Category Archives: Sydney

Man allegedly raped by Gareth Ward quizzed on route he took to NSW MP’s house

Posted on by

Kiama MP allegedly sexually assaulted political staffer after offering him place to stay following mid-week event

A political staffer has accepted he could be confused about his movements before and after he was allegedly sexually assaulted by a state MP who invited him to his house.

Kiama MP Gareth Ward, 44, is on trial in the New South Wales district court after pleading not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault charges.

Continue reading...

Blow to Minns as turf club votes down plan to sell Sydney racecourse to NSW to build 25,000 homes

Posted on by

Premier says he is ‘disappointed’ after Rosehill decision and ‘it feels like a golden opportunity has slipped through our fingers’

The Minns government has had a major hole punched in its strategy to boost housing in Sydney after the Australian Turf Club members voted not to sell Rosehill racecourse, earmarked for a major housing development.

The New South Wales government had offered $5bn for the site, and proposed it would accommodate 25,000 new homes and a proposed Metro stop.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Family of some Bondi Junction stabbing victims see ‘major issue’ in police handling of information after attack, court hears

Posted on by

NSW police assistant commissioner tells inquest media guidelines ‘not always rigid’ and individuals might use discretion in ‘extraordinary circumstances’

The family of some victims of the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing attack believe there is a “major issue” in the way New South Wales police officers treated confidential information after the incident, a court has heard.

Joel Cauchi, 40, killed Ashlee Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, and Faraz Tahir, 30, and injured 10 others at the Sydney shopping centre on 13 April 2024 before he was shot and killed by police officer Amy Scott.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Independent Nicolette Boele declared provisional winner in Bradfield by 40 votes

Posted on by

AEC vote recount expected in Sydney north shore seat after Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian overtaken in final surge

Nicolette Boele has been declared the provisional winner of Bradfield in Sydney’s north shore after a nail-biting count which saw her take a last-minute 40-vote lead over the Liberal candidate, Gisele Kapterian.

Counting continued on Monday as the final postal votes were processed in the former blue ribbon seat.

Continue reading...

Man charged over stabbing two workers transporting him from detention centre to Sydney airport

Posted on by

The 28-year-old Tongan national was being moved from Villawood immigration detention centre before alleged attack and escape

New South Wales police have charged a 28-year-old man for allegedly stabbing one man and assaulting another while he was being transported from the Villawood immigration detention centre.

Tongan national Paea Teu was being taken from the detention centre to Sydney airport on Thursday when police allege he attacked two men who were transporting him. He then went on the run for two days.

Continue reading...

Bradfield and Goldstein face nervous weekend wait for election result but Tim Wilson ‘very relaxed’

Posted on by

AEC considers sending staff to airport ‘at late hours’ to collect final postal and overseas votes before midnight deadline

Liberal Tim Wilson has said he is “very relaxed” despite his lead over Zoe Daniel in the Melbourne seat of Goldstein slipping to 206 votes with late postal and overseas ballots from as far away as Nairobi still to be counted.

Candidates in the Sydney seat of Bradfield also face an anxious weekend, with no more counting to take place until Monday. On Friday afternoon, Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian led the independent candidate, Nicolette Boele, by just 43 votes.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Nurse who treated Joel Cauchi for schizophrenia threw up when told about Bondi Junction stabbings, inquest hears

Posted on by

Health worker describes 40-year-old as ‘compliant’ and ‘diligent’ patient but recalls 2020 phone call and a possible ‘warning sign’ of mental health relapse

A nurse at the Queensland medical practice where Joel Cauchi was treated for schizophrenia remembers him as a “compliant” and “diligent” patient, telling an inquest she vomited when she learned he had fatally stabbed six people at a Sydney shopping centre.

Cauchi, 40, killed Ashlee Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, and Faraz Tahir, 30, and injured 10 others at Westfield Bondi Junction on 13 April last year before he was shot and killed by police inspector Amy Scott.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Archibald prize 2025: Julie Fragar wins for portrait of artist Justene Williams

Posted on by

Decision announced at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where all finalists will be exhibited to the public from Saturday

Julie Fragar has won the 2025 Archibald prize for her portrait of her fellow artist Justene Williams.

Announced as the winner of the $100,000 prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on Friday, the winning work was selected unanimously by the judges from 904 entries and 57 finalists.Fragar is just the 13th woman to win the prize in its 104-year history.

Continue reading...

Riot police called to crowd chaos outside NSW selective school exams

Posted on by

State education department secretary apologises after thousands of students and parents caught in ‘unacceptable’ situation

The New South Wales education department has apologised after riot police were called to manage out-of-control crowds at the state’s selective school exams.

Police were called to Canterbury Park Racecourse, south-west of Sydney’s CBD, at about midday on Friday following reports of traffic and crowd control issues. About 1,300 students had finished exams at the Canterbury site and were trying to leave with their parents, as another 1,300 students plus their parents attempted to enter the facility.

Continue reading...

Paramedic denied access to Bondi Junction ‘hot zone’ tells stabbing inquest policies ‘need to change’

Posted on by

Critical care paramedic Christopher Wilkinson arrived at Westfield 30 minutes after Joel Cauchi attacked 16 people, killing six

A New South Wales ambulance officer who attempted to save the lives of Bondi Junction stabbing victims on 13 April 2024 says he was “frustrated” after not being able to access injured and potentially dying patients.

