Class action launched against General Motors over alleged faulty transmission systems in Holdens – as it happened

Key events
What we learned today; Wednesday 8 January
And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the day’s big stories:
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Hadi Nazari, the 23-year-old hiker missing in Kosciuszko national park since Boxing Day, was found alive.
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A CoreLogic report showed the fall in house prices in December was exacerbated by slowing economic growth and “higher-for-longer” interest rates.
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The Greens called for Labor to pass laws declaring the ABC official hosts of the upcoming federal election leaders’ debates in a bid to “Dutton-proof” the event.
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Monthly inflation figures showed CPI rose 2.3% in the 12 months to November. The Australian Bureau of Statistics said the top contributors to the figure were food and non-alcoholic beverages, alcohol and tobacco, and recreation and culture.
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Aussies travelling to the UK will now need to apply for a digital permit to visit England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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The Albanese government announced it would build a further 40 of its Bushmaster-protected mobility vehicles in regional Victoria after securing a $100m deal with defence contractor Thales.
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The shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, defended her decision to not attend the anniversary of Cyclone Tracy after the PM attacked her for it. She said it was Christmas and she was worried about a break-in.
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A class action has been launched against General Motors for alleged faulty transmission systems in several Holden vehicles sold over the past 13 years.
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow to do it all again – until then, stay safe.
Police say Nazari called his sister before he even landed at the command centre.
He was treated for dehydration before being taken to hospital.
He was happy that he was found, and very gracious for the effort that everyone went to find him.
Missing hiker foraged for berries and found two muesli bars in a hut
We are now jumping to another news conference on the hiker Hadi Nazari, with police at the command post.
It’s just such amazing news.
This is the 14th day we’ve been looking for him, and for him to come out and be in such good spirits and in such great condition. It’s incredible.
Police have said he lived off foraged berries and drank water from creeks.
There’s some creeks up there, and he said he’d been finding water where he could and foraging for food where he could, in terms of berries. At one point, he said he found a couple of muesli bars in a hut.
Spilet says 350 to 400 people helped in the search, including Nazari’s family and friends.
We’ve spoken to the family. They’re very happy that obviously they have their loved one returned to them.
Spilet says when Nazari was found he was alert and able to speak.
Police will visit him tomorrow to find out more about how he survived.
Spliet says the fact he was fit and had the right equipment with him helped Nazari survive. But he stresses they don’t know the details yet.
It’s really hard to assess how somebody would look after themselves out there in the bush. We really just want to find out what he’s actually done, has he rested in the shade during the day? Has he found walking tracks that he’s been able to get on?
As I said, he’s been in a hut there as well. If he stayed hydrated, which he has, he’s done really well.
Spliet:
He’s covered a lot of ground in that time, but the details of if he’s been on hiking tracks or how he’s actually got there is something that we’ll obviously speak to him about.
But at the moment, the primary concern is making sure that he’s physically healthy.
Spliet:
He’s obviously very happy to be rescued and safe and united with his family.
Spliet says Nazari survived by finding a hut, where there were two muesli bars.
He relayed that he found a hut up there in the mountains, and there were two muesli bars up there that he’s eaten, and that’s pretty much all that he’s had to consume over the last two weeks.
So the further details about where he’s been and how he’s actually looked after himself are still yet to be determined.
Missing hiker found in Kosciuszko is ‘in good health’
Spliet describes how Nazari was found:
The circumstances we believe at the moment are that he called out to some hikers who were in the area.
He told them that he’d been lost in the bush and was thirsty.
Those people then contacted emergency services.
He was then picked up by police air, he says.
The helicopter took him back to the command post. At the command post, he was assessed by ambulance on the scene. He’s in good health, doesn’t appear to have any significant injuries.
NSW police Supt Andrew Spliet is now speaking about finding hiker Hadi Nazari.
A police sergeant who allegedly performed two Nazi salutes in front of colleagues at the police academy will not be charged despite the gesture being banned in Victoria, the force says.
More here:
Hello everyone – this is Cait Kelly. An incredible afternoon to be on the blog – so good to have some good news!
We are expecting police to hold a press conference in about 30 minutes about the hiker Hadi Nazari, who was found today after being missing for nearly two weeks in Kosciuszko national park.
With that, I leave the blog with Cait Kelly. Thanks for reading.
Sarah Basford Canales
Government warns of misinformation harm as Meta ditches factcheckers
The communication minister, Michelle Rowland, has warned of the harms of misinformation after Meta announced overnight it was ditching independent factcheckers to prioritise “free speech”.
In a statement on Wednesday, Rowland said “access to trusted information has never been more important”.
She said:
Misinformation can be harmful to people’s health, wellbeing, and to social cohesion. Misinformation in particular is complex to navigate and hard to recognise.
The minister said it was providing ongoing funding to the ABC, SBS and AAP to continue their factchecking programs.
‘Incredible outcome’: police say hiker winched to safety from near lake
The missing hiker Hadi Nazari was located by other hikers off the circuit walk near Blue Lake in Kosciuszko national park at about 3.15pm today, police say.
It came after a multi-agency search involving more than 300 people over 13 days.
Nazari was winched from the location to the command post, where he is now being assessed by paramedics.
The Riverina police district Insp Josh Broadfoot has thanked emergency services for their contributions over the past fortnight.
This is an incredible outcome, after 13 long days he has been located. We want to thank our emergency services partner agencies, volunteers and members of the public for their assistance. We never gave up hope of finding him, and we are elated we can return him safely to his family.
The hiking group, which had been posting daily updates about the search for Nazari, posted that he had been found and thanked God.
Hazara Hikers in Australia posted only minutes ago, saying:
Congratulations everyone.
Hadi Nazari’s has been found by the rescue team.
After 13 days. Alhamdulilah (Thank God).
Hiker missing in Kosciuszko found alive
The 23-year-old hiker missing in Kosciuszko national park since Boxing Day has been found alive.
The hiking group which Hadi Nazari had been travelling with, Hazara Hikers, confirmed the Victorian man has been found alive.
Police are expected to provide an update shortly.
Sydney council hopes to ditch shark nets and switch to Smart drumlines
The home of some of Australia’s best-known beaches is inching closer to ditching shark nets as more communities voice concern about the century-old system, AAP reports.
NSW installs the barrier devices at 51 beaches each summer in an effort to protect swimmers and surfers.
But growing community concern about their effectiveness is leading more councils to press the state government to switch to non-lethal techniques, such as Smart drumlines which allow sharks to be intercepted, listening stations and drones.
Only 15 target sharks were caught by nets in the previous summer, compared to 109 other shark species and 29 turtles. More than a third (36%) of all animals caught by the nets were released alive.
Sue Heins oversees a Sydney council area stretching from Manly to Palm Beach, the longtime home of television drama Home and Away.
The Northern Beaches mayor said she would be thrilled if the government ditched shark nets tomorrow, saying regular users of the beaches did not want them.
“It’s like a hanky floating out there in the ocean,” Heins said. “Each council knows their beaches, our area is not a nursery.
“We’d be happy with no nets whatsoever, we’ve been using the Smart drumlines for quite a while … we know they work.”
No decision had been made about the future of shark nets across NSW beaches, the state’s agriculture minister, Tara Moriarty, said.
“The NSW government committed to engaging with local councils across the 2024-25 season on shark management,” she said in a statement. “This consultation is ongoing, and we will not be predetermining the outcome of it.”
NSW will remove its shark nets a month earlier than in previous years this summer, with the season set to end on 31 March.