Category Archives: New South Wales

Approval of biggest coal project in NSW planning commission’s history described as ‘infamous betrayal’

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Independent Planning Commission says climate change impacts from Hunter Valley project will be ‘outweighed’ by economic benefits

The New South Wales independent planner has approved the biggest coalmine project to ever go before it, allowing mining to continue until 2045 at a Hunter Valley project described by climate groups as a “carbon bomb”.

The Independent Planning Commission (IPC) has greenlit the Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) Continuation Project after a contentious assessment that drew in climate and environment groups, unions, state authorities and more than 10,000 public submissions.

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NSW man accused of murdering neighbour – and then murdering his relative two weeks later

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Police allege Nicholas Scott killed 79-year-old then ‘set upon’ 59-year-old relative who arrived at Gurranang to sort out estate

A man accused of murdering two members of a family on the same property a fortnight apart has faced court.

The body of a 59-year-old man was found by police on Monday afternoon in a shed on a property at Gurranang, about 25km north of Grafton in northern New South Wales.

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NSW police officer killed ‘instantly’ after car she was travelling in crashed into tree in Redfern

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The marked police car was travelling with its sirens on when it hit a tree in inner-city Sydney about 1.30am on Friday

A New South Wales police officer who was killed on duty when the car she was travelling in crashed into a tree in Sydney has been named as 20-year-old Mia Lay.

NSW police said the marked police car was travelling under lights and sirens along Gibbons Street in Redfern when it crashed at about 1.30am on Friday.

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Jacinda Ardern and husband Clarke Gayford buy $5.3m home in Sydney’s northern beaches

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Former New Zealand prime minister’s purchase is the highest sale price recorded in suburb of Dee Why this year

Jacinda Ardern and her husband, Clarke Gayford, have bought a $5.3m home in Sydney’s northern beaches, according to a source with knowledge of the sale.

The former New Zealand prime minister settled on a home in Dee Why after looking at properties in the area including in nearby Curl Curl.

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One complainant withdrawn from Alan Jones trial bringing number of alleged victims to five

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Court also hears from four people who say they didn’t witness alleged offence against another complainant

One of Alan Jones’s accusers has had his allegation withdrawn, with one charge of assault with an act of indecency dramatically dropped from the former broadcaster’s trial.

The allegation, dating from 2012 and brought by a complainant pseudonymised as F, was withdrawn by the prosecution in a Sydney court on Monday afternoon.

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Three men charged with domestic violence-related murders after three women killed in separate incidents in NSW

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A Bondi Beach woman in her 90s, a 23-year-old in Wagga Wagga and a woman in her 70s in Mole River died within hours of each other on Saturday

Three men have been accused of domestic violence-related murders after the deaths of three women in New South Wales on Saturday.

Sergei Mitnik did not apply for release on Sunday when he appeared in a bail court hours after being charged with the murder of an elderly woman inside a unit at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

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Sydney man who allegedly called 13-year-old Muslim girl a ‘terrorist’ berates judge after bail refused

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Omar Yassine was arrested and charged with stalking and intimidation after allegedly hurling insults at year 8 student wearing a hijab

A middle-aged man accused of a “disgusting” Islamophobic attack on a 13-year-old girl has berated a judge after he was denied bail

Omar Yassine made an eventful court appearance on Wednesday after being held by police overnight for allegedly verbally abusing the Muslim schoolgirl on a Sydney bus.

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One of Sydney’s largest councils joins ban on ‘pervert’ glasses at local swimming pools

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Councillors say locals have been raising concerns about people secretly filming in change rooms, swimming pools and around schools

One of Sydney’s largest councils has joined the City of Brisbane and the City of Yarra to issue a ban on AI smart glasses at public pools as concerns mount over the potential for predators to exploit the new technology.

On Tuesday evening, Canterbury-Bankstown voted overwhelmingly in favour of banning the tech at its pools, with its mayor, Bilal El-Hayek, describing them as “pervert glasses”.

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NSW government paid for homeless man to be sent back to New Zealand instead of offering housing

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Local council and state government attempting to move on residents living in an encampment by the river in Wagga Wagga

The New South Wales government paid for a homeless man in Wagga Wagga to be sent back to New Zealand instead of offering him temporary accommodation, in an attempt to move on residents living in an encampment by a river.

The local council and state government have been attempting to clear out the encampment for several months after a newborn baby died in May when its mother gave birth to twins in a tent.

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Alleged drone operator charged with murder after mistaken identity shooting in Sydney

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NSW police say 18-year-old was operating drone when arrested and likely ‘conducting surveillance on someone or some premises’

A Sydney teenager has been charged with murder after police accused him of operating a drone as part of a suspected botched gang hit in the city’s west.

