Australia news live: St Kilda may lose hundreds of little penguins to bird flu; corruption inquiry told of $50,000 branch stacking scheme

The Guardian reports that Luke Bateman, a former rugby league player, testified before a parliamentary inquiry on gambling reform. Bateman alleged betting company promoters supplied him with cocaine and alcohol, and that he attended private Gold Coast events where senior figures at gambling firms engaged in illegal drug use with clients. Environment Minister Murray Watt responded that offering illegal drugs as inducement is a crime and those involved should face consequences.

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