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Australia news live: Malarndirri McCarthy calls for calm amid ‘deep grief’ and anger in Alice Springs; Coalition backs gun reforms after Bondi report | Australia news
Malarndirri McCarthy calls for calm after Jefferson Lewis’s arrest
Malarndirri McCarthy, the minister for Indigenous Australians, is speaking on ABC RN this morning after grief and anger ripped through Alice Springs overnight after the arrest of a man in connection with the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby.
McCarthy says there will be meetings with community elders and with Northern Territory this morning, and confirmed that the arrested man, Jefferson Lewis, had been transported to Darwin overnight.
McCarthy said:
There needs to be calm and there needs to be a proper process now in terms of this criminal investigation. And it must not be jeopardised by foolishness in terms of the work that has to be done for police and by police to get this investigation done appropriately.
The police have done a tremendous job here with the Alice Springs community and families, and I totally understand the deep grief that people are experiencing. But, you know, we do now have Mr Lewis in custody and he has been taken to Darwin.
Key events
Dore says the violent incidents last night were not a representation of the true character of the Alice Springs community:
This does not reflect the Alice Springs community or what we’ve seen over the last four days, where we’ve seen extraordinary strength, compassion and cooperation, and that just is marred by these actions last night that are completely unacceptable.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole says he “doesn’t accept” allegations that the police contributed to sparking the violence in Alice Springs last night, and that such allegations are “totally unacceptable”.
The commissioner has been speaking to ABC Alice Springs this morning. He said police had responded to calls about 9.30pm yesterday that Jefferson Lewis had presented himself to a town camp and was being violently assaulted. Police were themselves attacked when they intervened, Dole said.
Luca Ittimani
A man has allegedly stolen nearly $3,000 worth of diesel in jerry cans and drums from a South Sydney service station.
Police said they were told a driver of a white ute allegedly filled large drums and jerry cans with 915 litres of diesel, valued at over $2,870 (or about $3.14 a litre), without paying at about 7.15pm on 11 April.
Officers arrested a 22-year-old man in Goulburn on Thursday issuing him a court attendance notice for a charge of “dishonestly obtain property by deception”.
The man was granted conditional bail to appear before Downing Centre local court on 15 June.
NSW man, 45, charged over alleged online death threats to MPs
Luca Ittimani
A 45-year-old man has been charged over allegedly posting death threats toward politicians online.
Five offensive posts were made on social media in March 2026, with one containing alleged death threats against two members of parliament, the Australian Federal Police said.
AFP investigators said that they linked the alleged posts to the 45-year-old man. Officers on Wednesday searched a property in Bellingen, on the New South Wales mid-north coast, and seized an electronic device.
The man was charged with four counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass and/or cause offence, one count of threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official and one count of using a carriage service to make a threat to kill.
He faces maximum penalties of five, seven, and 10 years’ imprisonment for the alleged offences, respectively.
The man was granted bail on Thursday when he appeared before the NSW bail division court.
Coalition tells Labor to get on with gun reforms after Bondi report
Luca Ittimani
The Coalition will drop its opposition to Labor’s post-Bondi attack gun reforms, frontbencher Jonno Duniam has said, after the laws were backed by the royal commission established after the shooting.
The inquiry’s interim report, released on Thursday, recommended the gun buyback and law reforms be swept through after being held up by state governments.
The federal opposition had voted against the measures in January, saying the government should be focusing on antisemitism, not gun access.
Duniam said on Thursday the opposition’s attitude has now changed. He told the ABC’s 730:
I’d urge my counterpart, Tony Burke and the prime minister, to get on and do what they promised they would, what they’ve passed laws to enable. The ball is in their court.
Yes, they’re working with state and territory governments. I’m not going to give them gratuitous advice. I will call on the [federal] government to do what they said they would, what is recommended in this interim report. We’re not going to stand in the way of that.
Queensland has rejected key recommendations from the Bondi royal commission’s interim report, insisting plans for a national gun buyback will not keep weapons “out of the hands of terrorists and criminals”.
McCarthy calls for community unity after death of Kumanjayi Little Baby
McCarthy reiterated calls for the Alice Springs community to support each other as the investigation continues alongside sorry business.
