NSW Premier Chris Minns has called on the federal government to reverse its plan to sell Victoria Barracks in Paddington. He said the sale would be a big missed opportunity and that the community wanted the site kept for defence use. Defence Minister Richard Marles defended the move, saying the site is not fundamental to national defence and costs $200 million over the next decade to secure. Defence says most of the roughly 500 personnel on the site will move out before the end of 2026, with many shifted to Randwick Barracks.
A covert recording of a prison meeting between Beau Lamarre-Condon and a friend has been played to the New South Wales supreme court. Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter. He is accused of fatally shooting Jesse Baird and Luke Davies with his police service weapon at Baird's Paddington home in February 2024. In the recording, Lamarre-Condon allegedly says he fully takes accountability for drawing his friend into the matter. The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues.
A jury has heard a police recording in which Beau Lamarre-Condon, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, tells a friend that things went wrong and that it was his fault. The recording was made after Mr Lamarre-Condon was charged. The 31-year-old is arguing self-defence at a trial before the NSW Supreme Court. The killings are alleged to have taken place on February 19, 2024, at Mr Davies's Paddington home. In the recording, Mr Lamarre-Condon says he went to the house to collect his belongings and thought no one was home.
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Jurors have heard audio recordings of jail phone calls between former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon and a friend who gave evidence against him. In one call, Mr Lamarre-Condon told the friend he had misheard or misinterpreted an alleged confession to shooting two people. Mr Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder over the February 2024 deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. He is accused of shooting the couple with his police pistol and is arguing self defence. The friend is giving evidence under a certificate that prevents his testimony being used to prosecute him.
Brisbane agent Heath Williams says buyers are competing hard for homes with character that cannot be replicated, even as the wider market shifts. A former hospital outbuilding at 24 Brisbane St, Annerley, sold for a suburb-record $4.45 million after being converted by architect Ric DeLuca. A riverfront Queenslander at 66 Yeronga St, Yeronga, sold for $6.25 million, and Triangle House at 1 Sherman St, The Gap, sold for $1.415 million. More than 60 groups inspected a Paddington home at 61 Beck St at its first open home, where offers close on November 11.
More than 2,000 people rallied in Sydney on Sunday to urge Anthony Albanese to stop the proposed sale of Victoria Barracks. Former prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott attended the Save Victoria Barracks event at Kippax Lake. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said the site's defence role was at stake. NSW Veterans Minister David Harris said the state would use planning and heritage avenues to slow the move. Brigadier Vince Williams, president of RSL NSW, called the proposal a total failure of leadership.
A friend of former Sydney police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon has told the Supreme Court trial that Mr Lamarre-Condon said he had shot two people. The witness said the accused asked him to help clean up a mess and later said he did not realise bodies would be heavy. Mr Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies and is arguing self-defence. The Crown alleges he killed Mr Baird after an obsessive infatuation. The trial is in its fifth week.
A friend of former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon has told a jury that he fired his police gun in a national park weeks before the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. The witness says Mr Lamarre-Condon asked whether the shots could be heard from a house, and that he fired with a paper bag over the barrel. Mr Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to murder and is arguing self-defence in the NSW Supreme Court. The couple were allegedly killed at Mr Davies's Paddington home on February 19, 2024.
A friend of police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon has told the New South Wales supreme court that he allegedly confessed to killing two men. The friend said Lamarre-Condon described the shootings as an out-of-body experience, then tried to pass it off as a joke. Lamarre-Condon, 31, is accused of fatally shooting Jesse Baird and Luke Davies with his police service weapon in Baird's Paddington home in February 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter. The defence claims the men were shot accidentally in self-defence.
Newly released CCTV has been shown to a jury in the murder trial of Beau Lamarre-Condon. He is accused of fatally shooting Jesse Baird and Luke Davies at Baird's Paddington home in February 2024. He has pleaded not guilty. The footage captures him at a drive-thru in a van allegedly used to dispose of the bodies, along with purchases at hardware stores. The defence claims the men were accidentally shot in self-defence. The trial before Justice Natalie Adams continues.
