Lorna Knowles
Lorna Knowles is a senior reporter for the National Reporting Team.
She is a three-time Walkley Award finalist and former researcher and producer for the ABC's Four Corners program.
Her 21-year career started in newspapers, before she moved into radio and television.
Lorna holds a law degree and specialises in crime and legal affairs reporting.
Video shows sales team being forced to simulate sex acts
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Shocking new videos showing workers being forced to simulate sex acts for not meeting sales targets have emerged as part of a $60 million class action against leading charity fundraiser Appco Group Australia.
Topics: courts-and-trials, charities, work, australia
Claims of 'postcode discrimination' over deal to reduce tree lopping
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Power companies are accused of "postcode discrimination" after one provider struck a special deal with inner-city suburbs in Sydney to reduce a controversial tree lopping program.
Topics: local-government, government-and-politics, environmental-policy, environment, sydney-2000, marrickville-2204, nsw, australia
Movie tickets offered to homeowners as compensation for motorway change
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Residents living near Sydney's NorthConnex road project slam a decision to move the new highway 10 metres closer to their homes, saying the change will significantly devalue their properties and the only compensation they have been offered is free movie tickets.
Topics: urban-development-and-planning, parliament, state-parliament, states-and-territories, government-and-politics, road-transport, wahroonga-2076, nsw, australia
Catholic priest defrocked over 'toxic' relationship with woman
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The Catholic Church defrocks a priest for having a "long-term inappropriate sexual relationship" with a woman, in what is believed to be an Australian first.
Topics: sexual-offences, law-crime-and-justice, catholic, religion-and-beliefs, community-and-society, chatswood-2067, nsw, australia
Charity workers allegedly forced to 'shove a cigarette up your bottom'
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Young charity workers were forced to lick underwear, cross dress and take part in obscene cigarette rituals, according to lawyers suing the marketing giant Appco.
Topics: work, community-and-society, law-crime-and-justice, australia
'They celebrated while we wept': Family slams marketing giant's handling of son's death
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A grieving mother is accusing marketing giant Appco of exploiting her young son and displaying callous and disrespectful behaviour when he was killed following a work function.
Topics: courts-and-trials, advertising-and-marketing, law-crime-and-justice, industry, australia, surry-hills-2010, penrith-2750, nsw
'It's real, it exists': Top cop's push to honour officers who took their lives
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NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione is pushing for police officers who have taken their own lives to be remembered on the National Police Memorial, but says he is willing to go it alone if other states do not agree.
Topics: police, crime, law-crime-and-justice, community-and-society, suicide, nsw, australia, sydney-2000, canberra-2600, act
'I lost all my money': Young Appco workers' stories
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Former Appco workers Sonja Mamic and Toby Yates both started their working lives at Appco with optimism, but it did not last long for them.
Topics: work, community-and-society, law-crime-and-justice, youth, australia
Workers seek $85m over alleged underpayment, bizarre workplace rituals
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Thousands of young Australian workers are expected to join an $85 million class action against the sales and marketing giant Appco Group Australia, amid allegations of underpayment and bizarre workplace rituals.
Topics: work, community-and-society, law-crime-and-justice, australia
The Castle defence invoked as land acquired 'for third of its value'
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Homeowners whose properties are being acquired for the NorthConnex road project accuse the NSW Government of low-balling them on prices and then spending up to defend their challenges in the courts.
Topics: state-parliament, parliament, government-and-politics, nsw, australia, sydney-2000, north-sydney-2060
'Vile' video shows gun enthusiasts shooting effigy of gun control advocate
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Police are asked to investigate footage of a man shooting and setting alight an effigy of Gun Control Australia leader Sam Lee.
Topics: social-media, internet-culture, information-and-communication, federal-government, government-and-politics, australia
Calls for urgent testing of WestConnex road base after asbestos claims
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Calls grow for the urgent testing of recycled concrete supplied to the WestConnex project, after the ABC reveals it could contain the deadly substance asbestos.
