Porepunkah shooting: Two officers dead and another wounded after shooting at High Country property, Victoria, Australia #2

[Bats]

Fears fugitive welfare cut-off will capture innocent people

Fugitives wanted for some of the most serious crimes and sexual offences could soon be stripped of their welfare payments.

www.abc.net.au

Fugitives wanted for some of the most serious crimes and sexual offences could soon be stripped of their welfare payments.
...
Such powers could apply to fugitives like Dezi Freeman, who is yet to be apprehended after shooting two police officers in rural Victoria.
...
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe, who will attempt to remove the amendment when it is debated in the Senate this week, said people should be treated as innocent until proven guilty.
...
Mr Weber said restricting payments to those accused of serious offences could help to flush them out. "This gives us another avenue for a rapid response if we can't actually speak to or find that offender."

Well I doubt ol' Dezi will be using his debit card any time soon. If it were applied to him, I assume it would only be a tactic to put pressure on Mali and his children. But, the article does say that a spokesperson for the Minister for Social Services said that dependents would be considered when a decision was being made.

I am tending to agree with Lidia here. Sounds a lot like being treated guilty before being proven as innocent.

Not sure why the Police would welcome this. Wouldn't a fugitive lining up for welfare actually help to find and catch them?

 

[essareem]

I am tending to agree with Lidia here. Sounds a lot like being treated guilty before being proven as innocent.

Not sure why the Police would welcome this. Wouldn't a fugitive lining up for welfare actually help to find and catch them?

I agree. It's very strange.

I'm thinking that perhaps this is 99.9% in response to Dezi Freeman. I mean they've already moved heaven and earth to try to find him, why wouldn't they change a law...?

I assume his wife and children are very reliant on his disability pension. Having lost their home, had their vehicle smashed, etc, I guess right now they are in a state of financial crisis. Cutting off access to welfare benefits could be the final nail in the coffin.

Stating the obvious here, but it seems to me that the Police believe that Mali knows where Dezi is hiding. It might be just another tool to put pressure on her, and her children will suffer as a result. If he's dead, as I suspect, then her and her family are out of luck.

Something tells me the government wouldn't be the slightest bit bothered about that though.

 

[SouthAussie]

Why would this affect Mali? Can she not apply for her own social security benefits? Is she still living off the benefits of a man who is on the run for killing police officers?

One would think that she would be eligible for the Parent Payment, if she is not working. She is essentially a sole parent at this point in time.

imo

 

[essareem]

Why would this affect Mali? Can she not apply for her own social security benefits? Is she still living off the benefits of a man who is on the run for killing police officers?

Well, perhaps she might qualify for a Parenting Payment, seeing as her youngest child is under 6. For single parents, that's a maximum $499 a week. For partnered parents, separated due to illness, respite care or prison, that's a maximum $425 per week. Then she might qualify for rent assistance which would be around $100 per week.

So, let's assume she would qualify and receive the maximum out of those two, that would get her about $600 per week. Then, as far as I know, she could get little tidbits on top of that, but it wouldn't really amount to much. I'd estimate a total of around $700 per week, at the higher end.

The median house rent in Porepunkah is $595 per week based on 13 rental listings in the past 12 months.

As a matter of fact, let's look at the rents for all of Victoria (data from the Homes Victoria March Quarter 2025 Rental Report):

Due to high housing costs, child costs, food costs, utility costs, etc, this would place her and her children well below the poverty line.

I assume, now that she is alone with the kids, she might not be able to manage the whole living in a bus / marginal housing lifestyle that they, as a family were able to make work. In this case she would likely need to enter the rental market and suffer the enormous cost.

At the moment, her and her children might be staying with a friend or family member. But, that can't go on forever.

Anyway, just curious about your wording there - "Is she still living off the benefits of a man who is on the run for killing police officers?" - do you believe her children's needs just disappear because of the actions of their father? If I've taken your tone the right way, I find that disturbing and cruel.

 

[SouthAussie]

Well, perhaps she might qualify for a Parenting Payment, seeing as her youngest child is under 6. For single parents, that's a maximum $499 a week. For partnered parents, separated due to illness, respite care or prison, that's a maximum $425 per week. Then she might qualify for rent assistance which would be around $100 per week.

So, let's assume she would qualify and receive the maximum out of those two, that would get her about $600 per week. Then, as far as I know, she could get little tidbits on top of that, but it wouldn't really amount to much. I'd estimate a total of around $700 per week, at the higher end.

The median house rent in Porepunkah is $595 per week based on 13 rental listings in the past 12 months.

