A teenage boy is in a critical condition in hospital after being struck by a boat during a water skiing competition in Sydney’s south.

The 15-year-old was hit while out water skiing behind another vessel earlier today. He was competing for selection in the world championships.

Emergency services were called to a boat ramp at Kyeemagh, in waters off Botany Bay near Sydney Airport around 11.45 am today.

“He had a fracture in his arm and leg and also had a primary head injury,” NSW Ambulance Inspector Geoff Senior told 9News.

“He was semi-conscious and so the medical team looked after him and stabilised him before taking him up to St George Hospital.”

Police have towed the boat involved in the crash back to Water Police headquarters for examination.

9News can reveal the same racing company involved in today’s accident was also involved in the death of Peter Eagle – father to troubled world champion skier Lauren.

The drivers and the observers of both boats have been taken to St George Hospital for mandatory blood and urine tests.

Police continue to investigate the incident.

Australia is to become the first country in the world to introduce jail terms and multi-million-dollar fines for social media giants that don't quickly remove violent material.

In what is expected to be the final week of parliament before the federal election, the government will introduce legislation adding two new sets of offences in the criminal code.

These tough new laws will make it a criminal offence for social media platforms to not remove abhorrent violent material quickly.

The speed of the removal would be determined by a jury.

This would be punishable by three years' jail for Australian or overseas executives, or fines that can reach up to 10 per cent of the platform's global annual turnover.

Platforms anywhere in the world must notify the Australian Federal Police if they become aware their service is streaming abhorrent violent conduct that is happening in Australia.

Attorney-General Christian Porter said the amendments would be modelled on existing offences which require platforms to notify police if their service is being used to access child pornography.

The laws will also give the e-Safety Commissioner the power to issue notices that bring this type of material to the attention of the social media companies.

As soon as they receive that type of notice, the companies will be deemed to be aware of the material and the clock starts ticking for the hosting platform to remove the material or face penalties.

The laws will still ensure that news media can report appropriately on events which are in the public interest, without showing the violent material itself.

Mr Morrison and Mr Porter were left unimpressed after a meeting with social media companies earlier this week, called in response to the live-streaming of the killing of 50 people in two New Zealand mosques.

"They have the technology to do this, and the opportunity to do it, and we will insist they do it, and if they don't they will face the steepest financial penalties and prison terms for executives found responsible," Mr Morrison said.

The laws will capture the playing or streaming of terrorism, murder, attempted murder, torture, rape and kidnapping on social media.

A new taskforce has been set up to bring government and social media companies together to deal with the problem.

The issue will be put on the agenda for the G20 Osaka Summit in June and the Prime Minister said they were seeing a lot of interest in their package ahead of the meetings in Japan.

More than 80 per cent of swimmers rescued from Australian beaches were swimming outside the flags, proving the nation’s “swim safe” message still is not sinking in.

Since December 1 last year, 2583 people were rescued along Queensland beaches - almost doubling from 1351.

Alarmingly 82 per cent of those rescued, had been swimming outside the flags - leaving volunteers, shaking their heads.

“They may be good swimmers, we get that a lot, that maybe they can handle themselves,” Surf Life Saving Queensland’s Colin Neil told 9News.

“But, you know, they might have a medical emergency.”

Surprisingly, authorities are blaming calm conditions over summer for the spike in rescues – with the conditions attracting huge crowds.

“You only need a percentage of those people to be rescued and the stats go up,” Mr Neil said.

Noosa has been the state's busiest beach this summer with 267 rescues since the start of December. Tallebudgera Creek was next with 167 and at Surfers Paradise, there were 93.

Lifesavers say they have coped with the increased workload, however there has already been 19 suspected drownings along Queensland beaches since July last year and the patrol season isn't over yet.

Two teenagers on holiday from Japan have been found dead in Lake McKenzie on Queensland's Fraser Island after being reported missing from a school tour.

Questions are now being asked about how the boys, both aged 16, drowned at the popular tourist destination. It is believed neither knew how to swim.

The pair were reported missing about 5pm on Friday, with police divers finding their bodies in the still waters of the lake at 8:20am today.

"This is a tragic event, there is no doubt about that," Inspector Tony Clowes told reporters on Saturday.

He warned there was always a risk when entering waterways, and said he did not know if the boys could swim.

"Be aware of your abilities, be aware that if you are entering water there is some inherent risk entering waterways in this country," he said.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour told the ABC the deaths have shocked the community.

"Lake McKenzie is the postcard-perfect image of Fraser Island - it's where all the tourists go," Mr Seymour said.

"It's really unimaginable how somebody, let alone two people, could drown there.

"It's a calm lake in the middle of an island ... whatever has happened is highly unusual."

Police will prepare a report for the Coroner and are currently in contact with the Japanese consulate.

Inspector Clowes said all the details surrounding how the children were supervised would be investigated.

He said it was understood the teens had not been left behind at the lake and their group reported them missing from an area nearby.

He said the boys were not with their families on the tour.

With AAP

Ten years is a long time to wait when you’re six.

So, when Andi Treloar was told she needed to be 16 to volunteer at a homeless food bank, the news didn’t sit very well because she wanted do something now.

"I saw somebody on the street and asked my mum 'why isn’t he at home resting?' and then she explained it to me," Andi told 9news.com.au.

Mum Rebekah Treloar said her daughter's "big, beautiful heart" was instantly overwhelmed by the injustice of homelessness.

