Category Archives: New South Wales

Asbestos-contaminated mulch found at 75 sites across Sydney, watchdog finds

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Focus turns to criminal investigation after NSW Environment Protection Authority completes its trawl through the supply chain

Mulch contaminated with asbestos has been found at 75 sites across greater Sydney, with the New South Wales environmental watchdog turning focus to its criminal investigation following the completion of contact tracing.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) will on Thursday announce it has finished tracking mulch through the complex supply chain after asbestos was first discovered by a parent in mulch at a park in the inner west more than two months ago.

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Liberals pick management consultant Simon Kennedy for Cook byelection

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The party misses the chance to have a female candidate in the safe seat vacated by former prime minister Scott Morrison

Simon Kennedy will contest Scott Morrison’s seat of Cook for the Liberals in the byelection triggered by the former prime minister’s resignation.

Kennedy, a consultant and the former candidate for Bennelong, won preselection in the first round on Monday night with 158 out of 296 votes, beating the mayor of Sutherland shire, Carmelo Pesce, and war widow and veteran family advocate commissioner, Gwen Cherne.

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‘Haven’t seen anything like it’: shock as great white shark washes up on NSW beach

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Four-metre shark euthanised after becoming beached on shore at Kingscliff on Tweed Coast

A great white shark washed up on to a beach on the New South Wales north coast, shocking locals and attracting a crowd of beachgoers.

The 4m shark was seen swimming close to shore near Kingscliff beach on the Tweed Coast on Monday morning, with lifeguards tracking its progress until it was beached.

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Crowdfunding campaign brings first Timor-Leste float to Sydney Mardi Gras parade

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It was only two weeks ago that the founder of Timor-Leste’s own pride march learned he and 10 others were coming to Australia

Natalino Guterres likens getting the chance to march down Oxford Street in pure queer pride to the feeling he had when he was 12 and Timor-Leste achieved independence after a brutal occupation.

“It’s really emotional for me,” he said. “It’s one of those moments when you’re really happy and get to look forward to having some momentum.”

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‘Breakdown’ in processes may have allowed police gun to be used in alleged murders, former senior detective says

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If police claims are correct, a gun appears to have been ‘largely unaccounted for’ the weekend before alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, Vincent Hurley says

A former senior detective has raised concerns about an apparent “breakdown” in processes that may have allowed a force-issued firearm to be used in the alleged murder of two young men in Sydney.

Vincent Hurley, whose New South Wales police career spanned almost three decades, said he was troubled by police claims, made in the course of the ongoing homicide investigation, that suggested a Glock had been “largely unaccounted for” before being used to allegedly kill Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.

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Asbestos mulch locations: full list and map of sites in Sydney where asbestos has been found

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Hundreds of sites including schools are being investigated by the EPA for asbestos removal amid the contaminated mulch crisis across NSW. This map shows confirmed contaminated parks and other locations

Asbestos-contaminated mulch has potentially been used at hundreds of locations across Sydney and regional New South Wales.

The premier, Chris Minns, has said the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is examining the sites as it undertakes its largest investigation ever.

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Alleged murder of Jesse Baird by Beau Lamarre was premeditated, NSW police claim

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Assistant commissioner alleges Lamarre bought single surfboard bag ahead of shootings with Baird’s partner, Luke Davies, killed due to ‘presence at house’

The alleged murder of Jesse Baird was premeditated by Sen Const Beau Lamarre who also killed Luke Davies because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, New South Wales police will allege in court.

Assistant commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said police would allege that, initially, Baird was Lamarre’s sole intended target.

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Marion Barter inquest findings: coroner criticises NSW police, says former lover ‘does indeed know more’

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Coroner finds Ric Blum lied and deceived inquest, but does not recommend charges against him

The New South Wales police investigation into missing woman Marion Barter has been deemed inadequate by the state coroner, who said police failures had resulted in the case remaining unsolved for nearly 27 years.

The Gold Coast woman was last seen on 22 June 1997 by a friend at a bus depot in Southport.

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Deal allows police to march in parade – as it happened

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This blog is now closed.

On the “broken promise” of changing the stage-three tax cuts (the latest Guardian Essential poll had Albanese falling in the trust stakes) the prime minister said:

We made not an easy decision. We made the right decision for all the right reasons. We know that families are under cost of living pressure.

The idea that we could sit back and ignore the clear recommendations that this was the best way that we could have an impact on providing that assistance to middle Australia without putting upward pressure on inflation – we couldn’t ignore that.

This is just a terrible incident that’s occurred here. The loss of the two young men and I feel for the grieving of the family, the friends. They obviously were full of life, because so many people interacted with them. It’s a really tough day for, as well, the queer community, and it’s been a very difficult time.

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AFP confirms it won’t march in Sydney Mardi Gras after NSW police asked not to join parade

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The decision comes after NSW constable Beaumont Lamarre-Condon was charged over the deaths of the gay couple last week

Organisers of Sydney’s Mardi Gras parade have asked police not to march in the event on Saturday after New South Wales constable Beaumont Lamarre was charged with murdering a gay couple in the city, the New South Wales force have said.

