A 19-year-old Toukley man will face Wyong Local Court today, charged by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) with accessing images of child sexual abuse over the internet. The investigation began after the AFP received a referral from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the United States. On 11 January 2011, AFP officers executed a search warrant at a residence at Toukley (NSW).

Socialist Party member Anthony Main was elected to Yarra City Council today after a count back of the 2008 results in the Nicholls Ward. Nicholls Ward covers North Carlton, North Fitzroy and parts of Fitzroy, Collingwood and Clifton Hill. A count back was conducted due to the ALP Mayor Jane Garrett resigning after she won the seat of Brunswick at the November State Election. Garrett’s votes were distributed to the 3 remaining candidates.

The Queensland Government has launched an appeal to help fellow Queenslanders affected by the recent floods. Many communities have been devastated. Some families have lost everything. You can help make a difference by donating to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal. At this time, the Queensland Government is inviting financial donations only. Unfortunately this appeal cannot accept donations of goods or services

Source: The Age , Megan Levy , December 9, 2010
Visitors to the senator's Wikipedia page this morning may have been surprised to learn his role as Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness, among other portfolios, had been usurped by some decidedly more colourful titles.CIA agent, US Mole, Traitor, and US Embassy Hero were listed below the right-wing Labor powerbroker's photograph on the popular online encyclopedia following revelations by WikiLeaks today that Mr Arbib was as a confidential contact of the United States embassy in Canberra.

The  letter appears on the ABC's The Drum website and a copy has been posted below:

Tamil asylum seeker Mugeeb Rahuman Mohaideen is detained in Maribynong Detention Centre. He came to Australia on November 7. He told Green Left Weekly that he ran a clothes-making store in the war-torn Tamil Eelam province of Sri Lanka. Mohaideen's customers included the Sri Lankan Army. He said the SLA took a large order in August 2009 and didn't pay. When Mohaideen asked for payment, they came for him.

IMMIGRATION authorities are not informing asylum-seekers for months that their refugee assessments have failed. The tactic is an effort to avoid adding to tensions in Australia's overcrowded and increasingly chaotic detention centres. In what has been described as a "systematic" and illegal practice, the Immigration Department has delayed notifying failed asylum-seekers their claims have been rejected, in some cases for almost five months.