"The pain inside is very big." Aiia Maasarwe's father cries outside court after her killer is sentenced to 36 years, & more in News in 5.

-With AAP.

1. “The pain inside is very big.” Aiia Maasarwe’s father cries outside court after her killer is sentenced to 36 years.

On Tuesday, Codey Herrmann was sentenced to at least 30 years in jail for the rape and murder of 21-year-old Aiia Maasarwe.

He was sentenced in the Supreme Court of Victoria after he admitted to repeatedly beating the international student with a metal pole before he raped her, and set her body on fire, in Melbourne earlier this year. He will be eligible for parole in 2049.

Ms Maasarwe’s father Saeed and other relatives, who travelled from Israel for the sentencing, sobbed in court as details of the killing were read out.

The family were seated in front of Herrmann in the courtroom and according to the ABC, Aiia’s sister Noor Maasarwe turned to see her sister’s rapist and murderer and glared at him.

Outside court, Aiia’s father Saeed Maasarwe spoke to media as he fought back tears, while thanking the public for their support. He also said that the Australian Government should do more to protect women on the streets.

“The pain inside is very big,” he said.

"She was happy, she was inquisitive, she liked to help anyone. She liked all people. This is how I remember Aiia."

Maasarwe added that "revenge" was not the family's focus.

"This is not our compass, this is not our focus, but to care for the society, for the people, for the ladies [to be able to] go out and go back home."

Asked about Herrmann, he said: "We lose Aiia, it doesn't matter if I look at him".

In court, Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth said Herrmann's victim, like all women, should have been be able to walk the streets of Melbourne in safety.

"Women should be free to walk the streets alone without fear of being violently attacked by a stranger.

Herrmann was sentenced to 36 years behind bars and must spend at least 30 years in prison before being eligible for release on parole.

2. An outreach worker linked to Melbourne's controversial supervised injecting room is accused of being part of a drug ring trafficking heroin.

An outreach worker linked to Melbourne's controversial supervised injecting room is accused of being part of a drug ring trafficking heroin.

Matthew Honey appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with trafficking heroin and conspiring with others to traffic the drug.

The 49-year-old was among five who faced court for trafficking heroin in the Richmond area.

The outreach worker is barred from going within 50m of the Richmond safe injecting facility unless he is attending an appointment with his nearby doctor.

"He's someone who is on the methadone program," lawyer Rob Melasecca told the court.

He must notify police if he has a medical appointment.

Honey must also report to police each weekday and must not associate with his co-accused.

Burnside Heights pair Thi Ngo, 43 and Chia Van Truong have also appeared in court charged with trafficking heroin and conspiring with others to traffic the drug.

They were arrested and charged during the same operation that nabbed Honey.

Truong, wearing a Tommy Hilfiger tracksuit, limped into court and her lawyer said she was in "a considerable amount of pain" after surgery.

Both Truong and Ngo are on bail and have been banned from going to Richmond, must report to police daily and are not allowed to associate with co-accused except each other.

Richmond woman Jodie Keasey, 49, is also charged with trafficking heroin and conspiracy offences, along with possessing heroin and $3675 cash believed to be the proceeds of crime.

Michael Tran, 35, faced court on Tuesday after he refused to do so on Friday and is charged with trafficking and conspiracy charges.

The group was charged as part of Operation Sievers, a three-month investigation targeting drug trafficking in Richmond.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he has no plans to prematurely close the centre, which is nearing the end of a two-year trial.

"Last week was a real low point, however the facility remains open. It is playing its role. It is saving lives," he told reporters.

North Richmond Community Health CEO Demos Krouskos was stood aside following the arrests as the state government announced an urgent inquiry.

"Once the police are clear of their inquiries, (the health department) will look very carefully at what has gone on and whether there is any changes that can be made to the governance of either the safe injecting facility or the north Richmond community health centre," Mr Andrews said.

A review of the trial is due in June 2020.

The accused drug traffickers are expected back in court in February.

3. The NRL has stood down Manly's Manase Fainu over an alleged stabbing.

Manly hooker Manase Fainu has been stood down by the NRL after being charged over an alleged stabbing during a brawl at a Mormon church function.

Fainu was charged with three offences relating to an altercation at a church dance in Sydney's southwest on Friday night, with police alleging he produced a knife and stabbed a man.

The 21-year-old could spend at least the next seven weeks behind bars after being denied bail when he appeared in the Liverpool Local Court on Tuesday.

He is listed to return for a committal hearing via video link on December 16.

Fainu's legal team indicated outside court he will strenuously deny the charges after handing himself in to Liverpool police on Tuesday morning.

The most serious charge - intent to cause grievous bodily harm - carries a maximum sentence of 25 years - well above the 11-year minimum which sees players automatically stood down by the NRL.

"Given the charges, Manase Fainu is automatically subject to the no-fault stand down rule, which will remain in place until the outcome of the court proceedings," said NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg.

Manly agreed with the stand down via a statement.

"The club accepts and endorses this decision and will continue to support the well-being of Manase and his family," it read.

The incident signals another grim start to a NRL off-season, following last year's summer from hell.

The NRL were forced to bring in the no-fault policy after a string of incidents, including NSW and St George Illawarra forward Jack de Belin's sexual assault charges.

Fainu is the fourth player to be stood down under the rule, meaning he can still train if he is released on bail but is unable to play until court proceedings are complete.

Police documents submitted in court on Tuesday said Fainu is "suspected to be a member of a Pacific Islander criminal group" and there was "an unacceptable risk" he would commit another serious offence, endanger the victim or interfere with evidence if granted bail.

