One dead as 'truck crashes into kindergarten', concerns raised weeks before wind turbine death: Australia news live

Witnesses say they heard a "massive bang" during a fatal crash into a Victorian kindergarten this afternoon, the Herald Sun reports.

It is believed the truck crashed into a power pole before veering into the playground area of Macedon Ranges Montessori Preschool in Riddells Creek, northwest of Melbourne.

A police officer believed he needed to stun an elderly woman with dementia symptoms after numerous verbal warnings failed to get her to relinquish a knife, a jury has heard.

Senior Constable Kristian James Samuel White used his Taser on great-grandmother Clare Nowland at the Yallambee Lodge aged-care home in the southern NSW town of Cooma in the early hours of May 17, 2023.

The 95-year-old hit her head on the floor when she fell and had an inoperable bleed on the brain, dying at Cooma Hospital a week after the incident.

The 34-year-old appeared in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday, when his barrister Troy Edwards SC said his client had a sworn duty as a police officer to counteract the risk that she posed.

"As a violent confrontation was imminent and to prevent injury to police, the Taser was discharged," he told the jury.

Read more from AAP here.

Residents have been warned Christmas could be “cancelled” amid the Sydney mosquito crisis, as bug spray is cleared out of supermarkets to combat “swarms” of the notorious pest.

Southwest Sydney has been taken over by “swarms” of mosquitoes, with the crisis stemming from an outbreak of the weed frogbit at the Sydney Water Water Recycling Plant (WRP) at Warwick Farm.

The aggressive weed – considered the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes – was first spotted by Sydney Water in March when it presented as a small outbreak but has since blown out.

Crews have been working to spray and remove the Frogbit, with excavators brought in over the weekend to tackle the weed.

A helicopter is also set to spray larvicide into the ponds from this week, with boats already deployed to spray the weed with herbicide.

However, southwestern Sydney MP Tina Ayyad has warned that Christmas could be axed for many families if conditions didn’t improve quickly.

“Even if you walk around the local shops you see little kids with welts … (I saw) one little girl with welts on her eyes,” said Ms Ayyad, the state member for Holsworthy.

Read more here.

The Australian Workers' Union says it had raised safety concerns just two weeks before a worker was crushed and killed at a wind farm in Victoria.

"This devastating loss could have been prevented," Ronnie Hayden, AWU Victoria State Secretary, said.

A furious Hayden called on the Victorian government to step in, calling for "immediate action on site safety and stronger enforcement of regulations.”

The male worker was working at a Bells Road wind farm in Rokewood on Monday when he was crushed by a fan blade that fell just before 8am.

Aussies are having a field day with the following photo from Melbourne Airport.

A kangaroo temporarily closed off the top floor of a car park after it was spotted hopping around on Monday morning.

"Brings new meaning to the flying kangaroo," one person said after the photo was shared online.

"The perfect Qantas commercial doesn't exi....." another said.

There's been plenty of discussion over the years whether a glass of red wine here and there is good for you.

But if you're at risk of bowel cancer, it could actually make a real difference. That's what scientists are trying to determine, with a new study looking to see if a chemical found in red grapes can help prevent the cancer.

“This trial could have big implications for how we prevent bowel cancer in people who are most likely to develop the disease as they get older," Karen Brown, a professor of translational cancer research at the University of Leicester, said.

Read all about it here.

A leading courier is pleading with Australians to be kind to its couriers ahead of what is expected to be a bumper Christmas period.

“Each year we see a seasonal uptick in aggressive behaviour towards our frontline couriers that, sadly, even crosses over into assault, intimidation, and theft at times," Richard Thame, CEO of CouriersPlease, said.

“Our couriers are committed to delivering the best service possible and often work long hours to make it happen. But this commitment shouldn’t come at the cost of their safety. We’re asking everyone to please show a little patience and respect.”

It comes as Australia Post warned this month that dog attacks were on the rise, pleading with owners to take steps to minimise the threat posed to posties.

It's happening everybody.

The Corpse Flower in Geelong is flowering. Occurring roughly once every 10 years, thousands across the country have become weirdly fixated with the plant and its flowering process.

The stills below show you what it looked like at about 9am this morning (left) and what it looks like now (right). It's a gradual process and the flower should fully open to a mushroom-like shape.

A YouTube livestream currently has close to 2,000 people in it. Watch along for yourself here.

Crews have cleaned up more than a tonne of plastic waste from WA's Abrolhos Islands, highlighting the devastating impact humans can have on the natural landscape.

