Ten years after the Lindt Cafe siege sent shock waves around the nation, the man at the helm of the landmark investigation into the tragedy has delivered a stark warning for Australians. or signup to continue reading "People have this idea that the terrorist threat has gone away," former NSW coroner Michael Barnes says. "I think at any stage, something like that could occur again." Mr Barnes led the inquest into the December 2014 siege, in which terrorist Man Haron Monis took 18 people hostage inside Sydney's Martin Place for 16 hours. Monis fatally shot cafe manager Tori Johnson, while barrister Katrina Dawson was killed by stray police bullet fragments in the dying moments of the siege. Now head of the powerful NSW Crime Commission, Mr Barnes delivered a series of findings and recommendations as a result of his 18-month inquest into the tragedy. Central to this, he declared NSW police did not act quickly enough, the gunman should not have been allowed out on bail at the time of the siege, calls for help from the hostages went unanswered and families of victims were treated insensitively. Although Mr Barnes remains wary of a laissez-faire attitude towards domestic terror threats, he believes lessons have been learned from the siege. "Police are much better placed now to deal with those issues," he says. "It was a learning experience for NSW but also police around the country." One of the major findings from the inquest was police missed the chance to storm the cafe after Monis fired the first shot, an opportunity, if taken, might have saved Mr Johnson and Ms Dawson's lives. After wrapped up in 2016, then NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller conceded police should have gone in earlier. "I give this assurance to everyone ... we won't wait 17 hours again," he promised at the time. One year on from the deadly siege, Australia's largest police force adopted a shoot-now strategy for terrorist situations, replacing its controversial contain-and-negotiate procedure which the inquest found cost valuable time. At the time of the siege, police were also required to make individual decisions about when to use deadly force. "People under incredible stress and in very great danger themselves are perhaps not best placed to make those decisions," Mr Barnes says. "So we thought putting that a bit higher up the hierarchy was justified." NSW laws have now been changed to adhere to the recommendation. Police resourcing was another concern identified at the Barnes inquest. With their specially equipped truck off the road, negotiators worked out of a four-wheel drive before being moved to a cramped room inside a Leagues' Club. The building had no whiteboards or live feed, there was only one landline and the primary negotiator had never handled a hostage situation before. Key demands by Monis - including securing media coverage, organising a meeting with the prime minister and being given an Islamic State flag - were delayed in reaching top commanders and none were ever granted. "The idea there that you can't make concessions to a terrorist, I think that did hinder some of the way (police) acted on the day," Mr Barnes offers. "No concessions doesn't mean you can't engage, doesn't mean you can't give them anything that they might want if that's going to de-escalate the situation." Negotiation training policies have also since been updated. The inquest additionally unveiled stark information about how prosecutors and other sworn officers dealt with Monis in the weeks and months preceding the attack. The lone gunman, who was fatally shot during the siege, was out on bail in 2014 after being charged with being an accessory to murder and more than 40 counts of sexual and indecent assault. The families of some victims have expressed disbelief that Monis was allowed in the community while facing such serious matters. Police preferred the sexual assault charges against him via a court attendance notice while he was at large instead of arresting him. Mr Barnes found this made it more difficult for prosecutors to argue that he should be taken into custody. However, the inquest found prosecutors submitted "inadequate" oral oppositions to Monis' request for bail and no written submissions. The families of the siege victims, who suffered through hours of torment, were also left in the dark for much of the ordeal. Mr Barnes found they were gathered together in a hostage room too close to the cafe and were able to hear explosions and gunshots. "They then didn't hear anything officially for a number of hours and they were all kept in a large space and could see individual hostages who had been released reunited with their family members," he says. "The remaining families diminished in number until it became obvious that there weren't any more hostages." In the aftermath of the siege, a sea of flowers formed on Martin Place, paying tribute to the traumatised hostages and the two fatally wounded victims. Ten years on, little remains there to remember the events of December 15. The cafe has been transformed into a Dan Murphy's wine cellar, with the central tasting table adorned with flowers in memory of the event. A permanent exhibition is embedded into the concrete in Martin place, with small flowers set into the pavement behind glass frames. The NSW government will mark the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy throughout this week, with commemorative displays and flower laying from Tuesday. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. 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Photos: Remembering Jimmy Carter, the 39th US presidentFans and fellow players alike were touched by Enzo's meaningful celebration and Jackson's humble reaction. Social media platforms were buzzing with praise for the duo, with hashtags like #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork and #AssistsOverAbs trending worldwide. Many lauded their display of sportsmanship and camaraderie, highlighting the importance of acknowledging and appreciating the efforts of teammates in achieving success.Oliver Glasner: Crystal Palace are heading in right direction after Ipswich win
The UK is at risk of a drastic slowdown in its transition to electric cars because of big disparities in the availability and cost of charging points, especially in poorer areas, a report says. The study, by the consultancy Stonehaven, argues that given rapid advances in batteries and car range, persuading more people to move to electric vehicles is now less an issue of technology than one of "urban management and social equity". It cites London, which has the UK's highest usage of electric cars, as an example of what the report's authors call a lack of coherent strategy over on-street charging points, which are left to individual councils to install. This has led to huge variations in provision, with one London borough, Harrow, having 63 charging points, compared with nearly 2,700 in another, Westminster. The report says the evidence points towards such infrastructure being disproportionately available to people in richer areas, and less so to those who would be more likely to benefit from being able to use an electric vehicle. The study, taking another example from London, says the two outer boroughs of Bexley and Havering have a combined 14,000 people who work in the transport and storage industries, and there are just 260 public chargers between them. By contrast, in the more central borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, 3,000 people have such jobs and there are more than 2,600 chargers. It notes, however, that public charging is only part of the challenge, given how much more expensive this tends to be than charging an... Peter Walker