David Warner has hit back at former Australia batting coach Graeme Hick after Hick dismissed Usman Khawaja’s account of the Sandpapergate scandal as “absolutely false.”

Warner also alleged that Australian players offered to surrender part of their salaries in an attempt to keep Michael Di Venuto as batting coach before Hick took over in 2016.

“Let’s get the facts straight. Graeme Hick was only appointed because Cricket Australia was unwilling to pay Michael Di Venuto what he deserved,” Warner wrote on X.

“As players, we valued Michael so highly that we even offered to contribute from our own salaries to retain him.

“These discussions were taking place during the New Zealand tour. That alone speaks volumes about how highly we regarded him and how determined we were to keep him involved. Adds to why Graeme has spoken!”

Warner’s intervention followed Hick’s rejection of Khawaja’s suggestion that responsibility for the 2018 ball-tampering scandal extended beyond the players to include members of the Australian team and coaching staff.

“I have seen the various statements around the coaches, and I’m very disappointed with the broad nature of them,” Hick told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“Khawaja puts it simply: ‘It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.’ To me, what Khawaja is implying here is absolutely false.”

David Warner, pictured with Usman Khawaja, has launched another attack as the Sandpapergate dispute continues to divide Australian cricket

Former Australia batting coach Graeme Hick, pictured with Travis Head, has strongly rejected Khawaja’s allegations

Warner says Australian players offered to contribute from their salaries to keep Di Venuto

Hick also categorically denied being aware of any discussions about ball-tampering in either Port Elizabeth or Cape Town.

“In regard to any discussions around the ball-tampering in Port Elizabeth or Cape Town, I will say in true honesty that I did not hear or know anything,” he said.

“My first knowledge of all this was, like many, when it appeared on the big screen in Cape Town as I was sitting on the outside balcony at the time.”

Hick replaced Di Venuto as Australia’s batting coach in 2016, roughly two years before the Sandpapergate scandal erupted.

Di Venuto had held the position since 2013, following a playing career in which he accumulated 25,200 first-class runs and appeared in nine one-day internationals for Australia.

His spell with the national team overlapped with Steve Smith’s emergence as one of the world’s premier batters.

Australia also turned to Di Venuto as an interim head coach when Darren Lehmann was sidelined by deep vein thrombosis, shortly before Di Venuto left for Surrey.

Smith made clear how highly he regarded Di Venuto in a farewell message published at the time.

Di Venuto enjoyed an outstanding domestic playing career before moving into coaching

Steve Smith paid tribute to Michael Di Venuto in a glowing farewell message a decade ago

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“Thanks Michael Di Venuto for all that you have done for me the last couple of years,” Smith wrote.

“You’ve been an absolutely amazing batting coach and a great man. You are going to be missed by myself and all of the Australian batters.

“You are going to be a great head coach and Surrey are very lucky to have you.”

Di Venuto subsequently delivered the success Smith had forecast, leading Surrey to the 2018 County Championship title—the club’s first in the competition for 16 years.

Smith’s tribute underlines Warner’s claim that Di Venuto was highly valued by the players, although it does not refer to a salary dispute or any offer to help retain him.

Hick remained Australia’s batting coach from 2016 until 2020 and was part of the coaching team when Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on the ball during the Cape Town Test.

Warner has strongly endorsed Khawaja’s version of events, writing: “It’s 100 per cent accurate what you’ve said. Now everyone knows the truth.”

Their account, however, has been challenged by Hick, former head coach Darren Lehmann and fast bowler Mitchell Starc.

Warner has publicly supported Khawaja’s account of the Sandpapergate scandal

Former Australia bowling coach David Saker suggested in a 2021 interview that responsibility for the scandal may have extended beyond the three players punished.

“Obviously, a lot of things went wrong at that time,” he said.

“The finger-pointing is going to go on and on, and on. There were a lot of people to blame. It could have been me, it could have been someone else. It could have been stopped, and it wasn’t, which is unfortunate.

“Cameron’s a very nice guy. He’s just doing it [the media interview] to get something off his chest … he’s not going to be the last. You could point your finger at me, you could point your finger at ‘Boof’ [Lehmann], you could point it at other people—of course you could.

