Australia news live: Naomi Watts says her ‘heart is broken’ over death of David Lynch; Burke unveils new counter-terror strategy

Naomi Watts says ‘heart is broken’ in tribute to David Lynch
Naomi Watts has penned a tribute to David Lynch, the maverick American director who has died at the age of 78. She credits him for launching her career through her breakout role in Mulholland Drive, which he directed.
In a post to Instagram, Watts said her “heart is broken” and the world would “not be the same without him”.
His creative mentorship was truly powerful. He put me on the map. The world I’d been trying to break into for ten plus years, flunking auditions left and right. Finally, I sat in front of a curious man, beaming with light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and feel at ease. How did he even “see me” when I was so well hidden, and I’d even lost sight of myself?!
It wasn’t just his art that impacted me – his wisdom, humor, and love gave me a special sense of belief in myself I’d never accessed before.
Watts said that Lynch “seemed to live in an altered world” and he “invited all to glimpse into that world through his exquisite storytelling, which elevated cinema and inspired generations of filmmakers across the globe.”
I just cannot believe that he’s gone. I’m in pieces but forever grateful for our friendship.
Key events
Sydney antisemitic attack: footage shows cars torched in Sydney’s east
Footage has been released of the antisemitic attack in Dover Heights overnight.
Captured by a nearby onlooker, the footage shows a large fire stemming from one of the vehicles that was set alight, before large plumes of grey smoke grow across the area:
Michael Manthorpe appointed interim head of Defence and Veterans’ Service Commission
The federal government has appointed Michael Manthorpe as interim head of the Defence and Veterans’ Service Commission.
A statement from the defence minister, Richard Marles, said Manthorpe would head the interim organisation and work across government to establish a legislated oversight body by September this year.
The statement said his appointment was a “significant milestone” in implementing recommendation 122 of the royal commission into defence and veteran suicide’s final report.
Manthorpe has served in the public service for 37 years, including as commonwealth ombudsman from 2017 to 2021.

Caitlin Cassidy
New CEO appointed at Australian Research Council
A biochemist and pro vice-chancellor at the Australian National University has been appointed as the new CEO of the Australian Research Council (ARC).
Prof Ute Roessner was appointed by the board on Friday, to serve a five-year term starting at the end of March. It is the first time an independent ARC board has appointed a chief executive after a swathe of reforms were made to the council in 2023 to crack down on political interference.
The education minister, Jason Clare, said Roessner would lead the ARC, under the direction of the board, to “help shape Australian research for the nation’s economic, social, environmental and cultural benefit”.
Professor Roessner was appointed by the board following a competitive, merit-based recruitment process. The Albanese government last year acted to strengthen the independence of the ARC, including the ARC board responsible for appointing the CEO as the accountable authority. I congratulate Professor Roessner on her appointment.
Roessner is pro vice-chancellor of research initiatives and infrastructure at ANU, and holds a number of advisory board positions at the university.
Minns says he has not seen counter-offer from rail unions
On negotiations with the rail unions, Chris Minns said he hadn’t received details of an offer from the union and “I don’t know what it is.”
He said it was “very late in the day to receive a counter offer” and the state government would pursue its 424 application with the Fair Work Commission regardless.
We’ve been down this road before with constant negotiations, but want to make it clear that if the 424 application from the government is upheld by the Fair Work Commission, then we do enter a period of negotiations with the union.
The key difference would be those negotiations would take place without a noose around the public, and it can take place without everybody’s trains and trips and transport being heavily delayed or cancelled as a result.
Minns outlines contingency plan as hundreds of psychiatrists set to resign
As Natasha May reports, the NSW government is considering moving public psychiatry patients into private hospitals in preparation for the mass resignation of the state’s psychiatrists next week.
Chris Minns was asked about this at the press conference just now, and said a triage plan has been put in place in the event of a higher number of resignations.
Some of that involves using the private hospital network, some of it involves a central agency that’s going to look very closely at where public health is at a critical level across our local health districts in NSW. I’ve been briefed on that …
It’s regrettable that we have to stand up those massive changes. But clearly we can’t have a situation where half the public psychiatrists in NSW resign en masse, we need to have contingencies in place. Some of those contingencies will involve the use of the private sector.
Minns would be ‘open’ to national cabinet convening to address antisemitism
Asked if national cabinet should be convened to address antisemitism, Chris Minns said he would be “open to that”.
The NSW premier said Anthony Albanese had met with state and territory leaders a week ago, which was “important”, and “we are in constant dialogue at the political level, the legal level”.
My responsibility is to ensure that we are communicating with the commonwealth to share intelligence and share information. My second is to make sure that the public messaging from the NSW government is unambiguous and that antisemitic attacks will not be tolerated in [the state].
Minns says NSW government has pursued changes to protest laws despite resistance from Labor MPs
Chris Minns has been speaking about the weekly pro-Palestine protests in Sydney.
He said protest is lawful in Australia, but that “doesn’t mean over the last year the NSW government [and police] has not actively … prosecuted people who have waved terrorist flags.”
The most specific and recent example I can give you is the protection of religious institutions … The reason we changed that law is that there’s an implied freedom to express your religion as well and go to the local synagogue, or the local church, free from vilification or fear or protest.
Now, all of those changes that we’ve pursued, changes to hate speech laws, changes to protests out the front of religious institutions, targeting of individuals that have been spraying around terrorist flags have been met with opposition – sometimes from within my own party – but we have been resolute about the need to protect the community and in particularly community cohesion.
