news

Monday's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up the biggest news stories from Australia and around the world — so you don’t have to go searching.

1. A teenage boy has died after falling several storeys at Sydney’s QVB.

A 13-year-old boy who fell four storeys after sliding down a railing of the Queen Victoria building died around 5.30 on Sunday evening after being taken to Emergency at Sydney Children’s Hospital.

Image via Twitter.

The teenager slid down the railing on the 4th floor of the historic building and fell about 30m to the ground.

The boy, who is yet to be named, has been described as “beautiful” and “much-loved” by a friend of the family.

Image via Twitter.

He came from a “fabulous, very upstanding family who will be devastated beyond words at this time,” Fairfax Media was told.

 

2. Refuges housing domestic violence survivors are increasingly being discovered using “stalker apps”.

Support workers in domestic violence safe houses say victims are increasingly being forced to look over their shoulders as their abusers find new and innovative ways to track them down.

Social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter make it easier than ever to track a person’s whereabouts, while smart transit tickets like Go Cards and Opal Cards can also be tracked.

Related: If your friend’s receiving abusive text messages, show her this.

ABC News reports one survivor of domestic violence was even tracked using a crude GPS system placed inside a doll her ex-husband had gifted to her daughter. She was told by police that no charges could be laid given that the toy was a gift from her abuser to his own child.

3. Labor’s Right considers adopting Liberal’s turn-back policy for asylum seeker boats.

The Labor Right is mounting a campaign to convince the party to adopt the Liberal’s turn-back policy for asylum seeker boats, with Labour frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon telling Sky News that turn-backs should be “part of the policy toolkit”.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I think that there’s a powerful argument that you need a whole range of tools to ensure that the flows don’t begin again,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

“I think that there’s a powerful argument that you need a whole range of tools to ensure that the flows don’t begin again,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

“Now, one of those tools currently is boat turn-backs. Personally I believe turn-backs will remain part of Labor policy.”

Fitzgibbon’s views are likely to be vehemently disputed at the party’s National conference in late July, with the Labor Left seeking to dismantle the current government’s offshore detention policy entirely.

4. Women are becoming pregnant on new ‘dieting tea’.

Women are reporting unplanned pregnancies after sipping a ‘detox’ tea intended for weight loss — with the tea said to counteract the contraceptive pill.

Daily Mail reports the tea, ‘Bootea,’ has a laxative effect that can stop the Pill from being absorbed — and now, some users are angry the tea doesn’t carry a warning about its effect on the pill.

5. Belle Gibson finally speaks.

Disgraced ‘wellness guru’ Belle Gibson has given a 60 Minutes interview talking about the web of lies uncovered earlier this year.

Earlier this year The Whole Pantry founder was forced to admit that she lied about miraculously beating brain cancer by adopting a natural diet.

In April, The Whole Pantry founder was forced to admit that she lied about miraculously beating brain cancer by adopting a natural diet.

Speaking to 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown in an episode screened last night, Gibson refused to admit she was a pathological liar, and insisted she didn’t deceive her followers or the public — instead arguing that she herself was deceived.

To read about the interview in detail, read this post.

ADVERTISEMENT

6. Sexual assault is on the rise among young people.

An increase in sexual abuse among young people can be linked to online pornography, an expert has found.

Dale Tolliday from New Street Services — a clinic helping sexual offenders aged 10 to 17 — says the number of sexual offences committed by people in this age group has risen 11 per cent every year in the past five years.

Here's the thing
Image: iStock.

Mr Tolliday also found that while children who were abused themselves were most likely to engage in similar behaviour at a young age, now 60 per cent of abusers were never abused.

Mr Tolliday also found that peer sexual assault is now more likely to involve penetration than before, Fairfax Media reports.

ADVERTISEMENT

From this, Mr Tolliday believes these behaviours may be taught from pornographic material that is widely accessible to young people online.

7.  Strict laws will stop the reporting of abuse in detention centres.

New laws could prevent the reporting of child abuse in detention centres, VICE reports.

The Border Force Protection Act means those who work in detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island could face up to two years in prison for reporting abuse.

The Act prohibits “entrusted persons” — “so that’s doctors, nurses, psychologists, teachers, counsellors, security staff, maintenance workers, or anyone who has signed a government contract,” as VICE explains — from speaking about anything that occurs in the detention centres.

Asylum Seekers rights groups say the strict laws are an attempt to silence whistleblowers.

The Act will come into effect on  July 1.

8. The mafia has penetrated Australian politics.

The mafia has infiltrated Australian politics, new reports have revealed.

The Calabrian mafia known as the ‘Ndrangheta’ are believed to be behind powerful party donors, and may even have been present in the offices of some politicians.

Man in the Shadows with handgun, on natural wooden background, with space for text or image.
Image: iStock.
ADVERTISEMENT

A year-long investigation conducted by ABC’s Four Corners and Fairfax Media has found mafia figures have met with former Prime Minister John Howard, and also potentially infiltrated the staff of former Liberal MP Amanda Vanstone.

The media organisations also believe that the group are powerful lobbyists who have managed to sway the political agenda in their favour.

According to Fairfax Media, a police report warned mafia-linked personnel had entered “the social and professional world of public officials and through legitimate processes [were able to acheive] influence.”

Four Corners will explore the subject at 8.30 tonight on the ABC.

Do you have a news tip? Email news@mamamia.com.au

[post_snippet id=324408]