
We’ve rounded up the biggest news stories the afternoon – and it will only take you a few minutes to catch up on these headlines.
FOR NEWS UPDATES on the Cairns tragedy, please see this post here.
1. Sydney siege hostage reveals her unborn baby is unharmed – and pays homage to Katrina Dawson
By ABC NEWS
A survivor of this week’s deadly siege in Martin Place, Sydney, has released a statement remembering her “closest friend, role model and confidant”, Katrina Dawson and the “courageous” Tori Johnson, who both died in the gunfire that ended the siege.
Julie Taylor, a barrister at Eight Selborne Chambers and colleague of Ms Dawson, wrote of her grief at losing her friend.
“Katrina Dawson was the most wonderful person I have ever met. She was my closest friend, a role model and confidant,” Ms Taylor wrote.
“Her bravery and strength was, and continues to be, a comfort and inspiration for me.
“She invested every moment of her life in her friends and family, and will be greatly missed by everyone who has known her.
“My thoughts and sympathy are with her family, whom I have come to know and love.”
(PHOTO: Julie Taylor, a hostage in the Sydney siege, has written of her grief at losing friend and fellow hostage Katrina Dawson.)
Ms Taylor also paid tribute to Tori Johnson.
“Although our acquaintance was forged under the worst imaginable circumstances, I feel privileged to have known you and I will always remember you as a kind, considerate, level-headed and courageous person,” she wrote.