16 News

The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) has charged a third man over the alleged Adass Israel Synagogue arson attack in December 2024.

The Airport West man, 20, has been charged with criminal damage by fire (Arson), contrary to section 197 of the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic), conduct endangering life under section 22 of the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) and theft of motor vehicle under section 74 of the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic).

The offence of arson carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment, while the offence of theft of motor vehicle and conduct endangering life both carry a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.

The Airport West man was charged by JCTT investigators today (Friday, 19 June, 2026) at the Metropolitan Remand Centre, where he is in custody for unrelated offences.

He is expected to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court next Tuesday (23 June, 2026).

It will be alleged the Airport West man is one of three individuals who broke into the Ripponlea synagogue and deliberately set the fire. Under Operation Hilfield, the JCTT has now charged all three alleged offenders accused of directly setting the synagogue on fire.

On 30 July, 2025, the JCTT charged a Werribee man 21, for his alleged role as one of the three individuals who allegedly broke into the synagogue and set the fire.  

On 21 August, 2025, the JCTT charged a Meadow Heights man, 20, for his alleged role as one of the three individuals who broke into the synagogue and set the fire.

The JCTT also charged a Melton South man, 20, on 16 July, 2025, for allegedly stealing a communal crime car, which is alleged to have been used to drive to the synagogue on 6 December, 2024.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Peter Crozier said that the AFP, together with Victoria Police and ASIO, had remained laser focused on identifying those responsible for the attack on the Jewish community and to prosecute those responsible.

“Today, the Victoria JCTT is able to confirm that we have identified and charged those we allege attended the synagogue and carried out this deplorable attack,” Assistant Commissioner Crozier said.  

“There is no understating the fear and genuine sense of unease this crime created in our society.  

“Operation Hilfield reached this point today thanks to significant assistance from the community. Now, we again, ask the community for their help.  

“We can reveal that we believe some individuals have actively lied to the JCTT, likely in an attempt to hinder our investigation.    

“Let me be very clear. You will not obstruct justice. Now is the time for you to come forward and do the right thing.

Victoria Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul O’Halloran said that identifying those who are involved in anti-semitic attacks of any nature remains a priority for Victoria Police.

“While over 18 months have passed since the fire at the Adass synagogue, we have remained firmly focused on ensuring those who bring harm to our community are put before the court.

“It doesn’t matter what role someone may play, if you are involved in an incident such as this then I can assure you police and our partner agencies will do everything we can to fully investigate and hold you to account for your actions.

“It’s clear these incidents are designed to create fear and distress, when people of all faiths and backgrounds deserve to feel safe in our state.

“We’ve also seen first-hand here in the past few years how dangerous and unpredictable fire can be, and arson attacks like this can easily end in death or serious injury.

“I want to reassure the public again that these investigations remain a priority for Victoria Police and to thank the Jewish community for their assistance and support thus far.”

Information can be provided by contacting Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or online at the Crime Stoppers Victoria website. A confidential report can also be made to the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400. 

The Albanese Government has officially opened the WA Submarine Discovery Centre in Rockingham – a new information hub where the local community can learn about Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine program and stay up to date on the delivery of our submarines.

This program will significantly enhance Australia’s ability to defend our country and build our self‑reliance. It will also deliver generational investments for Western Australia where around 10,000 direct jobs will be supported over the next two decades as a result of the Albanese Government’s investments in AUKUS and shipbuilding.

Rockingham has a long and proud connection to the Royal Australian Navy and a shared history dating back over forty years. The local community is central to delivering Australia’s nuclear‑powered submarine capability and is already seeing AUKUS in action.

The WA Submarine Discovery Centre, developed by the Australian Submarine Agency, is part of the Albanese Government’s commitment to engaging with state and local governments, and the community, including through community information sessions. 

The Centre features interactive exhibits, educational resources on topics including STEM opportunities and WA’s proud submarine history. It will act as a front door for the community to ask questions and a place to host community events on how the program is progressing and a delivering a Future Made in Australia.

