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Speaker 1: You're listening to Another mea podcast.

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Speaker 2: Hi, I'm English Delaney with the latest from the Quickie

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Speaker 2: newsroom from Monday, March thirty. Fugitive Desi Freeman has been

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Speaker 2: shot dead by police at a property in Victoria's northeast

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Speaker 2: after seven months on the run. Freeman is accused of

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Speaker 2: killing two police officers at his Poor Punker property in

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Speaker 2: August last year. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush says

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Speaker 2: the shooting followed an early morning standoff at a shipping

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Speaker 2: container like home where a man believed to have been

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Speaker 2: armed exited the building but did not comply with officers

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Speaker 2: calls to surrender. Formal identification is still pending, with police

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Speaker 2: expecting confirmation within twenty four to forty eight hours. Seven

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Speaker 2: News Chief Crime reporter Cassie Zervos, who broke the story,

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Speaker 2: joins us for more. Cassie, can you take us through

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Speaker 2: exactly what we know so far happened this morning in

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Speaker 2: Poor Punker.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, it was a huge developing story there this morning.

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Speaker 1: What we know and what police have been able to

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Speaker 1: confirm with us, is that they received a tip off

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Speaker 1: where Desi Freeman has been harboring himself at a rural property.

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Speaker 1: We can't confirm that there was no one else on

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Speaker 1: this property where police moved in this morning. He was

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Speaker 1: living inside a makeshift container that sort of resembled a caravan.

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Speaker 1: From the vision that we have been able to obtain,

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Speaker 1: he's built himself a campsite. There were two camping chairs there,

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Speaker 1: some pots and pans, so it appears that he has

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Speaker 1: been there for a period of time, but investigators say

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Speaker 1: that there's still not one thousand percent sure how long

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Speaker 1: he has been there. This standoff went on for three hours,

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Speaker 1: so it was five point thirty this morning, and they

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Speaker 1: kept trying to get him out safely so they could

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Speaker 1: arrest him and take him into custody. At around eight am,

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Speaker 1: they used a tactical operation to lure him out. He

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Speaker 1: came out wrapped himself in a dinner, and from there

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Speaker 1: police noticed that he was holding a firearm. I've since

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Speaker 1: been told that it was actually the stolen police gun

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Speaker 1: from one of the officers that he killed in August

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Speaker 1: last year, and as soon as they saw that weapon

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Speaker 1: opened the fire. Police won't yet confirm whether or not

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Speaker 1: he made threats to them with the gun, but we

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Speaker 1: do know in Victoria police officers here are trained to

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Speaker 1: kill as soon as there is a severe threat and

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Speaker 1: that's what's unfolded there this morning. So after more than

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Speaker 1: six months on the run, it is a huge development

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Speaker 1: in this man hunt for one of Australia's most wanted men.

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Speaker 2: And this has been a massive operation, like you mentioned,

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Speaker 2: six months in the making. Just how significant was the

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Speaker 2: police response.

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Speaker 1: It was huge And what we know is that the

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Speaker 1: Special Operations Group they flew into this regional town yesterday

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Speaker 1: and as of receiving his tip off, and they surrounded

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Speaker 1: streets and this property in plain sight, so they would

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Speaker 1: have been in plane clothing just like everybody else. And

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Speaker 1: from there that's when they executed what they wanted to

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Speaker 1: be a safe resolution to bring him into custody, but

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Speaker 1: of course quickly developed and turned quite dramatic there this morning.

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Speaker 1: In terms of the police operation itself, as we know

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Speaker 1: there was more than three hundred police officers on the

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Speaker 1: ground from August twenty sixth last year. We had Victoria officers,

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Speaker 1: New South Wales, Adelaide's police from WA and we even

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Speaker 1: had police from overseas from New Zealand and the army

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Speaker 1: was called in as well. But what was really interesting

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Speaker 1: it was only a few months ago where Victoria police

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Speaker 1: came out and said we actually think he may be dead.

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Speaker 1: The community thought this man was dead until this morning,

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Speaker 1: and it was a huge development in what has been

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Speaker 1: as Mike Bush, the Chief Commissions described, a relentless operation

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Speaker 1: for his members.

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Speaker 2: And so what happens next from here? Are police looking

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Speaker 2: at whether anyone else could be involved.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely, so what we know is that no one else

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Speaker 1: was arrested or no one else is in custody this morning.

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Speaker 1: But of course the biggest question is who lives at

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Speaker 1: this property, who owns this property. We have been in

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Speaker 1: touch with the owner and I can confirm with you

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Speaker 1: he actually lived in Mania and he was completely blindsided.

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Speaker 1: But as Mike Bush did say today, someone has helped

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Speaker 1: this match. Someone has helped harbor him. Someone has picked

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Speaker 1: him up from where the shooting unfolded and has taken

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Speaker 1: him to this address. Someone has been giving him food

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Speaker 1: and water and supplies for now. The families of the

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Speaker 1: two police officers say that they're feeling there's a little

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Speaker 1: bit of relief knowing that this match isn't still in

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Speaker 1: our community.

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Speaker 2: National Cabinet has agreed on a new plan to boost

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Speaker 2: fuel security across Australia, with all states and territories on board.

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Speaker 2: The strategy includes new supply measures, early voluntary action, and

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Speaker 2: a task force meeting twice a week. The federal government

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Speaker 2: says it'll have the fuel excise for three months, cutting

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Speaker 2: about nineteen dollars off a sixty five liter tank and

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Speaker 2: redirecting fuel from cities to regional areas. Heavy vehicle charges

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Speaker 2: will also be cut to zero for three months, with

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Speaker 2: states urged to act on registration costs. The total cost

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Speaker 2: is estimated at two and a half billion dollars for

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Speaker 2: fuel excise relief and fifty three million dollars for heavy vehicles,

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Speaker 2: aiming to ease pressure on households and protect supply. The

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Speaker 2: announcement comes as US President Donald Trump raised global tensions

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Speaker 2: over oil, telling The Financial Times the US could take

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Speaker 2: the oil in Iran and seize the country's major fuel

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Speaker 2: hub at carg Island. Principles and school leaders are facing

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Speaker 2: rising threats physical violence and bullying, with more than half

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Speaker 2: seriously contemplating leaving their roles. New data from an ongoing

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Speaker 2: Australian Catholic University survey shows violence against principles has nearly

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Speaker 2: doubled over the past fifteen years, driving a sharp decline

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Speaker 2: in school leader's health and well being. Nationwide, almost half

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Speaker 2: reported physical violence from either students, colleagues, or parents, with

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Speaker 2: some schools even restricting parent access to drop off and

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Speaker 2: pick up zones. And Arnold Schwarzenegger's son is following in

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Speaker 2: his footsteps, winning his first bodybuilding competition. Joseph Bayner, who

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Speaker 2: the Terminator Star had with his former housekeeper, took home

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Speaker 2: first place in several categories at the NPC Natural Colorado

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Speaker 2: State Competition. That's your evening news headlines. On Tuesday's episode

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Speaker 2: of The Quikie, we talk through the changes from today's

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Speaker 2: National Cabinet meeting and what they actually mean for you.

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Speaker 2: Listen to the Quiki wherever you get your podcasts.

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Speaker 1: Mumma Mea acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters

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Speaker 1: that this podcast is recorded on