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Google has agreed to pay $60 million in penalties flowing from a long-running court fight with the Australian competition watchdog over the tech giant misleading users on the collection of personal location data.

In April last year, the Federal Court of Australia found Google breached consumer law by misleading some local users into thinking the company was not collecting personal data about their location via mobile devices with Android operating systems.

The case revolved around whether it was sufficiently clear Google would still collect and access location data when a user's location history was set to "off", but their web and app activity setting was "on" by default.

The company was also found in breach of two other consumer laws concerning conduct liable to mislead the public and making misleading representations about a service's performance characteristics.

On Friday, a brief Federal Court hearing was told a $60 million penalty was agreed as "fair and reasonable" between Google and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and that a joint submission had been submitted to Justice Thomas Thawley.

The court heard possible issues still in play were whether the penalty made future conduct "economically irrational" and if the penalty was suitable.

Justice Thawley said he was satisfied the fine was in an appropriate range.

In handing down judgment, Justice Thawley clarified that Google was fined for three breaches of Australian Consumer Law, and that the $60 million total fines comprised two penalties of $10 million and one of $40 million.

The judge ordered that Google pay 50 per cent of the ACCC's court costs up to April 16, 2021.

He also directed Google to review its existing compliance program, make changes where necessary, and monitor the compliance for three years.

ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the court's penalty sends sends a strong message to digital platforms and other businesses not to mislead consumers about how their data is being collected and used.

Google was able to use data collected through the web and app activity setting to target ads to some consumers, even if they had the location history setting turned off.

"Personal location data is sensitive and important to some consumers, and some of the users who saw the representations may have made different choices about the collection, storage and use of their location data if the misleading representations had not been made by Google," Ms Cass-Gottlieb said in a statement.

The ACCC estimated that the users of 1.3 million Google accounts in Australia may have viewed a screen found by the court to have breached consumer law.

Google said the case was about language used in settings from 2017-18 and was amended by the end of 2018, before the ACCC began proceedings.

"We've invested heavily in making location information simple to manage and easy to understand with industry-first tools like auto-delete controls, while significantly minimising the amount of data stored," a spokesperson said in a statement.

"We're committed to making ongoing updates that give users control and transparency, while providing the most helpful products possible."

© AAP 2022

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US actress Anne Heche is "not expected to survive" a severe car crash that left her in a coma, her family says.

Heche suffered "severe anoxic brain injury" and remains in a coma in critical condition due to the incident, which took place last Friday.

The 53-year-old was taken to hospital following the crash in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles.

It comes shortly after the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to the PA news agency the incident was being investigated as a felony driving-under-the-influence (DUI) traffic collision.

An LAPD spokesman said preliminary blood tests had revealed the presence of drugs in Heche's system, but added that additional testing was required to rule out any substances that were administered in the hospital.

Hours later, a statement shared with PA on behalf of her family said the actress was being temporarily kept on life support.

"We want to thank everyone for their kind wishes and prayers for Anne's recovery and thank the dedicated staff and wonderful nurses that cared for Anne at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills hospital," the statement read.

"Unfortunately, due to her accident, Anne Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and remains in a coma, in critical condition. She is not expected to survive," the statement read.

"It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable.

The statement added: "Anne had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit.

"More than her extraordinary talent, she saw spreading kindness and joy as her life's work - especially moving the needle for acceptance of who you love.

"She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light."

Heche is the former partner of US talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres - the pair began dating in 1997 before separating in 2000 - and is known for films including Donnie Brasco, Cedar Rapids and the 1998 Psycho remake.

Pictures and video footage obtained by US media outlet TMZ following the incident showed Heche driving a blue Mini Cooper, which was later pictured severely damaged at the scene.

The vehicle struck a two-storey home and "erupted in heavy fire" according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Almost 60 firefighters took 65 minutes to access, confine and fully extinguish the stubborn flames within the heavily damaged structure, according to an LAFD report.

Heche sustained a "significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation" and "burns that require surgical intervention", a spokeswoman for the actress previously confirmed to PA.

