Alan Jones trial: Journalist Kate McClymont back in witness box for second day

Former 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones, 85, continued facing trial at the historic Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney, with Sydney Morning Herald chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont returning to the witness box for a second consecutive day of evidence.

Jones faces 19 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent against five male complainants, with the alleged incidents said to have occurred between 2003 and 2020. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies the alleged physical acts took place. All five complainants have now given evidence before the court.

McClymont was called by the Crown because she spoke with three of the complainants — identified only as "C", "A" and "H" to protect their identities — while investigating allegations against the former broadcaster. The Herald published a series of her reports on Jones in late 2023 and early 2024, which triggered a police investigation. McClymont provided a statement to police in June 2024, and Jones was subsequently arrested in November of that year.

Profit motive claims disputed in cross-examination

During cross-examination by Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir SC, McClymont was challenged over whether there was a commercial motivation behind her reporting. Bashir asked whether stories needed to "sell papers" and whether higher readership numbers encouraged advertiser investment. McClymont acknowledged that as a general proposition advertising follows readership, but was firm that it was not her role. "That is not my problem, no," she said when asked whether stories are published to sell papers, adding she did not know what impact her Jones reporting had on readership figures or subscriptions. McClymont also agreed that Jones is a very public figure in New South Wales.

Bashir also put to McClymont that her December 2023 articles generated significant attention, with McClymont agreeing that "media channels were saturated in December 2023 and again in November 2024" with the allegations she was first to publish. The court heard the story was covered across all forms of media, including social media, beyond Nine Entertainment — the company that owns this masthead.

The afternoon session was closed to the public, including media, after Judge Glenn Walsh ordered the hearing into closed court during a legal argument subject to a non-publication order. The Crown had yet to complete its re-examination of McClymont at day’s end, with proceedings expected to resume the following morning at 10am.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.

LOX ES90M Electric Strike Rated for 25kg Preload and 1300kg Holding Strength

LOX Locking’s ES90M Electric Preload Strike is a mortice-mounted, high-security electric strike engineered to release under up to 25kg of preload pressure — a specification designed to address real-world installation challenges including air pressure differentials, door misalignment, door warpage, and heavy weather seals that can defeat conventional electric strikes.

According to LOX Locking’s Marc Bindner, those conditions represent a persistent problem for access control installers. The ES90M is manufactured from high-grade stainless steel and supports 10–30VDC multi-voltage operation, with power-to-open or power-to-lock selectable in the field. The unit ships factory-set to fail-secure but can be changed to fail-safe on site. Holding strength is rated at up to 1300kg, and the strike has been tested to 2.5 million endurance cycles.

Monitoring and Compliance Credentials

The monitored ES90M reports three categories of status signals to an access control system:

• Lock status monitoring — indicates whether the lock is locked or unlocked
• Door and latch sensor — confirms whether the door latch is engaged within the strike
• Anti-tamper monitoring — alerts when the strike has been removed from the frame

Electrical characteristics include a nominal current draw of 350mA at 12VDC and 180mA at 24VDC, with inrush current specified at 1350mA at 12VDC and 680mA at 24VDC for less than 150ms. The strike carries an IP54 environmental rating and is specified for operation between -10°C and 60°C. Compliance credentials include RCM marking, S8 compliance to AS 4145.2-2008 for security, D8 compliance to AS 4142.2-2008 for durability, and a fire-resistance rating of up to four hours in accordance with AS 1905.1-2015. The ES90M uses an Australian door profile and comes with a five-year warranty. A 10mm strike lip is included to reduce potential hazards, and the unit is pre-drilled to accept optional extension lips.

LOX Locking will be exhibiting the ES90M on stand 4 at the Security and Government Expo (SAGE) on 19 November 2026, where attendees can handle the preload release and monitored outputs in person.

Milestone Systems names Peter Bartzios as Key Account Manager for South Pacific

Milestone Systems has appointed Peter Bartzios as key account manager for the South Pacific region, the video technology company announced on 3 November 2026. Based in Sydney, Bartzios brings three decades of industry experience spanning strategic sales, integrated security platforms and enterprise solutions.

His background includes large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport Line, where he worked with end users, consultants, builders and technology partners on complex security requirements across demanding operational environments.

