Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
Australian Associated Press
“Inhumane and disgusting’ Unit 18 youth detention
The youth wing of an adult prison where a teenager fatally harmed himself has been described as a “war zone” by a nurse who worked there. April 10, 2024 A nurse who tried to save an Indigenous teen after he harmed himself in the youth wing of an adult prison has told an inquest the unit was […]
Unit 18 ‘inhumane’ and a ‘war zone’ before teen’s death
Conditions inside a youth wing of an adult prison where a teenager fatally harmed himself have been described by a nurse who worked there as a “war zone”. April 10, 2024 A nurse who tried to save an Indigenous teen after harmed himself in the youth wing of an adult prison has told an inquest […]
Senior officer when teen harmed breached lawful order
An officer overseeing an adult prison’s youth wing the night an Indigenous teenager fatally harmed himself had breached a lawful order but remained on duty. April 9. 2024 A senior officer in charge of a troubled youth wing in an adult prison on the night an Indigenous teenager fatally harmed himself had been found to […]
Junior prison staffer forced into senior officer role
A probationary correctional worker has told an inquest that she was coerced into working as a senior officer in the troubled youth wing of an adult prison. April 9, 2024 A probationary corrections worker had to fill in as the senior officer in the troubled youth wing of an adult prison where an Indigenous teenager […]
Probationary guard worked as Unit 18 senior officer
A probationary correctional worker has told an inquest that she was coerced into working as a senior officer in the troubled youth wing of an adult prison. April 9, 2024 A probationary corrections worker had to fill in as the senior officer in the troubled youth wing of an adult prison where an Indigenous teenager […]
Indigenous teen’s death in detention avoidable: guard
The guard who found a teen with a self-inflicted injury in an adult prison’s youth wing has told an inquest the death was tragic and could have been avoided. April 8, 2024 An Indigenous teen’s death after he harmed himself in detention was a preventable tragedy, the corrections officer who found him in his cell has told […]
Unit 18 detainees’ threats to self-harm an ‘epidemic’
The guard who found a teen with a self-inflicted injury in an adult prison’s youth wing has told his inquest that detainee threats to self-harm were an epidemic. April 8, 2024 Threats to self-harm had “spiralled out of control” and were an “epidemic” in a troubled youth wing of an adult prison, an inquest into […]
Unit 18 corrections staff watching movies on the job
The corrections officer who found a teen with self-inflicted harm in an adult prison’s youth wing says staff regularly watched movies on the job to stay awake. April 8, 2024 Corrections staff watched movies while detainees were locked in their cells in the troubled youth wing of an adult prison, an inquest into the first […]
Guards didn’t want to work at ‘powder keg’ Unit 18
The corrections officer who found an Indigenous teen with self-inflicted harm in an adult prison’s youth wing says the unit was “set up to fail”. April 8, 2024 The unliveable youth wing of an adult prison was a ‘pariah’, chaotic and set up to fail, an inquest into the first juvenile to die in detention […]
‘Disbelief’ when teen found unresponsive in youth wing
A guard who found an Indigenous teen with self-inflicted injuries in the “unliveable” youth wing of a WA prison says he was initially confused by the discovery. April 5, 2024 The corrections worker who found the first juvenile to die in youth detention in Western Australia did not initially understand what he was seeing as he peered […]
High-security prison youth wing ‘unliveable, chaotic’
A prison staffer who found an Indigenous teen with self-inflicted injuries in the youth wing of an adult prison in WA says the unit was “set up to fail”. April 5, 2024 The corrections worker who found the first juvenile to die in youth detention in Western Australia says the prison unit where the boy self-harmed “was […]
Youth wing in high-security prison ‘set up to fail’
The prison staffer who found an Indigenous teen with self-inflicted harm in the youth wing of an adult prison says the unit “was set up to fail”. April 5, 2024 The corrections worker who found the first juvenile to die in WA youth detention after he self-harmed says the prison unit where the incident happened “was set […]
Complaints rise over lenders and customer hardship help
