Australia News: Glenn Wheatley Sets Up Fundraiser For Drought-Hit Farmers, Police Under Fire For Festival Strip-Searches

Veteran artist manager and promoter Glenn Wheatley has compiled a bill of major and emerging acts to raise money for drought-hit farmers.  Man rural areas have not seen rain since March. The Dec. 15 “Hay Mate – A Bush Christmas Appeal For Our Aussie Farmers” features his star client John Farnham, with Vanessa Amorosi, Jon Stevens, Daryl Braithwaite, Williamson, The Black Sorrows with Vika & Linda, Russell Morris, All Our Exes Live in Texas, Tim Wheatley and Little Georgia.

The show at Mornington Racecourse, an hour outside Melbourne, will be televised by free-to-air Nine Network. Qantas and Woolworths are major supporters. Monies go to Rural Aid’s Buy A Bale campaign, which delivers feed for stock and distributed A$3 million (US 2 million) already. “Farmers are the backbone of this country,” Farnham said. “I understand what they are going through. They are doing it tough through this drought. Not only do we want to help out, we want to show them that they have our support.”

An inquiry established by the NSW police watchdog found that a 16-year old was strip-searched at Splendour in the Grass festival in Byron Bay, that many strip searches at festivals were illegal because they were not “serious or urgent” and officers were handing out mistaken legal advice to festivalgoers that they would avoid convictions if they pleaded guilty to possessing drugs.

A statement read out by a solicitor on behalf of the 16-year old at the Law Enforcement and Conduct Commission stated she was forced to strip naked and squat in front of officers without a parent, guardian or support person present. A  snifferdog sat next to her while she was in a queue to enter the festival, and she had become separated from her friends who were in another line. “I could not believe this was happening to me, I could not stop crying. I was completely humiliated.”

The Sydney Morning Herald also reported that a female senior constable who had strip-searched the 16-year old had also been involved in another instance where a patron caught with 0.4g of MDMA, had the amount of 3.18g. recorded on the police fact sheet, a document which goes before a magistrate.  The officer couldn’t explain the disparity, except to say, “It’s quite easy to get muddled up.”

In August, a new report from Redfern Legal Centre in Sydney revealed police strip searches in New South Wales have increased almost twentyfold in 12 years.

After court-ordered mediation failed, the dispute between top selling R&B singer Guy Sebastian and his former agent Titus Day goes to Federal Court in June 2020. The two had been together for 12 years but cut ties in November 2017.

The singer says he is owed A$200,000 (US $136,835), alleging breach of contract and unpaid performance fees. Day counter-sued he had not been paid for an estimated A$800,000 (US $547,743) amount of work for the singer, his stylist wife Julie and their charity foundation.

Western Australia’s Liquor Licensing intends to investigate comments by Rapture nightclub owner Neil Scott,  according to The West Australian . 19-year old patron Shantel Smith informed the club via social media her drink had been spiked when she visited the establishment in Perth’s Northbridge precinct. Scott’s response was to ask why anyone would want to spike her drink – which he repeated in the newspaper – as “she’s just a very plain Jane type of girl. I can’t understand why anybody would be possessed by her.”