Category Archives: New South Wales

NSW government failing to measure or reduce gambling harm, damning audit finds

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Gambling losses and calls to helplines both up but Minns government has no benchmarks or measures to assess its harm minimisation strategy, report says

The New South Wales government has not set targets to reduce the harm caused by about 90,000 poker machines in the state and does not know if it is protecting people, according to a damning audit.

The state’s auditor general has also said the NSW government is doing “relatively little” to assess whether pubs and clubs are identifying and preventing gambling harm at their venues.

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Should Sydney’s light rail carriages be modified after second death in two years?

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Police believe man was crossing track between two carriages when struck, sparking safety debate

For the second time in two years, a pedestrian has died after being struck by a tram on Sydney’s light rail.

New South Wales police said they found a man under a tram carriage in Surry Hills on Thursday afternoon. Paramedics treated him at the scene, but he died.

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Setback for Minns government as controversial workers’ compensation bill sent to inquiry

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Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, who opposed the inquiry, said NSW’s compensation scheme was running a $5m deficit every day

A controversial bill to curtail workers’ compensation claims for psychological injuries incurred by New South Wales workers will be sent to a parliamentary inquiry, after crossbenchers and the Coalition banded together to force the inquiry.

The independent Mark Latham moved for a relatively swift inquiry, with the date of reporting to be set by the chair of the inquiry, once the scope of evidence is known.

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NSW gamblers losing $24m to poker machines every day, analysis shows

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Wesley Mission says the ‘devastating impact deepens every day’ with one western Sydney area averaging $2m a day lost to pokies

The New South Wales government has failed to prevent serious gambling harm with $2.7bn lost to poker machines in the first 90 days of this year, according to a charity group pushing for tougher regulation.

Analysis of state government data by Wesley Mission has found the amount of money lost to poker machines during the first quarter of 2025 increased by 5.7% when compared with the same period in 2024.

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Chris Minns warns of $2bn budget hole if bill curtailing psychological injury claims fails

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Opposition opposes premier’s bill to raise impairment threshold to 30% as Labor forced to woo crossbenchers for support

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, has warned a failure to pass his controversial workers compensation legislation would blow a $2bn hole in the state budget as Labor seeks to woo a coalition of conservative crossbenchers to pass the bill.

In parliament, the premier said if the changes to curtail psychological injury claims did not go through, an additional $2bn would be required from NSW taxpayers to fund the public service portion of the scheme.

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It never rains or it pours: Australia suffers two weather extremes in May

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Parts of eastern NSW recorded wettest May on record as rainfall in Victoria and South Australia was 70% below average for the month

Australia saw a tale of two weather extremes last month, with extremely dry conditions continuing across southern parts of the country as parts of eastern New South Wales recorded the wettest May on record.

The low pressure trough that developed off the coast of NSW on 18 May and lingered for days, led to record high rainfall in numerous locations throughout the Hunter and mid-north coast.

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Natural disasters cost Australia’s economy $2.2bn in first half of 2025, new Treasury analysis shows

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Wild weather, including Cyclone Alfred and floods in NSW and Queensland, significantly slowed retail trade and household spending

Six months of natural disasters in 2025 have cost the economy $2.2bn, largely in slower retail and household spending, according to new federal Treasury analysis.

Wild weather has repeatedly battered the Australian east coast this year.

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This elusive possum was thought to be extinct outside Victoria. Now ecologists have made an ‘amazing’ discovery

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Leadbeater’s possum spotted in NSW at Kosciuszko national park, at least 250km away from the nearest sighting in Victoria

A critically endangered possum species thought to be isolated to Victoria has been found in a New South Wales alpine national park.

Previously thought to be extinct in the state, a leadbeater’s possum has been found in Kosciuszko national park, at least 250km away from the nearest sighting in Victoria.

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Cauchi’s mass murders put harsh spotlight on failings of mental health and police systems

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Funding shortfalls and inadequate services are letting down people in psychiatric crises, the Bondi Junction stabbings inquest hears

Joel Cauchi’s mother didn’t appear before the coronial inquest examining her son’s life and the day her son murdered six people at a popular Bondi Junction shopping centre. But her presence was often felt, taking shape in the form of notes she had written to his doctor or in a conversation with a police officer.

One of the most striking moments of the inquest was when Michele Cauchi, now in her mid-70s, was filmed via body-worn video camera on a police officer.

