Received

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 96

Two teenagers fist bumped as they ran away after 17-year-old Jack Beasley was stabbed in the heart on the Gold Coast, a court has heard.

The pair were among five teens - aged between 15 and 18 at the time - who were arrested after Jack died in December 2019, barely two weeks before Christmas.

He was stabbed in Surfers Paradise after the five teenagers started a fight because Jack's group was staring at them, the court was told.

Three teens - who can't be named - pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and two counts of grievous bodily harm when their judge-only trial began in Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday.

Jack's family members including his parents Brett and Belinda asked to leave the court room before CCTV footage was shown of the 2019 fight.

Footage showed their son collapsing outside a store holding his chest and slipping on his own blood while trying to regain his footing during the altercation.

Jack died later that night at Gold Coast Hospital.

"The stab wound penetrated his heart and as a result from the bleeding that followed he suffered a heart attack and died," crown prosecutor Todd Fuller told the court.

A 17-year-old member of Jack's group was stabbed twice in the fight, puncturing a lung and causing "significant internal bleeding".

The five teenagers had a BBQ at Surfers Paradise where the knife was used to cook food before they later noticed Jack's party of eight, Mr Fuller said.

The five teens ran down Surfers Paradise Boulevard pursuing Jack's group before stopping them outside Paradise Towers apartment building and asking why they were staring, the court heard.

Mr Fuller said one of the five teens asked Jack's party: "Do you have an eye problem?"

The court was told the fight broke out after Jack was pushed and reacted by flicking a cigarette at one of the teens.

Mr Fuller said a 15-year-old had a knife tucked in his pants and stabbed Jack and his companion during the altercation before being seen on CCTV footage fist bumping an 18-year-old member of his group as they ran off.

"As they run down the street Your Honour can see they fist pump each other," he said of the footage.

The five teenagers then went to the beach and discarded some clothes before departing.

Defence lawyer Greg McGuire described the incident as a "consensual fight amongst two groups of teenagers".

He said a 15-year-old had "essentially gone off on a frolic all of his own and it all happens very quickly".

A teenager - who was 15 at the time of the incident - last week pleaded guilty to murder and two counts of committing malicious acts with intent.

Last month another teenager - who was 17 at the time - pleaded guilty to manslaughter and two counts of grievous bodily harm.

The trial continues.

© AAP 2022

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 113

Trent Barrett has quit as Canterbury coach after the Bulldogs' poor start to the season which has them bottom of the NRL ladder.

A 16-6 loss to Newcastle on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium in the Magic Round opener proved the final straw for Bulldogs officials, who spent the weekend discussing Barrett's future.

Barrett took the decision out of the board's hands, stepping down from the role effective immediately on Monday morning.

A three paragraph statement from the Bulldogs confirmed the news but gave no indication of the club's future plans.

Speculation Barrett's time at the club was over had increased earlier on Monday morning when the club cancelled a scheduled media opportunity with several players including captain Josh Jackson.

Bulldogs director of football Phil Gould reportedly informed the players of Barrett's decision before cancelling Monday's training session and sending them home.

Barrett leaves Belmore having won just five of 34 matches in charge, despite an expensive recruitment drive that has included the additions of Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton, Tevita Pangai, Matt Dufty and Paul Vaughan.

It's unclear who will be in the coach's seat for Friday's match against Wests Tigers but assistant coach David Furner or NSW Cup coach Michael Potter loom as the most likely candidates to take over in the short term.

Longer term options are thought to he headed by premiership-winning duo Paul Green and Shane Flanagan, whose son Kyle is on the Bulldogs' books.

Others drawing speculation as potential candidates include St Helens coach Kristian Woolf and Cameron Ciraldo, who is an assistant at Penrith, as Barrett was before joining the Bulldogs.

© AAP 2022

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 95

Trent Barrett has quit as Canterbury's NRL coach after a poor start to the 2022 campaign, multiple media reports are claiming.

A 16-6 loss to Newcastle last Friday night had Bulldogs officials spending the weekend discussing Barrett's future with the club last on the ladder after 10 games with just two wins.

Amid the speculation, reports surfaced on Monday morning Barrett had quit the role on Sunday night, leaving the club after just five wins from 34 matches in charge.

Those results came despite an expensive recruitment drive that has included the additions of Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton, Tevita Pangai, Matt Dufty and Paul Vaughan.

The Bulldogs are yet to confirm or deny the reports but there was a strong indication something was happening behind closed doors when the club cancelled a scheduled media opportunity with players on Monday morning.

Barrett's mooted departure has already sparked discussion about possible replacements with premiership-winning duo Shane Flanagan, whose son Kyle is on the Bulldogs' books, and Paul Green thought to be early frontrunners.

Others being speculated as potential candidates include St Helens coach Kristian Woolf and Cameron Ciraldo, who is an assistant at Penrith like Barrett was before joining the Bulldogs.

Canterbury face Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval this Friday before a home game against St George Illawarra at Belmore Sports Ground the following week.

© AAP 2022

Details
Category: Received
Hits: 93

House prices will temporarily go up in the the short term as a result of the Liberal-National coalition's proposed housing policy, a Liberal senator concedes.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison says anyone opposing the plan is doing so because they don't see superannuation as people's own money to use as they want.

"It's your money, it's in your super, you earned it, you saved it," he said on 4BC radio on Monday.

"We want that to be able to help you get in your own home so you don't have to sit on the sidelines and watch house prices rise and run away from you."

Mr Morrison used the Liberal Party's official election campaign launch on Sunday to announce first home buyers will be able to access 40 per cent of their superannuation up to $50,000 to buy a house.

But Liberal campaign spokeswoman Jane Hume said she expected there would be an increase in house prices.

"I would imagine that there would be a lot of people that bring forward their decision to buy a house so I would imagine in the short term you might see a bump in house prices," she told ABC Radio National on Monday.

"But that doesn't play out the long term benefits of more home ownership, fewer people relying on rent ... there are so many factors that play into the housing market."

Labor has attacked the government's new policy allowing first-home buyers to dip into their superannuation to get into the housing market.

Labor campaign spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said even Liberal stalwarts like John Howard, Peter Costello and Malcolm Turnbull opposed the policy.

"You shouldn't have to choose between housing today and poverty in old age," she told the Seven Network on Monday.

"We know that this will push up housing prices, we know it'll mean people have less super to retire on."

The policy includes a requirement for home owners to return the initial super amount withdrawn plus an equivalent proportion of the capital gain or loss when they eventually sell the house.

But the prime minister dodged questions about what would happen if the housing market crashed and people needed to sell at a loss, losing their super investment simultaneously.

Senator Hume said superannuation was about improving the standard of living in retirement.

She said her former Liberal colleagues criticising the plan wanted to hold young people back.

"Why is it always people that own their own house - who actually own pretty big houses - that object to young people who are getting an opportunity to get their first step," she said.

The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees said the coalition's plan would drive up house prices and undermine the core purpose of the super system.

"Using super as a deposit will drive up property prices, leaving Australians with higher debt and depleted retirement savings," AIST CEO Eva Scheerlinck said.

"Superannuation ... is not a piggy bank the government can open at its convenience to avoid dealing with the real systemic issues facing first home buyers."

A McKell Institute report points to a $45,352 increase in the median house price in Sydney and by almost $100,000 in Brisbane, under the policy.

But Master Builders Australia backed the policy, saying it was aligned with the "intent" of superannuation, which was to provide income in retirement.

"People who own their home, particularly in retirement, are significantly more secure financially than those who do not. They enjoy a higher standard of living," CEO Denita Wawn said.

© AAP 2022