The Buzz: Should police have pulled their punches?

HOW DID IT GET TO THIS?

The fallout over the police shooting of two Indigenous youths driving a car at speed, and on footpaths, through Kings Cross on Saturday night continues. Footage shows one of the shot youths being dragged from the car covered in blood, thrown to the ground and punched.

One of the youths was 14-years-old and has been ‘in trouble with the law since he was eight’. He and the other boy are in a coma.

As Fairfax reported:

The Deputy Opposition Leader, Linda Burney, who is Aboriginal, said the fundamental question was about how a 14-year-old came to be driving through Kings Cross with five others at that time of day.

She said glaring social problems such as poverty and homelessness were behind the issue, but also parental and community responsibility – or lack thereof.

The Police Minister called for calm and asked for the community to wait until an investigation concluded.

Here’s what else is causing a buzz:

1. Reports this morning Matthew Newton has been arrested again, this time for the battery of a hotel employee in Miami. Sky News is reporting the actor knocked the employee to the ground and chased them around the lobby.

Channel 7 reports the staff member hit the ground after he was punched by the actor, around 4.51am.

Newton was already on bail for charges of trespassing and resisting arrest.

Mia Freedman spoke to psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg about the Matthew Newton dilemma. Mental illness, the media and making up for past mistakes.

2. The big House of Reps survey into same sex marriage bills before the Parliament received a whopping 276,437 responses (an insignificant 4.4% were duplicates). The verdict? Australians are all for gay marriage. 64 per cent reckon they’re fine with it, or more specifically, fine with Greens MP Adam Bandt’s bill.

3. This girl totally looks like Barbie! Well, that’s what she was going for. With a touch of ‘Japanese robot’ thrown in for good measure.

4. A preliminary report handed to Government has suggested – it’s just an option at this stage – that overseas companies pay Goods and Services Tax (GST) on all goods sold to Australians online. That cost would be passed on, obviously.

5. This is definitely not a typo. Chris Brown breeds puppies now. Puppies.

6. Dame Edna and her manager Barry Humphries are the new face(s) of Jenny Craig. Both have pledged to lose 15kg. Each? Hmmm.