"She just could not get it out of her head," she said.

Eating at a restaurant later that day, Andi realised choosing what to eat from a menu simply wasn't an option for many people living on the streets.

"I got to work at writing a menu and I thought 'we're starting a restaurant today!'," Andi said.

With help from her parents, she started delivering home-made "snack packs" filled with all her favourite food to people living rough in Adelaide, where her dad was working at the time.

Food For Free was born.

While feeding people and showing them someone cares is an obviously satisfying part of her work, Andi said her favourite part is the reactions of the people she meets.

One man was so overcome with emotion he couldn’t speak but "put his hands on his heart". Another yelled "I love kids!"

A little over a year later, and now living in Melbourne's western suburbs, Andi has big plans for that 'restaurant' – a mobile food truck staffed by herself and her friends.

It will be painted white, with green lettering, and emblazoned with the Food For Free panda mascot, inspired by her nickname 'Andi Pandi'.

And it's going to have a menu. Andi is determined that people experiencing homeless are given not just a hot meal, but choices.

The young girl's work has attracted a lot of attention.

Earlier this month, Andi was awarded the inaugural 2019 Pretty Inspirational Award by the Pretty Foundation.

The foundation works to recognise girls - not for what they look like, but for who they are.

"She just blew our minds," Pretty Foundation founder Merissa Forsyth said.

"She’s so full of life, so real and genuine.

"The compassion that she had at that young age, and then the ability to just go and do it.

"We need to focus on what girls can do, what they can give back, their abilities, their character, because that’s far, far more important than what they look like."

Ms Forsyth started the Pretty Foundation in response to a startling statistic published in the Journal of Eating Disorders, which stated 38 per cent of four-year-old girls are dissatisfied with their bodies.

While there is a multitude of programs promoting positive body image of women and teens, Ms Forsyth found a gap in early childhood education.

"We run programs that speak to parents and educators and try to make them aware of these sorts of issues and give them the tools and resources to go build confidence in their young girls," she said.

"We have to actually build resilience and stop it from happening rather than have to deal with it once it happens and it's ingrained.

"If girls are not held back by body image issues they will go on to do incredible things."

Andi was chosen as the winner of the 2019 Pretty Compassionate Award, as well as the overall 2019 Pretty Inspirational Award, by a credentialed panel including Business Chicks Australia CEO Olivia Ruello, Adore Beauty founder Kate Morris and Australia Post’s General Manager Segment Development and Marketing - Business and Government, Rebecca Burrows.

Awards were also given to celebrate other qualities, such as "Pretty Artistic", "Pretty Courageous", and "Pretty Innovative" among others, with winners including a 13-year-old raising tens of thousands of dollars for wildlife conservation and a 10-year-old claiming autism as her superpower and educating her classmates to help combat bullying.

Andi is now working with the Laverton Point Cook Rotary Club to get her food truck on the road.

Meanwhile, her mum is buried in the paperwork required to get Food For Free registered as an official charity.

"It can be very confronting, it's challenging, it’s not an easy thing to do, but we can't not do it because it's too hard," Mrs Treloar said.

"You have to fan the spark, you don’t want to put it out."

Find out more about the Pretty Foundation here.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has promised the imminent 2019 federal budget will ease the cost of living for people across the nation.

Speaking exclusively with Nine’s Political Editor Chris Uhlmann live on the Today Show, Frydenberg previewed the budget, which will officially be unveiled on Tuesday.

“This budget will build a stronger economy and secure a better future for all Australians,” the treasurer told Uhlmann.

“It’s going to ease the cost of living pressures, it’s going to fund infrastructure that is going to bust congestion in our cities, and unlock the potential of our regions.”

Frydenberg revealed health will be a major focus of the budget, with funding “guaranteed” for essential services, including hospital and disability support.

“This is the dividend, Chris. From a strong economy, a secure job and better services.”

Speaking on the government’s newly announced cash handout of up to $125 for couples to Aussies struggling to pay power bills, Frydenberg denied the policy was “desperate”.

“This support is going to go to around four million Australians… pensioners, those on the disability support pension, people on carer payments, single-parent payments, and veteran payments, ” he said.

He said the lowering of power prices and the hand outs were “not mutually exclusive.”

“This is money that’s going to go into peoples’ pockets, to help meet the cost on their next power bill.”

The treasurer said that despite the Energy Assistance Payment roll-out, which will come at a cost of $285 million, the budget will not be a “cash splash”.

“This is a time for responsible spending, targeted spending into key areas that lift the productive capacity of the economy.”

The federal budget will be handed down from 7.30pm on Tuesday, with the treasurer urging people to tune in.

“Turn off MAFS (Married at First Sight) and turn on the budget.”