As a matter of fact, let's look at the rents for all of Victoria (data from the Homes Victoria March Quarter 2025 Rental Report):


View attachment 623377

Due to high housing costs, child costs, food costs, utility costs, etc, this would place her and her children well below the poverty line.

I assume, now that she is alone with the kids, she might not be able to manage the whole living in a bus / marginal housing lifestyle that they, as a family were able to make work. In this case she would likely need to enter the rental market and suffer the enormous cost.

At the moment, her and her children might be staying with a friend or family member. But, that can't go on forever.

Anyway, just curious about your wording there - "Is she still living off the benefits of a man who is on the run for killing police officers?" - do you believe her children's needs just disappear because of the actions of their father? If I've taken your tone the right way, I find that disturbing and cruel.

No, that 'disturbing and cruel' part may be misconstruing my words. I imagine that Mali is already setting herself up with her own Social Security payments. I think Centrelink will just reduce his amount of dependents/money when she does that.
She would be smart to get her own benefits (if she is not working). Filby is obviously gone and when they find him, he will be in prison. It is not as if her life will resume as it was prior to the killings.

imo

 

[essareem]

No, that 'disturbing and cruel' part may be misconstruing my words. I imagine that Mali is already setting herself up with her own Social Security payments. I think Centrelink will just reduce his amount of dependents/money when she does that.
She would be smart to get her own benefits (if she is not working). Filby is obviously gone and when they find him, he will be in prison. It is not as if her life will resume as it was prior to the killings.

imo

Apologies, I see now.

I meant to compare the amount she might get as a single parent to the amount they would have already been getting on Dezi's disability payments, which I believe is usually a fair bit more.

I remember now this little tidbit from a Guardian article:

Freeman confirmed in documents he filed in the Victorian supreme court last year that he was a “disability pensioner” whose wife and three children survived on a single Centrelink payment.

Not sure why they would need to survive on a single payment. There must be something more to it.

 

[essareem]

Thorpe warns Labor’s welfare changes will ‘see children go hungry’

The government's last-minute addition to its social security bill, granting the Minister power to suspend or cancel welfare payments before a person is convicted of a crime, will see children going hu...

nit.com.au

It is understood there are concerns sovereign citizen Dezi Freeman - accused of killing two Victorian police officers and still on the run - may be accessing social welfare payments, something Senator Thorpe highlighted on Tuesday.

"Just because the cops can't find Dezi Freeman does not mean that the rest of the country on Centrelink benefits has to pay for one person's mistakes," she said.

"We're talking about penalising people's children. And when children are affected here, then there's something wrong. If there was any good about this last-minute addition to the legislation, then why weren't they upfront telling people?"

I'm just wondering how on earth he would be accessing his pension payments and still somehow not getting caught. I find that line hard to believe.

 

[Bats]

Thorpe warns Labor’s welfare changes will ‘see children go hungry’

The government's last-minute addition to its social security bill, granting the Minister power to suspend or cancel welfare payments before a person is convicted of a crime, will see children going hu...

nit.com.au

It is understood there are concerns sovereign citizen Dezi Freeman - accused of killing two Victorian police officers and still on the run - may be accessing social welfare payments, something Senator Thorpe highlighted on Tuesday.

"Just because the cops can't find Dezi Freeman does not mean that the rest of the country on Centrelink benefits has to pay for one person's mistakes," she said.

"We're talking about penalising people's children. And when children are affected here, then there's something wrong. If there was any good about this last-minute addition to the legislation, then why weren't they upfront telling people?"

I'm just wondering how on earth he would be accessing his pension payments and still somehow not getting caught. I find that line hard to believe.

I'm wondering, if perhaps a person is on a long term disability pension, then perhaps in some cases the money gets paid into a joint account where a partner also has access to funds.

I also wonder how many 'fugitives' with outstanding warrants are there who are also accessing government benefits? I guess there must be a few.

I think one problem for the police might be that they have to apply to get surveillance access for these people. They don't just have access to view people's bank accounts whenever they want.

MOO

 

[Warshawski]

I am tending to agree with Lidia here. Sounds a lot like being treated guilty before being proven as innocent.

Not sure why the Police would welcome this. Wouldn't a fugitive lining up for welfare actually help to find and catch them?

The term fugitive refers to someone who flees / runs away / hides from the police to avoid capture.

Most innocent people would not adopt the ways of a fugitive. IMO

 

[JLZ]

Apologies, I see now.

I meant to compare the amount she might get as a single parent to the amount they would have already been getting on Dezi's disability payments, which I believe is usually a fair bit more.

