NSW police declare critical incident after former Greens candidate injured during Sydney protest
Jordyn Beazley
NSW police has declared a critical incident investigation into the arrest of the former Greens candidate, who has claimed she could lose sight in her right eye and has been charged with resisting arrest.
Hannah Thomas, 35, who ran against the prime minister at the federal election, was arrested at the Belmore protest on Friday, attended by about 60 people. She was subsequently taken to hospital and underwent surgery.
Assistant police commissioner Brett McFadden said on Monday that police declared it a critical incident after police determined “the level of injury warranted a critical incident declaration”.
Critical incident investigations into police conduct are triggered when a death or serious injury has occurred during a person’s interaction with police.
Police said they had requested Thomas’ medical information multiple times before being given the information needed to declare a critical incident.
The investigation will be overseen by the police watchdog, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
Assistant police commissioner Brett McFadden on Monday morning denied any police wrongdoing. McFadden claimed he had reviewed body-worn-camera footage, and it did not show “any misconduct on behalf of my officers”.
Meanwhile, a law firm acting on behalf of several protesters, including Thomas, is considering whether protesters could sue NSW police over alleged excessive use of force.
O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors said it was investigating the viability of launching a legal action against the police.
NSW Greens spokesperson for justice, Sue Higginson, wrote a letter for NSW premier Chris Minns, urging the charges against Thomas and four other protesters be withdrawn.
Key events
The Australian share market has finished higher to round out 2025/26 with a respectable double-digit gain for the financial year, while its quarterly performance was the best since the final quarter of 2020.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Monday finished up 28.1 points, or 0.33%, to 8,542.3, while the broader All Ordinaries gained 29.4 points, or 0.34%, to 8,773.0.
The ASX200 climbed 10.2% over the course of the financial year – or just over 14% on a gross return basis that includes dividends.
The benchmark index also rose 1.3% during the month of June and 8.9% for the June quarter – making the second quarter its best since a 13.3% gain in the fourth quarter of 2020.
The ASX200 is also up 4.7% so far in 2025 – 6.4% including dividends.
The Australian dollar was buying 65.45 US cents, from 65.50 US cents on Friday.
-AAP.
Albanese government must address possible gas shortfalls, opposition says
The opposition has called on a government review into gas regulation to address “imminent shortfall warnings” after an ACCC report released today found possible gas shortfalls for southern states from the end of the year.
The review will look at “key measures introduced by successive governments which have safeguarded Australia’s energy supplies and prices as we build a cleaner, fairer and more reliable energy system”.
In a joint statement, the shadow minister for energy, Dan Tehan, and the shadow minister for resources, Susan McDonald, called on Labor to immediately release new gas acreages for exploration and fast-track approvals of gas projects.
The latest warning on Australia’s gas supply follows confirmation that Labor’s Hydrogen Strategy is in tatters with nearly every proposed green hydrogen project in Australia being shelved or dumped. Instead of action, the government has today announced a review that is already required by regulation.
A review should not be a substitute or delay actions that the government can do right now to bring down power prices and avert gas shortages. Labor has pushed Australia’s gas market to the brink, driven away new investment, stalled job-creating projects across the country, and severely jeopardised our international credentials as a reliable trading partner.
Sydneysiders urged to be alert for measles symptoms
NSW Health is urging Sydneysiders to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after a confirmed case was infectious while visiting several locations in recent weeks.
The case recently returned from Vietnam, where there is a large outbreak of measles, NSW Health said.
They visited Sir Reuben in Rozelle on Sunday, 22 June, between 12 and 1pm and the Concord hospital emergency department from 10.35pm on Saturday, 28 June, until 3.10am.
Sydney Local Health District director of public health, Dr Leena Gupta, said anyone who visited the above locations at those times should monitor for symptoms. The locations did not pose an ongoing risk.
Measles is a vaccine preventable disease that is spread through the air when someone who is infectious coughs or sneezes. Symptoms to watch out for include fever, runny nose, sore eyes and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head to the rest of the body.