"The debris collected was mostly fishing rope, floats and water bottles – a big reminder of the importance of correctly disposing of rubbish and how quickly it can pile up," WA's Parks and Wildlife Service said after a three-day clean up.

We bring you a sad update now to the earlier breaking details. A man has died after being crushed at a Victorian wind farm.

The man was working at a Bells Road wind farm in Rokewood on Monday when he was crushed by a fan blade that fell just before 8am.

Emergency services attempted to revive the man however he was declared dead at the scene.

WorkSafe are set to investigate the incident. Police will also prepare a report for the coroner.

A person is feared dead after an incident at a wind farm in Victoria’s west.

Emergency services responded to an incident in Rokewood about 8am after a person was injured by the blade of a wind turbine, according to 7NEWS.

Footage from 7 NEWS shows three turbines on the ground, with two appearing to be held up by a metal structure.

- NCA Newswire

"Crazy".

That's how one man described his luck after landing a second Keno Jackpot in just seven months.

The Queenslander scored the Keno Classic 8 Spot jackpot in Sunday's draw 694, pocketing $71,857.70.

The seasoned player previously won an 8 Spot jackpot in April when he scored $55,456.40.

“I just decided to visit my local club and put on a game of Keno for some entertainment," he told lottery officials.

World-famous breakdancer Raygun says she's not retiring, clarifying remarks she made last week on radio which led to a wave of headlines reporting she was walking away from the sport.

"It's not a decision that I did come to, I was talking on 2Day FM about how I'm not going to do certain competitions anymore, which didn't seem like such a big deal because breaking is not going to be in the Olympics anyway," Rachael Gunn told the Today show on Monday.

"But you know, I'm still going to be part of community jams, or I'd like to go to community jams and still dance and still break, I never used the word retire - I'm not retiring.

"You try and stop me, I'm not ever going to stop dancing so if you hear that again, you know that it's not the truth. "

A man who allegedly stabbed his colleague in a heated argument at a northwestern Sydney seafood restaurant has been charged.

Police were called to the Crystal Seafood Restaurant in Carlingford about 2pm Sunday following reports of a stabbing.

Officers were told two employees had an argument before one man allegedly stabbed the other.

A 46-year-old man allegedly stabbed a 63-year-old man multiple times in the head, face and arms.

The 63-year-old was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The 46-year-old was arrested at the scene and suffered a minor hand injury. He was taken to hospital under police guard.

Following his release from hospital, the 46-year-old man was charged with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He is set to front Burwood Local Court today.

- NCA NewsWire

Australia's sales of electric vehicles continues to soar, with the The Australian Automobile Association revealing 2024 looks set to be a record number for EV purchases.

More than 85,000 battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) sales were sold in the first three quarters of this year - up 17.7 per cent compared to the same period the year before, it said.

“The rise of EVs in Australia has been very strong in recent years, climbing from less than 1 percent of all new car sales in 2019 to nearly one in ten today," Electric Vehicle Council's Aman Gaur said.

The number of EV sales is expected to pass 100,000 in a calendar year for the first time ever.

Thousands of people have been tuning in to a Victorian council's livestream video to watch a motionless flower. Yes you read that right.

City of Greater Geelong are providing 24/7 surveillance of their Corpse Flower at Geelong Botanic Gardens as the plant nears a monumental moment. The Titan Arum only flowers once every 10 years and many are desperate to watch it happen.

Taking a look on Monday morning, there were more than 600 people watching. You can watch it here.

Nine motorbike riders have allegedly tested positive to meth after a group of 30 were pulled over by NSW Police for random testing.

The group were stopped in Goulburn on Sunday morning before nine allegedly tested positive to methamphetamine, while another rider refused testing.

"All nine riders who tested positive were served with a 24 hour prohibition notice from driving," NSW Police's Highway Patrol said.

"Police are awaiting lab test results before taking further action. The rider who refused was served with a Field Court Attendance notice to appear at Goulburn Local Court."

The heir to the throne has shared how he plans to shake up the Royal family at a time his father continues to fight cancer.

Prince William has said he wants to do things "differently" in a surprise update shared while King Charles' health continues to be a concern for many.

The 42-year-old said he wanted to change the monarchy "for my generation", The Sunday Times reports.

“I’m doing it with maybe a smaller ‘r’ in the royal, if you like. So it’s more about impact, philanthropy, collaboration, convening and helping people," he said.

“I’m also going to throw empathy in there as well because I really care about what I do. It helps impact people’s lives and I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world. So that’s what I’m trying to bring, that’s what Catherine is trying to bring as well.”

His 75-year-old father recently resumed his cancer treatment after a trip to Australia and Samoa last month.