Husband of Liberal candidate allegedly attacked
The husband of a Victorian Liberal Party candidate has allegedly been assaulted during a dispute over campaign signs.
Former mining executive Kellie Parker has been appointed as the national armaments director for a five-year term by the Albanese government. She begins her role next month at the new independent defence delivery agency, which was established in response to cost overruns and inefficient project management. Defence Minister Pat Conroy highlighted Parker's experience in driving cultural change at Rio Tinto after the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters in 2020.
Other senior female appointments, such as the first woman to lead the army, Lt Gen Susan Coyle, were also made based on merit and their ability to navigate male-dominated industries with challenging environments for women.
The defence minister, Richard Marles, warned of potential cyber threats as malicious actors exploit AI to find vulnerabilities in systems, urging businesses and critical infrastructure to harden their systems to defend against digital attacks. Female and First Nations public servants have reported experiencing more "egregious forms of abuse" on social media, according to the Secretaries Board.
Steven Kennedy, secretary of the department of the prime minister and cabinet, stated that female public servants and those from First Nations backgrounds often face such abuse.
Victorian Liberal party candidate Amanda Dow's husband was allegedly assaulted during a confrontation over election signs in Mernda. The 59-year-old man has been charged with recklessly causing injury, criminal damage, and unlawful assault. The incident occurred near Abundant Avenue and Bridge Inn Road at around 2pm on the previous day. Police emphasized that the victim was retrieving political campaign signage when the assault happened.
Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie requested an apology from One Nation leader Pauline Hanson for her party's "Please Explain" cartoon that mocked Lambie's medical condition. Despite a public apology from Hanson, Lambie alleged that Hanson had not personally apologized and had not sent a card expressing remorse. Mark Nicholson, who created the cartoon, defended his work, stating that it was his job to "pick on people in the public realm" and he would apologize if deemed necessary. Lambie called for Nicholson to withdraw from the election.
Written by urgent.news from The Guardian Australia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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