A NSW police spokesperson confirmed the decision by the board of Australia’s premier LGBTQI event on Monday night.

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Bodies of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies found at Bungonia four days after serving officer charged with murder

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NSW police say remains found near Goulburn after Sen Const Beau Lamarre charged with murders of ex-Channel Ten TV presenter and Qantas flight attendant

Two bodies have been found south-west of Sydney during the search for missing couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.

The discovery came four days after the serving New South Wales police officer Beau Lamarre, 28, was charged with their murders.

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Daryl Maguire had ‘emotional hold’ over Gladys Berejiklian, Icac lawyer tells court

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The disgraced MP for Wagga was a ‘special kind of serial pest’ but ex-premier’s shared vision of the future with him clouded her judgment, court hears

Gladys Berejiklian’s former boyfriend, the disgraced ex-MP Daryl Maguire, was a “special kind of serial pest” who had an “emotional hold” over the former state premier, a lawyer representing the New South Wales corruption watchdog has told a court.

Defending the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s findings of corrupt conduct on the part of Berejiklian, Stephen Free SC told the court of appeal Berejiklian’s “vision for her future” with her Liberal colleague had impacted her judgment.

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Lidia Thorpe backs Mardi Gras over NSW police decision – as it happened

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The trade minister, Don Farrell, is at the World Trade Organisation ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi where he had a sideline chat with China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao, overnight.

Sideline chats are the unofficial official talks – it’s not considered a bilateral, but both sides have to agree to the talk in order for it to happen. So it’s not just a see them and grab situation between sessions. It’s a little more planned than that.

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Calls for independent review of police weapons after alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies

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Exclusive: Sen Const Beau Lamarre took a police gun home before allegedly using it to murder his former partner and his ex’s new boyfriend

Civil liberties advocates are calling for an independent review of how police weapons are used in New South Wales after a constable was able to take home a force-issued gun three days before allegedly using it to murder two people.

Sen Const Beau Lamarre allegedly used the same Glock pistol to murder his former partner Jesse Baird, 26, and Baird’s partner, Luke Davies, 29, in Paddington on 19 February.

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Jesse Baird and Luke Davies: police allege Beau Lamarre made ‘partial admissions’ of involvement in deaths

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NSW deputy commissioner further alleges accused police officer purchased angle grinder, padlock and weights from hardware store

New South Wales police will allege one of their own constables made “partial admissions” about an alleged double murder to an acquaintance before he turned himself in to police last week.

The deputy commissioner Dave Hudson said Sen Const Beau Lamarre – who was charged on Friday over the deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies – wasn’t cooperating with investigators searching for the men’s bodies south-west of Sydney.

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Police investigate possession of police handgun allegedly used in murder of Sydney couple

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NSW police commissioner Karen Webb expresses ‘heartfelt condolences’ to the families and friends of alleged murder victims Jesse Baird and Luke Davies

New South Wales police are investigating whether murder-accused senior constable Beau Lamarre-Condon was lawfully in possession of the police-issue handgun which they believe was fired at a Paddington unit where two men were allegedly killed.

Police continued the search on Sunday for the remains of Jesse Baird, a former Channel Ten presenter, and his partner, Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies.

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Security guard dies and charge laid after alleged punch to head outside Sydney pub

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Police said the guard was allegedly punched by a patron who had been asked to leave the venue

A security guard has died after he was allegedly punched in the head during an altercation at a hotel in Sydney’s south, and a man charged with assault occasioning death.

Emergency services were called to a licensed premises on East Parade in Sutherland about 2am on Sunday.

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Sydney asbestos crisis: EPA ‘following up’ on whether second mulch supplier is involved

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Agency says an unnamed supplier may have provided contaminated mulch at Cranebrook and Bardia

A possible second supplier of asbestos-contaminated mulch is being investigated by the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority, as the number of contaminated sites rises to 61.

The environment watchdog said on Saturday it was “following up on a possible second supplier” that may have provided asbestos-contaminated mulch to at least two sites where the substance has been detected. The sites, both in western Sydney, were Cranebrook High School and Mont Saint Quentin Oval in Bardia.

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Four people dead after ute rollover in northern NSW

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Police say three men and a woman died after vehicle left the road in Wardell, near Ballina, on Saturday morning

Four people have died after the ute they were travelling in left the road and rolled in northern New South Wales, in another horror smash amid a disastrous period on the state’s roads.

Police were called to Back Channel road in Wardell, near Ballina, at about 5.45am on Saturday after reports of a crash. Officers found that three men and a woman had died at the scene.

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Australia news live: NSW police officer charged with murder after disappearance of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies

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Former celebrity blogger expected to face court. Follow updates live

What will happen if there’s a storm during today’s Taylor Swift concert?

With a thunderstorm forecast at Sydney Olympic Park this evening, many are asking what this means for the Eras tour?

The show will play, rain or shine. The only exception would be severe weather, which could impact the safety of artists and patrons. Such a decision would be made by NSW Police, the event promoters and Venues NSW staff.

Please follow venue screens and staff instructions in these circumstances.

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