Category Archives: New South Wales

Chalmers says Dutton’s budget reply lacks economic credibility – as it happened

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Shorten and Dutton clash over reduced migration

Earlier this morning the NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, and the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, clashed over Dutton’s promise to reduce Australia’s migration intake in his budget reply speech last night.

Well, Bill, a couple of points. One is that we say that, in the first year, 40,000 homes will be freed up. That includes the numbers who would be bidding at auctions this weekend against Australian citizens.

If the government had have adopted our policy over a five-year period, you would free up 325,000 homes. So the number of people who are foreign citizens, who are buying houses in our country is low, but nonetheless it contributes to an overall shortage of housing in our country.

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Police arrest three A-League men’s players from Sydney club over alleged betting corruption

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NSW police allege a senior player was arranging ‘for yellow cards to occur during certain games’ in late 2023

Three A-League men’s players have been arrested in Sydney after an international investigation uncovered an alleged betting corruption scandal.

New South Wales police on Friday said they had arrested the three footballers following an investigation by the organised crime squad which began in December and was assisted by the UK gambling commission.

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Australia politics live: Speaker urges no political fundraising in parliament as Coalition MPs sell tickets to Dutton budget reply events

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‘We don’t think production tax credits is way to go’: Angus Taylor on Future Made in Australia

Is the Coalition going to vote against the Future Made in Australia policy, which was fleshed out in the budget and includes tax credits (in 2028) for things like critical minerals mining and green hydrogen?

We haven’t seen the act. We don’t think production tax credits is the way to go in order to have a strong manufacturing sector.

It’s about getting those fundamentals right whether it be approvals, whether it be getting rid of red tape or making sure the construction costs are competitive with the rest of the world.

Oh, but it’s also a drop in the ocean, you know. What are we saying? It’s a Band-Aid on a bullet wound compared to the pain that mum and dads in Australia are actually feeling.

I can tell you, they’ve paid a lot more than $300 under Mr. Albanese for their electricity. For the life of me, though, what it does show is Mr Albanese, [and the government] they’ve got their priorities all wrong.

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NSW premier sacks parliamentary secretary over criticism of police response to pro-Palestine protesters

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Chris Minns said Labor MP Anthony D’Adam’s comments in a speech to parliament were ‘absolutely reprehensible’

A Labor politician who criticised the actions of New South Wales police officers towards pro-Palestinian protesters has been sacked from his role as parliamentary secretary by the premier, Chris Minns.

Minns took aim at the comments made by the upper house MP Anthony D’Adam, saying that D’Adam had never raised his concerns about the police commissioner, Karen Webb, and officers before making his speech in parliament on Wednesday night.

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Charlise Mutten’s alleged killer bought drugs and had sex with her mother after fatal shooting, murder trial told

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Police allege that after murdering nine-year-old, Justin Stein drove to buy methamphetamine with her mother

The mother of Charlise Mutten and the schoolgirl’s alleged murderer drove to Sydney to buy drugs after the nine-year-old was fatally shot in the face and back, a court has been told.

Justin Laurens Stein, 33, has pleaded not guilty to murdering the girl on or around 12 January 2022, at Mount Wilson, in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.

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Sydney council reverses ban on same-sex parenting books after fiery meeting

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Cumberland councillors voted 13-2 to revoke the controversial ban amid angry scenes featuring crowds of rival protesters

A controversial ban on same-sex parenting books at libraries in part of western Sydney has been overturned at a marathon late-night meeting after large crowds of protesters clashed outside the council chambers.

Cumberland city councillors voted 13-2 in front of a crowded public gallery on Wednesday night to revoke the ban, two weeks after it was introduced.

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Charlise Mutten murder trial hears weeping mother’s police call to report schoolgirl missing

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Kallista Mutten called triple zero to report daughter missing four days before nine-year-old’s body was found, NSW supreme court hears

Charlise Mutten’s crying mother said she had not seen her daughter for two days when she called police to report her missing several days before the young girl’s body was found.

Justin Laurens Stein, 33, has pleaded not guilty to murdering the schoolgirl on or around 12 January 2022, at Mount Wilson, in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.

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Federal budget 2024 live updates: energy bill rebate and rent assistance boost confirmed ahead of Australian treasurer Jim Chalmers’s budget speech tonight – latest news

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Treasurer will be able to boast back-to-back surpluses when he speaks at 7.30pm tonight. Follow live updates today

Nick McKim said he agrees with EY chief economist, Cherelle Murphy, who says that you can look after people without impacting inflation by taking the money you are spending on people who don’t need it, and redirecting it to people who do. (Therefore it is the same pool of money, but targeted differently.)

McKim:

For example, you could end the massive tax breaks for property investors who own multiple investment properties then put in place a rent freeze and a rent cap, for example.

You could tax billionaires and CEOs on the basis of their wealth and you could use that revenue to raise income support, which would lift a large number of Australians out of the grinding poverty that they experience every day.

No, certainly not. I mean, what the surplus shows is that they’re prioritising their own political benefit over investing in the kind of programs that would provide genuine help to people who are really doing it tough at the moment.

So what you’re going to see in the budget tonight is that having talked up an absolute storm on things like climate change and on things like cost of living, Labor is simply not prepared to take the action necessary to respond to those challenges that the urgency and the scale that is required.

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NSW’s Cadia gold mine confirms groundwater affected by potentially toxic mining waste

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Local campaigners call for testing of nearby waterways but mine owner says potentially affected groundwater unlikely to ‘represent a risk’

A gold mining operation in the New South Wales’ central west has confirmed groundwater has been affected by potentially toxic mining waste.

