Australia news live: family of dead Rottnest pilot mourn ‘self-proclaimed seaplane tragic’; man who found missing hiker shares rescue photos
Family of dead Rottnest pilot mourn ‘self proclaimed “seaplane tragic”’
The family of a pilot killed in a seaplane crash near Rottnest Island have paid tribute to a “dear friend, brother, son and partner” in a fundraising post.
Organiser of the GoFundMe, Angela Cloeraine, wrote the loss of James Sai Meng Wong was “sudden, unexpected and devastating”.
On Tuesday the 7th of January 2025 we lost a dear friend, brother, son and partner in a tragic accident. He was known for his love for adventure, exceptional knowledge on every topic and his passion for seaplanes – a self proclaimed “seaplane tragic”. His trademark skinny jeans and peace signs will never be forgotten.
Consequently, we are hoping to raise funds to support his family and loved ones as they navigate this treacherous time. Any help is greatly appreciated.
The fundraiser had received more than $8,000 of its $10,000 target as of Thursday afternoon.
Key events
Australian retail sales rose 0.8% in November, bolstered by the ever-growing popularity of Black Friday sales, AAP reports.
Turnover lifted across all retail categories over the month, led by a 1.8% bump in department store sales as shoppers rushed to snap up hot deals.
November’s lift followed a 0.5% increase in sales in October and a 0.4% rise in September.
Australian Bureau of Statistics head of business statistics Robert Ewing said Black Friday sales events “proved once again to be a big hit, with widespread discounting and higher spending across all retail industries”.
The popularity of Black Friday sales continues to grow with promotional activity now stretching across the entire month of November, not just solely focused on the Black Friday weekend.
Businesses in food retailing also benefited from sales-induced spending. Food retailing rose 0.5%, while cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services recorded its fourth consecutive monthly increase, lifting 1.5%.
Consumer budgets have been under pressure from higher mortgage repayments and cost-of-living pain but tax cuts, stronger wage growth and lower inflation have been giving incomes a much-needed boost.
Family of dead Rottnest pilot mourn ‘self proclaimed “seaplane tragic”’
The family of a pilot killed in a seaplane crash near Rottnest Island have paid tribute to a “dear friend, brother, son and partner” in a fundraising post.
Organiser of the GoFundMe, Angela Cloeraine, wrote the loss of James Sai Meng Wong was “sudden, unexpected and devastating”.
On Tuesday the 7th of January 2025 we lost a dear friend, brother, son and partner in a tragic accident. He was known for his love for adventure, exceptional knowledge on every topic and his passion for seaplanes – a self proclaimed “seaplane tragic”. His trademark skinny jeans and peace signs will never be forgotten.
Consequently, we are hoping to raise funds to support his family and loved ones as they navigate this treacherous time. Any help is greatly appreciated.
The fundraiser had received more than $8,000 of its $10,000 target as of Thursday afternoon.
Krishani Dhanji
Sixth man charged over alleged conspiracy to murder plot
Organised crime squad detectives have charged a sixth man over an alleged plot to murder a 30-year-old in Sydney.
NSW crime command’s organised crime squad established Strike Force Barralier in December 2023 to investigate the alleged conspiracy.
Five others have already been charged and their cases are before the courts.
The latest arrest of a 32-year-old man was made by detectives this morning during a vehicle stop in Miranda. Officers later searched a home in the Sutherland Shire area and police say items were seized.
The man has been charged with conspire and agreed to murder any person, and was refused bail to appear before the Sutherland local court today.
Hiker who found Hadi Nazari in Kosciuszko says he ‘couldn’t believe it’
Joshua Dart told the ABC about the moment he and his friends hiking in KNP found Hadi Nazari, who had been missing for 13 days.
My mate James looked down towards the shouting and we shouted back. We heard him [Nazari] saying, ‘I need help’…
When we realised it was him, I couldn’t believe it. We were just emotional, we were crying and he was in tears.
Dart says his group had seen the missing persons alert on Wednesday morning, so it was “fresh in our head”.
Nazari was found at 3:15pm that afternoon.
Dart shared a picture to Instagram with Nazari, which you can see here in an earlier blog post.
Krishani Dhanji
‘I campaign every January,’ says PM while travelling through regions
Anthony Albanese has said he wants to represent the whole country, as he travels through regional Australia and visits seats that will be key in the next election.
So far several big-ticket announcements have been made – most notably the $7.2bn to upgrade the Bruce Highway in Queensland. Albanese says:
All of these places I have visited is because as prime minister I want to represent the entire country …
And that’s why we’ve made, I think, a substantial difference with the announcements that we’ve made today.
We don’t make decisions based upon colour-coded maps. There’s been some question about our Bruce Highway commitments. There were 41 deaths last year. It’s Australia’s worst road in terms of fatalities. Something needed to be done.
Albanese’s reference to “colour-coded maps” goes to the “sports rorts scandal” where it was revealed a community sports fund was being used with a bias towards marginal Coalition seats and electorates the party was targeting.
Krishani Dhanji
Anthony Albanese is also asked about the plane crash off the West Australian coast that killed three people.
He says his “heart goes out to family and friends of those who lost their lives”.
When an incident like this occurs, an inquiry is automatically triggered and they will be here. If any lessons can be learned from it then they certainly will be, and will be put in place by the government in the form of any new regulations that are required.