BUDGET 2019 - WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

BIG PICTURE

* Overall theme: "A stronger economy and a secure future"

* Federal election is due in mid-May

* Better than expected surplus for 2019/20 (MYEFO: $4.1 billion in 2019/20)

* 3 per cent growth for 2019/20 (MYEFO forecast)

* 5 per cent unemployment rate for 2019/20 (MYEFO forecast)

* Migration cap to be reduced to 160,000 from 190,000

* 1.25 million new jobs to be created over the next five years

* Expectation of a "stimulus" worth about $6 billion, adding about 0.4 percentage points to GDP

TAX

* Likely bring-forward of the July 2022 income tax cuts, on top of those already starting July 1 this year, as part of an already-legislated $144 billion plan

* Possible improvements to tax offsets for low-income earners

* Rules around $69 billion GST revenue distribution to the states have changed, with WA the main beneficiary

* Instant asset write-off extended to June 2020 and upped from $20,000 to $25,000. Allows small business with an annual turnover of less than $10 million to deduct the cost of assets such as cars and equipment

* Tax office and other agencies to crack down on welfare cheats and tax dodging

ROADS, RAIL

* $75 billion infrastructure plan over 10 years continues

* $2.2 billion road safety plan including black spot repair and new national office of road safety

* Business case for Melbourne airport rail link

* City deals for Adelaide, Hobart, Townsville, Launceston, Western Sydney, Darwin, Geelong, South East Queensland and Perth

* $730 million north Queensland roads plan

* $254 million for Sydney, NSW central coast "congestion busting" road upgrades

* Extra $1.6 billion for WA roads and rail

* $100 million for regional airports

HEALTH

* Programs and policies bundled under a Long-Term National Health Plan

* $220 million from Medical Research Future Fund for research into heart disease

* $496 million for Victorian cancer research, services and facilities

* $200 million to reduce out of pocket costs for scans such as ultrasounds and x-rays

* $62 million plan over four years for GP, emergency care and specialist services in rural areas.

* $32.6 million will see breast cancer patients save up to $1500 per scan

BANKS

* $600 million boost for financial regulators ASIC and APRA to deal with banking royal commission fallout

SECURITY

* $570 million boost for national security agencies

* $294 million to upgrade security at airports in a bid to prevent terrorist attacks

* Australian Space Agency to be funded

ENERGY

* $2 billion for Emissions Reduction Fund, now called the Climate Solutions Fund

* $1.4 billion for Snowy Hydro 2.0

* $56 million for Battery of the Nation and Marinus Link projects in Tasmania

* $10 million business case for energy projects in north and central Queensland, alongside a shortlist of 12 further power projects which could be underwritten

EDUCATION

* $60 million for James Cook University's Cairns Tropical Enterprise Centre

* $60 million indigenous education hub in Melbourne

WELFARE

* $78 million to provide more housing for women and children fleeing family violence

* $129 million to extend cashless welfare card to all of Northern Territory, and to Cape York communities in Queensland

* National Disability Insurance Scheme fully-funded, but an underspend over the financial year of $5 billion-plus

* $22.5 million towards establishing the National Centre for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse

RURAL

* $28 million to improve weather monitoring, especially in flood-prone areas

* $9 million extra (total package $20m) to deal with yellow crazy ants in north Queensland.

SPORT

* $150 million funding package for women's sport

* $15 million towards the construction of the North Queensland Cowboys' $45m new training facility in Townsville's CBD

CULTURE

* $12 million for Cooktown 2020 Festival (250th anniversary of Cook's landing) and replica HMB Endeavour to circumnavigate the country

Steve Krauss is a survivor in the true sense of the word but a lot of his shipmates on the American destroyer Frank E. Evans were not. It's a tragic story that has forever linked Australia and the United States.

Nearly 74 American sailors died when their ship was sliced in half by the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne in a warfare exercise during the Vietnam War.

All these years on, Krauss and his fellow survivors are still fighting a battle, one of great importance to them, which they refuse to lose.

While the victim's names are on a plaque at the ship's home port of Long Beach in California, why not, they ask, on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.?

On the granite "Veteran's Wall", one of the most visited destinations in the national capital, are the names of 58,320 servicemen and women who died during the war.

But the Frank E. Evans victims are not there and the U.S. Department of Defence, the wall's gatekeeper, says they won't ever be.

The reason, says a department spokesperson, is the deadly collision happened 200 kilometres outside the declared war zone.

That is not good enough reason for Steve Krauss and his buddies.

"We've never challenged where the collision occurred because it was recorded and everyone knows," Krauss said. "But we were in the Vietnam war, had participated in it, were going back to it after the exercise."

After hearing about their efforts a few months ago, I called Krauss to ask if they were getting anywhere. "No" he told me. "I'll get the guys together. We'd love to tell the Aussies about how our own government is ignoring the deeds of some real war veterans. We'll meet you anywhere."

And as promised they arrived a few days later at a park in Long Beach California, and not all that far from the spot where their sailed off to the Vietnam war.

Along with Steve Krauss, came Ronald Stephens, a boilerman on the Evans. Roy Peters who worked in the engine room arrived soon after. Duane Conley, a machinist was there too.

All agreed it was pure luck they were still alive to tell the story and have vowed to fight on behalf of their mates to get the recognition they say they deserve.

Looking down at the plaque in the pavement at a Long Beach park they pointed out several names: "That's the chief Will King. He was a good guy. He couldn't swim."

Picking another familiar name, one of the vets said: "He was in his early 20s and was from Long Beach. I remember he had a wife and baby. That's the guy I was talking to that same night."

The Frank E. Evans sailed just beyond the war zone to join the exercise and were about to return to Vietnam. But despite all their efforts the US government has for the last 35 years refused the men's requests to add those names to the memorial.

They've been given all sorts of excuses as to why the names can't be on the wall.

Along with the ship being just outside of the war zone, they have been told there's not enough room on the wall.

Although all you need to do is walk along past all those names and you will see several empty spaces at either end of the wall proving the department excuse is clearly untrue.

