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The search for police killer Dezi Freeman has been one of the most extraordinary manhunts in Australian history.
By late Sunday, the Special Operations Group was secretly watching the fugitive at his remote hideout in northeast Victoria. They called him out before dawn on Monday, beginning a three-hour standoff. Freeman emerged wrapped in what appeared to be a blanket, carrying a police firearm. Police shot him dead about half past eight.
With the scene locked down, criminologist Terry Goldsworthy explains what happens next and how the three-hour stand-off and shooting will be investigated. Freeman was a self-declared "sovereign citizen" and eluded police for 216 days.
One key question remains: how did he do it?
In Australia, there have only been four significant, long-term fugitives in the past 40 years. And as Vincent Hurley writes, searching for people who go off the grid is one of the biggest challenges police can face.
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Niall Seewang
Sport + Society Editor
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Vincent Hurley, Macquarie University
A fugitive going off-grid presents a huge puzzle for police. It may explain how Dezi Freeman eluded authorities for so long.
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Terry Goldsworthy, Bond University
In February, police said they strongly believed Dezi Freeman was dead. It may have been a tactic that helped bring the manhunt to an end.
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Locky Xianglong Liu, Victoria University; James Giesecke, Victoria University; Jason Nassios, Victoria University
The changes announced by the prime minister won’t help with supply and are poorly targeted.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Halving the fuel excise will cut the cost of fuel for motorists by 26.3 cents a litre.
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Zachary Aman, The University of Western Australia
Australians are being urged to switch to E10 fuel, as the US-Iran conflict continues to put pressure on diesel and petrol supplies.
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Bernard Stewart, UNSW Sydney
The evidence shows nicotine-based vapes are likely to cause oral and lung cancer. We just don’t yet know how many cases it will cause.
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Vinh Thai, RMIT University
Cocoa’s price hit an all-time high in 2024, but has plummeted since. Why aren’t we seeing cheaper chocolates on our supermarket shelves yet?
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Nina Van Dyke, Victoria University; Rosemary V. Calder, Victoria University
There is a lot more to healthy eating than what’s on your plate. How, why and when you eat also matters. Here are 3 tips to get started.
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Paul S.C.Taçon, Griffith University; Andrea Jalandoni, Griffith University; Joey Nganjmirra, Indigenous Knowledge; Sally K. May, Adelaide University
The rock art reveals the Thylacine’s deep significance to Aboriginal peoples.
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Penni Russon, Monash University
Children’s writer Penni Russon grew up reading Judy Blume. She read her biography trying to find the person she knew intimately from her novels.
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Politics + Society
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Adrian Beaumont, The University of Melbourne
Opposition to the Iran war is very strong in Australia, but so far the government has not been damaged by it in the polls.
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Joanne Wallis, Adelaide University ; Salote Tagivakatini, Adelaide University
Beyond New Zealand, no other country is as embedded as Australia in the national and regional institutions of Pacific Islands countries.
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Anna Marie Brennan, University of Waikato
As the war in Iran escalates across the region, urgent questions about civilian harm, accountability and the limits of international law become harder to answer.
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Health + Medicine
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Gehan Gunasekara, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Ian Welch, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington; Lisa Patterson, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Recent data breaches damaged trust in New Zealand’s health system. A new cyber security strategy must ensure stricter regulatory oversight and mandatory audits.
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Rachael Burgin, Swinburne University of Technology; Gemma Hamilton, RMIT University
Counselling records including notes, transcripts and even audio and video files are ending up in the hands of defendants’ legal teams.
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Education
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Sally Patfield, University of Newcastle; Franziska Lessky, University of Oxford; Sarah O'Shea, Charles Sturt University
For students in our study, university was not simply about finding a job, but about changing their life trajectories.
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Environment + Energy
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Saman Gorji, Deakin University; Alireza Ganjovi, Deakin University
Australia has built millions of mini power stations on detached homes. The next challenge is ensuring people in apartments, units and townhouses can benefit too.
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Science + Technology
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Leonidas Karagounis, Australian Catholic University
Peptides are being widely marketed as a 'holy grail' for workout recovery and physical performance. But do they work?
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Keith Christian, Charles Darwin University
Biologists think tropical animals can’t really adapt when the environment changes – a new study challenges that view.
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Arts + Culture
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Emily Dollman, Adelaide University
There is a huge variety of musical material you can engage with together, so there will definitely be songs to suit everyone.
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Books + Ideas
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Marty Branagan, University of New England
Dennis Altman’s Righting my World tells the story of his long history in activism, beginning with the gay liberation movement of the 1960s.
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Whose problem is fuel theft?
“The image of the petrol industry suffering because of theft as they gouge Australians' hip pockets is hard to digest. I suggest it's a problem of their own making. In many other countries, I have to use a credit card at the pump to pay for fuel before delivery. If I have no credit card, I can entrust a few dollars with the attendant and adjust after the fill. Sadly, the Australian retail fuel industry wants customers to weave their way through a mini mart in the hope of increased sales. The solution is not wasting police time chasing thieves, but being self responsible with pay-as-you pump.”
Dr Bruce Moon, West Tweed NSW
Should we refine our own fuel again?
“Australian fuel shortage. Surely it would be a win/win situation for the Albanese government to reopen or rebuild the Kurnell refinery in NSW? And any others that have been laid to rest by previous governments? A lot of Australians are really appalled by the transfer of Australian industries to overseas countries with cheaper labour forces.”
Julie-Anne Brett
Opening the strait
“Most commentators seem to see the opening of the Strait of Hormuz as a military issue only and forget that the tankers carrying oil and cargo in the strait are owned and operated by private companies. These ships are contracted by cargo owners and there are a number of liabilities and responsibilities involved if there is an accident, caused by military action or otherwise. Unless there are guarantees from involved states to cover these liabilities, most owners would be very hesitant to move their ships through risky waters unless the reward is very high.”
Bo Samuelsson
We'd love to hear from you. You can email us with your thoughts on our stories and each day we'll publish an edited selection.
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