Expanding the South Pacific team

The appointment is part of a broader push by Milestone Systems to strengthen its presence among major accounts in the region. Jordan Cullis, director for South Pacific and country manager at Milestone Systems, said Bartzios’ depth of experience would help the company support customers navigating complex, long-term projects.

"Major infrastructure and enterprise projects require a clear understanding of the customer’s operating environment, the different stakeholders involved and how technology will support their needs over many years," Cullis said. "Peter brings 3 decades of industry experience and a strong understanding of integrated security. He knows how to work with end users, consultants, builders and technology partners to connect those requirements with practical solutions."

Bartzios’ focus in the new role will span:

• Major end users and enterprise organisations
• Builders and consultants
• Milestone’s broader partner ecosystem

The hire is the latest in a series of South Pacific moves since Milestone returned local control to the regional team in May 2025. That was followed by the promotion of Matt Veenstra to distribution channel manager in June 2025 to grow the integrator network, and the return of Mike Metcalfe as key account manager for New Zealand — covering infrastructure, government and transport in Australia — in March 2026. Cullis said Bartzios’ appointment adds further depth to the South Pacific team as the company builds its presence among major accounts and supports partners pursuing significant projects.

Court hears Herald journalist called police link ‘nail in the coffin’ in Jones trial

The Sydney Morning Herald’s chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont told the mother of one of Alan Jones’s accusers that it was "brilliant" police were involved and that it would be "the nail in the coffin", a Sydney court heard on Wednesday.

McClymont returned to the NSW Local Court witness box for a second day of evidence in the criminal trial of Jones, 85, who is facing 19 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent involving five male complainants. The alleged incidents are said to have occurred between 2003 and 2020. Jones has pleaded not guilty and denies the alleged physical acts took place.

The recorded call and what it means

Jones’s barrister, Gabrielle Bashir SC, played a recorded phone call McClymont had in December 2023 with the mother of a complainant referred to as "A" — now a doctor — who alleges Jones kissed him non-consensually when he was 17. In the call, McClymont said: "This would be an absolute nail in the coffin that the police were involved. That’s just brilliant. Oh, I’m breathless." McClymont rejected the suggestion she meant it as "the nail in the coffin of Alan Jones," telling the court it referred to a "significant event" for her reporting. She noted that police had publicly stated around that time they had received no complaints about Jones and were not investigating him.

Bashir also drew the court’s attention to a WhatsApp message McClymont sent to "A" on 12 December 2023, reading: "And if police do re-open the investigation, please let me know. That would be BIG news for the story." On 19 March 2024, after Jones became the subject of a formal police investigation, McClymont texted the mother: "Alan Jones is the subject of a police investigation!!!!" Bashir asked whether McClymont later sent the message "I hope the shit does hit the fan for him!" followed by a smiley face and two poo emojis. McClymont said "Probably," then confirmed it after being shown a copy.

Complainants and media coverage

McClymont testified she spoke with three men who would later become complainants — referred to as "C", "A" and "H" — between late 2023 and early 2024. She agreed her December 2023 articles "generated massive interest" for the Herald and that "media channels were saturated" in December 2023 and again in November 2024 following Jones’s arrest. Regarding complainant "H", who alleges Jones placed his hand on his back and slowly moved it down to his bottom at a Sydney event, McClymont agreed she suggested to him that Jones was using a position of power to get what he wanted, and that "H" adopted that framing. She published his account in mid-2024. The court also heard McClymont gave police a statement in June 2024 but declined in September 2025 to hand over recordings or transcripts of conversations with complainants, citing confidential sources. She was later subpoenaed for the material.

Cybercrime detectives probe theft of 100,000 documents from NSW Health server

NSW Police cybercrime detectives are investigating an alleged data breach after a hacker claimed to have accessed approximately 100,000 sensitive documents from a NSW Health site used to process dental vouchers, before accidentally crashing its server.

Cyber Security NSW described the incident as a "limited" breach affecting an "isolated server" within NSW Health, and said no patient data had been impacted or was currently at risk. NSW Health discovered the breach on Thursday, with police notified around 1pm the following Friday.