Instead they have been told they can have the 74 names engraved on a plaque at the nearby education centre in Washington. But the old sailors have said no, not good enough for their friends who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Steve Krauss said: "The reality is the department is being very selective and picky".

Recently several U.S. politicians have taken up the cause putting pressure on the Pentagon to change the decision. But so far the authorities are holding fast to their original position.

It is a near miracle the shipmates lived to talk about it.

On June 3, 1969, at 3.15am the Melbourne struck the port side of Evans and split it in half. The force of the collision stopped Australia's largest ship dead in the water.

A joint Australian/U.S. navy board of inquiry found both ships were at fault. Both captains and two junior officers from the Evans were court martialed. While the USN officers were charged, the RAN's Captain John Stevenson was cleared of any wrongdoing. And in 2012 received an official apology from the then Defence Minister Stephen Smith for "the unnecessary stress the Court Martial caused him and his family".

Capt. Stephenson died last January, aged 98.

Speaking of the collision, Ron Stephens who was down in the boiler room said: "I felt the jolt but I didn't know what happened. In fact, I thought perhaps a missile hit our ship."

Steve Krauss said it is still heartbreaking for the families of the dead.

"A great example is Francis Box, whose son was lost," he said.

"She went to the Vietnam memorial wall in the 90s expecting to find her son's name. When she discovered it wasn't there she was just so distraught."

They worry now, as the years go by, they'll run out of time to honor their friends, but they aren't giving up.

"They were Vietnam veterans right. And they died and they're not on the wall?" Ron Stephens said.

"And they should be. You know they all fought for this country. It wasn't a Princess cruise. We were all in the Vietnam War. They died because they were there. They should be recognised in the right way."

An American musician has had brain surgery after being randomly attacked by a stranger in a vacant Melbourne car park.

Investigators believe the 32-year-old tourist exited a tram at the corner of Bell Street and Preston Road after performing at a concert on March 27.

As he walked through a nearby car park about 11.22pm, an unknown man shouted at him then began chasing him.

The attacker then knocked the musician unconscious, before continuing to hit and taunt him as he lay helpless on the ground.

“The victim regained consciousness, again the (offender) proceeded to seriously assault the victim,” Detective Senior Constable Matthew Coleiro said.

About 25 minutes later, the victim roused and managed to walk to Bell Street where a passer-by found him and dialled triple zero.

“Due to his injuries he required immediate surgery. He had brain surgery due to bleeding on the brain, followed by facial surgery due to the broken jaw,” Det Snr Const Coleiro said.

“It’s a terrifying assault... incredibly disturbing.”

The victim remains in a stable condition in hospital, and cannot recall the assault.

“He has serious memory loss at this point,” Det Snr Const Coleiro said.

The traveller had planned to fly back to the USA yesterday after spending six weeks in Australia, but his journey home had to be postponed due to his injuries.

“His family has been notified, but he just wants to go home,” Det Snr Const Coleiro said.

“We’re still trying to piece together the puzzle.”

Detectives have released CCTV showing the suspected offender, who is aged in his early 30s with a slim build. He appears to be balding with short dark hair and a dark beard.

At the time of the attack, he was wearing a t-shirt with a white motif on the front and knee length cargo shorts.

He was also carrying a large backpack.

Investigations are ongoing.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

When singer Vanessa Amorosi swapped Melbourne for life in Los Angeles eight years ago, she didn't expect this - flames frighteningly close to her home away from home.

As fire tore through the outskirts of LA in November last year, the Aussie singer filmed clips of her home, along with several other high profile celebrities.

"Within 20 minutes, the fire was on top of us, it was insane," Amorosi recalled to 9News.

Then came the eeriness of what was left behind. And Amorosi confronted what she'd feared the most.

The blaze destroyed the singer's make-shift recording studio.

"This was the most important thing - this shipping container," she said, adding it was even more important than the house.

"Yeah I think I would have been much happier losing the house, which is so ungrateful.

"This is where I kept all of my valuables and plaques and everything I've worked for since I was a kid, it was all kept in here with the idea of building my dream studio.

"I had microphones that I'd done certain records on stored in here, collectable guitars, all my plaques."

Everything else on her Canoga Park property survived, even the gum trees.

"It's all my achievements it's home,” she said.

"I really can't explain it, it's irreplaceable that's what's so devastating."

However, the singer is trying to remain positive and sees the loss of her Aussie memories as a chance to shed her skin and move forward musically.

With a comeback album in the works, her first new song, Heavy Lies the Head, has just been released.

And 9News can reveal the new Amorosi is also a wife and a mum.

"I’d never met a real Australian besides Paul Hogan in the movies,"  husband Rod Busby said.

It’s the start of a new chapter for the whole family… and for her fans.

A new innovative approach is being tested to treat people with a severe sleep disorder called narcolepsy.

About 10,000 Australians have the condition, which makes them feel extremely tired during the day and can cause sudden onset of sleep.

"If you've had three days without sleep, that's how my every day is," said Daisy Johnson who was diagnosed as a teenager.

People who have narcolepsy usually rely on stimulants to manage their condition during the day.

They can also take anti-depressants to deal with another common symptom that causes brief muscle paralysis.

"Until now, narcolepsy treatments have mostly focused on helping people with the condition feel more awake in the daytime," Professor Ron Grunstein, RPA and Woolcock Sleep Medicine Specialist, said.

