Category Archives: New South Wales

‘Shock to creative ecology’: NSW regional art galleries face funding crisis after state pulls financial support

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Peak arts bodies urge review of decision that jeopardises institutions which are the ‘lifeblood’ of regional Australian cultural life

Three out of four regional public art galleries in New South Wales are facing a funding crisis after the state government pulled its financial support as a result of a massive restructure of its cultural funding arm, Create NSW.

Wagga Wagga, Orange, Armidale, Broken Hill and Tamworth are among 18 regional centres in NSW with major public art galleries that will no longer receive four-year funding from the state government, worth between about $70,000 and $200,000 a year.

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Federal court orders Sydney Muslim cleric to remove ‘racist and antisemitic’ lectures from social media

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Wissam Haddad was sued by two members of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry over lectures in 2023 recorded in Bankstown

A Sydney Muslim cleric has been ordered by the federal court to take down a series of “fundamentally racist and antisemitic” speeches posted online, and instructed by a judge not to make similar addresses again.

But Justice Angus Stewart ruled other criticisms of the state of Israel and its military did not breach the Racial Discrimination Act, finding it is not inherently antisemitic to criticise Israel.

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NSW weather: Sydney and south coast residents warned to ‘stay indoors’ as vigorous coastal low batters state

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Emergency services minister says ‘it may seem pretty bad [now] but the situation is going to worsen’ overnight with damaging rain and winds

Destructive winds and heavy rain are hitting large swathes of the New South Wales coast with authorities warning the situation will deteriorate over the next 24 hours.

Some areas received a month’s worth of rain in one day while others recorded winds above 100km/h as a vigorous coastal low continued to intensify on Tuesday afternoon.

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Lawyers investigate whether Hannah Thomas could sue police over alleged excessive use of force at Sydney protest

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Critical incident investigation declared into arrest of former Greens candidate who says she could lose sight in right eye

Lawyers are investigating whether protesters could sue New South Wales police over alleged excessive use of force during a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney, after which the former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas said she could lose sight in her right eye.

Thomas, 35, who ran against the prime minister at the federal election, was arrested at the Belmore protest which was attended by about 60 people on Friday. She was subsequently taken to hospital and underwent surgery.

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Greens call for investigation into NSW police arrest that injured former candidate

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Sue Higginson demands critical incident be declared after Hannah Thomas taken for surgery, but acting police minister says matter does not ‘meet the threshold’

A Greens MP has called for an independent investigation into New South Wales police arrests at a protest that resulted in a former Greens candidate being taken to hospital with serious facial injuries.

Sue Higginson says a critical incident should be declared after Hannah Thomas, who ran against Anthony Albanese in the Sydney electorate of Grayndler, sustained facial injuries during arrest at a protest on Friday. The protest was outside a business in Belmore accused of “supplying electroplating and surface coating services for a variety of applications including aerospace and defence technology” to Israel.

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Australia news live: Minns’ team asked why premier focused on possibility of ‘terrorism’ in NSW caravan plot announcement

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The foreign minister, Penny Wong, is expected to join a meeting of her Quad counterparts in Washington DC next week.

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said on Friday he would host foreign ministers from Australia, India and Japan on 1 July, with the meeting set to discuss geopolitical issues and China’s treatment of Indo-Pacific nations.

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Student allegedly hacked Western Sydney University to get discounted parking and alter academic results

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Police allege the woman’s hacking escalated to allegedly threatening to sell confidential student data on the dark web

A former Western Sydney University student allegedly waged a four-year hacking campaign on the institution which began as an attempt to secure discounted parking on campus and culminated in her threatening the sale of student information on the dark web.

The 27-year-old was arrested on Wednesday and charged with 20 offences including accessing or modifying restricted data on a computer, dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, and unauthorised modification of data with intent to cause impairment.

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NSW MP Gareth Ward likened to ‘vampire running a blood bank’ by alleged sexual assault victim, court hears

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State MP’s alleged victim spurred to action after learning politician had been appointed as families minister, court hears

A court has heard a New South Wales state MP’s alleged sexual abuse victim was spurred to action after learning the politician had been appointed as families minister, which he likened to a vampire running a blood bank.

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

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NSW upper house president seeks advice from Bret Walker over possible political staffer arrests

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High-profile barrister consulted over arrest warrants for five government staffers who did not attend inquiry into Dural ‘fake terrorism plot’

The president of the New South Wales upper house has sought advice from high-profile barrister Bret Walker SC over whether he can seek arrest warrants for government staffers who failed to give evidence to an inquiry examining the Sydney caravan “fake terrorism plot”, Guardian Australia understands.

Ben Franklin is expected to reveal on Tuesday whether he intends to seek arrest warrants from the NSW supreme court for five staffers who were summoned to appear before the inquiry on Friday, but did not attend. Three are from the office of the premier, Chris Minns, and two work for the police minister, Yasmin Catley.

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Psychiatrist body holds firm on 25% pay bid but NSW Health says shortages are ‘more nuanced’

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Both parties have made closing submissions in their wage dispute before the NSW industrial relations tribunal

Closing submissions have been heard in the long-running dispute between psychiatrists – who are pushing for a 25% pay increase – and the New South Wales department of health, bringing to a close a landmark legal action brought by the psychiatrists, who argue psychiatric care in NSW is facing “collapse” because of poor pay and conditions.

