Thursday's news in 5 minutes.

1. Tourists who died snorkelling on the Barrier Reef were in the water for less than 10 minutes.

The two tourists who tragically died yesterday while snorkelling in the Barrier Reef were in the water for less than 10 minutes before suffering suspected heart attacks.

The French tourists in their 70s were on a snorkelling tour at Michaelmas Cay north of Cairns.

The Brisbane Times reports the 74-year-old woman entered the water around 10.45am and was spotted floating motionless just minutes later. While the man, 76, was seen motionless in the water while the woman was being assisted.

In a statement the Chief Executive Officer Passions of Paradise of the company who ran the tour, Scotty Garden, said the man and woman had “pre-existing medical conditions”.

“They had pre-existing medical conditions and were accompanied by a guide when they were in the water,” Mr Garden said.

A third person also suffered a medical condition but survived with initial reports suggesting they suffered a heart attack.

A doctor on a nearby tour boat was summoned but he declared the two tourists dead.

Police have confirmed the pair were not related and their next of kin were also on the boat, and are assisting with inquiries.

A Police and Workplace Health and Safety investigation is underway.

2. Woman tells police she saw “Lizard man” kill his girlfriend.

A woman has told police that she saw a notorious criminal dubbed Lizard Man kill his ex-girlfriend.

Former Bandido bikie Bronson Ellery, and his partner Shelsea Schilling were found dead in a Southport unit last Friday.

Police now believe Ellery, 24, killed his 20-year-old former lover before taking his own life.

A woman has told police she was in the apartment when Ellery allegedly killed Ms Schilling, The Courier Mail reports.

She says he was still alive but he later killed himself.

The woman came forward through a lawyer, Lisa Searing, from law firm Buckland Allen and spent hours with detectives giving details of incident.

Jodi Allen who is a partner at the firm told The Courier Mail the woman was terrified.

“The witness is only a young lady who has been through a traumatic experience and is extremely distressed but is doing her best to assist the investigation,” Ms Allen said.

3. Sarah Connor’s lawyers will claim her murder charges are made up.

Lawyers for the Australian mum arrested in Bali over the murder of a policeman will tell the court that the murder and assault charges against her are “based on imagination, speculation.”

Sara Connor and her British boyfriend, David Taylor, are facing murder charges following the death of Bali police officer Wayan Sudarsa.

Connor fronted court yesterday for the second day of her trial. Her lawyers have launched a challenge, urging the judge to dismiss the charges levelled against her.

“The prosecution has been inaccurate, unclear and incomplete in formulating the indictment,” they said.

The prosecution should have charged her with eliminating evidence or released her, they submitted.

Fairfax Media reports they pleased with the judge: “Don’t force (yourself) to fulfil specific targets or save face by sacrificing the defendant and sacrificing the law.”

4. PM will not renew Gillian Triggs’ Human Rights Commission contract.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed his Government will not renew the contract of the Human Rights Commission president, Gillian Triggs, the ABC reports.

Mr Turnbull told Sydney radio station 2GB Professor Triggs would not remain in the role after that.

“People cannot expect to have their terms renewed,” Mr Turnbull said. “In an office like this you serve your term and sometimes if people want to have it renewed it might be renewed.”

“But in this case there will be a new president of the Human Rights Commission.”

Liberal Senator for Tasmania Eric Abetz said he welcomed the move.

“The Australian people are fed up with the repeated incompetence displayed by Professor Triggs,” Senator Abetz said in a statement to The Australian.

“Be it the Commission’s inquiry into children in detention, the QUT students’ case under section 18C which denied natural justice and was thrown out of court or the solicited complaints against Bill Leak which have now been dropped, the Human Rights Commission has suffered major reputational blows under [her] leadership.”

5. South Australian Parliament votes to allow voluntary euthanasia debate to continue.

The South Australian Parliament has taken the “historic” step to continue debate on voluntary euthanasia legislation.

In a late session of Parliament, Lower House MPs voted 27-19 to take the Death with Dignity bill to committee stage for the first time, to debate specific aspects of the legislation.

Speaker Michael Atkinson said it was a “historic vote”.

The legislation, which allows terminally ill adults to request voluntary euthanasia in certain circumstances, will still need final approval in Parliament’s Lower House.

It must then be debated and approved by the Upper House before it can become law the ABC reports.

6. Donald Trump called New Zealand … and no one answered.

New Zealand prime Minister John Key has missed an important call – from the President-elect of the United States.

AP reports that after the earthquake on Monday that killed two people Mr Trump phoned to personally extend his sympathies, but John Keys didn’t pick up.

According to the report, Mr Trump called back this morning and they two had a “very warm and cordial” phone call.

The leaders discussed the New Zealand economy, trade, and the relationship between the two nations.

The first US warship to visit New Zealand in more than 30 years has changed course to help out at the stricken town of Kaikoura.

The USS Sampson had been due to sail into Auckland on Wednesday as part of 75th anniversary celebrations for the New Zealand navy.

6. Our kids are so inactive they can’t run, throw, catch or jump.

A report has found that Australian children are among the most inactive in the world.

The University of South Australia study published in the Journal Physical Activity and Health says less than 1 in 5 Australian children aged between five and 17 years meet the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

It puts us at 21 out of 38 countries. Fewer than one in four grade six kids have mastered physical milestones like catching, throwing, sprinting, jumping and side galloping.

The report published by The Herald Sun found that children in New Zealand, Slovenia, Mexico, Brazil and Botswana are much more active than our kids are.

Heart Foundation spokesman Prof Trevor Shilton said Slovenia, which scored better than Australia measures its students’ fitness each year, while in New Zealand kids were more active because they played in an unstructured way.

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