His absence could shape as a massive blow for the Sea Eagles' 2020 campaign.

They released Apisai Koroisau at the end of last season so Fainu could assume the dummy half role - no other member of the Sea Eagles squad has ever started at hooker.

Zach Dockar-Clay and Lachlan Croker are lower grade options already in the Manly system.

Otherwise Issac Luke, Kurt Baptiste and Michael Lichaa shape as experienced alternatives for next season.

Luke is expected to join St George Illawarra and Lichaa struggled for form under Des Hasler while playing at Canterbury.

Greenberg said the incident served as another warning for players to behave during the off-season.

"Make good decisions and hold yourself accountable," he said.

4. New Zealand seeks 'like-minded' friends for Pacific.

The New Zealand government has tip-toed around the greater geopolitical battle for control of the Pacific in a major defence framework released on Tuesday.

A substantial update on the much-trumpeted 'Pacific Reset' of last year, Defence Minister Ron Mark on Tuesday unveiled the 'Advancing Pacific Partnerships' Defence Assessment in Wellington.

Responding to humanitarian assistance and providing disaster relief is a top-line priority, recognising climate change as the region's biggest threat.

But there's not one reference to China, the strategic counterweight to the United States, in the 32-page document.

Beijing was reportedly less than enthused with a Kiwi policy statement last year which singled out their growing interest in the region.

In the place of direct references to the world's most populous nation, there is an emphasis on partnering with "like-minded" nations to prevent "disrupters" such as climate change, transnational organised crime, and resource competition.

"Greater competition for influence in the Pacific will intersect with this suite of complex disrupters," the paper reads.

"External actors seeking to enhance their regional presence may leverage these issues as vectors of influence."

Graeme Smith, an Australian National University fellow specialising in China in the Pacific, said it was very clear who like-minded nations were - and weren't.

"Like-minded partners are what you'd call Western liberal democracies. That would include Australia, also the US, Japan, India and England who are coming back into the Pacific," he said.

"The paper itself is fairly open about the emergence of geopolitical competition and that very clearly is about the United States and China.

"But the reluctance to mention anyone by name is a shift."

New Zealand counts the United States as a defence ally, and is a member of the 'Five Eyes' intelligence alliance which adds Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada.

The New Zealand Defence Force has a goal of having operational capacity within the Pacific on par with its own territory.

Smith said he identified a focus on humanitarian responses and capacity-building.

"There's been a shift towards the concept of human security (worldwide) and that's really become mainstream," he said.

"There's also real emphasis on gender ... and on developing Pacific leadership.

"To be present and respond is the catchphrase.

"That's an indication of their direction and where they think the needs of the Pacific are; responding to the increased frequency of disasters as a result of climate change, and the value-add (New Zealand) can provide, after instability caused by natural disasters or internal political turmoil."

5. Shark bites off man's foot in Queensland attack.

An English backpacker has had his foot bitten off by a shark which also attacked his friend in Queensland's Whitsunday Islands.

The men, aged 22 and 28, were snorkelling from a tourist boat near Airlie Beach when they were attacked one after the other in Hook Passage on Tuesday morning.

Queensland Ambulance Service's Tracey Eastwick said after biting the first man, the shark then circled back to attack the second at the popular spot 11km from Cid Harbour.

The 28-year-old's right foot was bitten off and the younger man's right calf was lacerated in the sixth shark attack in the area in just over a year.

They were among 20 people on board a ZigZag Whitsundays tourist boat but it remains unclear how many were in the water at the time, or what type of shark mauled the men.

The crew made an emergency call before heading to an Airlie Beach marina as two German paramedics applied tourniquets and gave first aid.

The pair were conscious as they were given pain relief before being transported to Mackay Base Hospital by the RACQ rescue helicopter.

They arrived in a serious but stable condition, with non life-threatening injuries.

ZigZag thanked emergency services for their immediate response.

"We are saddened to confirm that two of our guests were injured in a shark attack this morning. Our thoughts are with them, their families and the other guests on the tour," they said in a statement.

The Whitsundays region has been the site of five other shark attacks since last September.

Victorian Daniel Christidis, 33, was fatally attacked last November at Cid Harbour during a trip with friends and colleagues.

That incident followed separate attacks within 24 hours in September at Cid Harbour on Tasmanian Justine Barwick and 12-year-old Victorian Hannah Papps.

In October 2018, a fisherman was bitten on his shoulder as he hauled a reef shark into his boat.

Earlier this year a man was bitten on the thigh at Hardy Reef, about 50km northeast of Hamilton Island.

The attack on the backpackers has revived debate about how to protect people from sharks in their habitat.

Whitsunday MP Jason Costigan believes governments at all levels are failing to protect locals and tourists.

"We are going to have more and more of this happening until governments put public safety as their number one priority," he told AAP.

He wants Queensland's controversial shark control program - which has drum lines to catch sharks along parts of the coast - beefed up and extended.

Neither Hook Passage nor Airlie Beach have ever been part of the shark control program.

Drum lines were removed from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park earlier this year after the Humane Society successfully challenged the program in that federally-controlled area.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wants the federal government to change laws to allow drum lines back in the park.

In the meantime, 32 more drum lines have been installed just outside the boundaries of the Great Barrier Reef park.

The Humane Society International said culling does not make swimmers safe.

"Installing more traditional drumlines to cull sharks is an ineffective knee jerk reaction. It doesn't work. The science on this is crystal clear," the organisation said.