Topics: asbestos, health, states-and-territories, state-parliament, sydney-2000, nsw
Fears asbestos-laden road base is being used on WestConnex
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There are fears a Sydney excavation company has supplied asbestos-contaminated road base to the WestConnex project, as well as the Blue Mountains National Park and many private homes.
Topics: asbestos, health, state-parliament, parliament, government-and-politics, sydney-2000, australia, nsw
Millions spent defending police involved in taser death
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Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws reveal the New South Wales Police Service spent millions of dollars defending four officers involved in the tasering death of Brazilian student Roberto Curti.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, international-law, police, sydney-2000, australia, brazil
Sisters abused by stepfather awarded $1.5m after eight-year legal battle
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Two sisters who sued the state of New South Wales for failing to protect them from their abusive stepfather are awarded almost $1.5 million in damages after an eight-year battle for compensation.
Topics: child-abuse, community-and-society, sexual-offences, law-crime-and-justice, laws, nsw, australia
Family of NSW policewoman who took her own life suing state
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The family of a policewoman who took her own life is suing the state of New South Wales for millions of dollars, for allegedly failing to protect her from harm.
Topics: police, law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, suicide, community-and-society, newcastle-2300, nsw, australia, sydney-2000
'Chinese political prisoner' Ng released from Australian jail
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Australian businessman Matthew Ng, who was facing 11-and-a-half years in jail, is released from Silverwater prison 18 months after he was transferred from China to Australia in the first prisoner transfer deal of its kind.
Topics: laws, law-crime-and-justice, australia, china
Professional snowboarder, skier jailed over NSW snow season drug ring
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A professional snowboarder is jailed for dealing large quantities of ecstasy, cocaine and ice which he told customers to refer to as "cheeseburgers", "drinks" and "fries" when placing their orders.
Topics: drug-offences, crime, law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, jindabyne-2627, nsw, australia, thredbo-village-2625
Farmer's Association visits King's students over 'stupid' sheep tackling incident
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The head of NSW's peak farming body visits The King's School to tell rugby players it is dangerous, "plain stupid" and "unacceptable" to crash-tackle sheep in training drills as they did last month.
Topics: animal-welfare, law-crime-and-justice, animals, human-interest, veterinary-medicine, schools, orange-2800, nsw
'Appalled' headmaster in backflip over sheep tackling (video)
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The headmaster of Sydney private school King's backs away from his defence of a controversial sheep-tackling exercise involving students, saying he is "appalled" by the incident.
Topics: animal-welfare, schools, sydney-2000, orange-2800
'Horrific' sheep-tackling video prompts investigation into Sydney school (video)
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King's, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious private schools, is being investigated for animal cruelty after the ABC obtained videos of members of its top rugby teams crash-tackling sheep.
Topics: animal-welfare, law-crime-and-justice, animals, human-interest, veterinary-medicine, schools, orange-2800, nsw
Facebook shuts down officer support page after NSW Police complaint
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A Facebook page set up to support mentally ill police officers and their families is shut down after the NSW Police service complained about "highly offensive" posts.
Topics: mental-health, social-media, internet-culture, information-and-communication, police, law-crime-and-justice, health, australia, nsw
Elite private schools sued over multiple sexual abuse cases (photos)
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Some of Australia's most prestigious private schools are being sued for millions of dollars by men who allege they were sexually abused by teachers and staff.
Topics: child-abuse, royal-commissions, law-crime-and-justice, community-and-society, courts-and-trials, nsw, australia
'We've been through hell': Nightclub shooting victim's fight for compensation
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A man left severely disabled when he was shot in the head during a nightclub brawl in 2002 is pleading for the Federal Government's help after being ripped off by an insurance company.
Topics: federal-government, government-and-politics, courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, crime, sydney-2000, nsw, australia
Magistrate questions advice that cannabis stays in system for up to 12 hours
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A magistrate launches a blistering attack on the NSW Government's roadside drug-testing regime, challenging the accuracy of its claims that cannabis can only be detected in a person's saliva for up to 12 hours.
Topics: drug-offences, crime, law-crime-and-justice, drug-use, drugs-and-substance-abuse, driver-education, state-parliament, parliament, government-and-politics, nsw, lismore-2480, australia
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