The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research is trialling a medication to help fix the fragmented sleep sufferers experience at night.

The sedative called sodium oxybate is linked to the controversial party drug GHB and is being trialled as a slow-release medication which is taken only once at night.

"At night, their sleep is quite fragmented so any medication that can deepen that sleep and consolidate that sleep is helpful for the condition," Professor Grunstein said.

Preliminary studies suggest the slow-release medication produces significant benefits to patients, with no serious side effects.

"The more we learn about this treatment, we can argue the case that it needs to be funded," Professor Grunstein said.

Ms Johnson is being screened for the trial to see whether she can participate and help make a difference to people's lives.

"For us, to have a full on night sleep, where we can actually rest would give us so much quality of life," she said.

Ms Johnson said she wasn't able to continue with university studies or get her driver's license due to the symptoms.

She takes medication during the day to fully function in her job as a chef.

Narcolepsy is caused by the loss of certain brain nerve cells which contain chemicals that help keep us awake and regulate our sleep-wake cycle.

Fewer than a quarter of sufferers have had their condition diagnosed.

Ms Johnson said people can be mistakenly labelled as having depression, chronic fatigue or being lazy.

Fortuntely, her GP recognised the symptoms straight away.

"I would fall asleep all the time. When I laughed I got paralysed, so my jaw could stop working. I remember at school I'd slide off my chair or I'd just collapse on the table with my head on the desk," she said.

People wanting more information can contact narcolepsy@woolcock.org.au or phone (02) 9114 0497.

A struggling Perth family has been left homeless for the second time in a week, when a bushfire damaged their emergency accommodation.

The suspicious blaze tore through the Perth Hills on Friday, sending flying embers into two air conditioning units in a church building.

The young parents, their four disabled sons and infant daughter had been living in the church accommodation as a "last resort" since their lease ran out last week, leaving them homeless.

The family had just moments to escape with their lives when the fire approached.

Most of their possessions have been destroyed.

"To lose everything... is really hard," Teresa Johns said.

The mother of five told 9News the family owes their lives to a stranger who jumped the fence and helped them evacuate.

"I'd give her the biggest hug and say thank you for saving me and my family - she put her life at risk for me and my family," she said.

The children's father Adam Bower said they have applied for state housing and were put on a priority list.

But he is not sure where they'll live until then.

"We know we are not the only ones struggling, but for the government to tell people they have to wait nine months for emergency housing, how is that an emergency?" he said.

The family of seven will tonight sleep in one room at a family member's house.

The New Life Church in Belleview is taking donations of money and clothes to help the family.

In an exclusive interview with 60 Minutes, Charles Manson’s former lover Catherine Share has revealed what life was like on the Manson ranch and the unique spell the cult leader had on his harem of female disciples.

“He just made you feel good about yourself,” Ms Share told 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown.

“He gave women what they needed and wanted in a lot of different ways. So they wanted to be with him.”

Catherine Share became a devoted member of the Manson family in 1969, moving to Manson’s ranch just half an hour north of Los Angeles.

At 26 years old, Ms Share was lonely and vulnerable. She had no surviving family of her own, and found solace in the community Manson had created – quickly becoming his lover.

She told 60 Minutes life on the Manson ranch was grounded in philosophies of free love, group sex and LSD.

But the power Charles Manson had over his followers was God-like.

Ms Share said the self-styled cult leader led the Manson family to believe his instructions were coming from a higher order.

“I thought he was the closest thing to Jesus,” she said.

“So we listened to everything he said like it was gospel.”

But Manson’s gospel was deranged and deadly. On August 9, 1969, the rantings of this mad-man became a concrete plan to kill Los Angeles’ rich and famous elite.

Manson ordered his followers to break into the home of promising young actress Sharon Tate and her director husband, Roman Polanski.

There, his disciples brutally murdered five people and left their bodies bloodied and butchered.

The killing spree continued the next night, when Manson himself accompanied his cult members to the home of Leno and Rosemary La Bianca.

The La Bianca’s were strangled and stabbed repeatedly, and their blood was used to write messages across their home.

The murders terrorised the city of Los Angeles, and the ‘Manson family killings’ would go on to become one of the most infamous murder trials in the world.

Ms Share said Manson had manipulated his female followers to the point that they would obey his every order.

“We would do anything for each other to the point where we die for each other,” she told Brown.

“It just had to be done. Charlie is always right.”

When asked if, hypothetically, Ms Share would have participated in the murders, she is adamant she never would have been involved.

“I probably would have died first. If I had said ‘no’, I might have been killed,” she said.

“I would have been willing to be killed rather than do it. It’s just that I was older and more of a human and less susceptible.

“Being wanted and accepted is what we’re all looking for really and we thought we had found it. It’s sad that he destroyed that.”

It’s taken Ms Share decades to reconcile her part in the Manson Family, and she told 60 Minutes she is now repulsed by the violence they committed.

But she believes it is now time for the ‘Manson Killers’ who are still behind bars for their parts in the murders to be released.

“They’ve just done the work on themselves for years and years and years. They’re just not the same people they were when they were 20 and 18 at all,” she told Brown.

“It’s time.”

Ms Share’s comments come as convicted killer Leslie Van Houten had her bid for parole granted and within just a few weeks, could become the first Manson family murderer set free.

Her freedom is still at the mercy of the Governor of California, who has overturned the parole board’s decision on Van Houten’s case twice before.

