Key events
What we learned today, Friday 22 May
That’s where we’ll leave things this evening. Thanks for reading. I hope you have a great weekend, wherever you are. Here are our top stories from today:
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A 52-year-old Victorian police officer, Matt Paton, was confirmed to have died on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, while he was on holiday in Peru with his wife, Jane. Mike Bush, the chief commissioner of Victoria police, said Paton would be remembered “for his selflessness, amazing sense of humour, extreme kindness and inclusion of all”.
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The senior federal government MP Tanya Plibersek, labelled the behaviour by Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir towards humanitarian activists as “shameful” and “disgraceful”, as Australians who were on the Gaza flotilla alleged they were abused.
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Guzman y Gomez announced its sudden departure from the US, with all of its American stores to close, after failing to establish itself in a market already rich with Mexican food.
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We brought you the news that One Nation’s rapid expansion of local branches across the country is in disarray, and that the party’s new branches and members will be subject to strict gag orders.
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Housing advocates urged federal MPs to ignore fear mongering and pass Labor’s negative gearing and capital gains tax changes, which they described as “long overdue”.
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Meanwhile Labor MPs told Guardian Australia they expected the government would agree to capital gains tax concessions for startup businesses.
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And Network 10 announced it had axed reality show I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, hosted by Julia Morris and Robert Irwin, after 12 seasons.
Gun licence held by Tasmanian man who killed police officer suspended in 2016 on mental health grounds
Here’s some more from that AAP report on Leigh Geoffrey Sushames’ sentencing hearing.
Crown prosecutor Daryl Coates SC told the court today that Sushames had avoided contact with bank representatives who went to his home, prompting the courts and police to become involved.
Sushames had previously held a gun licence which was suspended in 2016 due to information police had acquired about his mental health.
His lawyer Greg Richardson told the court his client had suffered an abusive childhood leading to intense religious beliefs and was suffering from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder.
He also experienced psychotic episodes as a result of using cannabis.
The incident was the first fatal shooting of an officer in Tasmania for more than a century.
Smith, who had served for 25 years, was farewelled with full ceremonial police honours and a street procession.
Being told of Smith’s death at a local police station felt like a terrible dream, his older brother, Christopher Smith, told the court, saying:
There are no more phone calls and there is no more dropping in for a quick cuppa. This hole in my life can never be filled.
The hurt and sadness never goes away but I feel so proud to be your brother.
Sushames will be sentenced on 26 June.
Tasmanian man who killed police officer said ‘no one is going to take my house off me’ before fatal shooting, court hears
A man who shot dead a police officer who was attempting to repossess his home had earlier told a friend “I will kill them, no one is going to take my house off me”.
A sentencing hearing in the supreme court of Tasmania in Burnie today was told Leigh Geoffrey Sushames had stopped paying his mortgage in 2016 because of the belief God would “sort it out”.
Sushames, 47, hid behind a blue Ford Falcon, holding a rifle, in the carport of his rural property in northwest Tasmania on 16 June 2025, as two officers approached, the court was told.
He had been told 12 days earlier by police they would be returning to follow through on a court’s repossession order over outstanding mortgage payments spanning years.
Sushames was first spotted behind the car by Const Keith Smith, 57, who asked him how he was.
Sushames replied “not good” before standing up and fatally shooting Smith from less than 2 metres away, first in the back and a second time in the head.
Const Smith’s colleague Sgt Gavin Rigby ran into bushland before radioing for help from three special operations officers who were stationed further from the house.
They fired towards Sushames, hitting him on the hand and disarming him.
Sushames pleaded guilty to murder in January and has also entered pleas of guilty to attempted murder and aggravated assault.
NSW police watchdog receives record number of complaints following Herzog protest
Penry Buckley
The NSW police watchdog says it has received at least 800 complaints as part of the investigation into alleged police brutality at the 9 February Sydney protest against Isaac Herzog’s visit, the “greatest number of complaints on one topic in the commission’s history”.
The chief commissioner of the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (Lecc), Peter Johnson SC, has also told a NSW parliamentary committee police have become “overly defensive” in response to requests for information in its investigations, describing the relationship between the agencies as “difficult”.
He said:
I have to say in an area where there are two public agencies and where there would be an expectation in the community of an open approach it is difficult to understand why the – at times – very technical, and in our view erroneous, approach is taken on a range of issues.
It adds to the length of time that the work has to be done by us, by the police.
It is not in the interests of anyone, including police officers, who may be the subject of complaints. It’s certainly not in the interests of members of the public who may have issues they’ve raised with us.
In a statement, Greens MLC Sue Higginson, a committee member on the inquiry, said she was “seriously concerned” by the comments, saying “where police officers have committed crimes, used excessive force and engaged in misconduct against the community, the leadership should ensure the Lecc has full access to the evidence they need”.
NSW police have been contacted for comment.
Catie McLeod
Hi, I hope you’re having a nice Friday. I’ll take you through the rest of the day’s news.
Nick Visser
That’s all from me. Catie McLeod will take things from here. Have a nice weekend!
Petrol prices set to rise again if strait remains closed, CBA says
Patrick Commins
Petrol prices could jump by about 50 cents per litre if the strait of Hormuz remains closed for another month, CBA analysis suggests.
Vivek Dhar, head of commodities research at the bank, laid out the “stark” difference in potential outcomes for the global oil shock.
On the one hand, a US-Iran deal over the next month that re-opens shipping through the strait could see the global Brent oil price drop to $US80 a barrel by the end of the year, from $US104 today.
“Such an outcome though would depend on the speed that oil flows through the strait of Hormuz can return to prewar levels,” Vivek said.
But if the status quo persists, then the alternative scenario could push global oil and refined fuel inventories down to “worryingly low” levels by mid-June to mid-July.