© PAA 2022

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Australian parents are being targeted by cash-seeking fraudsters impersonating their children as part of an emerging text messaging scam.

At least 25 people in Australia have been swindled by the scam since January, Victoria Police's Cybercrime Squad revealed on Friday.

Believed to have originated in Europe, it begins with a WhatsApp or text message along the lines of "Hi Mum, I've changed provider/lost/broken my phone - I'm temporarily using this number for now".

The conversation develops before the impersonator requests money for some kind of emergency, including to purchase a new phone or pay an urgent bill, explaining they are locked out of their online banking account.

They will frequently request another sum of money after the initial transfer or being provided with credit card details.

It appears most of the "Hi Mum" scammers are based overseas and don't know their Australian victims, whose collective losses are estimated to be beyond $2 million.

The scam pulls on the heartstrings of parents, who would react without a second thought if their child needs financial support, Cybercrime Squad Detective Sergeant John Cheyne said.

Parents should ask for verification if they receive a similar message from an unknown number and to come forward if they've been swindled, he said.

"Give the number a call and ask them to prove who they say they are, or call the original number you have saved in your contacts for the person. Alternatively, you could ask them to send a voice note to verify who they are," he said.

"Often, matters of this nature are under reported and that can be for a range of reasons, including fear or embarrassment, and sometimes feeling unsure if an offence has occurred."

© AAP 2022

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Cameron Munster's fullback experiment has catapulted Melbourne back into NRL premiership calculations after the Storm held out ladder-leaders Penrith to win 16-0 at Bluebet Stadium.

Playing at the back for a second week, Munster again starred to help the Storm make their case for an eighth straight season in the NRL's top four.

It came as Penrith's title defence took another hit, with Liam Martin suffering suspected ankle syndesmosis while Moses Leota was later cleared of injury with cramp.

The Panthers are far from panicking, given they sit well clear at the top and were without the injured Jarome Luai, a banged-up Dylan Edwards and suspended pair Nathan Cleary and James Fisher-Harris

But the Storm are a team clearly back in their groove after losing four straight games last month.

Missing Ryan Papenhuyzen, Jahrome Hughes and Felise Kaufusi themselves, they withstood more than 40 play-the-balls in their own 20-metre zone.

Time and time again they turned the Panthers away, becoming the first team to hold Penrith scoreless since way back in June 2015.

The win moved them two points clear of fifth-placed Parramatta and well above them on for-and-against, with the chasing pack one win further back.

Melbourne have to play Brisbane, the Sydney Roosters and Eels on the run home, but now look as if they are ready to match it with any of the trio.

Regular playmaker Munster was again crucial, with Craig Bellamy now considering using him more at fullback with Ryan Papenhuyzen out for the year.

A week after scoring a hat-trick on his return to the No.1 jersey after almost five years, Munster was just as influential in defence as he was in attack against the Panthers.

With Penrith dominating the ball in the second half, he pulled off a crucial try-saver on Brian To'o early on to keep Melbourne's lead at 16-0.

From the next set he was able to swing the momentum in the Storm's favour, breaking downfield to put them on the attack.

"He really enjoys playing fullback because it gives him a bit of freedom," Bellamy said.

"I'm not quite sure that we will stick to Munster at fullback all the time.

"We will probably look at it on our opposition, and what we think the best way to use Munster and (Nick Meaney)'s strengths."

The 27-year-old also had a role to play in the Storm's first try.

Given the freedom to roam at the back, Munster went shortside after a scoreless opening 18 minutes and helped put Justin Olam onto the attack before the centre kicked back for Meaney to score.

Brandon Smith went over from the next set, busting through Martin and Leota from the halfway line to make it 12-0.

Late season recruit David Nofoaluma got Melbourne's third try after a nice Jesse Bromwich offload just before the break, before the Storm held on through a scoreless second half.

"They were very desperate tonight, probably more than we were," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said.

"I felt like there were some combination issues tonight (with the guys out), and when you play a good team and a good defensive unit, it shows up there."

© AAP 2022