longer prohibit pets completely.
If the landlord wants to refuse a pet, they have to take it to the Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Shelter SA executive director Alice Clark said the current legislation in place in South Australia is outdated.
“The number of pet rentals that is listed is very low in South Australia so yes I think we should catch up,” Dr Clark said.
“What we don’t want is tenants hiding their pets which we know happens frequently so it would be great to have that all done transparently and responsibly by both sides.”
Jasmin Witham is currently renting in Unley.(ABC News: Che Chorley)
Considering what she could afford, Ms Witham said finding a rental by herself was difficult and even finding a share house was hard.
“It’s difficult to be put onto a lease where a lot of landlords and agencies feel uncomfortable taking people getting social security benefits and will prioritize people in employment,” she said.
As Australia’s housing crisis worsens, Ms Witham hopes South Australia updates its laws to better protect both tenants and landlords.
