Police in standoff with alleged trespasser on Bolte Bridge
Police in Melbourne are in a standoff with a man who they allege has painted a huge “Pam the Bird” image on the city’s Bolte Bridge.
In a statement Victoria police said uniformed and water police were “currently on scene and responding to an incident involving a trespasser” on the bridge. They said:
A man has scaled the bridge and remains in a restricted area on the eastern tower. He is refusing to follow police direction and come down. double quotation mark
Police allege the man is responsible for graffitiing the bridge earlier this morning.
There was no threat to the public or road users and one lane of the bridge remains closed.
They were working to get the man down safely.
A
post on Instagram from a Channel Seven reporter shows a man on top on one of the bridge’s 120m-high towers, just above a new Pam the Bird.
Another post
appears to be taken from the man’s point of view on top of the tower, looking out over the city and gesturing to police below. It ends with the comment “will see you in the morning might have a quick nap”. Share
Updated at
17.14 EDT
Key events
Back to the upcoming by-election in WA’s seat of Secret Harbour…
WA One Nation Leader
Rod Caddies said Labor has treated Secret Harbour as a safe seat and voters aren’t happy, AAP reports.
They’ve been missing in action, and we’re going to sink Labor in Secret Harbour. double quotation mark
The party has a short list of potential candidates, but no one has been officially nominated to run.
We want to make sure that we don’t leave any stone unturned in getting the very best. double quotation mark
Hanson could also make an appearance on the hustings once the by-election date is announced, he said.
Political commentator Peter Kennedy said Labor will “lose some paint” in the poll but is likely to retain the seat.
The big question for Labor is how much support it will lose. double quotation mark
It’s got a fair buffer, but things are a bit volatile at the moment, so I think there would be a bit of nervousness all around the traps.
The by-election’s “moment of truth” will be how many votes One Nation gets and how much of the struggling Liberal party vote it can take.
It’ll be a test for (WA Liberal) Basil Zempilas and his leadership. It’s also a big test for One Nation, whether the swing we’ve been seeing to One Nation is reflected in actual votes. double quotation mark
Good morning,
Nick Visser here to take over the blog. Let’s dive in. Police in standoff with alleged trespasser on Bolte Bridge
Police in Melbourne are in a standoff with a man who they allege has painted a huge “Pam the Bird” image on the city’s Bolte Bridge.
In a statement Victoria police said uniformed and water police were “currently on scene and responding to an incident involving a trespasser” on the bridge. They said:
A man has scaled the bridge and remains in a restricted area on the eastern tower. He is refusing to follow police direction and come down. double quotation mark
Police allege the man is responsible for graffitiing the bridge earlier this morning.
There was no threat to the public or road users and one lane of the bridge remains closed.
They were working to get the man down safely.
A
post on Instagram from a Channel Seven reporter shows a man on top on one of the bridge’s 120m-high towers, just above a new Pam the Bird.
Another post
appears to be taken from the man’s point of view on top of the tower, looking out over the city and gesturing to police below. It ends with the comment “will see you in the morning might have a quick nap”. Share
Updated at
17.14 EDT WA premier says Labor faces tough fight to retain Secret Harbour in byelection
Western Australia’s Labor premier has conceded his party will have a tough fight to retain a previously safe seat after a retiring MP triggered a byelection, Australian Associated Press reports.
Paul Papalia, the WA minister for corrective services and member for the seat of Secret Harbour, south of Perth, quit politics yesterday.
“This isn’t what I’d planned,” he told reporters. “One of my immediate family members has been diagnosed with a serious illness.”
The state premier, Roger Cook, said his party will have to work hard if it wants to retain the seat, which is made up of working and middle-class families.
It’s going to be really tough. We’re not taking anything for granted. double quotation mark
We know that during a byelection there’s heightened debate and there’s increased focus and, as a result of that, we’re going to have to fight for our lives on this one.
Papalia, a navy veteran who entered politics in 2007, won Secret Harbour for Labor in 2025, polling 61.5% of the two-party preferred vote amid a 28.5% swing away from the party.
The Liberals won 28.5% of the vote, recording a swing of 9.8% to the party.
One Nation, which polled 8.4% in 2025, with a 6.3% swing to it, confirmed it will run a candidate.
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Updated at
17.09 EDT Wong says she will talk to China over ‘destabilising’ missile test Penny Wong has said she will discuss China’s long-range missile test personally with Chinese counterparts in her next official engagements.
The foreign affairs minister said Australia had made clear its displeasure at Monday’s South Pacific missile launch by diplomatic channels, speaking to the ABC on Monday evening. She said:
We have consistently made those representations and will continue to do so … because we do want the Pacific to be an ocean of peace. double quotation mark
In an era where we see contest and competition, the destabilising acts can lead to miscalculation, can lead where we do not want these actions to lead.
Wong said Australian defence attachés in Beijing and officials in Canberra had been briefed by their Chinese counterparts earlier in the day and communicated the government’s view. She added:
You should anticipate that in my next engagements those points will be something we will discuss. double quotation mark
Wong repeatedly refused to speculate on China’s intention and refused to say whether the action was “dangerous” or “heavy handed”, when asked.
You can read more here:
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Updated at
17.07 EDT
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m
Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
Western Australia’s Labor premier,
Roger Cook, has conceded his party will have a tough fight to retain a previously safe seat after a retiring MP triggered a byelection in which One Nation could launch a strong challenge. More coming up. Penny Wong has said she will discuss China’s long-range missile test with Chinese counterparts in her next official engagements after Beijing’s shot across the bows of the region.
<small>Source: The Guardian</small>
