The latest national news update from the National Indigenous Radio Service.
Man charged over Gold Coast stabbings
A man will appear in court this morning charged with the attempted murder of two men who were stabbed during an altercation at a Gold Coast home overnight.
The men were stabbed in the upper body and arms and are in a stable condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital after the fight at Helensvale around 10pm last night.
Police say the men knew each other and a fourth man involved is on the run.
Millions still waiting to complete Census
Millions of Australians are still waiting to fill out their Census forms after the Australian Bureau of Statistics website crashed on Tuesday night and rem ains inaccessible this morning.
The ABS has not yet confirmed when the website will be back up and running for millions of households which have yet to complete the compulsory survey.
While the ABS cited foreign hackers as being responsible for the crash, Census minister Michael McCormack yesterday directly contradicted this report, claiming the crash was not due to an attack.
More than two million forms had been successfully submitted and stored before the website crashed, according to the ABS. However, the ABS has confirmed no data has been compromised or lost.
Greyhound bill passes in NSW upper house
Legislation to ban greyhound racing in NSW has passed through the state’s upper house, despite claims the Baird government is being undemocratic.
Liberal MP Duncan Gay successfully sought to declare the government’s Greyhound Racing Prohibition Bill as urgent before introducing the legislation to the upper house late yesterday.
Despite amendments by those opposed to the industry-wide ban, the bill passed through the upper house late last night, and now goes to the lower house for debate, the ABC reports.
Anyone caught organising a greyhound race after July next year will face a maximum $11,000 fine or up to one year in jail under the proposed new laws.
Pedestrian dies following car crash in Qld
A pedestrian has died after being struck by a vehicle in Far North Queensland.
The 31-year-old man was hit by a car as he was crossing Aeroglen Drive in Cairns overnight, police said.
He died at the scene and police are appealing for witnesses to the collision.
Vic man awaits extradition decision
A Melbourne man could be extradited to NSW to join three men charged with importing 140 kilograms of ice methamphetamine from Mexico.
The man, aged 35, is due to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates Court today where a magistrate is expected to rule on an application by commonwealth prosecutors to extradite him to NSW.
He was among four men charged in June after Australian Federal Police seized cargo in Sydney originating from Mexico that allegedly contained 140 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in diesel generators.
130 cannabis plants in Sydney home
A man has been arrested after the discovery of more than 130 cannabis plants growing in a home in Sydney’s south.
Police allege they found cash, dried cannabis and a hydroponic cannabis cultivation set-up along with the plants at the Currans Hill home yesterday afternoon.
A 56-year-old man was charged with various drug offences and will appear at Campbelltown Local Court today.
Invictus Games bid heats up in Qld
New South Wales and Queensland are battling each other to host Prince Harry’s Invictus Games, with potential venues on the Gold Coast being scouted by organisers today.
The Gold Coast is being touted as the perfect destination because of its infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games, which is also being held in 2018.
It’s unclear how much it will cost to host the Invictus Games, but it’s being sold as a priceless opportunity given it will involve a visit from Prince Harry. He created the Invictus Games for wounded or ill armed services personnel, with the first event held in 2014. The winning bid will be announced in September.
