In a move that surely inspires confidence in the justice system, a man has been charged after allegedly punching a young boy and stabbing his mother with a pair of scissors in a random attack outside a police station in Melbourne’s CBD. Because nothing says 'safe haven' like a stabbing right at the front door of law enforcement.

The man from Sunshine West, in the city’s inner west, was overnight charged with a series of assault-related offences including affray, intentionally causing injury, two counts of unlawful assault, conduct endangering life and conduct endangering serious injury. He was remanded to appear at Melbourne magistrates court on Wednesday.

The boy and his mother, who were visiting from the Phillip Island township of Cowes, were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police do not believe the parties knew one another. So, a completely random act of violence, because apparently the universe needed to remind us that nowhere is truly safe.

Meanwhile, the Greens have weighed in on the ongoing saga of gendered violence, with leader Larissa Waters saying the prime minister should address the epidemic of violence against women during national cabinet today, 'before it’s too late'. The Greens put out a statement saying Australians have been waiting after a national cabinet meeting to address gendered violence was convened two years ago. But many of the commitments from that event remain 'unfinished or ignored'.

Waters said, 'Tomorrow’s National Cabinet must commit to fully fund frontline services so no woman or child is turned away when they seek to escape violence, and to increase funding for prevention work to address the worrying slide in attitudes to violence, particularly by young men. Too many women and children are being killed by violence, primarily by men and most often by someone known to them, to wait any longer. We don’t need more ideas, we need the funding and the political will to turn them into action.'

She added, with a touch of fiscal irony, 'The government seems to always be able to find money for war but when it comes to keeping women safe or helping us recover, Labor cries poor.'

And in other news that will surely make you feel better about the future, Australia may face a rush of datacentre construction as AI firms look to avoid upcoming rules. Planned datacentres around Australia may avoid strict new rules being proposed by Anthony Albanese if they can secure approvals in the coming months, amid growing calls for a moratorium. The prime minister is aiming to come to an agreement with national cabinet on federal regulations for datacentres at a meeting on Wednesday.

The rules will require datacentres to avoid pushing up power prices - including by bringing renewable energy to the grid to cover their electricity demands - while meeting their own connection costs and minimising water use. Developers will also need to ensure their datacentres are appropriately sized and located away from schools, homes, potential housing or agricultural locations. Because we all know that the best place for a massive energy-sucking facility is right next to a school, obviously.

So, in summary: random stabbings, political hand-wringing, and a potential datacentre gold rush. Happy Wednesday, indeed.