“The disappointing thing is that it’s never going to go away, regardless of what’s said. We all know that we made a monumental mistake. The gravity wasn’t as plain until it all came out.”

The conflicting accounts have reopened old wounds from a scandal that brought 12-month bans for Warner and Smith, while Bancroft received a nine-month suspension.

In his autobiography, Sabr, Khawaja questions Cricket Australia’s conclusion that only those three players knew about the plan in advance.

He has defended his decision to revisit the controversy while choosing not to name publicly the individuals he believes were aware of it.

Cricket Australia continues to stand by its original investigation and says there is no compelling reason to reopen the case.

Melbourne rapper Dakota McAllan allegedly attacked a Colombian man with a hockey stick, leaving him bleeding in an alley after an assault partly connected to an arts program backed by taxpayer-funded grants.

McAllan, 26, who performs as Kiid Koda, appeared in Melbourne County Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to intentionally causing serious injury.

The incident began on July 7, 2024, when McAllan was having sex with his girlfriend inside his mother’s Hyundai SUV in a South Melbourne laneway behind Tope Street.

According to evidence presented in court, the Colombian man struck the vehicle’s window and gestured for the couple to leave before McAllan drove out of the laneway.

McAllan and his girlfriend then watched the intoxicated man walk along the street, trying the doors of parked cars, prosecutors said.

McAllan later contacted his cousin, Louis Zaza, asking him to come to South Melbourne and help attack the man. The court heard he said they “gotta bash this c***”.

Zaza, 30, also appeared in court on Thursday after pleading guilty to intentionally causing serious injury.

Prosecutors said messages exchanged by the pair demonstrated that they had “planned and agreed to inflict serious injury” on the victim.

Dakota McAllan, 26, appeared in Melbourne County Court after pleading guilty to intentionally causing serious injury

McAllan, who has a young child, told Zaza that the victim “looked like a crackhead” and had been “pushing trolleys into cars”.

“Make sure we ain’t comin for no reason, word,” Zaza replied.

McAllan answered: “Bro, he punched my window.”

“Keep him around,” Zaza wrote.

He added: “He ain’t going anywhere, wanna make sure he here when we pull up.”

McAllan replied: “Yep, he’s in front of me, I can jump him but I don’t know if he got a knife.

“Still have to bash this c*** but I was in an alleyway and I don’t know how many there was, I just drove out of there but there’s only one.”

“It’s calm, see you soon, you good,” Zaza replied.

When Zaza arrived, McAllan had a hockey stick that he had concealed inside the vehicle.

The two men entered the laneway and attacked the victim. Zaza held a lighter in his clenched fist, while McAllan struck the man with the hockey stick.

The court was shown CCTV footage of the 38-second assault. The video appeared to show McAllan repeatedly hitting the victim with the stick while he lay on the concrete, apparently asleep.

Zaza kicked the victim in the buttocks and punched him several times in the head.

Prosecutors said the man was hit about 20 times.

Zaza then raised the victim’s head and dragged him forward, revealing a large pool of blood on the concrete.

Melbourne rapper Dakota McAllan performed under the name Kiid Koda

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McAllan and Zaza left the scene, abandoning the victim in the laneway with blood streaming from his head.

The court heard the man made several attempts to stand but repeatedly collapsed into the pool of blood.

He eventually reached the street, where McAllan, his girlfriend and Zaza watched as he wandered back and forth.

McAllan, who works part-time as a model and actor and played semi-professional soccer for Sandringham SC in 2025, then drove Zaza and his girlfriend away.

Zaza, who was wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “F*** cancer”, was dropped off at the charity event he had attended before the attack.

Bystanders later found the victim stumbling through South Melbourne during the early hours and called police and an ambulance.

Police found him crying and visibly in pain, the court was told.

Officers returned to the laneway and found a substantial pool of blood.

The victim was taken to hospital with serious injuries, including bleeding on the brain and a fractured skull.

McAllan, a community volunteer and NDIS support worker, said his actions were linked to childhood experiences of witnessing his father assault his mother

He suffered headaches and dizziness for six weeks and was left with scarring and nerve damage.

Police identified the alleged attackers using CCTV footage and the SUV, then arrested McAllan at his Noble Park home. Officers seized the hockey stick, clothing and his mobile phone.