I remember now this little tidbit from a Guardian article:

Freeman confirmed in documents he filed in the Victorian supreme court last year that he was a “disability pensioner” whose wife and three children survived on a single Centrelink payment.

Not sure why they would need to survive on a single payment. There must be something more to it.

BBM. I'm not sure how old is Mali's youngest? There are "mutual obligation" requirements for the parenting payment if the youngest child is over 6. There are people who decide to have no income at all rather than jump through Centrelink's hoops and deal with their mistakes.

 

[drsleuth]

I stumbled across this book in my travels, I wonder if Dezi had a copy that he took with him?

Photos taken of my actual book.

Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills : McPherson, John, McPherson, Geri: Amazon.com.au: Books

Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills : McPherson, John, McPherson, Geri: Amazon.com.au: Books

www.amazon.com.au

 

[essareem]

I stumbled across this book in my travels, I wonder if Dezi had a copy that he took with him?

View attachment 623745
View attachment 623746

Photos taken of my actual book.

Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills : McPherson, John, McPherson, Geri: Amazon.com.au: Books

Primitive Wilderness Living and Survival Skills : McPherson, John, McPherson, Geri: Amazon.com.au: Books

www.amazon.com.au

Yeah, I'd say so for sure.

Check out the reviews on this one:

Amazon.com: The Primitive Bow & Arrow : John McPherson, John McPherson, John McPherson, John McPherson: Movies & TV

Amazon.com: The Primitive Bow & Arrow : John McPherson, John McPherson, John McPherson, John McPherson: Movies & TV

www.amazon.com

It says reviewed in the US but who else would use the username DeziBird? If you search that username on google, and filter out the news articles, it's just Dezi on Subaru and drone forums.

 

[Bats]

Police investigate reports of gunshot heard near Dezi Freeman's property

"A single gunshot heard shortly after alleged gunman Dezi Freeman fled his Porepunkah property in August has formed a new line of police enquiry.

Police have called on anyone else who heard the gunshot to come forward, including those who believed they were responsible for it."

 

[essareem]

The single reported gunshot that might lead police to Dezi

Reports a single shot was heard after two officers were killed on a Porepunkah property have led to high-tech acoustic tests.

www.theage.com.au

Victoria Police’s Taskforce Summit is examining reports that a witness heard a single shot coming from the dense bush behind the Porepunkah property where two police were murdered, about 20 minutes after Freeman’s deadly ambush.

On Wednesday, police blocked off Rayner Track, Barrett Lane and other access points near the Buckland River over four hours while taking part in the controlled firing of up to 30 shots in different locations and using weapons of different calibres.

... officers stationed across the search area used acoustic equipment to record the gunshot echoes in the hope the sounds could be measured and used to narrow down the area from which the reported shot might have come.

... the firearms testing related to a reported single gunshot about 11.45am on August 26, which had not previously been publicly disclosed.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

It kind of seems that they're hinting that he may have shot himself 20 minutes after shooting the police.

 

[iamshadow21]

It kind of seems that they're hinting that he may have shot himself 20 minutes after shooting the police.

In which case, why wasn't he found? Within earshot of the property, presumably not concealed by friends or bushcraft, he should have been found.

MOO

 

[Bats]

It kind of seems that they're hinting that he may have shot himself 20 minutes after shooting the police.

Yes, it may be that, though I get the feeling this is information the police ordinarily wouldn't release to the public. The reason they have in this case is because they were trialling different firearm sounds. If it hadn't been for that, I suspect they'd keep the information private for now.

I'm guessing they must have a/some pretty decent description(s) of the sound of a firearm discharging. Enough of a description for them to test sounds in the area.

NB ... a bit gory but the main sound of a firearm disharging is the bullet leaving the barrel faster than the speed of sound. If the bullet/projectile didn't get the chance to go much further than the barrel (and not break the sound barrier), then i suspect the noise would be a much lower volume. I guess its possible that a projectile fired from a powerful weapon could still break the sound barrier after passing through ....

 

[MrJ]

Rather than a suicide, could it have been DF firing off a shot and running away, so as to throw the police off? Brainstorming

 

[JLZ]

Rather than a suicide, could it have been DF firing off a shot and running away, so as to throw the police off? Brainstorming

Or even, someone fibbing about hearing a shot, for the same reason.

 

[Warshawski]

Rather than a suicide, could it have been DF firing off a shot and running away, so as to throw the police off? Brainstorming

When did Mali and the kids turn back & call the older son for help - after initially running out with Dezi