Law & order

Two men from Hendon, a north-western suburb of Adelaide, have been taken into custody following an alleged break-in at the Macchia Jewellery store located on Ormerod Street in Naracoorte. According to South Australia Police (SAPOL), the arrests were made as part of ongoing investigations led by Limestone Coast CIB detectives.

As the new Federal Parliament sits for the first time this week, the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) is urging Senators to reject the proposed Super Tax. The NFF and its members have strongly opposed to the Super Tax since the Bill* was introduced in the last Parliament, given the threat it poses to the 17,000 family farms held in self-managed superannuation funds. 

Former prominent NSW Magistrate and Dean of Law at Southern Cross University, Professor David Heilpern has written to the NSW Chief Magistrate challenging new bail laws including a 12-noon cutoff he described as ‘radical’. A new bail division designed to streamline bail hearings across the state and deliver consistency in bail outcomes was introduced on July 7, where 6 virtual courtrooms will cover bail hearings from different regions.

Horsham man Ronald Marks, who worked in kindergartens and child playgroups less than an hour from Naracoorte, has been convicted in the Horsham Magistrate’s Court of accessing child abuse material ... A Wergaia elder whose face was painted on a silo as part of the iconic Sheep Hills silo art, Mr Marks, 74, pleaded guilty to seven charges against him on July 2.

So, you're a police officer in a small Western NSW town, and you've just arrested someone at 10am. Under the new bail system, there's a good chance that person won't see a magistrate until Monday, and you'll be stuck supervising them while emergency calls pile up on your radio ... officers are being pulled off the streets to babysit accused people while magistrates work what appears to be school hours.

Frank Baarda. Living in Yuendumu and having followed the Death in Custody saga, I was looking forward to the Coroner's report. I was not disappointed. A friend forwarded me the pdf, all 683 pages of it … In case you missed it, here are photos of the edged weapon and the stab-wound.

Clarence Valley fishos are concerned the draft Mulloway Harvest Strategy could be extreme and potentially impact tourism but the community has until July 31 to make its feelings heard ... there are fears the Harvest Strategy could prevent taking any Mulloway.

"It matters because, as of December 2022, governments held over 2.5 million megalitres, which is 2,505 gigalitres, of water licences across New South Wales, yet there is no central, transparent record of what has been done with it. There is no way to track trades": Helen Dalton, Member for Murray.

The family of former Hay student Alicia Little have launched an appeal for co-operation between courts across state borders. The family says the Justice for Alicia Little Campaign focuses on urging Australian authorities to work together to roll out a national domestic violence offender database.

Hugh Schuitemaker. One of the Riverland's major irrigation trusts has been left unable to make water trades due to new market reforms. Renmark Irrigation Trust (RIT) has advised new regulations under the Federal Government's water market reform would restrict it from facilitating any water trades of allocation or entitlement between customers for now.

Christine Webster. The owners of a Mount Mary property, who were told by Mid Murray Council they were breaking the law by living on their vacant land in a motorhome and bus, have left the area in frustration ... Mr King believes he and his friend have a right to live on the property in their registered bus and motorhome.

The Nationals' Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland, has slammed new legislation proposed by the Allan Labor Government that would allow government officials and transmission companies to enter private farmland without consent, and hit landholders with steep fines if they object.

Member for Cootamundra, Steph Cooke has introduced the Biodiversity Conservation and Local Land Services Legislation Amendment (Broombush and Blue Mallee Coppicing) Bill 2025 to the NSW Parliament. The bill seeks to amend the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and the Local Land Services Act 2013 to enable the lawful coppicing of broombush and blue mallee in the Bland Shire...

The illegal importation of 62 tonnes of pork and other animal protein from Thailand into Australia proves the urgent need for increased funding and resources for frontline biosecurity services ... a District Court judge sentencing her to a 24-month intensive corrections order and 150 hours of community service ... “The two cases demonstrate that food smugglers can get away with breaching our biosecurity laws too easily and for too long before being found out, and face too small a punishment”: CA Chief Executive, Dr Chris Parker.

Stakeholders call for local government reforms. Many local councils in the MacKillop electorate are facing serious financial strain, struggling to meet community demands while navigating complex partnerships with state and federal governments under the Local Government Act 1999.

Some of Western Australia's most unique reptiles have been rescued from smugglers who were attempting to send them interstate through Perth Airport. In one case, a package containing eight live bobtail lizards destined for Sydney was intercepted, resulting in a $2,500 fine.

Close to 50 names are inscribed on the Truck Driver’s Memorial Wall in South Grafton, a local monument situated alongside the Big River Way ... many expressing their horror via social media at the shocking volumes of rubbish including discarded shopping trolleys, dirty clothing, and general household waste, littering the site.