The most recent Cadia Valley Operations annual review described an increase in arsenic concentrations in two decommissioned monitoring bores in the mining pit at Cadia Hill, attributed to tailings deposition, or discharge at the mine site. Indicators of seepage at the tailings storage facility were also detected.

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‘Not a significant possibility’ Chris Dawson innocent of his wife’s murder, court told

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Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC says judge was correct to convict Dawson who had a ‘possessive’ relationship with a teenager

Chris Dawson’s possessiveness of his teenage babysitter meant his claims of innocence after being convicted of murdering his wife should be rejected, a court has been told.

The 75-year-old is trying to overturn an August 2022 New South Wales supreme court murder verdict by Justice Ian Harrison, who found the ex-teacher killed his wife, Lynette, and disposed of her body in January 1982.

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Charlise Mutten murder trial: nine-year-old was ‘excited’ before fatal Christmas trip with alleged killer, jury told

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Schoolgirl once asked her grandfather if her alleged killer Justin Stein would make a good dad, NSW supreme court hears

Charlise Mutten was fond of her alleged killer and was excited to be spending Christmas with him and her mother before the fatal visit, a trial has been told.

Justin Laurens Stein, 33, is accused of murdering the schoolgirl on or around 12 January 2022 at Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

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‘Long overdue’: ankle monitors and bail crackdown among NSW government’s proposed domestic violence law reforms

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Changes include reversing presumption of bail for anyone charged with the most serious domestic violence-related offences

Alleged serious domestic violence offenders will find it harder to get bail and will be fitted with ankle monitors if they are released as part of major legal reforms proposed by the New South Wales government.

The premier, Chris Minns, said the changes were “long overdue, targeted and will help keep women and children safer”.

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PM promises ‘Labor party budget through and through’ – as it happened

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More details on government’s plan to cap international student numbers

The government has released a little more information on its plan to cap international students in a bid to ease housing shortages and clamp down on sub-standard education providers and agents. It will introduce legislation next week which will:

Prevent education providers from owning education agent businesses.

Pause applications for registration from new international education providers and of new courses from existing providers for periods of up to 12 months.

Require new providers seeking registration to demonstrate a track record of quality education delivery to domestic students before they are allowed to recruit international students.

Cancel dormant provider registrations to prevent them being used as a market entry tool by unscrupulous actors.

Prevent providers under serious regulatory investigation from recruiting new international students.

Improve the sharing of data relating to education agents.

[The Coalition will announce its] energy policy not at the time of the media’s choosing or at a time of the government’s choosing but a time of the Coalition’s choosing.

But it will be very clear in advance of the next election the way we want to go about opening up a new energy source for Australia. That will deliver emissions free energy and lower energy prices by increasing the mix of types of energy over the long term.

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Charlise Mutten murder trial: accused killer claims nine-year-old was shot dead by her mother, not him

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Alleged murderer Justin Stein claims nine-year-old schoolgirl was shot dead by her mother, Kallista Mutten, not by him, jury told

A man on trial for murdering Charlise Mutten claims it was the nine-year-old’s mother who shot the schoolgirl rather than him, a court has been told.

Justin Laurens Stein, 33, is accused of murdering Charlise on or around 12 January 2022, at Mount Wilson, in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.

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Aurora australis offers second chance of ‘bloody awesome’ southern lights display on Sunday

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Solar storm effects delight stargazers in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia but most in NSW miss out

Australians should have a second chance to see the aurora australis on Sunday night, experts say, after a Saturday southern lights display so spectacular it left at least one astronomer in tears.

Social media users posted pictures of brightly coloured skies in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and around the world.

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Forbes honours Molly Ticehurst with Mother’s Day walk around lake

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About 400 people gather to pay tribute to early childhood educator, wearing bright T-shirts with the slogans ‘#HernameisMolly’ and ‘#Speakup’

A small community in the New South Wales central west has marked Mother’s Day with a walk in memory of Molly Ticehurst, who was allegedly killed by a former partner last month.

Pushing prams and flanked by puppies, families followed the path around Lake Forbes on Sunday. About 400 people gathered, many wearing bright T-shirts with the slogans “#HernameisMolly” and “#Speakup”. They included close friends and family of the 28-year-old.

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NSW weather: Warragamba dam spills over as heavy rainfall warning issued for south coast

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SES issues minor flood warnings for the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond and the Colo River

Sydney’s Warragamba dam began spilling over for the second time in a month on Sunday after heavy downpours across New South Wales.

WaterNSW has confirmed the dam began spilling at 7.30am after widespread rain across the city’s catchments.

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So scarlet it was maroon: five places to watch Australia’s autumn leaves turn

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Towns across the country are putting on a show as the cold nights draw in. We’ve picked five spots from Queensland to Gippsland to take it in

Autumn is arguably the most beguiling time of year. It’s not too hot, not too cold, and regional towns are basked in alluring shades of auburn, burgundy and orange.

But to experience the season in all its glory, you have to know where to go.

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Aurora australis: spectacular southern lights might be seen as far north as Queensland after ‘extreme’ solar storm

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Social media users post pictures of skies lit up around the country while the Bureau of Meteorology warns of solar storm’s impacts

Aurora australis has lit up skies across southern Australia after an “extreme” geomagnetic solar storm.

Social media users in posted pictures of brightly coloured skies in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and across the Tasman in New Zealand.

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Australia weather: spill warning for Sydney’s Warragamba dam as Bunbury recovers from freak WA tornado

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Warragamba dam in NSW nearing capacity after two West Australians were hospitalised on Friday

Warragamba dam could spill over the Mother’s Day weekend amid severe weather warnings on the east coast, and after a tornado tore through the West Australian city of Bunbury, injuring two people.

WaterNSW issued a warning on Friday that the Warragamba dam was nearing capacity after several days of rainfall, and that a spill event was “likely in coming days”.

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