McAllan, a community volunteer and NDIS support worker, said he attacked the Colombian man after childhood memories of seeing his father assault his mother were triggered.

A defence psychological report said McAllan’s “sense of cowardice was fuelled by reliving experiences of helplessness in watching his father abuse his mother”.

“I was on autopilot,” McAllan said, explaining that he had lost “complete perspective and acted in a completely disproportionate violent way”.

Judge Gabriele Cannon asked whether McAllan had been affected by “any substances at the time”. After being told he had not, she said: “He was on autopilot for quite a while, wasn’t he?”

“He’s given a sort of noble explanation for why he behaved as he did, I’m not sure it was the only thing he was operating on at that time…”

“Getting stuck into someone who is vulnerable and his greatest… provocation was to punch a window whilst your client and his girlfriend were having sex.”

“I’m not sure how that then translates into your client going to be someone having experienced those things during his childhood.”

“But, then what, he’s going to champion the cause of women?”

The Sydney Morning Herald profiled McAllan last July after he was selected to perform in the Grid Series.

“Anybody who’s trying to be different, to bring a different sound, or think outside the box and do something that’s not the norm per se, we’re a country that shuns it or calls it cringe, tall poppy syndrome,” McAllan told the publication.

The Grid Series receives substantial support through federal, state and local government arts grants.

McAllan, of Noble Park, and Zaza, an Airbnb cleaner from Clyde North, remain in custody and are due to be sentenced on November 30.

National Australia Bank has acknowledged that almost 66,000 current and former employees were underpaid over a period spanning 14 years.

The Big Four lender has repaid most of the $169 million owed to staff, including interest and superannuation.

According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, employees across every Australian state and territory were affected, with some underpayments continuing as recently as this year. The problems dated back to 2012.

The affected workers included casual, part-time and full-time employees across a wide range of personal and business banking positions.

While the average repayment was $1,934, one employee was found to be owed more than $87,000.

NAB first reported the underpayments to the Fair Work Ombudsman in late 2019, after discovering significant errors in the implementation of its then-current enterprise agreement.

That disclosure led to a wide-ranging review of employee entitlements, which uncovered compliance failures dating back to 2012.

A further review conducted in 2024 showed that employees were still being underpaid because the problems had not been fully resolved.

NAB has repaid at least $155 million to affected current and former employees

The causes included weaknesses in governance and compliance oversight, poor record-keeping, outdated payroll technology and insufficient investment in payroll expertise.

NAB has so far repaid at least $155 million. That figure includes more than $120 million in unpaid wages and entitlements, $25 million in interest and more than $8 million in applicable superannuation.

The bank has signed an enforceable undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman to supervise the repayment process.

It will also pay $2 million in contrition to the Commonwealth Consolidated Revenue Fund — the largest amount ever included in an executed enforceable undertaking.

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‘NAB’s underpayment failures demonstrate the serious and persistent problems that can occur when an employer does not properly coordinate essential functions, including payroll, industrial relations, technology, risk management, auditing and legal compliance,’ Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said.

‘It is particularly disappointing to see such extensive and long-running underpayments at an employer with significant resources, especially one that negotiated its own legally binding enterprise agreement but failed to ensure compliant payroll systems were ready to apply those terms before they took effect.’

Ms Booth welcomed NAB’s extensive remediation work and the reviews it carried out over several years.

‘The enforceable undertaking provides for comprehensive remediation, including periods well beyond the statutory limits, while also strengthening accountability and supporting ongoing compliance in the future,’ Ms Booth said.

‘It is particularly disappointing to see such extensive and long-running underpayments at an employer with significant resources,’ Fair Work Ombudsman Anna Booth said

NAB said it regretted the errors and was upgrading its employee systems and payroll platforms.

‘We take our payroll responsibilities extremely seriously because they are a fundamental part of employing people. We sincerely apologise for these unintended errors,’ NAB group executive of people and culture Sarah White said.

‘We have taken action and will continue to ensure that anyone affected is remediated.’

The disclosure came on the same day Commonwealth Bank was accused of overcharging tens of thousands of customers by millions of dollars through fees.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the corporate financial services regulator, alleges that 42,000 CommBiz customers were overcharged approximately $8.5 million in fees between November 2020 and May 31, 2025.

