It was easy for Raymond Noel Lindsay Thomas to "light up a room", his father says, as the Indigenous man was over two metres tall.

At the final day of an inquest into Raymond Noel's death following a high-speed police chase in suburban Melbourne, Uncle Ray said his son was a "beautiful " and "kind-hearted" man who was protective of his family, friends and community.

"Whenever he walked into a room he would light it up, because he was six-foot-eight," Uncle Ray told reporters outside the Victorian Coroners Court on Friday.

"He was affectionately referred to around the family and the community as the 'gentle giant'. He is deeply missed by us.

"This hole in our heart will never heal - it will be there forever."

Raymond Noel was killed just 21 seconds after the start of a high-speed police chase in June 2017.

The high-performance patrol car that pursued him accelerated from zero to 103km/h in five seconds and reached a top speed of more than 150 km/h during the incident.

Raymond Noel had left his house to buy cake mix and some chocolate from a Preston supermarket.

The 30-year-old Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Wiradjuri man had not been drinking or taking drugs and a police officer said there was "nothing about the driving that gave him any suspicions".

But he had been driving an unregistered vehicle with interstate plates in an area known to police as a criminal hotspot.

Sergeant John Sybenga, who was behind the wheel, said the reason he chose to pursue Raymond Noel was "hard to sum up" but he thought the car was "worth looking at".

"It was just dodgy," Sgt Sybenga told the inquest.

The officer was "at no time aware of his speed", counsel assisting Michael Rivette said.

Raymond Noel hit several parked cars before colliding with an oncoming vehicle driven by a man who was physically unharmed.

He was thrown from the car and suffered fatal injuries.

His father has now called for changes in Victoria Police pursuit policy before the final day of his son's inquest.

"We demand justice for Raymond and hope for changes of the police pursuit policies, so this doesn't happen to any other family," Uncle Ray said.

"We want those responsible to be held accountable and for them to realise the grief and trauma that they have caused through their actions in the pursuit on that night.

"The pain and suffering we are going through, we will go through for the rest of our lives."

Raymond Noel's death occurred after Victoria Police introduced a new pursuits policy in 2016, following a series of recommendations from coroner John Olle.

His recommendations followed an inquest into the deaths of teenagers Sarah Booth, 17, in 2006 and Jason Kumar, 15, in 2009.

The inquest examined the circumstances and appropriateness of the decision to follow Raymond Noel's vehicle, and of the decision by officers to instigate a pursuit.

It looked at whether the decision, having been made, was in compliance with the 2016 pursuit policy and the adequacy of Victoria Police's methods of ensuring officers involved in pursuits are trained and equipped to comply with the policy.

The court previously heard the two officers involved in the pursuit, Sgt Sybenga and Senior Constable Deborah McFarlane, were experienced and licensed to drive at unlimited speeds.

The inquest continues on Friday.

© AAP 2021

The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex have put their differences aside when they unveiled a statue to their late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, on what would have been her 60th birthday, saying they hoped it would be a lasting memorial to her life and legacy.

The brothers, whose falling-out has been the subject of intense media scrutiny, looked relaxed together as they revealed the statue they commissioned in honour of Diana in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace in central London, her former home.

The bronze statue depicts Diana, who was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997, surrounded by three children, which Kensington Palace said represented "the universality and generational impact" of her work.

"Today, on what would have been our mother's 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character - qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better," the princes said in a statement on Thursday.

"Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy."

William and Harry were joined by their mother's brother Charles Spencer and her sisters Sarah McCorquodale and Jane Fellowes for the small, private event at the Sunken Garden, one of Diana's favourite places.

The statue, which is blueish green in colour and designed by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley whose effigy of Queen Elizabeth has been used on British and Commonwealth coins, was commissioned by the princes in 2017 as a tribute to their mother.

William's office said they wanted it to reflect her positive impact in Britain and globally, and to help future generations understand "the significance of her place in history".

Beneath the statue is a plinth bearing Diana's name and the date of the unveiling, while in front lies a paving stone engraved with an extract inspired by the poem "The Measure of A Man".

William was 15 and Harry 12 when the limousine carrying their mother and her lover Dodi al-Fayed crashed in a tunnel in Paris as it sped away from chasing photographers.

Footage from the unveiling ceremony showed William and Harry talking together, with no sign of the rows that have so clouded their relationship in recent years that the once-close siblings now barely speak to each other.

Since giving up royal duties last year, Harry has launched some barbed attacks on his family and the royal institutions, including an accusation of racism that he and his wife Meghan made in an interview with US chat show host Oprah Winfrey. Media reports have said the claim infuriated William.

