Brisbane Hustle

Floreat double murder inquest opens with focus on killer's medical care

A coronial inquest into the deaths of Perth mother Jennifer Petelczyc, 59, and her 18-year-old daughter Gretl has begun, with the coroner's primary focus on the medical care provided to their killer, Mark James Bombara, in the lead-up to the fatal shooting.

Bombara, 63, shot and killed the two women at their Berkeley Crescent home in the Perth suburb of Floreat in May 2024. He had gone to the property looking for his estranged wife and daughter. Bombara also made menacing phone calls that triggered a large police response, but when officers arrived both he and Jennifer Petelczyc were already dead. Gretl was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital, where she died a short time later. Bombara died by suicide at the scene.

A pre-inquest hearing in June heard that an expert neurological report on Bombara had been requested, though no details have been provided publicly on his medical history or the reasons behind the request. The five-day inquest is also expected to examine the actions of police officers, the state's gun laws, and how family and domestic violence factored into the events leading up to the killings.

Police failures and gun law reforms

Bombara's daughter, Ariel, had spent weeks warning police that her father had a history of family and domestic violence and posed a real and imminent threat. She and her mother had fled the family home fearing for their lives and had told officers that one of Bombara's 13 legally owned firearms was missing. No action was taken. A subsequent WA Police internal investigation found eight officers did not perform their duty; internal disciplinary action was taken but no officer was dismissed.

• Bombara legally held 11 firearms on a recreational licence and two handguns on a collector's licence.
• WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said in January 2025 that officers "did not correctly assess the risk" and failed to exercise available powers under the Restraining Orders Act and Firearms Act.
• One recommendation from the police report called for a family violence coordinator to be permanently stationed at the state Operations Command centre.

The murders also prompted swift legislative change. Less than a week after the double-murder suicide, the WA Parliament moved to overhaul the state's firearms laws, which are now described as among the toughest in the nation.

Two Katherine retail workers charged after accused shoplifter loses consciousness

Two young retail workers are facing serious assault charges after a man accused of shoplifting at a Katherine store was allegedly punched, kicked, stomped and strangled until he lost consciousness, NT Police say.

According to a police statement, the incident unfolded at 10:35am on Saturday at a store inside a Katherine shopping centre. A 33-year-old man allegedly stole items from the counter area before fleeing the store, with the two employees giving chase.

Workers Catch Up, Assault Alleged

When the 18- and 20-year-old workers caught up with the man a short distance from the store, police allege they carried out a "prolonged physical assault." NT Police said the attack involved:

• Punching, kicking and stomping on the man
• Strangling him until he lost consciousness
• The assault continuing until nearby bystanders intervened to stop it

The 33-year-old was taken to hospital and later discharged. The two store workers were also treated at hospital after allegedly injuring their hands during the incident.

All three men have been remanded in custody and are due to appear before Katherine Local Court. The 33-year-old faces robbery charges, while the two younger men face charges including acts intended to cause serious harm and strangulation. NT Police are urging any witnesses to the incident to come forward.

Police search for teen missing near Walhalla in shorts and boots as snow falls

A 17-year-old boy from the Latrobe Valley has been missing for four days after becoming separated from a friend while camping near Walhalla East in Victoria's east, with authorities now appealing for a couple who encountered his companion on the night he vanished.

William — whose surname has not been released — was camping with another teenager near Stoney Creek Road and T2 Track when he walked a short distance back toward where he had been dropped off to collect an esky, two pillows, a fishing tackle box and a brown tabletop. He did not take his phone. The esky was later found a short way up the track, but William did not return.

Victoria Police Superintendent Melanie Hamshere said the teenager had removed his shirt due to warm conditions on Friday afternoon, expecting only a 20-minute walk. "They'd gotten quite warm so he took his T-shirt off, as boys do, and he walked back up towards the location where he'd been dropped off to pick up some more stuff to bring down," she said. "So at the time he went missing he was only wearing shorts and boots."