The financial sector ombudsman has reported a “concerning” rise in complaints about lenders’ handling of requests for hardship assistance from borrowers. April 3, 2024 Complaints about how lenders handle requests for hardship assistance are on the rise, the financial sector ombudsman has reported. Financial difficulty complaints increased by 25 per cent in 2023 and the […]
Inquest reveals detained teen’s harm threats ignored
An Indigenous teen, who died after self-harming in an adult prison’s youth wing, made eight threats to do so in the hours before he was found in his cell. April 3, 2024 The first juvenile to die in youth detention in Western Australia threatened to self-harm eight times in the hours before he was found unresponsive in […]
Teen repeatedly threatened self-harm, inquest told
An Indigenous teen, who died after self-harming in an adult prison’s youth wing, made eight threats to do so in the hours before he was found in his cell. April 3, 2024 The first juvenile to die in youth detention in Western Australia threatened to self-harm eight times in the hours before he was found unresponsive in […]
Coroner tempers hopes for scope of teen’s inquest
The coroner hearing an inquest for an Indigenous teen who died after self-harming in an adult prison’s youth wing says it won’t be a roving royal commission. April 3, 2024 An unprecedented inquest for the first juvenile to die in youth detention in Western Australia won’t be a roving royal commission, a coroner says. Cleveland […]
Indigenous teen’s family want answers from inquest
The family of an Indigenous teen who died after self-harming in an adult prison’s youth wing hope an inquest provides more information about his death. April 3, 2024 The family of the first juvenile to die in youth detention in Western Australia hope an inquest will shed light on his death and result in an overhaul […]
Reynolds, Higgins defamation case returns to court
Lawyers for Senator Linda Reynolds, Brittany Higgins and her partner will attend court to sort out the next steps in the defamation case after mediation failed. April 3, 2024 A pair of high-profile defamation cases that pit Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds against former political staffer Brittany Higgins and her partner will to return to court […]
Indigenous teen’s family hope inquest will bring change
The mother of an Indigenous teen who died after self-harming in the youth wing of an adult prison says she is determined to get justice for her son. April 2, 2024 The heartbroken family of WA’s first juvenile to die in youth detention hope an inquest will lead to an overhaul of the justice system. Cleveland Dodd, […]
Two dead, driver on charges after three-car crash
A 51-year-old man has been refused bail after being charged over the death of two people in a three-car crash. April 1, 2024 Two people are dead and a man has been charged following a three-car crash involving a Tesla in South Australia. A man, 62, and a woman, 54, who were in a Ford […]
Alice Springs overnight youth curfew could be extended
The two-week night time youth curfew imposed on Alice Springs to act as a circuit breaker on youth crime could be extended to cover the entire school holidays. April 1, 2024 The emergency overnight youth curfew in Alice Springs imposed as the outback town grapples with youth crime could be extended. The Northern Territory government […]
Omicron linked to more long COVID-19 cases: study
Long COVID-19 cases may have increased with the Omicron variant, with a study finding almost one in five people suffering symptoms months after diagnosis. March 28, 2024 The Omicron coronavirus variant could be causing more cases of long COVID than earlier versions of the disease, scientists say. A study of more than 11,000 Western Australians […]
Jacqui Lambie Network senator quits party
Federal Senator for Tasmania Tammy Tyrrell has resigned from the Jacqui Lambie Network, saying the party had lost confidence in her abilities. March 28, 2024 Tasmanian Senator Tammy Tyrrell has resigned from the Jacqui Lambie Network, saying the party has lost confidence in her. The 53-year-old says she’ll continue to represent the Tasmanian people in […]
Easter water warning after drownings climb over summer
Royal Life Saving Australia has issued an Easter water safety warning after an increase in drownings over the summer period. March 27, 2024 Royal Life Saving Australia has urged holidaymakers to be cautious around water over the Easter break after an increase in drownings over the summer period. There were 99 drowning deaths across the […]