Leslie Van Houten is currently the second longest serving female prisoner in California.

To watch ‘Charlie’s Devils’ in full, and for more on 60 Minutes, visit the official website: https://www.9now.com.au/60-minutes

A 15-year-old boy is in a critical condition after a crash involving a stolen van in Sydney’s west last night.

Emergency services were called to Elizabeth Drive, Liverpool, following reports the Toyota HiAce van had careered off the road, flipped and landed in the backyard of two homes.

The teen was among four people travelling in the vehicle, and suffered critical injuries.

He was taken to Liverpool Hospital, where he continues to fight for life.

The driver of the van and two further passengers fled the scene in the moments after the crash, but were later arrested.

They are now being questioned by investigators.

No charges have been laid.

Anyone with information is urged to contact CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000

Parts of News South Wales, Victoria and the usually balmy south-east Queensland have had their coldest March night for decades.

The mercury dipped to the lowest in March for in 32 years at Hobart Airport, where it was just 3.4 degrees.

It was also the coldest March night for at least 20 years in other areas- with Sydney and Brisbane feeling the bite.

In the New South Wales town of Cabramurra, it was -1.3 degrees, while Moruya shivered through a low of 3.8 degrees. Further north, Toowoomba dropped to 9.4 degrees.

It was the coldest March night for 11 years in Sydney city where it dropped to 12.9 degrees, a touch warmer than at the city’s airport.

Meanwhile in Queensland, Ipswich saw a low of 10.6 C, Brisbane Airport 14.5 C and Redcliffe 15.4 C.

Snow has also fallen for the first time in the mountains, ahead of ski season.

One of the coldest places in the country was the on the snow-covered top of Thredbo where it recorded a minimum temperature of -4.2 degrees, an 18-year low for March.

And for much of south-eastern Australia winds were fresh and gusty enough to make it feel even colder. One of the strongest cold fronts since last spring was the main culprit.

The system brought the heaviest and most plentiful showers for months to parts of South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, scattered snow on the Tasmanian highlands and as low as 1200 metres on the Victorian and NSW alps.

There was much as 10-15cm snow near the peaks.

A high pressure system had squeezed its way in to partially clear skies and cause wind to ease somewhat, allowing to get so cold. The high will lead to another chilly night or two ahead but most places are unlikely to get as cold as last night.

Today’s forecast for major cities

Sydney headed for a mostly sunny top of 23 degrees;

Melbourne can expect light showers and a maximum of 18 degrees;

Bright and warm in Brisbane, 28 degrees;

Perth is headed to a partly cloudy top of 33;

The chance of a shower in Adelaide, a top of 21 degrees;

Hobart will only reach a chilly top of 14 degrees;

Canberra set for a cloudy 18 degrees;

Darwin will warm up to 34 degrees.

Single-use plastic bags and microbeads will be banned across Australia from 2021 if Labor wins the upcoming federal election.

The $290 million plan is designed to protect vulnerable wildlife and reduce the amount of waste dumped into the environment.

"Something like 90 per cent of all sea birds have plastic in them. A third of all the sea turtles around the world are dying from plastic poisoning and consumption," Labor leader Bill Shorten told reporters in Melbourne this morning.

If Labor wins government the party will consult with states, territories and industry on how best to introduce the ban.

The European Union has already voted to ban all single-use plastic by 2021.

"If you buy a television set (in Australia), it will be packed with styrofoam," Labor's environment spokesman Tony Burke said.

"You buy an almost identical television set in Europe, it will be packed just as safely, but with recyclable material, probably coming from the same factory."

South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the ACT have container recycling schemes, but they are not nationally consistent.

Labor will not force other states to set them up.

"We're working on the basis that it's opt-in," Mr Burke said.

Instead, the plan will focus on setting up a nationally consistent scheme to separate recycled materials, making it far cheaper to recycle in Australia.

Other planned initiatives include a $60 million national recycling fund, the appointment of a national waste commissioner, and $15 million to help neighbouring countries clean up the Pacific Ocean.

Labor also wants to see 70 per cent of Australia's plastic packages recycled or composted by 2025, but said there had been no pathway to make that happen until now.

Government departments would also be required to purchase recycled products, while the Infrastructure Department will investigate whether recycled products can be used for road bases.

"Australians want action from government to help reduce waste and build a circular economy," Mr Shorten said.

"So while many Australians do their duty - they recycle, compost, use keep cups for their morning coffee - we need the government to take a leading role to tackle some of the big, structural problems."

Police have found the remains of an elderly woman who disappeared four years ago in a Sydney wildflower garden.

Gaida Coote, 84, was last seen on December 3, 2014, at Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden on the North Shore, where she volunteered with a plant regeneration group.

An extensive search was launched when her car remained in the car park two days later.

Local police, the Police Rescue Unit, the Police Dog Unit, the police airwing PolAir, Mounted Police, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as well as volunteers from the State Emergency Service (SES) and Rural fire Service (RFS) failed to find her.

Skeletal remains found 150m off a trail by bushwalkers in the garden on Friday belong to Mrs Coote, investigators confirmed this morning.

A bag containing gardening tools was also discovered by police.

A report will be prepared for the NSW Coroner.

Adrian Schrinner is set to become Brisbane's next lord mayor when Graham Quirk retires from politics after eight years in the city's top job.