Snow, cold snap complicate search efforts

A cold snap brought snow to parts of Victoria's ranges over the weekend. At Mount Baw Baw — roughly 45 minutes' drive north-east of Walhalla — overnight temperatures fell below zero degrees Celsius on both Saturday and Sunday. William's mother, Elizabeth Barclay, told the ABC on Sunday that her son was an inexperienced camper with a poor sense of direction in unfamiliar terrain.

Police have resumed the search this morning and established a staging area at Cowwarr Recreational Reserve. Around 70 people searched on Sunday, supported by a police helicopter, water police and the dog squad. Authorities are now appealing to the public to identify a bearded man and a woman travelling in an older white ute with a black canopy, who helped William's friend after the teenager flagged their vehicle down on Friday night while looking for William. "We're appealing to the public to try and identify that couple," Superintendent Hamshere said.

Three WA regional childcare centres to close, leaving families with 150km daily drives

Families in three south-west Western Australian towns are scrambling for childcare options after provider Uplyft announced it will close centres in Mount Barker, Kojonup and Katanning within months.

Mount Barker, located 370 kilometres south of Perth, will lose one of its two childcare centres by the end of December 2026, with the Katanning centre closing at the same time. The Kojonup service, described by Uplyft chief executive Jo Sadler as an "isolated service" that became unviable following the other two closures, will shut in the first half of 2027. Sadler said the Mount Barker and Katanning closures were driven by lease conditions.

Families face lost income and long commutes

For former police officer turned teacher Julienne Slade, the news was deeply personal. "I couldn't believe it because that's the daycare centre I went to when I was a child," she said. Slade, who returned to her Mount Barker hometown after more than a decade policing rural WA, said the closure will force her family to make difficult choices. "I'll either need to take leave or my husband will have to not work," she said, noting her husband's agricultural work could mean lost income of "up to $5,000 or $6,000 a day" depending on the season.

In Kojonup, mechanic Ryan Colman said his two-year-old attends the Uplyft centre five days a week and that no local alternative exists. "We don't have another option, unless we're driving 80 kilometres return twice a day," he said, adding that rising fuel costs and interest rates were already stretching the family budget.

National trend alarming industry bodies

The closures reflect a broader national picture. Data from the Early Learning and Care Council of Australia shows 152 childcare services permanently closed between 2024 and mid-2026, with a further 276 services at risk of closure by July 2027. Australian Childcare Alliance vice-president Nesha Hutchinson said rising inflation and high running costs were pushing regional services "to the brink of financial viability." "Month by month we're hearing of hundreds of services closing across the country," she said. "It's not going to get any better in the short term."

Nvidia launches independent probe after CEO Jensen Huang admits affair with suspected spy

Technology giant Nvidia has announced an independent investigation after its founder and CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged having a romantic relationship with a woman described as a suspected Chinese spy, following a media report that he had been the target of a foreign intelligence effort.

In a draft memo to staff, cited by Axios and seen by Reuters, Huang wrote: "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did." He addressed his colleagues, board, partners and shareholders directly, stating he had "fallen short" of his responsibility and pledged to work to earn back their confidence. An Nvidia spokesperson confirmed Huang is "committed to continuing to lead NVIDIA as CEO without interruption."

Investigation details and congressional pressure

Nvidia's board said it had no reason to believe US national security or company secrets were compromised, but confirmed its inquiry would examine all available information. The investigation will be overseen by a committee of independent directors assisted by outside independent legal counsel. Huang has said he fully supports the review and is committed to cooperating with it.

The probe follows a New York Times report from October alleging Huang had a close relationship with Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based company Megaspeed, which buys AI chips from Nvidia. US authorities have scrutinised Megaspeed over suspicions it helped Beijing gain access to advanced AI chips barred from shipment to China. Top Republican members of Congress on the US House of Representatives have called on Jensen Huang to brief Congress this month about those allegations.