The brothers last saw each other in April at the funeral of their grandfather Prince Philip, after which they are reported to have argued.

© RAW 2021

Australian Marc Polmans' four-match Wimbledon run has come to an end at the hands of rising Chilean Cristian Garin.

Relative inexperience on grass failed to prove a big enough obstacle for world No.20 Garin who took out their second-round encounter 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 2-6 7-6 (7-5).

Compatriot Alex Bolt couldn't manage quite as tight a contest, going down to local hope Cameron Norrie in straight sets 6-3 6-1 6-2.

Polmans, who'd battled through three rounds of qualifying including a five-setter that went to 11-9 in the fifth, had been aiming for a first tilt at a grand slam third round.

But the world No.154 couldn't quite match it with the former French Open junior champion and five-times title winner on the ATP Tour.

Breaking first in the opening set, Polmans squandered a 4-1 lead as he went back into his shell after a fine spell of attacking tennis.

At 6-5 he seemed set to pounce again with three consecutive set points on the Garin serve, only for the claycourt specialist to dig himself out of a hole and bring the match back to square.

Polmans played a loose tiebreaker to hand the first set over and soon found himself down two breaks in the second set.

While he pulled one back the comeback ended there after he was broken next game for Garin to take a two-sets-to-love lead.

Showing his penchant for a battle, the legionnaire's hat loving Polmans pulled off two breaks to take the third set and roar back into the contest.

Even down a break and then two match points on Garin's serve, he refused to concede, eventually levelling at 6-6 in the fourth set after some fine counter-punching net play and forehand passes.

But an untimely Polmans double fault in the tiebreaker allowed the 17th-seeded Garin to serve for the match and progress to the last 32.

Bolt found it much tougher going against the in-form 29th seed Norrie, going down to the Briton in just an hour and 35 minutes.

© AAP 2021

Australians have been urged to take coronavirus vaccine advice from doctors rather than bickering politicians.

A messy week of mangled messaging sparked confusion over which vaccine is most suitable for people based on their age.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday encouraged people under 40 keen for the AstraZeneca vaccine to talk to their GP.

The government also offered legal protection to doctors who prescribe the vaccine to consenting younger people.

But the expert immunisation panel, ATAGI, remains resolute Pfizer is the recommended vaccine for under-60s because of extremely rare but serious blood clots linked to AstraZeneca.

The Victorian and WA governments told people to stick to ATAGI advice, with Queensland going even further, actively discouraging under-40s from AstraZeneca.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young were accused of scaremongering after raising the rare blood clots.

Senior Morrison government minister Simon Birmingham said the statements damaged confidence in the vaccine rollout.

"They do help anti-vaxxers," he told reporters in Adelaide on Thursday.

"That's why they ought to take a calmer, more rational approach, listen to the many calm and thoughtful voices of the health profession across Australia."

Dr Young reaffirmed her advice for people under 40 to wait for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines in a fiery news conference.

"This is getting absolutely silly," she told reporters in Brisbane.

The veteran doctor defended her 16 years' involvement with Australia's immunisation programs.

"I am on the record as supporting vaccination. But I want the right vaccine to go to the right person," Dr Young said.

Doctors also savaged the prime minister's intervention, accusing him of lobbing a hand grenade into the rollout.

ATAGI co-chair Christopher Blyth sought to quell confusion, saying people under 60 should get the Pfizer jab.

Professor Blyth said people in that age group should only be considering AstraZeneca in "pressing" circumstances.

"There are some situations where that would be warranted, but they are quite small," he told ABC radio.

More than 2600 Australians under 40 have received AstraZeneca since the prime minister's comments.

"It really is a matter for individuals to talk to their GPs who will be best placed to understand their individual circumstances, and to interpret the health advice available," Senator Birmingham said.

Medical professionals distanced themselves from Dr Young's remarks about blood clots, which are usually treatable.

A woman with serious underlying health conditions died in the UK five weeks after receiving her first dose of AstraZeneca in Australia.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration said it was unclear whether the vaccine played a role in her death but some symptoms suggest she may have had the rare clotting condition.

In a statement, the regulator said a post-mortem would also look into whether long plane and car travel from Australia to the UK was a factor.

More than 12 million people are locked down across Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and NSW.

Just under eight per cent of eligible Australians have received both coronavirus shots more than four months after the rollout started.

Despite mixed messages, a record 161,390 people rolled up their sleeves for a jab in the past 24 hours.

© AAP 2021