Currently the city's deputy mayor, Mr Schrinner was elected at a party room meeting of LNP councillors on Sunday.

On Friday, Mr Quirk announced he would step down after eight years in the role and more than three decades in local government.

The timing of his resignation means the party got to choose his replacement instead of the public.

41-year-old Mr Schrinner on Sunday said he was "deeply humbled" to be elected to take over the Lord Mayoralship.

"I love this city. I was born here, I grew up here and now I'm raising my own family here. Brisbane is in my blood," Mr Schrinner said in statement.

"My goal as Lord Mayor will be simple - to make sure the Brisbane of tomorrow is even better than the Brisbane of today."

Mr Schrinner paid tribute to Mr Quirk.

"I could not have had a better mentor, teacher and friend to prepare me for the important job of Lord Mayor," he said.

"I've learned so much from him over eight years serving by his side, and I thank him for being so generous with his time and his wisdom over those years."

Mr Schrinner said he will be driven by a focus on building the critical infrastructure needed by the city and on protecting its unique lifestyle and green space.

He announced a plan for five new "green bridges" to reduce traffic congestion and improve public and active transport.

The program, which will cost at least $550 million, will include the already announced Kangaroo Point to CBD river crossing, as well as Toowong to West End, St Lucia to West End, Breakfast Creek and Bellbowrie.

"I plan to spearhead the biggest investment in parks and green space our city has ever seen," Mr Schrinner said.

"Party leader Deb Frecklington said she congratulated Mr Schrinner "on being appointed Lord Mayor of Australia's biggest Council".

"I look forward to working with him and the rest of Council to tackle several significant issues, including busting traffic congestion.

"I also take this opportunity to again thank former Lord Mayor Graham Quirk for his passion and professionalism in the top job over the past eight years."

The incoming mayor, who will be sworn in next month, was first elected to council in 2005.

He currently holds the deputy mayor position and beat Peter Matic in the ballot.

Krista Adams will replace Mr Schrinner as deputy mayor.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her deputy John Barilaro have unveiled the new cabinet line-up, giving a renewed focus to the regions after the countryside swung away from the coalition at the state election.

But critics have been quick to point out there are fewer women with portfolios than there were before the reshuffle.

Andrew Constance will remain in charge of transport and Brad Hazzard will hold on to health but the Nationals' Paul Toole will take charge of regional transport and roads.

Fellow Nationals Melinda Pavey and Adam Marshall have also been given prominent roles in areas that hurt the Liberal/Nationals coalition on March 23.

Ms Pavey is bringing "fresh eyes" to the water portfolio partly replacing Niall Blair who stepped away from the regional water portfolio after massive fish kills in the Murray-Darling river system.

Mr Marshall will take the remainder of Mr Blair's former territory - as Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW.

"We know there were some messages from the election last weekend. That's why there is a focus with the appointment of Melinda Pavey on water," Mr Barilaro said.

He said the separation of water and agriculture "allows us to focus on each of them particularly with a greater focus on the drought but more importantly on water."

NSW Labor's interim leader Penny Sharpe said the Nationals would have to work hard after regional voters "left them in droves".

"(Ms Pavey's) National Party colleagues have left her with a mess," she told reporters in Sydney on Sunday.

"They've left her with significantly dying rivers, polluted rivers and a lot of unhappiness in the bush."

There are now only five female portfolio holders including Ms Berejiklian - that is one less than before the shake-up.

Three of those women are Nationals.

Ms Berejiklian, asked if her party had a problem with women, said half of her parliamentary secretaries are women and half of the six new Liberals to join parliament are women.

"There's a lot of potential there in the future," she told reporters in Sydney on Sunday.

"There's a long way to go but I'm pleased with the progress we're making."

Ms Sharpe said it was "very disappointing" the Liberal party could only fill two of the 24 positions with women.

"Women deserve more than just 20 per cent of the decision making faces at the cabinet table," she said.

Deputy Liberal leader Dominic Perrottet remains as treasurer.

In other changes, Rob Stokes has been returned to the planning portfolio in the new cabinet, with development - particularly in Sydney - becoming a major issue.

David Elliott has been made police minister, while Sarah Mitchell takes over from Mr Stokes as Education Minister.

Anthony Roberts moves from planning to the counter terrorism and corrections portfolio.

Fair Trading Minister Matt Kean has been given the newly combined energy and environment portfolio while MP Damien Tudehope has taken on finance.

Two MPs, Gabrielle Upton and Ray Williams, announced on Saturday they would not seek reappointment in the ministry. Mr Blair announced straight after the election that he would go to the backbench.

The discount flight market is heating up ahead of Easter with today marking the first day of the northern hemisphere summer cycle.

And for the first time in 20 years, Qantas is heading back to Fiji, cashing in on the country’s growing status at the higher end of the accommodation market.

"Destination-wise what we've seen is a lot of refurbishments and new accommodation coming online in Fiji, particularly on that premium end of the market, " Qantas Executive Manager Sales and Distribution Igor Kwiatkowski said.

According to Quentin Long from Australian Traveller magazine, 80 per cent of the Fijian economy depends on tourists from Australia.

Last year, Australians took more than 11 million flights overseas. New Zealand was the top destination for Aussies heading abroad, followed by Indonesia, the USA, the United Kingdom and Thailand

But this year, Aussie travellers are contending with a lower Australian dollar, rising jet fuel prices and political uncertainty at home.