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Death of baby in Corowa home is ‘tragic’ but remains a mystery, says coroner

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Three-month-old was found dead at his mother’s home in January 2022 but the cause of death is unknown, inquest hears

The circumstances of the death of an apparently “thriving” three-month-old baby remain unknown, an inquest has concluded.

“It is tragic, but we simply don’t know what happened to KP,” NSW deputy state coroner Kasey Pearce said on Friday.

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One Nation picks up four Senate spots, with surprise NSW seat for former British soldier Warwick Stacey

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Final Senate result confirms pathway for Labor to pass legislation with either Coalition or Greens support alone, or majority of diverse crossbench

One Nation has gained an unexpected Senate seat in New South Wales, taking Pauline Hanson’s party to four members in the upper house – equalling its best-ever result in a federal election.

Warwick Stacey, a former member of the British army, has snagged the sixth Senate seat in NSW and will join fellow new senator Tyron Whitten who was yesterday elected in Western Australia.

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

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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.

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Heartbroken mother tells inquest she’s ‘lost her way’ after ‘stuff of nightmares’ murders at Bondi Junction

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Elizabeth Young, who is mourning her ‘slightly goofy’ daughter Jade, gives emotional evidence that 2024 attack was due to ‘cumulative failures’

The mother of Jade Young, a victim of the Bondi Junction stabbings, has described her daughter’s murder as the “stuff of nightmares” and the result of “years of neglect” within the mental health system.

Elizabeth Young told the New South Wales coroner’s court on Thursday that her words were “both a distillation and a manifestation of anguish”.

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Geelong overtakes Sunshine Coast as top tree- and sea-change destination

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Rate of people moving to Australia’s regions increases by more than 10% in March quarter

While the Geelong Cats are fifth on the AFL ladder, their home city is the reigning champion.

The Victorian region has become the most popular place for people escaping capital cities to settle, with its picturesque coastline and thriving industry making it an ideal sea-change destination.

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NSW MP Gareth Ward allegedly raped political staffer after Parliament House event, trial hears

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Independent MP for Kiama has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a 24-year-old in 2015 and an 18-year-old in 2013

New South Wales independent MP Gareth Ward allegedly raped a political staffer in his home in 2015 after he invited the man to stay over following an event at Parliament House, a court has heard.

Ward, who at the time of the alleged offending was the Liberal MP for Kiama, is facing an expected four-week trial at Sydney’s Downing Centre after being charged with five criminal offences.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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NSW floods: recovery effort begins with 50,000 stranded people urged ‘be patient’

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After fatal flooding and disruption, rain moves south and SES aims to resupply isolated communities. But strong winds will pose new threat

Over 50,000 people remain isolated on the NSW mid-north coast with recovery efforts expected begin on Saturday after the heavy rainfall that has battered the region moved south out of the state.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) said on Friday that 50,000 people in 15 communities, including Kempsey and Taree, remain isolated by flood waters with 160 active warnings, 39 of which were at emergency warning and 76 at watch and act.

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NSW government admits it is vicariously liable for prison guard’s sexual abuse of female inmate

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Court hears both parties in class action against state of NSW over conduct of Wayne Astill ‘keen to explore the possibility of settlement’

The New South Wales government has admitted in an ongoing class action that it is vicariously liable for former notorious prison guard Wayne Astill’s sexual abuse of a female inmate.

Court documents filed in the NSW supreme court earlier this month also reveal the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) admits that “from time to time” some guards knew about “some inappropriate conduct” by Astill towards inmates.

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Australia news live: new analysis links NSW floods to climate change; count in Bradfield narrows teal’s lead over Liberal to a handful of votes

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BoM says heavy rainfall will extend south through NSW today with some areas set to receive up to 160mm. Follow Australia news and NSW floods live updates today.

Darren Chester says focus on Coalition split ‘frustrating’

Nationals MP Darren Chester says “there are bigger issues” than the makeup of the coalition.

It’s been frustrating to be talking about ourselves at a time when, you know, much of the mid coast, the central coast and north coast of New South Wales is facing devastating floods including loss of life. And in close to home in Victoria central and western Victoria and northern Victoria right through South Australia there’s a devastating drought.

We need to resolve our issues as quickly as we can, because there are bigger issues facing rural and regional Australians than the make-up of the coalition. We need to make sure we get back being a strong and incredible opposition as quickly as possible and I’m hoping that these negotiations can consider – can continue now in a positive and constructive way.

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