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A Western Australian expert says new “post and boast” laws to prevent criminals posting their acts on social media must be beefed up if they are to be effective.
UWA law school associate professor Dr Marilyn Bromberg said the current version of post and boast laws are unlikely to result in fewer posts that brag about crime.
The problem was first highlighted in 2022, when children in the state’s north began posting videos allegedly of themselves stealing cars, taunting police and breaking into homes on TikTok.
NSW, Queensland, the NT and Victorian governments have all criminalised posting about having committed certain criminal offences on social media.
“The law is unlikely to be effective for many reasons, such as it does not address the root cause of offending,” she said.
“There is no evidence that post and boast laws will deter young people from boasting about their crimes on social media.
“These laws will likely result in more young people being incarcerated or being incarcerated for a lengthier period, without a significant decrease in the number of posts promoting crime on social media.”
Police have routinely used TikTok and Instagram videos in the Pilbara and the Kimberley when submitting evidence to the court.
Bromberg said social media platforms should be required to proactively prevent the videos from being posted, and police should be given the power to send notices to remove harmful content.
In one instance in Derby, a video of a man’s car being stolen was online for a whole year after the group responsible were jailed, and the social media platform was allegedly notified of the post.
“Social media must have the responsibility to prevent these posts from appearing and remove them if they do appear,” Bromberg said.
“Police should also be able to demand that social media remove these posts, with appropriate consequences to social media for breach.”
Brisbane midfielder Deven Robertson has made his desire to return to his home state of WA official, nominating West Coast as his preferred home, despite strong interest from the Western Bulldogs.
The Northam product played 41 games in his first four seasons after landing at the Lions with pick 22 in the 2019 national draft, but has struggled to cement a regular spot since, managing six appearances in two years.
Brisbane’s Deven Robertson has requested a trade home to WA.Credit: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos
The Eagles had expressed interest in the 24-year-old at the end of 2023, but Robertson instead opted to sign a two-year contract extension to remain in Queensland.
It’s the second boost in as many days for the embattled club, following Tigers defender Tylar Young’s call to name Lathlain as his preferred destination on Wednesday.
A Western Australian expert says new “post and boast” laws to prevent criminals posting their acts on social media must be beefed up if they are to be effective.
UWA law school associate professor Dr Marilyn Bromberg said the current version of post and boast laws are unlikely to result in fewer posts that brag about crime.
The problem was first highlighted in 2022, when children in the state’s north began posting videos allegedly of themselves stealing cars, taunting police and breaking into homes on TikTok.
NSW, Queensland, the NT and Victorian governments have all criminalised posting about having committed certain criminal offences on social media.
“The law is unlikely to be effective for many reasons, such as it does not address the root cause of offending,” she said.
“There is no evidence that post and boast laws will deter young people from boasting about their crimes on social media.
“These laws will likely result in more young people being incarcerated or being incarcerated for a lengthier period, without a significant decrease in the number of posts promoting crime on social media.”
Police have routinely used TikTok and Instagram videos in the Pilbara and the Kimberley when submitting evidence to the court.
Bromberg said social media platforms should be required to proactively prevent the videos from being posted, and police should be given the power to send notices to remove harmful content.
In one instance in Derby, a video of a man’s car being stolen was online for a whole year after the group responsible were jailed, and the social media platform was allegedly notified of the post.
“Social media must have the responsibility to prevent these posts from appearing and remove them if they do appear,” Bromberg said.
“Police should also be able to demand that social media remove these posts, with appropriate consequences to social media for breach.”
Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn says anyone disturbing wild numbat burrows to get photos of the animal for social media clout should “grow up”.
The issue has been a persistent problem, with some visitors to the endangered marsupial’s habitat waiting outside their burrows to get a shot of one.
Industry groups are warning against weakening environment protections for wildlife. Endangered numbats are under threat from feral animals and habitat loss. Credit: WA Forest Alliance.
The Numbat Taskforce took to social media on Thursday to decry the practice.
“Some of the behaviours being witnessed by many around Numbat burrows at present are just unacceptable,” it said.
“As wildlife enthusiasts need to do the right thing.
“We should all observe some basic rules to ensure our activities do not have a negative impact on the animals we love.”
Swinbourn took his criticism further during a press conference on Thursday morning.
“If they’re in a position where they are causing harm to those animals, and they’re just doing it for likes, grow up, right? Be better. Don’t do that,” he said.
“If you want to see a numbat, don’t be a numbskull.”
Coincidentally, Swinbourn got the opportunity to feed Perth Zoo’s male numbat Mack as part of the announcement of another successful breeding season at the Perth zoo.
Seven numbat joeys were born this year and will be released into the wild.
Thirty-nine western swamp tortoises, 94 hairy marron and 70 white bellied frogs were also born this season.
A group of concerned residents have gathered to again raise their concerns over Woodside’s proposal for 50 oil and gas wells in the Browse Basin near Scott Reef.