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A 17-year-old boy has been found alive after spending six days missing in the Victorian bush during his first camping trip with a friend.

William, whose surname has not been disclosed, was camping at Walhalla East in eastern Victoria on Friday afternoon when he walked towards another section of the site near Stoney Creek Road and T2 Track. He did not return.

The teenager, who has level two autism and requires substantial support, was wearing only shorts and work boots. He had left his mobile phone at the campsite.

When William failed to come back, his friend ran for help and eventually flagged down the driver of a white ute.

Police expressed serious concern for the Latrobe Valley teenager, warning that he may have become confused and lost in the difficult bush terrain.

Temperatures in Walhalla reportedly fell to between 3C and 4C during the six days William was missing, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

He was located alive on Thursday morning and photographed on a stretcher as emergency crews treated him at the scene.

Victoria Police said William was “in good spirits and, for the most part, in good health.”

The 17-year-old was found alive after spending six days missing in the Victorian bush

Victoria Police said William was “in good spirits and, for the most part, in good health”

William disappeared after walking away from the camping site near Stoney Creek Road and T2 Track

The teenager was flown by helicopter to a search base at Cowwarr, about 30km north of Traralgon in Gippsland, the Herald Sun reported.

His mother, Elizabeth Barkley, told reporters on Thursday that William appeared to be in excellent health.

“He’s doing fine, everything seems to be fine, he’s in perfect health,” she said.

“He just stayed in one spot and waited to be rescued and I’m just over the moon he’s alive.”

Ms Barkley jokingly said her son would not be allowed to leave the house again.

“He’s grounded for life,” she told the ABC.

“He’s not going anywhere ever again. I’m just over the moon.”

Images released after the rescue showed William sitting upright as he was transported by the Police Air Wing, apparently suffering only minor injuries. He was also pictured hugging loved ones after reaching the search base.

William was flown to a search base at Cowwarr, about 30km north of Traralgon in Gippsland

William’s mother, Elizabeth Barkley, said her son appeared to be in perfect health

William went missing while camping with a friend at Walhalla East in eastern Victoria

Police Air Wing officers were searching from the air near Cowwarr when they spotted a tackle box in bushland approximately 2km east of Stoney Creek.

After zooming in, they noticed William lying close by in a creek.

Flight officers were winched down to the area and recovered him before taking him to the command post, where he was reunited with his mother.

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More than 100 people were involved in the six-day operation, including officers from the Public Order Response Team, Dog Squad, Mounted Branch and Search and Rescue Squad, as well as State Emergency Service personnel.

Police said William had fallen down a steep riverbank two days before he was found and had remained there, sleeping and waiting for rescuers.

“He woke up to the sound of the helicopter [and] gave them a thumbs up,” Acting Inspector Jason Benbow said.

William was exhausted and unable to walk. He had cuts on his legs and severe sunburn across his upper body and face, police said.

“Other than that, he’s talking to us, he’s happy, he’s smiling, he’s giving us an account of what’s happening and he’s hugging his mother and having a doughnut and water,” Acting Inspector Benbow said.

William embraces relatives after arriving by helicopter at the search base

The Air Wing spotted a tackle box in bushland about 2km east of Stoney Creek during its aerial search

More than 100 people joined the six-day search for the missing teenager

William was reunited with his mother on Thursday morning after Ms Barkley happened to be at the Cowwarr police staging area.

She said she had never stopped believing her son would be found alive, despite knowing he had disappeared wearing only shorts and work boots.

“I knew in my heart he was still alive, I could feel it. I knew he wasn’t gone,” Ms Barkley said.

“The police helicopter found him. I’m just over the moon. I can’t thank everyone [enough]. It’s a miracle.”

“You see these stories on TV and you don’t think it can happen to you, but when you do and you find them alive, it’s just… I can’t describe the words. I’m so happy, I can’t speak properly.”

“I’ve been praying for this all week. To find him while I was out here, it was such a perfect… you couldn’t write the script any better.”

William was taken to Latrobe Regional Hospital with his mother for observation.

Victoria Police thanked the officers, emergency workers and specialist teams who took part in the search and rescue effort.