McCarthy said:
When we were searching for our beautiful little girl here, the whole of Alice Springs came together. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people walked the Todd River. They walked and scoured the bushland and scrub to look for this beautiful girl. And that coming together of this community is what I am going to keep calling for.
We need to stay together as a community, even through this and come out the other side of this. We have a mother still grieving, wanting to bury her child, and let’s be there for her.
Malarndirri McCarthy calls for calm after Jefferson Lewis’s arrest
Malarndirri McCarthy, the minister for Indigenous Australians, is speaking on ABC RN this morning after grief and anger ripped through Alice Springs overnight after the arrest of a man in connection with the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby.
McCarthy says there will be meetings with community elders and with Northern Territory this morning, and confirmed that the arrested man, Jefferson Lewis, had been transported to Darwin overnight.
McCarthy said:
There needs to be calm and there needs to be a proper process now in terms of this criminal investigation. And it must not be jeopardised by foolishness in terms of the work that has to be done for police and by police to get this investigation done appropriately.
The police have done a tremendous job here with the Alice Springs community and families, and I totally understand the deep grief that people are experiencing. But, you know, we do now have Mr Lewis in custody and he has been taken to Darwin.
Stephanie Convery
Thanks so much Martin for kicking us off this morning. I’m Stephanie Convery and I’ll be bringing you live news until mid-afternoon today.
Australia and South Korea issue joint energy statement
Australia has agreed to work together with South Korea to strengthen energy supply chain resilience and to maintain stable, safe and reliable supply of energy resources, including diesel and LNG, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has confirmed after talks in Seoul, Reuters reports.
The two nations announced a joint statement on energy resource security last night that lays out their commitment to “preemptively” cooperate to ensure energy security resilience.
Wong, who also travelled to Japan and China on her current trip, said the Asian region has “disproportionately” felt the impact of the crisis in the Middle East and the closure of the strait of Hormuz.
South Korea is a key energy partner of Australia as the largest supplier of diesel and third-largest source of jet fuel, Wong said. Australia is South Korea’s largest source of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
“We depend on you, and you depend on us,” Wong said, describing the need for close coordination and Australia’s commitment as a reliable supplier of food, energy and other commodities to South Korea.
Rent hikes speed up, adding to RBA inflation worries
Luca Ittimani
House prices may be slowing but rents are rising at their fastest rate since October 2024, adding to inflation pressure before the Reserve Bank’s next interest rate decision on Tuesday.
Advertised prices for new rental listings are rising at their fastest pace since October 2024, with Cotality data showing they picked up 5.7% over the year, including a rise of 0.6% (or about $38) in April alone.
The pace of rent increases for houses had been picking up in every major city except Adelaide until recently. Now even Adelaide is rising, with advertised house rents up 4.2% in the year to April. Perth and Hobart are up 7% and Darwin house rents have risen 8.8%
The tight rental market did not help, with vacancy rates below 1.8% in every capital city, well below the 2010s average of 3.3% of rental stock left vacant.
Rents were one of the biggest non-fuel contributors to inflation hitting 4.6% in the year to March, after rising 3.7% across existing and new tenancies. The Reserve Bank will be weighing up whether inflation is too fast as it considers another interest rate hike next week.
House price growth slows as buyers stick to cheaper homes
Luca Ittimani
Australia’s housing market is growing at its slowest rate for almost 18 months as buyers stick to cheaper properties and abandon interest in the top end of the market.
Figures today from the data firm Cotality show Melbourne and Sydney house prices fell 0.6% in April. Melbourne’s home values have now fallen 1.9% since November, with Sydney’s down 1%.
Prices are still rising at the cheaper end of the market but at a slower pace in both cities. The lower quarter of the market is up 0.1% but outweighed by the top-priced quarter falling 1.2% in April.
Canberra prices stayed flat over the month and Hobart’s rose just 0.2%, with the top quarters of both seeing prices fall.
Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Darwin are still steadily rising but the two-speed market is clear: every capital city is seeing prices rise faster in the bottom quarter of homes than the top quarter.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Stephanie Convery with the main action.
Australia’s housing market is at its slowest for almost 18 months as buyers stick to cheaper properties but rents are rising at their fastest rate since October 2024.
Australia has agreed to work with South Korea to strengthen energy supply chain resilience and to maintain secure supply of energy resources, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has said after talks in Seoul last night.
More coming up.