The group gathered outside Kimberley MP Divina D’Anna’s office in Broome and requested she relay the community’s concerns to WA Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn and Premier Roger Cook.
Protesters gather outside Kimberley MP Divina D’Anna’s office on Thursday.Credit: Environs Kimberley
Environs Kimberley executive director Martin Pritchard said there was “only a downside” to the plans.
“The community clearly doesn’t want Woodside’s damaging, risky, polluting project that would send most of the gas overseas,” he said.
“Scott Reef off the Kimberley coast is a marine biodiversity jewel of the Indian Ocean and is one of Australia’s most important offshore oceanic reefs.”
He said the reef was a haven for 900 species of fish, 300 coral species, 1500 species of invertebrates and 29 species of marine mammals including the endangered pygmy blue whale.
“A major oil spill would be catastrophic for marine life at Scott Reef, and we have a nearby example of the Montara oil disaster from 2009 which devastated the West Timor economy and seaweed farmers’ livelihoods,” Pritchard said.
“An oil spill of this magnitude is too much of a risk for Scott Reef and the Kimberley coast.”
A hack of the Legal Practice Board of WA by a global ransomware group in May is broader than first reported with the board now notifying individual lawyers whose data may have been stolen.
The board issued a statement late on Wednesday saying there was more data stolen than was initially disclosed on the dark web by the group known as Dire Wolf.
Some of this data included health, identity and financial information, the board confirmed.
“The board is now notifying individuals, including some legal practitioners, in relation to health, identity and financial information to provide guidance on steps they may want to take to protect their information, on a precautionary basis,” it said in a statement.
The Legal Practice Board was one of Dire Wolf’s first targets when it emerged in May.
According to cyber news website CyberDaily, the May 21 hack resulted in about 300 gigabytes of information being stolen.
Dire Wolf published some of that data on the dark web on May 27 and threatened to publish more on June 15.
That date passed and executive director Libby Fulham said it has not detected any other disclosure of the stolen data.
The board got an injunction preventing the publishing of any data that was published on the dark web.
“From our investigation, we believe the risk of any disclosure or misuse of data to be low. We have also secured an injunction to prevent any access, dissemination or sharing of any data involved in this incident,” Fulham said.
“I understand that these notifications may cause concern and on behalf of the Board, I apologise for any distress or inconvenience caused.
“We are committed to doing all we can to support those individuals involved and have implemented a number of services to ensure timely advice and support is available, tailored to individual needs.”
Have you watched the cost of your coffee creep up in recent years?
You’re not alone. Australians are forking out more than $1 on average for their favourite caffeinated beverage than six years ago.
The price of coffee, tea and cocoa grew at the fastest rate since the 1990s.Credit: iStock
And in some capital cities, coffee lovers are now paying close to $7 for some varieties of the popular brew – and some pay about $2 more for each cup than they did six years ago – according to exclusive data from Square.
While there was a similarity in prices – and trajectories – of different brews across Australia, in Perth one style of coffee was significantly higher than the rest of the nation.
It turns out we love a macchiato – and are willing to pay a full $1 more than most other cities in Australia for our favourite brew.
However, could this price difference be related to Perth’s famous coffee order: the long mac topped up?
Read the full story – and check out the interactive tools to see how the price of your coffee order has gone up.
A 60-year-old man driving a pink 1956 Chevrolet has died following a collision with a Ford Ranger on the Mitchell Freeway on Wednesday night.
The two cars crashed near Butler Boulevard in Nowergup about 8.10pm.
The aftermath of a fatal crash involving a vintage Chevrolet car on the Mitchell Freeway in Perth.
Police, paramedics and firefighters were called, but the 60-year-old died could not be saved and died at the scene.
The 35-year-old man driving the Ford Ranger was taken to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Major crash investigators are examining the scene and are appealing for anyone with information or footage in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers.
Meanwhile, WA Police have urged motorists to take care on the road, drive safely and keep in mind the wellbeing of themselves and others as the school holiday period begins.
Here’s what’s making headlines today:
Jane Goodall plays with Bahati, a 3-year-old female chimpanzee, at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary near Nanyuki, north of Nairobi, on Dec. 6, 1997.Credit: AP
Good morning, and welcome to our live news blog for Thursday, October 2.
Making headlines today, ex-inmates of Hakea prison have revealed some of the conditions they were subjected to during their time behind bars.
Jackson Appleby spent four separate stretches behind bars, each one of them at Canning Vale’s Hakea Prison, and each of them harder to get through than the one before.
Even judges agree the conditions are so unbearable that spending any time there should equate to a reduced sentence.
You can read more it here.
Vision of sharks captured near the bridge.
In other news, a shark scientist predicts the number of bull sharks in the Swan River will climb over the coming months, a week after a school of the animals forced the closure of City of Fremantle beaches.
Australian Marine Conservation Society scientist Dr Leo Guida said it was likely bull shark numbers in the Swan would increase as the weather heated up – which was a positive sign for the river’s ecosystem.
Read more here.
Stay with us as more news breaks.
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