According to Mr Long, it could change the way we holiday, or even stop us from taking our holiday overseas at all.

"A federal election creates uncertainty so we stay closer to home and also there's economic uncertainty and that means we are staying closer to home," he said.

“The way that exchange rates affects travel is really instead of staying at the 5-star hotel, we're gonna at the 4-star hotel."

"So it just changes the way we travel, not how much we travel."

The evil killer responsible for murdering 20-year-old Karlie Pearce-Stevenson and her two-year-old daughter Khandalyce took over his victim’s identity for more than seven years, allowing him to access her bank account and steal more than $70,000.

Speaking for the first time, friends and family of Ms Pearce-Stevenson and Khandalyce have revealed to 60 Minutes how Holdom duped the family into thinking the mother and daughter were still alive to cover up his crime.

“What sort of a person does that?” Ms Pearce-Stevenson's family friend Tanya Webber said. 

“He knew what he was doing, it’s sickening. You never think that someone would do that to someone you loved.”

Single mother Karlie Pearce-Stevenson raised her young daughter with the help of her loving family in Alice Springs - the town she grew up in.

It came as a shock when, in 2008, after introducing her friends and family to her new, much older boyfriend, Daniel Holdom, Ms Pearce-Stevenson made the decision to leave Alice Springs with Khandalyce.

The mother and daughter left on a road trip with Holdom, promising to stay in close contact.

But as the weeks turned to months, Ms Pearce-Stevenson became a stranger to those she left behind. Calls to her phone went unanswered and the family grew increasingly worried.

At the end of 2009, a year after Ms Pearce-Stevenson and Khandalyce had set off with Daniel Holdom – and the last time they’d been seen – close friend Ms Webber and Karlie’s mum Colleen went to the police and filed a missing person’s report.

Holdom was contacted by police, who informed them the mother and daughter had moved to Queensland and he was no longer in contact with them.

Detectives also noticed Ms Pearce-Stevenson's bank account was still being accessed. Days after the family contacted police, Ms Pearce-Stevenson's mother suddenly received a text message from her phone number saying she was okay.

It was enough for police to close the missing person’s report, a decision which, to this day, still angers family and friends.

“It shouldn't have been pulled,” Ms Webber told 60 Minutes.

“We don't know if they'd actually seen Karlie, viewed Karlie. They had a photo but on reflection did they actually see her? Obviously not.”

As reporter Sarah Abo revealed, police couldn’t have seen Ms Pearce-Stevenson or Khandalyce because just weeks into their road trip, Holdom had murdered them both.

He’d taken Ms Pearce-Stevenson to the Belanglo State Forest where he sexually abused and killed her – taking photos after he dumped her body, keeping them on his camera for years.

A few days later, he murdered Khandalyce and put her tiny body in a suitcase, eventually leaving it by the side of an outback road.

To cover up his crime, Holdom took over Ms Pearce-Stevenson's identity to make her family and friends believe she was still alive.

“There was this assumption that well, she’s alive and obviously choosing not to have any contact with family,” Ms Pearce-Stevenson's aunt, Sharon said.

“There was mixed emotion, there was grief, and loss. There was a lot of anger around why, how could you do that?”

Ms Pearce-Stevenson's remains were discovered in 2010, but with police unable to identify her body, she remained in a Sydney morgue for five years and became known only as ‘The Angel of Belanglo’.

In July 2015, a passing motorist found an abandoned suitcase on the Karoonda highway near the tiny town of Wynarka. Inside, he found a child’s skeleton.

Like the body in the Belanglo forest, Detectives had no idea who the little girl was, so they appealed to the public for information.

The reports caught the attention of Ms Pearce-Stevenson's friend Ms Webber.

“I just had a feeling about it. I can't really explain what that was,” she told 60 Minutes.

Ms Webber called Crime Stoppers to report that Ms Pearce-Stevenson and Khandalyce had been missing for seven years. it was the breakthrough the police so desperately needed to crack the case.

Police were able to gain access to Khandalyce's medical records and matched a previous blood sample with DNA from the bones found in the suitcase.

Investigators contacted homicide detectives in New South Wales and, on a complete hunch, turned the focus to the case of a young woman whose bones were discovered in the Belanglo State Forest in 2010.

DNA from those bones were cross-matched to the bones found in the suitcase.

By October 21, 2015, police had confirmed the 'Angel of Belanglo' was in fact Karlie Pearce-Stevenson, Khandalyce's mother.

When police were finally able to identify the victims, it was easy for them to also identify Daniel Holdom – and easier still to find him.

He was already in jail serving time for sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl.

A week before his trial for the murder of Karlie Pearce-Stevenson and Khandalyce, Daniel Holdom pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two terms of life in prison.

For Ms Pearce-Stevenson and Khandalyce’s family, no sentence can ever repair their shattered lives.

In another heartbreaking blow, Ms Pearce-Stevenson's mum and Khandalyce’s grandmother, Colleen, died of cancer in 2012, never knowing what really happened.

In a family victim impact statement it was said that her last words were, “Are Karlie and Khandals here yet?”

“She died thinking that Karlie didn’t love her and didn’t want to see her,” Ms Webber told 60 Minutes.

“I really don’t know what would have been worse, dying like that or finding out what happened.”

To watch ‘Evil in the Outback’ in full, and for more on 60 Minutes, visit the official website: https://www.9now.com.au/60-minutes