Its official opening comes as preparations for the establishment of Submarine Rotational Force‑West next year continue, which will see the United States and the United Kingdom have a rotational presence at HMAS Stirling – supporting Australia to build the capabilities and skills needed to safely and securely own, operate and maintain a fleet of conventionally armed, nuclear‑powered submarines from the early 2030s.

The Discovery Centre will be open to the public on Tuesday-Thursday each week. 

It is located at 19 Kent Street, Rockingham and is adjacent to the Gary Holland Community Centre and the Rockingham Tourism Centre.  

For more information visit: https://www.asa.gov.au/submarine-discovery-centre 

Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles:

“The new Discovery Centre will be a valuable resource for Rockingham – providing a space for locals and visitors to explore what our investments in AUKUS mean for them, and learn about how we are transitioning to this game changing capability.

“Western Australia is already the home of Australia’s submarines, and is now at the forefront of the AUKUS pathway playing a vital role in Australia becoming sovereign ready to own and operate our own fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

“This generational investment in this critical military capability is also an investment in Australian jobs, workforces, and industry, including in Western Australia.”

Member for Brand, Madeleine King:

“AUKUS represents a generational opportunity for Western Australia and for workers and families in Rockingham.

“Rockingham has a long and proud history of supporting the Royal Australian Navy for over 40 years. Since being first commissioned in 1978, Rockingham has warmly welcomed HMAS Stirling into our community, with the City itself granting it Freedom of Entry in 1988, and HMAS Stirling exercising that freedom in 2023, supported by the thousands of local residents that came along to be part of an important tradition. 

“Rockingham will be at the forefront of AUKUS, providing jobs and economic opportunity and playing a central role in the security of Australia.”

The Royal Australian Navy today celebrated the achievements of its newest graduates from the Navy Indigenous Development Program (NIDP), marking the end of a powerful journey of growth, challenge and self‑discovery.

At HMAS Cairns, graduates took part in a formal parade and ceremonial march past family, community members and Defence representatives, including Minister for Defence Personnel, Matt Keogh and newly appointed Deputy Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Darren Grogan, CSM, RAN.  

The NIDP is a five-month training program designed to equip young First Nations Australians with the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to contribute to a stronger and more capable naval workforce.

Aligned with the Government’s Closing the Gap strategy, the program is open to First Nations Australians aged 17 to 35 and provides training in education, fitness, leadership and workplace skills.

The program also includes practical maritime exposure through training in Cairns and cultural immersion activities with local communities.

NIDP runs twice a year and offers a pathway into the Australian Defence Force or broader employment opportunities across Australia.

Graduates complete a TAFE Queensland course equivalent to Year 10 Mathematics and English, creating a foundation for further study or employment.

Minister for Defence Personnel, the Hon Matt Keogh MP: 

“The ADF’s most important capability is its people and an adaptable, resilient workforce that draws on a wide range of skills and experience is central to the strength of our Defence force.

“Over 22 weeks, this program is a springboard to success for First Nations Australians, whether that’s in the ADF or by bringing valuable skills back home to their communities.

“Today’s graduating class is a showcase for the opportunities this course opens up, with graduates going onto further training in a range of course from electronic warfare to logistics.

“Congratulations to all today’s graduates and good luck for the future.”

Deputy Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Darren Grogan, CSM, RAN.

“The Navy Indigenous Development Program proves that potential is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t always. The program delivers lasting benefits for individuals, their communities and Defence.

“These graduates have stepped forward, backed themselves and earned skills that set them up for whatever comes next, in our Navy, broader Defence and beyond.”

More information on the NIDP is at: Navy Indigenous Development Program – ADF Careers

The Australian Government has today lowered travel advice for Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from ‘Do Not Travel’ (Level 4) to ‘Reconsider your need to travel’ (Level 3). Some areas within Israel remain ‘Do Not Travel’.