Apprentice jockey Izzy Neale in critical condition after Warren race fall

Apprentice jockey Izzy Neale, 22, remained in a critical condition at Dubbo Hospital on Monday after suffering a serious fall during a race at Warren on Sunday, prompting Racing NSW to abandon the scheduled meeting at Scone.

Neale's fall occurred during the Cotton Cup (1600m) when the Kieren Hazelton-trained six-year-old gelding Marnoo knuckled over on the home turn near the 400m mark. Neale fell heavily and was unconscious when she was airlifted to Dubbo Hospital. Marnoo was euthanised following a near foreleg injury sustained in the incident.

A second jockey was also caught up in the incident. Diego Montes de Oca, riding Shadow Dane, was dislodged shortly after Neale's fall and transported to Dubbo Hospital by ambulance with a suspected broken foot. The remaining race on the Warren program was abandoned at the time.

Scone meeting cancelled in Neale's honour

Racing NSW announced Monday morning that, following consultation with jockeys and trainers entered at Scone, the day's meeting had been postponed out of respect for Neale. "Izzy remains in Dubbo Hospital in a critical condition, with her family by her side," the Racing NSW statement read. "The thoughts and heartfelt support of Racing NSW and the entire racing community are with Izzy, her family, friends and colleagues during this extremely difficult time."

Neale, who hails from Merriwa, is indentured to Scone trainer Scott Singleton and began her career in February 2024. She has accumulated 88 winners to date, ridden in Sydney on 11 occasions, and recorded a Highway Handicap victory aboard It's A Tata for trainer Brett Robb at Rosehill in July.

Victoria's Big Build royal commission opens with CFMEU and Gap Road in focus

Victoria's long-awaited Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects has opened its first public hearings, with Commissioner Christopher Kourakis AC set to question a string of witnesses over the next two weeks.

The commission is examining the extent of alleged corrupt conduct that infiltrated the Victorian Labor government's Big Build program, how much the state knew about it, and what action was taken. Premier Ben Carroll announced the royal commission on August 20, days after replacing his predecessor Jacinta Allan as Labor leader. Carroll now leads a caretaker government heading into an election less than three weeks away, with his party trailing the Coalition and just two points ahead of One Nation in recent polling.

Gap Road project at centre of opening hearings

The commission's early focus has fallen on the Gap Road level crossing removal project. Workers were initially covered by an enterprise agreement negotiated by the Australian Workers Union, but following a two-day work stoppage on June 6 and 7, 2022, the CFMEU wrested control of the project from the AWU. The rail consortium then acceded to CFMEU demands to employ the union's preferred labour hire firm and its health and safety representatives on site.

Former premier and transport minister Jacinta Allan could be called to give evidence at some stage. Sources previously told this masthead that Allan's office placed implied pressure on the consortium — which included infrastructure firms CPB and John Holland — to work with the CFMEU. One source reportedly said: "We definitely got a call saying: 'Can you work with the union or not? The minister wants to know.'" The consortium demanded that requests be put in writing, after which a meeting with union leader Joe Myles took place and a deal was struck. That deal included the use of B K Labour, a hire firm favoured by the CFMEU whose owners were later charged with financial crimes but avoided conviction, instead being fined $3,000 in court for creating a false document. Allan has steadfastly denied she or her office intervened in the project to support the CFMEU.

Ahead of this week's public hearing block, the commission released figures showing considerable work has already been conducted in private:

• Public submissions received: 28
• Private hearings held: 24
• Notices to produce issued: 121
• Documents received: 110,688

Teen stabbed multiple times outside Casula High School in Sydney's south-west

A 15-year-old boy has been hospitalised after being stabbed outside a Sydney high school as students were arriving for the day.

The teenager was stabbed multiple times in the abdomen outside Casula High School on Monday morning, with emergency services called to Myall Road, Casula at around 8.30am following reports of an assault.

NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the boy at the scene before he was transported to Liverpool Hospital in a serious but stable condition. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Police have established a crime scene and an investigation into the incident is underway. No further details regarding a suspect or the circumstances leading to the stabbing have been released at this stage.