It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure, so it’s important for people who visited these locations to look out for symptoms up until 18 July.
NSW police declare critical incident after former Greens candidate injured during Sydney protest
Jordyn Beazley
NSW police has declared a critical incident investigation into the arrest of the former Greens candidate, who has claimed she could lose sight in her right eye and has been charged with resisting arrest.
Hannah Thomas, 35, who ran against the prime minister at the federal election, was arrested at the Belmore protest on Friday, attended by about 60 people. She was subsequently taken to hospital and underwent surgery.
Assistant police commissioner Brett McFadden said on Monday that police declared it a critical incident after police determined “the level of injury warranted a critical incident declaration”.
Critical incident investigations into police conduct are triggered when a death or serious injury has occurred during a person’s interaction with police.
Police said they had requested Thomas’ medical information multiple times before being given the information needed to declare a critical incident.
The investigation will be overseen by the police watchdog, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
Assistant police commissioner Brett McFadden on Monday morning denied any police wrongdoing. McFadden claimed he had reviewed body-worn-camera footage, and it did not show “any misconduct on behalf of my officers”.
Meanwhile, a law firm acting on behalf of several protesters, including Thomas, is considering whether protesters could sue NSW police over alleged excessive use of force.
O’Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors said it was investigating the viability of launching a legal action against the police.
NSW Greens spokesperson for justice, Sue Higginson, wrote a letter for NSW premier Chris Minns, urging the charges against Thomas and four other protesters be withdrawn.
Two killed in separate NSW car accidents
Two people have died in two separate car crashes in New South Wales today.
About 7.30am, emergency services were called to Tweed Valley Way at Tumbulgum following a collision between a hatchback and an SUV.
The driver of the hatchback was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics at the scene, however he was unable to be revived. While yet to be formally identified, she was believed to be 85 years old.
The driver of the SUV – a 43-year-old woman – sustained minor injuries and was taken to Tweed Valley hospital for mandatory testing. A crime scene was established and inquiries were underway.
Elsewhere, a man died in a single-vehicle crash at Henry Parkes Way, about 58kms west of Parks. About 1.15pm, emergency services found a truck had left the roadway and crashed into bushes. The driver – a man believed to be aged in his 70s – was located deceased at the scene.
It comes as NSW police have charged 89 people during a road traffic operation in Sydney, the Illawarra and south coast.
The operation ran on 6pm on Saturday, 28 June until 4am Sunday, with mobile and stationary drug and alcohol testing at locations of serious injury or fatal crashes.
Of 4,850 breath tests conducted, 25 were positive. Of 524 roadside drug tests, 72 were positive, including cannabis, cocaine and meth. About 310 traffic infringements were issued, and 52 speeding infringements, while 42 unauthorised drivers were found.
Autism Awareness Australia Welcomes Grattan Institute’s Call for NDIS Rebalance
Autism Awareness Australia has welcomed a new Grattan report which found the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has grown too big too fast, but four key changes could “save” it while ensuring disabled Australians get the help they need
Nicole Rogerson, CEO of Autism Awareness Australia, said this report was a “timely and critical call for rebalancing a system that has become unsustainable”.
It’s not about spending less, it’s about spending smarter and ensuring that all Australians with disability receive the support they genuinely need, not just those fortunate enough to secure individual packages.
Early intervention isn’t simply an ‘NDIS problem’. It’s about providing crucial, timely support that ensures lifelong positive outcomes for autistic individuals. We must commit to foundational supports immediately, rather than proposing them as future solutions.
Read more about the report here:
Body found in Queensland town of Proston
A man’s body has been found during a search and rescue operation at a dam in the South Burnett region of Queensland.
On 26 June, the operation began after a 74-year-old Glenwood man was reported missing when an inflatable dinghy was located with its motor still running close to the Boondooma Dam’s shoreline in the regional town of Proston.