Joshua Macdonald, 40, was shot dead at a Merrylands West home on 2 September in what police believe may have been a case of mistaken identity. He was not known to police and had no links to organised crime.

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NSW police settle trespass case after visiting Indigenous children’s home 150 times in 20 months

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Trespass case launched by two mothers settled after officers often went to families’ houses between midnight and 4am

Two Indigenous mothers have settled a trespass case against New South Wales police, after officers turned up at one of their homes 150 times in 20 months to conduct bail checks on her sons.

The case, which was launched against NSW police in April 2024, was settled on confidential terms three weeks before it was to go to trial in the supreme court.

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Man shot dead in Sydney community centre car park

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NSW police say a vehicle was seen driving away from the scene in Punchbowl in the city’s south-west

A man has been shot dead in a car park of a Sydney community centre in the city’s south-west.

Emergency services were called to the community centre on Rossmore Avenue in Punchbowl on Wednesday evening after reports of a shooting.

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Liberal operatives discussed whether to buy Porsche or Ferrari with developer’s payments, Icac hears

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Rightwing NSW powerbrokers are alleged to have received illegal political donations from fugitive developer

Two Liberal operatives traded photos and messages about whether to buy a Porsche or a Ferrari with payments they received for Toplace projects they got approved via a New South Wales government fast-track development process.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption on Monday heard more evidence from lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood, a principal of Beckington Consulting, who is alleged to have shared in $2m in payments from the fugitive developer Jean Nassif, owner of the now collapsed Toplace.

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Up to 6,000 tradies to get free qualifications under Labor scheme – as it happened

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Duniam targets ‘frivolous’ asylum seeker claims

The opposition is “very close” to “having a full migration package”, Duniam says. He says they’re willing to work with the government and that illegal overstayers must be deported.

We spend more per student per year than we ever have before and we’ve got declining standards across the board, and the problem with the curriculum is we have left foundations behind.

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Sydney reaches 33C in potentially warmest start to spring since mid-1800s, while snow forecast in southern NSW

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A total fire ban is in place for greater Sydney with extreme fire danger exacerbated by hot and windy conditions

Summer heat is due to arrive early across much of eastern Australia with potentially record early September temperatures predicted for Brisbane and Sydney, while snow was expected in southern New South Wales.

Maximum temperatures in Sydney during the first days of September were on track to match the city’s midsummer average of 26.4C, warmer than any other start to spring since the city’s Observatory Hill station opened in 1858.

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Molly Ticehurst’s killer called woman he’d met on Tinder after stabbing and said ‘I’m sorry I murdered her’, court hears

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Daniel Billings said ‘I did what I did’ in call from friend’s house after 2024 domestic violence murder

Two hours after Daniel Billings murdered his ex-girlfriend Molly Ticehurst in a frenzied stabbing, he spoke to a woman he had met on Tinder.

“I’m sorry I murdered her,” Billings told the woman during a phone call at 2.02am on 22 April 2024.

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Molly Ticehurst’s father tells DV murderer he hopes daughter’s screams will haunt him forever

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Tony Ticehurst confronts Daniel Billings during sentence hearing in regional NSW, stating: ‘When she died, part of me died with her’

The family of Molly Ticehurst, who was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend Daniel Billings in her home in central western New South Wales in 2024, has come face-to-face with her killer.

Tony Ticehurst on Thursday described his 28-year-old daughter as big-hearted and deeply loved. She was his best friend and confidant, he told the supreme court in Orange.

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Boy charged after teenager’s hand nearly cut off in Sydney

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NSW police called to Redfern on Wednesday night found a 17-year-old with a partially severed hand

A teenage boy will face court today after a “near-complete amputation” of a boy’s hand during an alleged assault in Sydney on Wednesday night.

New South Wales police were called to Redfern about 6pm last night and found a 17-year-old with a partially severed hand.

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NSW government to resume pill testing at music festivals but rejects calls for wider community rollout

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Use of sniffer dogs and searches will continue despite health and harm reduction groups arguing they could lead to riskier drug taking

Drug testing will resume at New South Wales music festivals from October, but will not be rolled out into the wider community despite calls from peak health and harm reduction groups, while the controversial use of sniffer dogs and searches will continue.

On Wednesday the state government announced NSW Health will consult with the music festival industry and harm reduction organisations to roll out pill testing at up to 15 music festivals each year.

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Inside knowledge or ‘making stuff up’? Charles Perrottet’s advice to Jean Nassif put under microscope by Icac

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Brother of former treasurer and premier faces questions about texts that appear to indicate he was aware of fast-tracking policy before it was announced

Did the former premier’s brother, Charles Perrottet, have prior knowledge of a Covid-era New South Wales government policy to introduce a fast track to approve major developments?

Did he take steps to ensure that developments owned by the fugitive developer, Jean Nassif, were successful through the fast track?

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