Australia news live: police believe two bodies found after Blue Mountains house fire are children

NT police call for assistance to locate man allegedly linked to abduction of five-year-old girlSarah CollardNorthern Territory police are calling for urgent public assistance to locate Sharon, a five-year-old girl missing from an Alice Springs town camp, at Marshall Court, Old Timers Camp, Alice Springs.Sharon, five, went missing from the Old Timers Camp in Alice Springs. Photograph: Northern Territory policeIn a press conference, NT police said they are looking for 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who is known to police, but has not been located and may be able to assist with their investigation. A police official said: double quotation markWe do believe Sharon has been abducted, and we believe Mr Jefferson may be able to provide us with some information. We can confirm that he is believed to have been in the area around that time and staying at the residence. He currently remains one of the few people who were in old timers camp at the time, and who has not made themselves known to police, Police say the man is known to authorities for domestic and family violence-related offences.Northern Territory police said they are looking for Jefferson Lewis. Photograph: Northern Territory policeAround 1:35am, police received reports that Sharon could not be located at her residence on Marshall Court, Old Timers Camp, Alice Springs.She was last seen wearing a dark blue short sleeve T-shirt with a white ring stripe around the neck and white ring stripe around the end of the sleeves, and a pair of black boxer-style underwear.ShareUpdated at 03.09 CESTKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureJonathan BarrettCheap spirits, pricey condoms: how war in the Middle East is shifting the way Australians spendAs soon as petrol prices started to rise in response to the Middle East conflict, many Australians – already grappling with high living costs – changed their spending habits.Beyond cutting back on driving, households are slicing deeper into their budgets, with some even forgoing healthcare.Here are four shifts in consumer behaviour, as observed by businesses across the country:View image in fullscreen Photograph: Fairfax Media/Getty ImagesShareAustralian shares slump as US-Iran peace talks stallAustralia’s share market has started the week lower after a planned second round of US-Iran peace talks fell apart and as closure of a key energy transport route continues to wreak havoc, AAP reports.The S&P/ASX200 slipped 0.26% as the broader All Ordinaries fell 0.17%.The Persian Gulf conflict continued to simmer with the strait of Hormuz – an arterial route for a fifth of global oil and gas supplies – entering a ninth week of effective closure.Beside the headline risk presented by geopolitics, market volatility could also be fuelled this week by central bank decisions, US company earnings, and macroeconomic data and events, including local inflation figures for March.The Australian dollar is buying 71.68 US cents, up from 71.23 US cents on Friday at 5pm.ShareAngus Taylor condemns Anzac dawn service hecklers as ‘un-Australian’Angus Taylor, the opposition leader, yesterday joined others in denouncing the people who booed at Anzac Day dawn services but said he believes welcome to country acknowledgments are overused. Take a listen.Angus Taylor condemns Anzac dawn service hecklers as 'un-Australian' – videoShareUpdated at 04.46 CESTCalls for plane crash-style investigations as road deaths riseFrom AAP:Plane crash-style investigations into car collisions could help reduce a growing number of fatalities on Australia’s roads, according to data from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA).In the 12 months to 31 March, 1,326 people died in crashes across the country, 39 more than the previous corresponding period.Pedestrian deaths also surged by 16.4% while cyclist deaths rose by 4.4%.This is the 34th consecutive month that Australia’s 12-month deaths total rose, marking a 20.9% rise since the federal government’s 2021 road safety strategy was agreed to with the aim of eliminating all deaths and serious injuries by 2050.ShareUpdated at 03.57 CESTBlue Mountains fire not suspicious, police sayPolice said the fire not being treated as suspicious. The mother was on her way to Queensland and is coming home to be with the family.Asked if it was suspicious, police said: double quotation markAs I said before, it is a matter for the coroner. We will put together the brief of evidence for the coroner to determine time, date, place and cause of death. ShareUpdated at 03.43 CESTPolice believe two bodies found after Blue Mountains house fire are childrenPolice say they believe two children have died after a house fire in the foothills of the Blue Mountains.Police said: double quotation markThere was four children including an adult male inside the house. There was a further two children that were unaccounted for. We have located the bodies, we believe to be that of the two children, but, of course, as you can appreciate, it is a coroner’s investigation and we can’t confirm those details until a formal investigation has taken place. The dad and four children were taken to Penrith hospital. They are still currently in hospital and being treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns.ShareUpdated at 04.41 CESTGraham ReadfearnHow the shift from coal stalled in Australia’s most polluting stateFor all involved, it felt like Queensland’s transition away from coal-fired power was happening at speeds never seen before.It was 2024, and the rubber was hitting the road hard on the Labor government’s plans to get the power grid almost entirely off coal by 2035.View image in fullscreenThe Western Downs green power hub solar farm. Photograph: Aston Brown/The GuardianBut that October the Liberal National party led by David Crisafulli won government, bringing a sharply different approach to energy in Australia’s highest-emitting state.