Water police, SES, aerial assets, dam management and members of the public assisted in the search.
About 12pm this afternoon, the body, believed to be that of the missing man, was located in the water within the search area.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Government announces gas market review
The federal government will undertake a review into gas market regulations in a bid to strengthen domestic supply and the nation’s exports.
The review will look at “key measures introduced by successive governments which have safeguarded Australia’s energy supplies and prices as we build a cleaner, fairer and more reliable energy system”, the energy minister, Chris Bowen and minister for resources, Madeleine King said in a joint statement.
It will also take note of the government’s Future Gas Strategy, released in 2024, which spells out the role gas will play alongside renewables, batteries and pumped hydro.
Today, the ACCC released their latest Gas Inquiry report, confirming that short term gas supply was sufficient, with the need for further investment in the longer term.
As part of the review, the government will also consider the role of various market bodies, and “how best to encourage sustainable investment that improves the supply outlook and puts downwards pressure on prices”.
Bowen said gas had an “important role to play in our energy system as we transition towards 82% renewables”.
Unlike coal, gas power generators can be turned on and off in a couple of minutes – providing the ultimate backstop in our energy grid.
It’s critical that we use this review get the settings right in our gas market, ensuring we are securing affordable Australian gas for Australian use, while remaining a reliable energy exporter and delivering lasting energy security in our region.
Finally, Albanese was asked about potential broader tax reform in this term of government, as has been floated by the treasurer.
As to whether there was an appetite for Labor to go further, Albanese said during the last term the government had implemented “significant reform”.
We changed some of the taxation arrangements on resource companies, for example, that delivered an additional $2bn of revenue. We changed the stage-three tax cuts that had been legislated to make them fair and make sure everyone got a tax cut.
So we will wait, we do not want to get into – as the treasurer said – the rule-in rule-out game, what we want is a mature conversation. If people have ideas, then they are entitled to put them forward and to have them considered and that of course must by definition include how they will be received by the Australian public.
Pressed on if Labor would “take any big tax changes to the next election or try to legislate them before”, Albanese replied:
Patricia, we’ve just been through one election campaign, give us a break. We haven’t had parliament sit yet.
Last week, the shadow minister Andrew Hastie called for “greater transparency” about America’s growing military presence in Australia. Asked if he agreed with those comments, Albanese said “I’m not sure what he meant by that”.
The shadow minister for water belongs to a political party that during the election campaign, when president Trump announced tariffs on what he called liberation day, they … said we should be bargaining with our defence relationship. That was something that I rejected.
Our key is to avoid conflict. That is what we want to see. We want to see a reduction in conflict around the world.
Asked if that made Australia “more vulnerable” if we were expanding the military presence of the US in Australia, Albanese replied:
We have an alliance with the United States and that is an important part of our defence and international relationship and it is one I support.
It is of benefit to Australia that that alliance be in place. We have been partners with the United States since John Curtin, another Labor prime minister, turned to the United States during the Second World War.
Turning to defence spending. The federal government has made it clear it won’t offer a percentage of GDP increase in defence spending despite pressure from the Trump administration.
When we are negotiating with the US, who wants allies to be spending more … would you accept the cost of the upgrade of the submarine base to make the point we are investing more? Is that something you will be pointing out?
Albanese said the Australian government would point out that “we have increased our investment by some $57bn over 10 years, over the medium term and more than $10bn in addition to that”.
The United States … includes some funding for roads and bridges as part of their defence expenditure. We have not done that in Australia and I note that even under the agreement struck by both countries last week and Nato, they were speaking about 1.5% of the 5% being on related issues of infrastructure and others.
Now, that is not something that Australia does. What we will do is what I have said very clearly. We will invest in whatever capability Australia needs to defend ourselves and that is the way that you make sure that you maximise the defence of this country … If you look at what we inherited, which was a former government that thought it could defend Australia with a media release rather than with actual assets, we have turned that around.