Australia welcomes the agreement between the United States and Iran and continues to encourage all parties to pursue a durable and lasting peace through dialogue and diplomacy.

The Albanese Government’s number one priority will always be the safety and security of Australians.

While the security situation across the Middle East could deteriorate rapidly with little warning, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has assessed current conditions in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE as appropriate to move to Level 3.

Level 3 remains a high threshold. We continue to urge Australians to postpone non-essential travel. ‘Reconsider your need to travel’ also means ‘reconsider your need to transit’. If you need to transit these locations, stay as short a time as possible and eliminate unnecessary activities.

The Department and Foreign Affairs and Trade will continue to closely monitor the situation and keeps all Smartraveller travel advisories under review. Advice levels can go back up if conditions deteriorate. Australians should check Smartraveller.gov.au for detailed, up-to-date advice before travelling and subscribe for updates.

We also urge Australians planning to travel to make sure they have travel insurance and to closely read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for what is and isn’t covered. More information on travel insurance can be found here.

DFAT continues to advise ‘Do Not Travel’ to Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen, and ‘Reconsider your need to travel’ to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Australians who require consular assistance should contact DFAT’s 24/7 Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 (within Australia) or +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas).

The Victorian Greens have referred the Allan Labor Government’s public housing tower demolition program to the Ombudsman. 

The Greens are proposing that the Ombudsman investigate the treatment of residents and impact of relocations on residents’ wellbeing, the adequacy of alternative housing offered, the condition of towers awaiting demolition and whether relocation practices are compatible with residents’ human rights. 

The investigation would also specifically examine the impact on older Victorians living in public housing towers earmarked for demolition.

The Greens have made the referral to the Ombudsman and on Wednesday they will push to have the referral made a priority by moving a motion in Parliament. Ombudsman investigations referred directly by the Parliament are required to report within six months. 

The referral follows the Allan Labor Government’s response to the parliamentary inquiry into the redevelopment of Melbourne’s public housing towers where they supported only 4 of the 21 recommendations.

The inquiry found that the Victorian Labor Government engaged in “significant coercive and misleading practices to relocate residents within an arbitrary deadline, causing deep harm to social, emotional and physical wellbeing of the residents.”

The Greens say that if Labor won’t properly examine the consequences of its own decisions, then the Ombudsman should.

It comes as the Greens announce their plan to double the number of public homes and refurbish the existing public housing stock, saying that while Labor wants to tear down public housing in a housing crisis, the Greens want to build more of it. 

Victorian Greens housing spokesperson Gabrielle de Vietri:

“Labor wants to tear communities apart and trample on people’s rights. They don’t care what the experts say or what people think. We’ve had to send in the Ombudsman to hold Labor to account before they do irreparable damage.”

“The inquiry heard evidence of residents being pressured to relocate, deceived about their rights and fearful of losing their homes and communities. Those allegations are serious, but Labor’s response shows they haven’t taken them seriously.”

“This project has been a disaster from day one. In a housing crisis, Labor is tearing down good, affordable homes and replacing them with expensive private apartments. 

“Victoria already has the lowest proportion of public housing in the country. We need to be building more public housing.

“The Greens have pledged to double the number of public homes and refurbish the public housing we have so everyone has a safe affordable place to call home.” 

The Victorian Greens are demanding action to address Victoria’s dangerously overcrowded police cells and will today introduce a Bill to cease decanting to Parliament.

Victoria’s remand population has exploded drastically due to Labor’s changes to bail laws which the Greens say have not only been ineffective in improving community safety but have overwhelmed an ill-equipped and unprepared system. 

The Greens say that Labor chose to ignore the evidence and accused them of creating a dangerous and foreseeable crisis. 

Overcrowding in prisons has become so severe that people are being held in police cells and transported between police stations because there is nowhere else to detain them, overriding long-standing legal protections designed to prevent extended stays in police custody.

