Previous sleuthers proposed that alleged CSK BRE committed crimes in the 1996-1997 which coincided with his possible marriage breakdown from ECE.
I researched other main events occurring in Australia in the late 1995, 1996, and 1997 that may have been of interest to BRE or possibly influenced his decision to allegedly rape and kill.
List sourced easily from Wikipedia :
1995
Pay TV arrives in Australia *Many sleuthers discussed link with pay tv.
30 Sept - Football Grand Final Clarlton Blues defeat Geelong (141 vs 80) * Do we know which team BRE followed?
EDIT: BRE had WCE membership, but quite often West Aussies also followed an eastern based team since footy was originally VFL eastern states based before it became AFL. Did BRE follow another team?
1996
28 April - Port Arthur Massacre, 35 dead, 21 injured by Martin Bryant. *Maybe BRE jealous that MB was getting all the media attention?
10 May - Prime Minister John Howard announces new gun control laws banning self loading guns, rifles, shotguns. *Maybe BRE upset by this law, regardless or not whether he owned a fire arm.
8 June - Football game Essendon vs St Kilda Saints stopped in 3rd quarter due to ground lighting failure and game postponed to following Tuesday. *This game stoppage occurred the day of the night disappearance of JR. Maybe BRE upset enough to find avenue for his anger? ('cuse the bad pun as there is St Quentin's Avenue near CBV and Conti)
26 July - Ivan Milat (SK) convicted of 7 murders (Backpacker Murderer). *Maybe BRE jealous of IM's success and media exposure?
6 Nov - Martin Bryant pleads guilty to Port Arthur Massacre.
19 Nov - Martin Bryant sentenced 35 consecutive sentences life imprisonment and 1035 years without parole. *Maybe BRE jealous again?
4 Dec - 'Telstra' Bill goes through Senate allowing part-privatisation of Telstra. *The alleged CSK worked for Telecom/Telstra for 30 years.
1997
14 Feb - Arnott's biscuits extortion poison threat, allegedly some biscuits had poisonous pesticide strong enough to kill small child! BRE's SD birthday 25 April 1994 (Interestingly ANZAC day - a public holiday in Australia - sorry can't recall source of SD's birthday). SD would have been nearly 3 year old - maybe BRE angry that a biscuit could kill his young SD! Assuming BRE was with CGE at this time.
MUCH EARLIER in 1986:
6 Oct - 5 Nov - David and Catherine Birnie serial killers operating in similar area. Caught in Nov 1986 and convicted of 6 known murders. *BRE left school in 1985, so 1986 was his first year out of school and probably saw media coverage of these murders, possibly spurring BRE to commit his own crimes.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_in_Australia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_in_Australia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_in_Australia
At important milestones in BRE's life (school leaver, marriage breakdown to ECE, new relationship with a SD), there were BIG things happening in Australia!!!!!! These events may or may not have affected BRE and his decisions at the time.