Hacker’s Claims and International Links

A dark web forum post, shared by Dubai-based cyber threat intelligence platform Hackmanac early Wednesday, attributed the breach to a user calling themselves "bytetobreach". The post alleged the hacker exploited a misconfigured subdomain to exfiltrate roughly 70GB of data — comprising around 100,000 documents dating from 2020 onwards. The actor stated: "A full intrusion into the rest of the network was prevented when I accidentally crashed the server." The post also said no ransom was being sought from anyone affiliated with the Australian government, and that the Computer Emergency Response Team had already been notified. Hackmanac noted the claim remained "pending verification".

NSW Police Cyber Crime Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Matt Craft said investigators were working to test the veracity of the claims and identify those responsible. Craft confirmed an international dimension to the probe, stating: "It’s obvious to us at this stage there’s people that are outside Australia. With cybercrime, there is no borders." He also said artificial intelligence did not appear to have played any role in the breach.

Health Minister Ryan Park said authorities were made aware of the issue in "the last couple of days" but delayed public disclosure at the request of police to avoid hampering the investigation. Premier Chris Minns, who said he was informed at the weekend, echoed that position: "We take advice from the experts, particularly cybersecurity intelligence experts, and they tell us when to release the information." Minns acknowledged he held "information about the motive" but said it was not yet ready to be released, and declined to comment on whether demands had been made of the government. Park described it as a "live investigation" and cautioned that details could change.

ASIAL Marks 30th Security Industry Awards Night at Melbourne’s Park Hyatt

Melbourne’s Park Hyatt played host to what observers are calling one of the most enjoyable nights in the history of the Australian Security Industry Awards, as ASIAL marked the 30th anniversary of the prestigious annual event.

The evening brought together installers, integrators, engineers and industry figures from across the country for an awards programme that spanned three separate categories:

• The Australian Security Industry Awards for Excellence
• The Outstanding Security Performance Awards
• The Australian Security Medals Foundation Awards

A Three-Programme Night

Organisers faced the familiar challenge of moving a large field of presentations through a room full of attendees eager to reconnect with colleagues — a balancing act that those who run industry awards nights know all too well. By most accounts, the evening’s pacing held up, helped in no small part by an appearance from Singers For Hire, which the coverage noted introduced an unexpected bonding experience for the room around the halfway mark.

SEN News, which covered the event extensively with a large photo gallery, noted that its editor is believed to have served on the judging panel for the very first awards night held three decades ago — lending the milestone edition a degree of personal history for the publication. The outlet described the night as among the best and most entertaining it has attended across those 30 years.

Sydney bus drivers escalate work bans as 3,000 extra weekly services announced

About 2,000 Sydney bus drivers represented by the Rail Tram and Bus Union began indefinite work bans on Wednesday, with authorities warning passengers to expect delays and cancellations across routes serving the eastern suburbs, northern beaches, lower north shore and inner north-west.

The first round of bans — refusing to drive buses showing dashboard warning lights — took effect early Wednesday. From Thursday, drivers will also refuse to take any bus from a depot unless it has a full fuel tank or fully charged battery. Transport for NSW warned the action could delay or cancel some services, adding that students sitting HSC exams this week should allow extra travel time and consider travelling outside peak periods where possible.

The dispute centres on a pay claim by drivers employed under private operators Keolis, Transdev John Holland and Busways. Unions are seeking a rise of about 22 per cent over three years without changes to conditions, with the base wage for a Sydney bus driver currently sitting at around $67,000 a year. Rail Tram and Bus Union divisional president Peter Grech said both sides were close on the pay figure but remained at odds over what he described as an attempted casualisation of the workforce. "We have been negotiating for nine months, and we haven’t got an outcome," Grech said, warning that action would escalate unless a deal was reached.

Service expansion rolls out from 15 November

The escalation comes as the NSW government separately announced an extra 3,000 weekly bus services — a 1 per cent increase in total services — bringing the total number of new services to 9,000, or 3 per cent, since Labor won the 2023 state election. Key additions include:

• Routes 343 (Kingsford–Circular Quay) and 370 (Coogee–Glebe Point) moving to 24-hour, seven-day operation
• Route 418 (Sydenham–Burwood) running around the clock on Friday and Saturday nights
• A new 848X route between Campbelltown and the outer south-west township of Wilton during weekday peak periods
• An extra 54 weekly services on the 339X Clovelly to City Museum express

The new services will be progressively rolled out between 15 and 22 November. Transport Minister John Graham said the government had committed $200 million in July to support higher wages for more than 8,000 bus drivers, with driver vacancies falling to 213 in September from 372 in the same month in 2023.