The Greens’ ‘Better Rights in Police Custody Bill’ would provide a mechanism to safely reduce the time a person can be held in police cells, cease decanting across different police stations, as well as ensuring those in police custody have the same rights to health care and visitors.

The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) has warned that police, corrections and court systems are unprepared to deal with the consequences of the government’s bail laws and the growing number of people being held on remand.

The Victorian Police Association has also warned that it is only a matter of time before someone dies in police custody as a result of overcrowding and prolonged detention in police cells.

The Greens say these warnings are a stark reminder of the circumstances that led to the death in custody of Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman Veronica Nelson, which the Coroner described as a “complete, unmitigated disaster”.

The Greens say Labor’s approach is making Victoria less safe and fuelling dangerous conditions that could lead to deaths in custody, and that we should be diverting resources into what actually reduces crime and reoffending. 

Victorian Greens justice spokesperson Katherine Copsey:

“Victorians are less safe because of the choices Jacinta Allan’s Labor Government has made.

“Labor ignored the evidence and ignored the warnings. Instead of investing in the things we know improve community safety, they chose reactionary politics and now we’re facing a dangerous overcrowding crisis in both police cells and prisons.

“Victoria’s prisons are overflowing, people are being warehoused in police cells and even police are warning it is only a matter of time before someone dies.

“Labor created this situation by ramming through harsher bail laws without any plan for the predictable surge in people being locked up.

“We need immediate action to reduce overcrowding and prevent deaths in custody, and we need the government to start investing in the things that actually make communities safer.”

Responding to Pauline Hanson’s National Press Club address, Leader of the Australian Greens Larissa Waters said:

“Pauline Hanson’s incoherent hatred today offered nothing more than the same tired Islamophobia, transphobia, racism and protection racket for fossil fuels we’ve heard from her for decades.

“Pauline Hanson wants Australians angry, divided and scared of our neighbours. It’s an ugly and racist distraction from her servitude of the same billionaires and corporate superprofits as the major parties.

“One Nation opposes wage increases for workers and opposes a 25% tax on gas exports. One Nation looks after corporate superprofits, not people.

“Attacking multiculturalism and pedalling islamophobia and transphobia won’t fix the housing or cost of living crisis.

“One Nation will not change the system any more than Labor or the Liberals will. 

“Every party in the country except the Greens is bleeding votes to One Nation. The major parties are in decline, and we have an opportunity for real change. But One Nation wants more of the same.

“If people want a fair go in Australia, they need to vote for the only party that puts people ahead of profits: The Greens.

There is absolutely no place for hate and division in Victoria. 

Pauline Hanson and her billionaire-backers want to use Victorians for their own political ambitions and to protect their own profits – but the Greens are here to stand in her way.

Our message to all Victorians, and especially to First Nations, migrant communities, trans communities, refugees and asylum seekers and all people of colour, is this: the Greens are with you.

We won’t let the rhetoric from Pauline Hanson’s address yesterday become the norm in Victoria where our diversity is our strength. 

We also cannot be distracted from why this is happening in the first place. 

One Nation hasn’t come out of nowhere. They are a symptom of the major parties’ failure to listen to people and take action on the housing and cost of living crises, while letting billionaires and big corporations make record profits at the expense of everyday working Victorians.

Labor and the Liberals have ignored people for too long. The system isn’t working for people and people are fed up.

But let’s be clear, One Nation is controlled by, and works for, the same big corporations and vested interests as the major parties. Swapping one corporate-controlled party for another won’t fix anything.

Yesterday proved that One Nation won’t fix anything, they only offer someone to blame. 

One Nation wants to distract us from who caused these problems in the first place: the big corporations and vested interests, and the political parties who help them.

While One Nation wants to divide people, The Greens are bringing people together. 

Every week hundreds of Greens volunteers are out in the community, having conversations, face to face with people, and building collective power ahead of the November election.

The Greens have had a groundswell of new volunteers sign up in just a matter of weeks. 

Fighting back starts with coming together.