At that point, Dhar believes oil prices would need to rise to about $US150 a barrel.
Each $US1 change in the global oil price translates to a roughly 1 cent change in Australian petrol prices, usually with a lag of one to two weeks.
At about $1.85 for a litre of unleaded now – including the 26-cent fuel excise reduction and the GST relief – the price could jump to $2.35 in a month’s time.
The fuel excise cut is due to end on 30 June.
And if the strait is still shut by September, then the global oil price could climb to about $US200 a barrel, Dhar said, adding a further 50 cents to pump prices.
Paton’s family says they are ‘shattered’ by the loss
Paton’s family released a statement after his death, saying:
It seems surreal at the moment – everyone is bereft. Family was the most important thing to Matt.
He was dedicated to his family including his wife of 31 years and their three children. He adored his family. And we adored him.
Matt had always wanted to travel to Peru … He was always up for an adventure and to learn something and to experience something new.
The family said Paton was posting videos over the last week of his trip, sharing images of his travels with his colleagues.
He wanted to have a career where he was doing something that he could be proud of, which is why he joined Victoria Police later in life.
He really thought that he was doing something worthwhile. We were incredibly proud of him – the work he was doing, including with recruits at the police academy. He loved being an educator.
Australian who died in Peru on Inca Trail identified as Victoria police officer
Victoria police has identified a man who died on the Inca Trail in Peru as a sergeant on the force.
Officials said Matt Paton, 52, was on holiday with his wife, Jane, in Peru and on the way to Machu Picchu. His body was found this morning, Australian time. Victoria police said:
His passion for teaching recruits led to a number of other roles including facilitating training for police responding to mental health events. He was recently selected for a senior sergeant position and was due to commence in the role next month.
A proud Queenslander, he was a passionate follower of the Maroons and Brisbane Lions. Matt loved travelling, exploring historic sites and cultures.
Mike Bush, the chief commissioner of Victoria police, said Paton served with distinction for 16 years and would be remembered “for his selflessness, amazing sense of humour, extreme kindness and inclusion of all”.
Melissa Davey
Fifty patients hospitalised in the NT with diphtheria during outbreak
A Northern Territory Health spokesperson told Guardian Australia that as of Friday there have been 162 cases of diphtheria reported in the Northern Territory since January. That includes 49 respiratory cases and 113 cutaneous (skin) cases, with more than 230 cases total in the outbreak affecting the NT, WA, Queensland and South Australia. Most cases are in Indigenous adults.
There have been 50 patients hospitalised with diphtheria and possible other health conditions since January. There are usually six or fewer hospitalisations from the highly contagious bacterial infection each year. Respiratory diphtheria is particularly dangerous.
Of the 50 hospitalisations, four were admitted to the intensive care unit in Territory hospitals, which may be required for observation when administering diphtheria antitoxin treatment. Six people remain in hospital.
It marks the largest outbreak in decades. People are urged to get vaccinated and to get their booster shots, recommended every five years for Indigenous people and certain groups such as health workers.
Read more:
Defence ‘not well-placed’ to extend ageing submarines, report finds
The defence department is “not well-placed” to demonstrate it can extend the life of Australia’s ageing submarine fleet, potentially leaving the nation with a crucial capability gap after cost overruns and delays, a damning audit has found.
AAP reports the Australian National Audit Office released a report on Friday into the “life-of-type extension” plan for the navy’s Collins-class submarines, designed to get an extra decade of service out of them before the arrival of nuclear-powered boats.
The 1980s-designed Collins would have started to be retired from service in 2026, but the cancellation of the $90bn French submarine program for the AUKUS deal means Australia won’t get new submarines until the early 2030s, should the project go to plan.
The auditor-general found Defence’s planning and implementation of the Collins-class extension was not managed in a comparable way to “its complexity, risk profile and strategic purpose”.
The report found since the system and detailed design contract was awarded in February 2022, it has changed 53 times, increasing by $688m to more than five times its original value.
As of May, Defence was not on track to install the planned upgrades on the first submarine in June this year as planned.
Tim Wilson on the Liberals’ economic vision – Australian Politics podcast
In his biggest address so far, shadow treasurer Tim Wilson described the federal budget as an “economic earthquake” at the National Press Club this week.
He speaks with political editor Tom McIlroy about Paul Keating’s criticism of the Coalition’s response to Labor’s tax reforms, and defends Angus Taylor’s controversial migration policy – which links housing completion and restricts access to welfare support.
Take a listen:
Australian tourist dies hiking Inca Trail in Peru, local media reports
An Australian tourist has died after falling from the Inca Trail on the way to Machu Picchu in Peru, according to Andina, the country’s national news agency.
Andina reports Matthew Cameron Paton, 53, had arrived in the region with his wife 12 days ago before heading to the trail for a four-day journey. He was reported missing on Wednesday, the ABC adds, before his body was found.
It’s believed he fell about 300 meters into a hard-to-reach area along the trail.
The Guardian has reached out to Dfat and Peruvian police for further details.
Aussie shares up despite mixed signals from Iran talks
Australia’s share market continues to recover on optimism about a potential peace deal between the United States and Iran, despite division remaining on key issues, AAP reports.
The S&P/ASX200 was up 0.48% by midday on Friday, while the broader All Ordinaries rose 0.51%.
ASX-listed miners were doing some heavy lifting heading into the weekend, with materials up 1.4% and strong leads from BHP and Rio Tinto. Mexican-themed fast food chain Guzman Y Gomez rocketed more than 14% higher after calling off its US expansion because it failed to meet its financial targets.
The Australian dollar was buying US71.38 cents, up from US71.13 cents on Thursday at 5pm.
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