Daily News Roundup

 

MONDAY SEPT 28

Dreamworld’s parent company Ardent Leisure has been fined $3.6 million over the deaths of four people on the Thunder River Rapids Ride in 2016.

Ardent Leisure pleaded guilty to three breaches of workplace health and safety laws.

The maximum penalty for each breach is $1.5 million — $4.5 million in total.

Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi died when their raft collided with an empty raft and flipped in October 2016.

Earlier today, the Southport Magistrates Court heard emotional victims impact statements from the family of victims, including a teenager who saw her mother and two uncles killed on the Dreamworld ride four years ago.

Ebony Turner was 12 when she witnessed the deadly accident on the Thunder River Rapids Ride in 2016.

The teenager has been accompanied by Kim Dorsett, who is her grandmother and the mother of ride victims Kate Godchild and Luke Dorsett.

Mr Dorsett’s partner Roozi Araghi and Cindy Low also died when their raft collided with an empty raft and flipped.

Ms Dorsett gave a victim impact statement at the theme park’s sentencing at Southport Magistrates Court this morning.

She recounted the moment when she saw her granddaughter Ebony at the police station after being told about the tragedy.

“Ebony had survived the accident and was hysterical trying to tell of the events that had taken place that afternoon,” Ms Dorsett told the court.

“I couldn’t find Mummy.“These words have become a recurring nightmare, words that will be with me until I too take my last breath.”

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Premier Daniel Andrews says Victoria is “so close” to being able to take a “really big step” towards COVID-normal, as the state records its lowest daily case increase in more than three months.

Five new cases were recorded overnight, the state’s lowest daily case increase since June 12, when four cases were recorded.

The state has also recorded three more deaths linked to aged care outbreaks: a man in his 60s, a woman in her 80s and a man in his 90s.

Melbourne’s 14-day daily new case average has dropped to 20.3 from 22.1 overnight while regional Victoria’s 14-day average remains at 0.6.

Mr Andrews said the state was “so, so close” to defeating the second wave.

“We are so close to being able to take a really big step, a big step towards that COVID-normal,” he said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned people not to be “lulled into a false 

It’s the second consecutive day no new cases have been found in the state.

Ms Berejiklian said she was again “worried” that testing numbers were lower than expected yesterday, at 6,353.

Roughly twice the number of tests were carried out on Saturday, at 12,333.

“Yes, it’s the weekend and we expect a dip but can I please encourage everybody not to get complacent,” she said.

“If you’re with the family in school holidays, if you’re at a venue or you’re enjoying the outdoors, please note, the threat of the virus is still around us.”

Queensland has recorded zero new cases of coronavirus overnight, leaving eight active cases across the state.

Testing numbers were down to 1,800 overnight prompting authorities to encourage anyone with any symptoms to be tested.

It has now been 18 days since Queensland last recorded a case that posed a risk of community transmission.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk congratulated Queensland for that achievement.

“This is fantastic news,” she said.

“I think it gives Queenslanders the confidence they need to get out there during school holidays and make the most of it.

“We still want to see our test results higher, if we can.

“Once again, if anyone has symptoms they should go and get tested.”

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US President Donald Trump paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the last 15 years, tax return data obtained by the New York Times shows.

Mr Trump, who has fiercely guarded his tax filings and is the only President in modern times not to make them public, also paid just $US750 ($1064) in taxes in 2016 when he was elected, and in his first year in the White House.

He campaigned for office as a billionaire real estate mogul and successful businessman.

Speaking at a news conference at the White House, Mr Trump dismissed the report as “fake news” and said he had paid taxes, but gave no specifics.

The disclosure, which the New York Times said came from two decades’ worth of tax return data, comes at a pivotal moment ahead of the first presidential debate on Wednesday and weeks before a divisive election against Democratic rival Joe Biden.

The President vowed information about his taxes “will all be revealed”.

But he offered no timeline for the disclosure and made similar promises during the 2016 election campaign without ever following through.

In fact, even as early as 2014 Mr Trump told reporters he would make his tax returns public if he ran for office.