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Almost one in ten Ballarat priests accused of child sex abuse, inquiry told
Almost one in ten priests in the Diocese of Ballarat had allegations of child sexual abuse levelled against them between 1950 and 2010, an inquiry heard. Read here.
Public prosecutor to review SANO evidence against Cardinal Pell
A brief of evidence compiled by detectives investigating claims of sexual abuse made against Ballarat’s Cardinal George Pell has been returned to prosecutors for review. Read here.
Support needed to break cycle of youth crime
A leading welfare advocate says a whole of community approach is critical in curbing Victoria’s youth crime crisis. Read here.
State of the nation
Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.
►Police say the partner of a 20-year-old Victorian woman killed when two jet skis crashed at high speed in waters off the Thai resort island of Phuket will be charged with reckless driving causing death.
► MELBOURNE: A brief of evidence compiled by detectives investigating claims of sexual abuse made against Ballarat’s Cardinal George Pell has been returned to prosecutors for review.
► HUNTER: Children entering kindergarten in 2017 will be old enough to have their own kids in school by the time the state’s education maintenance backlog is caught up, new figures reveal.
Labor has accused the Berejiklian government of failing “a generation of children” after documents released under freedom of information laws revealed there is $775 million in outstanding maintenance on the state’s schools. Read on
► MOUNT ISA: Mount Isa MP Robbie Katter has flagged concerns about the lack of consultation in the North West regarding a Bill investigating the impact of FIFO on communities.
Regional public hearings on the Strong and Sustainable Resource Communities Bill 2016 are set to be held this month but not one of them will be in the North West Minerals Province.
► MUDGEE: A disturbing social media post regarding the death of a number of dogs in Gulgong, has sparked an investigation.
The post on the Mudgee Community Group page claimed – “a Navara Utility, with a canopy, parked in Gulgong - which had four dogs in the back, was left for the majority of the day with no water.”
► BENDIGO: Bill Johnson never expected to be involved in a crash.
The closest the Eaglehawk truck driver of 25 years had come to an accident was attending crash scenes during his volunteer work with the CFA.
So when a car was suddenly coming straight at his truck on the Midland Highway in Goornong on Sunday afternoon, it was unknown territory. Read on
National news
►Conservative MPs are scrambling to prevent a push by Liberal MPs to allow a free vote on same-sex marriage, warning "this is not a fight we should be having now".
The chances of the issue being debated in the partyroom meeting scheduled for this week receded on Monday, swamped by the revelation that South Australian Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi planned to resign as soon as Tuesday and set up a new party.
► An international yachtsman was allegedly duped into the biggest cocaine bust in Australian history when his first mate suddenly changed the co-ordinates of their boat, his wife says.
► A Sydney Uber driver accused of raping a woman in the back seat of his car says she called him handsome and asked to have sex while he protested that he had a family.
► A safe drug-injecting room for Melbourne will be considered by the Andrews government after a spate of overdose deaths.
Political support for the controversial idea is gathering pace amid concern that the government's tough-on-crime approach has taken the focus off harm minimisation.
National weather radar
International news
► WASHINGTON: There's madness in the method of this White House. But what's the objective – is it merely to give Donald Trump's critics whiplash, or is it an opening blitzkrieg of orders and insults that calculatedly defines a new 'normal,' by which the outrageous becomes just irritating?
► INDONESIA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo is slated to visit Australia at the end of this month, with Jakarta confirming its outgoing ambassador Najib Riphat Kesoema had been asked to stay on for the presidential trip.
On this day
The faces of Australia: Emily Ernesti
In October 2014, Emily Ernesti was a regular 13 year old who attended school, hung out with her friends, played sport, and always had a smile on her faces.
Unfortunately Emily’s life was ripped apart when, after several weeks of feeling unwell, a test revealed that she had a brain tumor. Read on