Minns says Australia ‘can’t rely on’ Gaza ceasefire to quell local tensions
Chris Minns was asked about hopes yesterday that the ceasefire deal would quell tensions in Australia.
He said “we can’t rely on that” and argued “a result of these hate crimes is people distorting whatever happens overseas.”
Many people came to the city and country specifically to avoid this kind of confrontation, this kind of hatred … it’s one of the reasons why we have far stricter and tougher hate speech laws in Australia than they do in the US, and I don’t make any apologies for that.
The reason we do is because we want to protect what can be a very fragile community that we’ve built in Australia, the multicultural community of 2025, and that’s not up for debate and it’s not up for a change.
NSW premier flags law changes to combat antisemitism when parliament resumes
Taking questions, Chris Minns said he could not promise an end to antisemitic crimes in NSW – but could promise a “full and comprehensive police response”.
He said that when parliament resumes in February the government would be pursuing changes to the law around protecting religious places of working, “in particular the great synagogue in the middle of Sydney CBD”.
The government will also pursue changes to hate law and speech in the state, he said.
The reason for those changes in hate law and hate speech is because I don’t think a firebombing in Sydney is where this begins. I think it begins with individuals in our community promoting, tolerating and highlighting hatred of Jewish [people] in their communities.
‘The Jewish community is resilient’, David Ossip says
David Ossip from the Jewish Board of Deputies was next to front the media, saying what occurred last night “should never be seen here in Sydney or Australia.”
No Australian should go to bed with apprehension about hate crimes being perpetrated overnight. No Australian should be concerned with the wellbeing of their property or vehicles overnight.
To the alleged perpetrators, Ossip said:
[To those] who want to intimidate and menace the Jewish community, who want us to be silent … you will not succeed. The Jewish community is resilient.
Assistant commissioner says it is ‘unacceptable’ the Jewish community feels ‘under siege’
Assistant commissioner Peter McKenna also addressed the media, saying the Jewish community feels “under siege” and this is “not acceptable”.
Our job in NSW police is not only to keep people safe, but to make them feel safe. We’ll pivot and serve whatever resources we need to make that happen …
We cannot have people who don’t feel safe in Sydney, Australia … [Addressing] this is our top priority as we speak right now, when you have a community that feels under siege. It not acceptable.
NSW police commissioner warns Dover Heights vandals to ‘look over your shoulder’
The NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, said at Dover Heights overnight, a home and four vehicles were “maliciously damaged”, with two vehicles set on fire.
She said this was “criminal behaviour conducted by criminals and [they] can expect to be tracked down”.
We will continue to investigate this until they are found and put before the courts …
The message is you will get caught. It’s a matter of time. You can expect police to knock on your door. Look over your shoulder. If you are responsible or you know someone, then you need to call the police and let us know. We will come looking, no matter how long it takes us.
‘Huge amount of resources’ diverted to investigating spate of antisemitic attacks, Minns says
Chris Minns said NSW police had diverted “a huge amount of resources” to investigating this incident, and to Strike Force Pearl, which has 20 detectives working on antisemitic violent attacks in the community full-time.
They are making headway in their inquiries.
The premier said the state government would “increase the law” and “put resources into fighting this crime.”
The truth of the matter is that incidents of antisemitism, violent behaviour, are increasing in our community, and collectively, as a community, as a society, we have to stand together to condemn it unambiguously and send a clear message to these animals that these actions will not be tolerated. They’ll be arrested for their activities, for their hate crimes, and this community won’t stand for it.
Minns has spoken to Ryvchin after his former residence targeted
As we flagged earlier, Chris Minns said the property was a former residence of Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
He said police at this stage can’t categorically link the two, but “clearly it would be a massive coincidence if they were not linked”.
It’s very important to say at this early stage of the inquiry that this is an active line of police investigation, that this was, in fact, a targeted attack.
Minns said he spoke to Ryvchin this morning and he was “obviously concerned”, but “I was struck by how resilient and strong and absolutely fortified in his commitment to the cause that he’s been associated with” he was.
I found it truly remarkable and a true insight into his character, that he is not taking a backward step under any circumstances, and he will not be cowed. It was a fantastic example of resilience, and everybody’s thinking about Alex and his family at the moment.
Minns addressing media on antisemitic attack in Dover Heights
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, is speaking to reporters after the antisemitic attack in Dover Heights overnight, which he has labelled as “truly disgusting”. He said:
These are horrifying antisemitic attacks. They’re violent. I think they’ve shocked the people of NSW and Australia, and honestly, I never thought I would see this kind of naked racism and antisemitism repeating itself on the streets of Sydney in such an organised, horrifying manner.
It is truly disgusting and against all of the ethos, all of the community sentiment about what living in Australia is all about. And I know that this shameful, violent, appalling behaviour is condemned by the vast, vast majority of people that live in this state and live in this country.
Alleged Melbourne double homicide occurred at family birthday party, police say
Victoria police have been providing an update about an alleged double homicide in Melbourne.
They said an argument and brawl broke out last night at a private birthday party, among people known to each other, which spilled out on to the street.
At some stage during that brawl two men have been stabbed and they’ve both died at the scene. Medical assistance did arrive, but unfortunately and tragically for [those] family members, they [both] died at the scene …
It was a private birthday party that should have been a celebration, and unfortunately it’s had this tragic result.
The two men were aged 23 and 54, from the same family.
She said about 20 people were involved in the brawl, and several people left before police arrived – police say they are now working on getting in contact with them.