“There’s been a bit of whiplash,” the chief executive of the Queensland Renewable Energy Council, Katie-Anne Mulder, says with only a hint of understatement.Legislated renewable energy targets were repealed. Rumours of a new coal-friendly energy plan swirled and then materialised in late 2025.Read more here:ShareSabastian Sawe breaks two-hour marathon barrierIn case you missed it, there was a major milestone in the running world this weekend: Kenyan Sabastian Sawe broke the two-hour marathon barrier.Here’s what he had to say after the feat:'It will remain in my mind forever': Sabastian Sawe on breaking two-hour marathon barrier – videoShareUpdated at 03.03 CESTNT police call for assistance to locate man allegedly linked to abduction of five-year-old girlSarah CollardNorthern Territory police are calling for urgent public assistance to locate Sharon, a five-year-old girl missing from an Alice Springs town camp, at Marshall Court, Old Timers Camp, Alice Springs.Sharon, five, went missing from the Old Timers Camp in Alice Springs. Photograph: Northern Territory policeIn a press conference, NT police said they are looking for 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, who is known to police, but has not been located and may be able to assist with their investigation. A police official said: double quotation markWe do believe Sharon has been abducted, and we believe Mr Jefferson may be able to provide us with some information. We can confirm that he is believed to have been in the area around that time and staying at the residence. He currently remains one of the few people who were in old timers camp at the time, and who has not made themselves known to police, Police say the man is known to authorities for domestic and family violence-related offences.Northern Territory police said they are looking for Jefferson Lewis. Photograph: Northern Territory policeAround 1:35am, police received reports that Sharon could not be located at her residence on Marshall Court, Old Timers Camp, Alice Springs.She was last seen wearing a dark blue short sleeve T-shirt with a white ring stripe around the neck and white ring stripe around the end of the sleeves, and a pair of black boxer-style underwear.ShareUpdated at 03.09 CESTPetra StockHow can Australia be the world’s fourth-largest black truffle producer?Black truffles aren’t native to Australia but, since the first oaks and hazelnuts were planted in the 1990s, the local industry has flourished, becoming the largest producer outside Europe.Now, scientists have identified the environmental factors that appear to have contributed to that success.View image in fullscreenAssociate prof Gregory Bonito from Michigan State University collecting black truffles in Australia for the study. Photograph: Gregory Bonito/Michigan State UniversityMany types of fungi produce truffles, a fruiting body that grows underground. But a handful of species, including French black (or Périgord) truffles from Europe, are considered gourmet delicacies, highly prized for their earthy bouquet and rich, savoury notes.They were introduced relatively recently, with the first host trees planted in Tasmania in 1995, the first black truffles harvested in 1999 and Australia’s first exports in 2007.Read more here:ShareUpdated at 02.19 CESTBenita KolovosVictoria motorcyclists will be able to use bus lanes across three main roads in MelbourneThe Victorian minister for roads and road safety, Ros Spence, has announced motorcyclists will be able to use bus lanes along three key routes in central Melbourne.Following a successful trial, motorcycles can now use bus lanes along: Eastern Freeway, west of Chandler Highway and Hoddle Street (westbound) Victoria Parade, between Hoddle Street and Nicholson Street (westbound) Victoria Parade, between Nicholson Street and Hoddle Street (eastbound) She said clear signage will show where motorcycles are permitted, making it easier for riders to know when they can safely enter a bus lane.Spence said the trial found no negative safety impacts for riders or other motorists and no impact on bus travel times. Riders using the routes also felt more confident on the road.Motorcyclists remain over-represented in road trauma, accounting for 21% of lives lost in 2025 despite making up less than 4% of registered vehicles.Spence said: double quotation markMotorcyclists are some of our most vulnerable road users, and we’re making practical changes to help them stay safer on our roads. This is about helping riders avoid traffic, travel more safely and get to their destination sooner. View image in fullscreenRos Spence. Photograph: Jay Kogler/AAPShareUpdated at 02.19 CESTTwo bodies found after house fire near Blue MountainsNSW police said two bodies have been discovered after a fire tore through a home in Bowen Mountain, at the foot of the Blue Mountains, overnight.Emergency services were called just after 2am amid reports of a fire. A man and four children were able to escape the house, but two others were unaccounted for at the time.The two bodies are believed to be those of the unaccounted for individuals. They have yet to be identified, but a formal process is under way to ID them and determine how the fire broke out.The man and four children who escaped the blaze were taken to the hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation and minor burns.ShareUpdated at 01.48 CEST‘Extreme mouse situation’ in parts of WA and SAAndrew Wiedeman, the southern region director at Grain Producers Australia, told RN this morning there is an ongoing “extreme mouse situation” in Western Australia and parts of South Australia.He said in some areas, the group is seeing thousands of mice per hectare. double quotation markParticularly in the Geraldton area, we’re seeing numbers of calculated numbers of around 8,000 to 10,000 a hectare, which is just an extreme mouse situation. Once it gets over five to six, you’re talking plague proportions. … At the end of the day, that certainly is a plague and we’re now looking at trying to put control measures to try and help farmers through. View image in fullscreen Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty ImagesHe said without additional control measures, the numbers of mice would cause “a lot of grief” for many farmers as they’re sowing seeds.You can read more on the issue here:ShareConcern grows for missing 5-year-old girl in Alice SpringsConcerns are mounting for a girl missing in Alice Springs as the search for her enters its second day, AAP reports.The girl, Sharon, was reported missing from her residence at Old Timers Aboriginal town camp at about 1.30am on Sunday after being put to bed.A search involving about 50 police officers, members of the Northern Territory Emergency Services and a police helicopter was unable to find her on Sunday, with the search set to resume early on Monday.Det Acting Supt Michael Ordelman told reporters it was probable Sharon wandered out of her home, but police were not ruling out suspicious circumstances.Because of the amount of time Sharon had been missing, police held “mounting concerns” for her safety, he said.Police have appealed to the public to contact them with any information that may lead to finding Sharon.ShareUpdated at 01.18 CEST

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