Prosecutors have released nearly five hours of CCTV footage from the NSW Supreme Court trial of Beau Lamarre-Condon, who has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in February 2024. The footage allegedly shows him buying supplies at Bunnings stores and using several vehicles in the days after the deaths. A witness, Elizabeth Kennedy, told the jury she travelled with him to a property near Goulburn, where she said he asked her to help with garbage bags over number plates. Mr Lamarre-Condon is arguing self-defence, and the trial continues on Friday.
A friend of Beau Lamarre-Condon has told the NSW Supreme Court that he played a Taylor Swift song while driving to Bungonia with her. Lamarre-Condon, a police officer, is accused of fatally shooting Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in Baird's Paddington home in February 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one of aggravated break and enter. The witness said Lamarre-Condon bought an angle grinder at Bunnings, cut a padlock at a farm and later went to a dam alone. The defence claims the shootings were accidental and that he acted in self-defence.
The federal government will go ahead with the planned sale of Sydney's Victoria Barracks, a convict-era army site, despite a high-profile campaign against it. Some 67 military properties are being sold to raise funds. Personnel and their families based at the barracks will be moved to other defence sites by the end of the year. A rally outside the barracks on Sunday is expected to draw thousands. Former prime minister John Howard plans to speak at it, while NSW Premier Chris Minns has backed listing the site on the state's Heritage Council register.
A witness has told a Sydney Supreme Court jury about a drive with Beau Lamarre-Condon, who is on trial over the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in February 2024. The witness, known as Elizabeth Kennedy, said he asked her to pay for an angle grinder and to cover number plates, and that he told her, I don't want to involve you. The accused has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers will argue self-defence. The Crown alleges he tried to sink the bodies in a dam at Bungonia, where they were later found.
Most intercontinental internet traffic travels through fibre-optic cables laid on the ocean floor, not through satellites. Cables are most often damaged by fishing activity and ship anchors, and also by earthquakes and underwater landslides. Repairs require specialist vessels that locate the fault, cut out the damaged section, splice in new cable and return it to the seabed. Major technology companies, including Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon, have invested in new cable systems. Australia relies on these links for overseas markets and cloud services.
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Cairns artist iefje Boissevain is showing her first Brisbane solo exhibition at La Trobe Artspace in Paddington. The show, titled Colour Has Consequences, features new works made over almost a year. Boissevain builds her abstract paintings from layers of texture, mixed media and colour, finished with several coats of high-gloss resin. Much of the work uses saturated corals and lagoon blues. The official opening night is Wednesday, October 21, from 5pm, and the exhibition runs until October 25.
A witness has told the NSW Supreme Court that former police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon said he had broken into Jesse Baird's Sydney home twice. The witness said he tracked Mr Baird's location through Snapchat and photographed him through a bedroom window. Mr Lamarre-Condon has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Baird and Luke Davies in Paddington in February 2024. The defence says the men died during separate struggles involving the pistol, and the Crown alleges both were shot.
A Sydney court has been told that Beau Lamarre-Condon underwent surgery in the middle of an alleged attempt to dispose of two bodies. Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one charge of aggravated break and enter. He is accused of fatally shooting Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in Baird's Paddington home on 19 February 2024. The surgery took place at St Vincent's hospital on 21 February, two days after the alleged killings. CCTV shown in court captured him at hardware stores buying cleaning supplies and a tarpaulin.
A friend of accused killer Beau Lamarre-Condon has told a New South Wales Supreme Court jury that he sent her photos of his ex, Jesse Baird, with another man. The former police officer has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Baird and flight attendant Luke Davies, who were shot in Mr Baird's Paddington home in February 2024. The witness, known as Elizabeth Kennedy, said he described breaking into Mr Baird's house in August 2023 to steal his phone and wallet.
A friend of Beau Lamarre-Condon has told a New South Wales Supreme Court jury that he appeared excited after allegedly breaking into the home of TV presenter Jesse Baird while Baird slept. Lamarre-Condon, 31, has pleaded not guilty to the alleged murders of Baird and Luke Davies and is arguing self-defence. The friend, a witness known as Elizabeth Kennedy, said he allegedly described having a key cut and taking Baird's phone. Prosecutors allege Lamarre-Condon's account of the bodies is a lie. The trial continues.
