As it happened: Ben Roberts-Smith resigns from Channel Seven after losing historic defamation case against Nine newspapers; PM heads to Singapore

The once high-flying boss of finance house Berndale Capital Securities has been charged with 16 offences for misusing as much as $1 million in customer funds while operating the trading house.

Berndale was at the centre of an investigation by this masthead in 2020. Before its 2018 collapse, the group was the fourth-largest trader of high-risk financial products called contracts for difference, and was led by Stavro D’Amore, whose social media pages are littered with photos of him with colourful characters including Mick Gatto.

Its collapse left its clients short more than $5 million.

D’Amore has been charged with five offences of dishonestly using his position as a director and five counts of dishonest conduct while operating a financial services business, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission said in a statement on Friday.

The musclebound business boss has also been charged with four counts of making a false or misleading statement in a document issued to ASIC, one count of misleading Berndale’s auditor and one offence of making a false statement to an ASIC investigation.

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The protester accused of forcing the evacuation of Woodside’s headquarters on Thursday after orchestrating a faux gas leak has been placed under house arrest, as police consider further charges amid claims that workers have fallen ill.

Disrupt Burrup Hub protester Kristen Morrissey fronted Perth Magistrates Court on Friday after being charged with acts creating false apprehension as to the existence of threats or danger.

Morrisey, a music teacher at two top Perth private schools, was bailed to the Floreat address of her elderly parents and ordered not to leave, other than for work, or come within 100 metres of property owned or occupied by Woodside.

The 49-year-old was warned more charges could be laid once police had finished interviewing the hundreds of workers affected after she allegedly released non-toxic ethyl mercaptan (“stench”) gas into Woodside’s headquarters, some of whom had reported feeling ill after the incident.

WA Police indicated the matter might be escalated to the District Court and could land Morrissey a jail term, supplying as evidence data on the possible side effects of the chemical, and a video of Morrissey calling on other members of the public to join the group’s cause.

Morrissey’s court appearance came 24 hours after she released the non-toxic stench gas, which the court was told emanated over 20 floors and sent more than 2500 workers fleeing.

Australia Post will raise the price of parcel and package delivery services by as much as 10 per cent from July, citing soaring costs and ballooning group losses as the main reasons for the rise.

The postal operator told customers about the new prices on Friday, outlining changes to fees for several services including business mail, domestic and international parcel services.

The price increases will range from a jump of 3.5 per cent to 9.95 per cent, depending on the product category.

With the federal government conducting a review into its long-term viability, Australia Post has made no secret of the headwinds threatening to topple the business.

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Wayne Smith and 15-year-old Noah have been identified as the father and son found dead in a home in northern NSW on Thursday afternoon in what police suspect was a murder-suicide.

Police were called to the home on Kookaburra Court, Yamba, about 1.10pm after reports their bodies had been found. Smith, 58, and Noah, had suffered gunshot wounds.

Initial inquiries indicate Smith was a licensed firearms holder, and detectives have requested his licensing history from the NSW Firearms Registry.

“It’s an absolute tragic situation,” Superintendent Shane Cribb from the Coffs Clarence police district said on Friday.

“The main thing is to wrap as much support around everyone as we can.”

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has met Singapore deputy leader Lawrence Wong at Singapore’s presidential palace before giving the keynote address at tonight’s Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in the city state.

Albanese and Wong – standing in for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is ill with COVID-19 – discussed geopolitical issues.

They also discussed the countries’ economic ties, among them the establishment of a net-zero shipping corridor and renewable trade and finance incentives under the green economy agreement signed last year.

“Australia is proud to count Singapore as such a close friend,” said Albanese, who thanked Wong for Singapore’s positive reaction to Australia’s AUKUS submarines plan.

Wong welcomed efforts of the Albanese government to deepen Australia’s links with South-East Asia, saying they had similar strategies on international and regional affairs.

Albanese’s address at the national security forum is considered his most significant foreign policy speech yet.

In a statement, Albanese said: “This visit has been an opportunity to affirm our friendship, and map the next steps to implement our new Australia-Singapore Green Economy Agreement.

“We are ambitious for what we can achieve together on the path to net zero, pushing boundaries and setting new standards to drive green trade and investment.

“My visit to Singapore was an opportunity to look ahead with ambition for the next phase of this important relationship.

“South-East Asia and ASEAN matter to Australia – that’s why I’m here this week. We are tied together by more than geography – we are linked by family, friends, business, education, tourism and a shared interest in the stability of the region into the future.

“I look forward to outlining Australia’s commitment to a better future for our region at the Shangri-La Dialogue this evening.”

The Australian War Memorial has rejected calls to remove a display celebrating Ben Roberts-Smith’s military service from its collection, but is considering what additional materials it can add to the exhibit following his damning defamation judgment.

A permanent display on Roberts-Smith at the memorial in Canberra includes the veteran’s Victoria Cross medal and his military uniform.

A portrait of Roberts-Smith posing in a fighting stance commissioned by the war memorial also hangs on its walls.

The Greens and international law expert Ben Saul have called on the War Memorial to remove Roberts-Smith’s uniform from display after a Federal Court judge found The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age accurately described him as a murderer in a series of 2018 stories.

“Collection items relating to Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG, including his uniform, equipment, medals and associated art works, are on display in the memorial’s galleries,” Australian War Memorial chairman Kim Beazley said.

“We are considering carefully the additional content and context to be included in these displays.”

The former Labor leader, who took over as chairman of the War Memorial Council in February, continued: “The memorial assists in remembering, interpreting and understanding Australia’s experience of war and its enduring impact. This includes the causes, conduct and consequences of war.

“The memorial acknowledges the gravity of the decision in the Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG defamation case and its broader impact on all involved in the Australian community.

“This is the outcome of a civil legal case, and one step in a longer process.”

Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes, who helped fund Roberts-Smith’s defamation case, was chairman of the War Memorial Council when the items were added to its collection.

Roberts-Smith has resigned from his position as a senior Queensland executive for Channel Seven.

Western Australia’s former premier is off to watch some Netflix, he has said on his final day in the state’s top job.

Mark McGowan is officially on leave while his successor Roger Cook is acting in the role. Cook will be sworn in next Thursday, at which point McGowan will have officially resigned.

McGowan sensationally quit as premier on Monday, citing exhaustion after six years in the role.

Speaking from his car outside Dumas House on Friday, McGowan admitted he felt “some relief”.

He presided over two landslide elections and had an unprecedented 91 per cent approval rating, but has not quit a job since he left the Navy nearly three decades ago. McGowan said it had been “an interesting experience” spending the week clearing out his office.

“There’s been a lot of packing and meetings and farewells and morning teas … signing and all that sort of thing to be done. So, I’ll be doing a fair bit of that today. And still a lot of that over the weekend actually,” he said.

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