Six people were stabbed to death by schizophrenic man Joel Cauchi at the Westfield shopping centre.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

‘Level of violence unheard of’: police suspect body in burnt-out car in Sydney was allegedly kidnapped woman

Posted on by

Woman’s two sons in hospital with one in induced coma, as police say they ‘strongly believe’ kidnapping was targeted

Police fear a body in a burnt-out car in Sydney’s south overnight is that of a Bankstown woman allegedly abducted from a home on Thursday, in what they have called a “horrendous” crime of “unprecedented” violence.

Emergency services attended a residential street in Beverly Hills at about 11.30pm on Thursday night, after reports of a car fire.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Sydney hospital where two children died recently is at risk of failure, scathing report finds

Posted on by

Report accusing Northern Beaches hospital of not taking sufficient actions to stop risks comes as parents of baby who died after waiting for caesarean speak out

A controversial hospital where two children have recently died is accused of failing to meet healthcare standards and is at risk of failure.

In a scathing report from the New South Wales auditor general, the operators of Sydney’s Northern Beaches hospital are accused of not taking sufficient actions to stop clinical safety risks.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

$500 for the nosebleeds? Lady Gaga fans furious over ticket prices for Australian shows

Posted on by

The Mayhem tour’s ticketing agencies deny dynamic pricing has been implemented, but fans have complained prices are high and inconsistent

The little monsters are not happy. Lady Gaga fans have swamped social media to complain about exorbitant ticket prices for the pop star’s Australian concerts, with many speculating that dynamic pricing is involved – a claim the official ticketing agency for the Melbourne and Brisbane shows, Ticketmaster, has denied.

Off the back of her chart-topping album Mayhem, Lady Gaga is heading to Australia for the first time in 11 years, with Live Nation bringing the Mayhem Ball to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in December. Ticketmaster, which is owned by Live Nation, is responsible for the ticket sales in Melbourne and Brisbane. Ticketek is separately handling the Sydney show, because of its affiliation with Sydney venue Accor Stadium.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Man’s body pulled from water after car hits wife and plunges them both into Parramatta River

Posted on by

The 74-year-old woman is in hospital after being rescued by a man working nearby at Greenwich in Sydney’s north

A retired married couple were at their regular fishing spot in Sydney’s north when the man struck his wife with the car before both plunged into the water.

The 74-year-old woman was rescued from the Parramatta River in Greenwich by a man working nearby, and was in Royal North Shore hospital with non-life-threatening injuries where she was being supported by family and friends.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Woman killed in late-night drive-by shooting in Sydney suburb

Posted on by

Police searching for perpetrators after multiple shots fired at home in Ambarvale, on the city south-west outskirts

A drive-by shooting has killed a woman in her 60s and left a suburban Sydney home peppered with bullet holes.

Those responsible remained on the run on Tuesday following the overnight attack in Ambarvale on Sydney’s south-west outskirts.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Tropical Cyclone Errol likely to form off north coast of Western Australia this weekend

Posted on by

Weather bureau predicts high-pressure system will bring above-average temperatures across south-east Australia

A cyclone is likely to form off the northern coast of Western Australia this weekend, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has warned, as south-east Australia prepares for unseasonably warm weather.

The bureau on Saturday morning issued a warning that a tropical low in the Timor Sea north-west of Darwin was moving south-west and was expected to intensify into a cyclone later in the day.

Continue reading...

‘Science nerd’ who ordered radioactive materials to his parents’ Sydney home spared conviction

Posted on by

Emmanuel Lidden pleaded guilty to two charges after buying uranium and plutonium from US-based science website

A “science nerd” who ordered uranium and plutonium to his parents’ apartment has escaped conviction and been given a two-year good behaviour bond.

Emmanuel Lidden, 24, admitted breaching nuclear non-proliferation laws by ordering various radioactive samples through the internet.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

NSW government considering buying back Northern Beaches hospital amid Healthscope debt crisis

Posted on by

Recent incidents, including the death of a newborn, have heightened concerns about the level of care at the hospital

The New South Wales government is considering buying back the public hospital component of Northern Beaches hospital, as its private owner, Healthscope, faces a looming financial crisis.

The government said on Thursday it had been notified of a proposal by Healthscope seeking to have the hospital returned to the NSW public system.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Man charged after allegedly attempting to open plane door on flight to Sydney

Posted on by

Australian federal police say the man, 46, allegedly tried to open the rear emergency exit door of the plane from Malaysia on Saturday

A Jordanian national has been charged after he allegedly attempted to open the doors of a Sydney-bound plane mid-flight.

Australian federal police (AFP) said the man, 46, allegedly tried to open the rear emergency exit door of the plane, travelling from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday night.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...

Environment watchdog confirms Sydney’s mystery beach balls likely came from sewage treatment plants

Posted on by

NSW EPA investigation finds debris that washed up on Sydney beaches in 2024 ‘consistent with a land-based sewage source’

Authorities investigating mystery balls of debris that closed beaches in Sydney and the south coast in recent months have determined that they likely originated from Sydney Water’s land-based sewage treatment network, the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) said on Friday.

“The development comes after a comprehensive scientific and technical investigation found similarities between the makeup of the debris balls and samples taken from several of Sydney Water’s major wastewater treatment plants, including those at Malabar and Bondi,” the EPA said in a statement.

Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter

Continue reading...