Over two days this week, the Industrial Relations Commission court in Sydney heard closing submissions from lawyers, before the full bench retired to consider their decision.

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‘Legacy-making’ Sydney metro stations take out top prize in NSW Architecture awards

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‘Transformative’ project wins the 2025 architecture medallion as town centres, industrial restorations and residential homes collect other awards of note

Sydney’s recently opened network of city metro stations have taken out one of the top prizes at the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2025 NSW Architecture awards, announced on Friday night.

Dozens of Australian architecture firms, engineering companies, landscape designers and public art experts shared in the 2025 NSW architecture medallion for their work on the Central, Barangaroo, Gadigal, Victoria Cross, Martin Place, Waterloo, Sydenham and Crows Nest stations in what the judges hailed as a “legacy-making” and “city-shaping” cross-sector collaboration.

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NSW political staffers could be arrested after failing to appear at Dural caravan inquiry

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Committee seeking warrants for staff from premier and police minister’s offices, but they insist they had ‘reasonable excuse or just cause’ not to attend

A parliamentary committee is seeking warrants for the arrest of five New South Wales government staffers who failed to appear and give evidence to an inquiry examining the Sydney caravan “fake terrorism plot”.

The staffers – three from the office of the premier, Chris Minns, and two who work for the police minister, Yasmin Catley – were summoned to appear before the inquiry on Friday.

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Former NSW MP Daryl Maguire found guilty of misleading corruption inquiry

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Ex-partner of former premier Gladys Berejiklian misled Icac probe over $48m property development, magistrate finds

Ex-Liberal MP Daryl Maguire has been found guilty of misleading a corruption probe about benefits expected from a $48m property development sale.

The former member for Wagga Wagga, whose clandestine relationship with ex-NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian led to her political downfall, appeared at Sydney’s Downing Centre Court for the verdict on Friday.

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Chris Minns to reveal NSW plans to bolster housing construction

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‘You can’t build new homes without roads, parks and schools to match, and the community shouldn’t have to wait for them,’ premier says

Developers in New South Wales will be able to choose between paying a levy of $12,000 per lot, or building infrastructure such as roads and parks themselves as an “in kind payment” in a further push to speed up the construction of new housing in the state.

The changes will be revealed on Thursday by the premier, Chris Minns, before next week’s state budget.

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Four teenagers charged over alleged six-hour gang-rape of girl in Sydney

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Police accuse four males – aged 14, 16, 18 and 19 – of attacking a 17-year-old in her car in Liverpool in city’s south-west

An alleged six-hour gang-rape of a teenage girl in a car at the hands of four youths has been described by senior New South Wales police as a degrading incident that “beggars belief”.

A 14-year-old boy was the youngest of the group who allegedly took part in the sexual assault across south-western Sydney in December 2024.

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Police hunt masked gunmen who shot three people at Sydney kebab shop in ‘brazen’ daylight attack

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One of three victims of ‘horrifying’ shooting in Auburn has had two previous attempts made on his life, NSW police say

A man shot in a “shockingly brazen” daylight attack in south-west Sydney, which wounded two other people, has had two previous attempts made on his life.

The acting New South Wales police commissioner, Peter Thurtell, said it was “beyond comprehension” three people could be gunned down in Sydney in daylight.

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Daylight saving shapes how we spend, socialise and travel, NSW data reveals

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Exclusive: As the shortest day of the year draws near, government study shows how earlier sunsets curb economic activity and public transport trips

Daylight saving and its delayed sunsets encourages people to stay out later and spend more money, New South Wales government data shows. The data also found more evening light attracts people to public transport and out of their cars.

Conversely, that uptick in mobility almost entirely vanishes in the days after clocks are wound back an hour, as earlier sunsets cut post-work social and economic activity, the data showed.

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Minns government backs bill promoting hunting in NSW’s state forests and crown land

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Critics say history shows recreational shooting is not as effective as evidence-based baiting and aerial shooting programs

In a back-to-the-future move, the Minns Labor government has backed a Shooters and Fishers party bill that will promote hunting in state forests and crown lands in NSW and recognise “conservation hunting” as a legitimate tool to control feral animals.

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has thrown his support behind a proposed Conservation Hunting Council, to the horror of environmental groups which warn of a repeat of the now-defunct Game Council.

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Explosion in Sydney apartment blows out brick wall and damages adjoining units

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Cause of blast in Lidcombe unit unknown, with one person taken to hospital

Officials are unsure of the cause of an explosion at an apartment block in western Sydney that saw one person taken to hospital, saying “there is no fire”.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) responded to reports just before 6.30am on Friday of an explosion at an apartment block in Lidcombe.

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Proposed Macquarie University restructure will ‘hollow out’ humanities, academics say

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Macquarie blames prospect of international student caps and ‘uncertainty’ about domestic student numbers for proposed academic job cuts, fewer arts courses

Academics have accused Macquarie University of “hollowing out” the humanities after the institution announced a restructure that would halve some arts faculties and drastically reduce course offerings for some degrees.

Under the proposed changes, seen by Guardian Australia, 42 full-time equivalent academic roles in the faculty of arts and 33 in the faculty of science and engineering would be cut, making about $15m in net savings. Curriculum changes would be made in 2026 and 2027, with mergers and reductions largely attributed to low enrolment figures.

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