Afternoon Update: Ten says Lehrmann lawsuit ‘deliberately wicked’; Beau Lamarre’s lawyer flags mental health defence; and the return of acai
Welcome, readers, to Afternoon Update.
In submissions to the federal court, released today, Network Ten has argued Bruce Lehrmann should pay all of the network’s legal fees, known as indemnity costs, and estimated to be $8m. The former Liberal staffer lost the defamation case he brought against Ten and Lisa Wilkinson, with the court finding that on the balance of probabilities Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins on a minister’s couch in Parliament House in 2019.
Network Ten told the court that Lehrmann’s decision to sue The Project for defamation was “deliberately wicked and calculated” and an abuse of process. Lehrmann’s submission accepted it was open to the court to order him to pay the costs of the respondents on an indemnity basis, but asked Justice Michael Lee to consider whether he should be compensated for the failure of Ten’s qualified privilege defence in the case.
Top news
PM labels Musk ‘an arrogant billionaire who thinks he is above the law’ | The war of words between X and the Australian government over the platform’s refusal to delete posts linked to the alleged Sydney church stabbing has escalated today, with Anthony Albanese calling Musk “a bloke who’s chosen ego and showing violence over common sense”.
Beau Lamarre’s lawyer suggests murder charges defendable on mental health grounds | John Walford said outside court on Tuesday that the charges against his client – who is accused of murdering Jesse Baird, 26, and Luke Davies, 29 – could be defendable on mental health grounds. The case was adjourned until 18 June after a brief status hearing on Tuesday.
Tiny freshwater Snowy Mountains fish faces extinction | Even on its best days, the Yalmy galaxias is hard to find. The small, native freshwater fish is only known to live in a couple of tributaries of the Snowy River in remote and mountainous East Gippsland. It was last seen in March 2023, when a government survey found 20 survivors. Now it’s “on the verge of disappearing for ever”.
Victoria scraps plans for safe injecting room | A proposed safe injecting room in Melbourne’s CBD has been rejected by the Victorian government, with addiction experts warning the decision will “cost lives”. The government concluded “there was no site that could balance the needs of drug users with the broader community”.
NT government deal to buy Beetaloo Basin gas from US company labelled ‘carbon bomb’ | The Northern Territory government has signed a major deal to buy fracked gas from the Beetaloo basin south of Katherine a year after it gave the green light for production in the region. Climate and First Nations groups have criticised the deal.
Man charged with domestic murder was on bail | A man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend in regional New South Wales while on bail for rape, stalking and cruelty charges against her will remain behind bars. Daniel Billings has been charged with the domestic violence murder of Molly Ticehurst, 28, whose body was found in a Forbes homes in the early hours of Monday.
Australian teenager Arisa Trew named action sportsperson of the year | The 14-year-old skateboarding sensation has become the sole Australian to be honoured at the Laureus Awards after she became the first female skater to land a 720 – two full rotations in mid-air – in competition.
Australia’s first female astronaut graduates | Katherine Bennell-Pegg graduated from a European Space Agency program on Monday night, after taxpayers spent $466,000 to fund her training. But with Bennell-Pegg unlikely to go to space anytime soon, the spend has prompted some questions about what Australia is getting in return for that money and the selection process.
In pictures
Elon Musk – arrogant billionaire or free speech warrior?
Either way it stinks, according to cartoonist Fiona Katauskas.
What they said …
***
“Because heroes are so valorised and so important to our culture, like any other, it’s always a good thing when you can show that heroes are not white or not even Australian citizens.”
Australia’s new race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, has spoken of the importance of recognising heroes from diverse backgrounds after Sydney’s deadly Bondi stabbing attack, like the security guard and Pakistani national Muhammad Taha.
In numbers
In the same period, the amount of victim-survivors seeking apprehended domestic violence orders (ADVO) has increased by 25%.
NSW Legal Aid’s executive director for family law, Alexandra Colquhoun, said the increase in demand is likely due to a combination of factors, including an increase in awareness of domestic violence and reports of domestic violence to police, and the cost of living and housing crisis.
Before bed read
Purple reign: it was big in Australia 15 years ago, so why is acai popular again?
More than a decade after acai bowls reached peak popularity in Australia, the Amazonian berry is back, with a dedicated TikTok fanbase – and a soft-serve makeover.
Daily word game
Today’s starter word is: ENC . You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.
Sign up
If you would like to receive this Afternoon Update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here. And start your day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know. Sign up for our Morning Mail newsletter here.