The infrastructure minister, Catherine King, is asked if there’s any cause to ground seaplanes while the investigation is carried out:
There’s no indication of that. We’ll take the advice from the authorities.
You can read more details on the latest of that crash here:
‘Fantastic news’: Albanese responds to Nazari being found in Snowy Mountains
The prime minister says it’s “remarkable” 23-year-old Hadi Nazari was found after 13 days, and thanked emergency service workers and volunteers who helped find him.
I just think that everyone will have jumped for joy, the whole nation at this news. I look forward to reading more about the story and perhaps seeing the movie, the documentary, the other information that will come out of this.
Krishani Dhanji
Anthony Albanese is asked about the devastating fires spreading through Los Angeles.
He says the images will be “triggering” for many Australians who went through the black summer bushfires in 2020.
Albanese says he’s sent a message to the US president offering Australia’s support.
It says something that this is coming into their winter, so this is not a normal event, but more and more we see a pattern where there is a new normal of more extreme weather events and more intensity to them.
It is tragic that has already been a significant loss of life in the United States on the West Coast, and all Australians express our support
Australia resumes lobster exports to China
The prime minister is also touting the resumption of lobster trade to China, a huge industry in WA.
Albanese says the first export of lobsters left Australia for China on Christmas Day:
As of a couple of days ago there had been 565,000 kilograms of live lobster exported into China representing more than 70 separate consignments. That is about jobs.
On making three WA ports first ports of entry, Anthony Albanese says it will make a difference to key industries in the area:
Cotton is an industry that can grow but can only grow if it has the capacity for export. In order to do that you need to have the customs facilities so you can have a seamless export process that boosts productivity. What infrastructure is about is boosting productivity, and the difference we have made in a regional Western Australia is substantial.
Infrastructure minister details further plans for WA housing package
Catherine King is with the Prime Minister in Kununurra.
Housing is a key cost-of-living issue and will be in the spotlight during the election campaign.
King lists several infrastructure projects that will be funded alongside the housing package:
The housing package in particular across the West will support [around] 1400 new homes across the region…
These investments are unlocking the infrastructure to unlock the capacity to build more houses in our region.
Krishani Dhanji
More on Labor’s regional WA housing package
The prime minister has confirmed the $200m will unlock 1367 new homes in regional WA.
These will form part of the government’s housing target of building more than 1.2m homes over five years.
Albanese says the governments housing programs will help people across the state:
It is a plan that envisages and supports investments in more social housing, in more private rentals as well a supporting home ownership through our Help to Buy scheme, a scheme unashamedly model on the successful scheme that is operated here in WA for many decades.
Prime minister announces housing package for regional WA
Krishani Dhanji
Anthony Albanese is continuing his regional tour in key seats across northern Australia, visiting Kununurra where he’s announced $200m of funding for housing and community infrastructure across regional WA.
Also announced was the government’s approval of three ports in northern WA, as first ports of entry, which he says will allow for more direct international shipping.
Albanese told reporters:
This week we have been travelling across Australia, talking about building Australia’s future.
It is about building Australia’s future and at the next election this year, Australians will have a choice between a government that is committed to providing support for all people during tough times, cost-of-living relief while building Australia’s future, and an opposition just committed to negatively going backwards.
Man who found missing hiker shares photos of rescue moment
Joshua Dart, one of the hikers who found missing 23-year-old Hadi Nazari, has posted a series of pictures with the hiker on Instagram.
Nazari, missing since Boxing Day, stumbled upon the group after. Dart posted some pictures with Nazari before he was taken for medical checks.
Thank God we found the missing hiker on our hike in Kosciuszko!
Allow Instagram content?
This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.
Police release footage of person discarding burning clothes after alleged arson in Melbourne
An alleged arsonist had to shed their burning pants after allegedely setting alight a Melbourne fast food business on Christmas morning.
Victoria police said emergency services were called to a blaze at a strip of shops off Doncaster Road in Doncaster East about 2.40am on 25 December.
Police said two people had earlier driven a Toyota Tarago to a fast food outlet in Melbourne’s east where they allegedly poured flammable liquid on the store before starting the fire.
Read the full story here:
Krishani Dhanji
The extraordinary story of Hadi Nazari’s survival in the Snowy Mountains
Police said he survived on water, berries and two muesli bars for 13 days until he was found.
More than 400 people searched for the 23-year-old from Melbourne, until he was ultimately spotted by some hikers.
Earlier in the blog we had more details on the search and how he survived, and Cait Kelly has the full story.
Taliban announce death of Australian ex-hostage who returned to Afghanistan
Taliban authorities announced the death of Australian Jibra’il Omar, who returned to Afghanistan after being kidnapped and held hostage by the group for more than three years, AFP reports.
Omar, originally named Timothy Weeks, was taken hostage in 2016 alongside an American academic as they left the American University in Kabul, where they worked.
Both men were released in 2019 to the custody of US forces in southern Afghanistan in exchange for three high-ranking allies of the Taliban.
Omar had converted to Islam, and changed his name following his release and returned to Kabul in 2022, a year after the Taliban returned to power, the ABC reported.
The Afghan interior ministry said in a statement:
Unfortunately, Australian lecturer Timothy Weeks currently named Jibra’il Omar has passed away of cancer today. He had been suffering from the concern for a long time.
Ben Doherty reported on Omar’s was released in late 2019:
