NSW Catholic school sparks four-day week debate with ‘learn from home’ Mondays for senior students

Opportunity to learn from home will ‘set students up for success’, principal of Chevalier College says

Parents at a regional Catholic college in New South Wales are welcoming a proposed change to the school week that would mean seniors spend Mondays at home.

Chevalier College, based in the southern highlands, has announced a proposal that would see students in years 10 to 12 learn and work from home on Mondays, a move the principal says would “set students up for success”.

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NSW police say they have busted ‘biggest criminal network in Australia’ with links to Lebanon

Strike Force Tromperie targeted syndicate allegedly linked to movement of $1bn through firearm, drug, tobacco and money laundering offences

Australian police say they have disrupted if not eliminated what they allege is “the biggest criminal network or enterprise in Australia” following 43 raids that resulted in 28 arrests.

A year-long investigation involving New South Wales police, the NSW Crime Commission and Australian Border Force targeted the activities of the syndicate hailing from Lebanon.

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NSW government seeks third extension of racing boss’s term as sector faces ‘challenging’ times

Animal Justice party to fight state government’s ‘absurd’ move to extend Racing NSW chairman Russell Balding’s term

The New South Wales government will seek a third extension of Russell Balding’s term as chairman of Racing NSW despite Treasury recommending two-term limits for directors of state-owned firms.

The extension will require legislation to be passed before the end of the year, with Balding’s position ending on 18 December, alongside that of the deputy chair, Saranne Cooke, who the government also wants to retain.

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Regional roads in dire state as Australian councils made to waste money on grants tribute signs: report

Grattan Institute says Australia’s regional roads are a ‘dangerous disgrace’ due to paltry federal funding

Regional Australian roads have become a “dangerous disgrace”, according to a new report that warns they will get worse due to paltry funding that favours cities and forces poorer regional councils to waste repair money erecting signs in tribute to government grants.

In a new report, the Grattan Institute has found that roads across the country have become riddled with potholes and other hazards because inadequate federal and state government funding has left councils under-resourced and without sufficient knowledge or data to maintain the roads they are responsible for.

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A dirt jumping accident left 17-year-old Fletcher Crowley a paraplegic. He’s determined to ‘prove everyone wrong’

Just nine weeks after breaking his back during a horror bike accident, this Sydney teen is ready to show the world what he can do

Fletcher Crowley is in many ways like any other 17-year-old boy growing up on Sydney’s northern beaches.

He loves hanging out with his mates, cracking jokes, riding bikes and being outdoors. He’s just started year 12. He’s close with his mum and dad, who he says are “so chill” – although he was still nervous about them finding out he had a tattoo.

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NSW shooting: two men arrested after shots allegedly fired from ute at cars on Pacific Highway

Arrests came after black Mercedes ute found abandoned in Port Macquarie and following extensive manhunt

Two men have been arrested following a large-scale manhunt after shots were fired at multiple cars travelling on a major New South Wales highway.

NSW police on Thursday had been searching for the driver and passenger of a black Mercedes dual-cab ute from which they alleged shots were fired at cars on the Pacific Highway on the state’s mid-north coast earlier in the morning.

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NSW police sniffer dogs incorrectly detect drugs on patrons despite costing taxpayers $46m over past decade

Exclusive: Between 1 January 2013 and 30 June this year, 94,535 general and strip-searches were prompted by the dogs but nearly 75% of these searches yielded no illicit drugs

New South Wales police are spending millions of dollars a year on sniffer dogs that often incorrectly detect illicit drugs on patrons as part of a program which has cost the taxpayer more than $46m over the past decade.

In addition to the overall cost of running the dog unit, the police force must pay for at least six to 10 officers to accompany every dog and dog-handler deployed to a music festival.

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Dozens of ‘kill cars’ seized in police crackdown on Sydney’s gang wars

NSW police say the 27 seized cars worth $2m were destined to be used in organised crime network homicides or firearm violence

Dozens of “kill cars” allegedly stolen to carry out violent crimes across Sydney have been seized in the latest crackdown on the city’s gang wars.

From Porsches to Ford Rangers, a total of 27 cars worth more than $2m are now in police custody.

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Wet weather relief for NSW and Queensland firefighters while blazes encroach south of Perth

Rainfall is expected to fall on Saturday either side of the border after a torrid week of fires claimed more than 60 homes

Communities across Australia’s east coast are hoping a wet weekend will bring a reprieve to firefighters as rainfall starts to set in across New South Wales and Queensland.

But the bushfire threat has arisen in the west as parts of Western Australia experience extreme fire risk with threats to properties south of Perth.

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WA town stops using Wiggles song to deter homeless people; Paul Keating lauds Bill Hayden at state funeral – as it happened

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Husic was on the show to discuss the results of the AI Safety Summit held in the UK this week, where Australia and 27 other countries signed a major artificial intelligence agreement.

The Bletchley Declaration affirms that AI should be developed, designed and deployed in a human-centric and safe manner.

It has been very clear from a number of countries, not the least of which the US, which brought in a big executive order this week to improve AI safety and security, that there will be more safety testing and also evaluating those AI models, and holding companies much more accountable for the way that they do that development work.

There will be safety institutes set up in the US and the UK to help with that testing and it will involve researchers in that work and a state of the science report that will look at the developments particularly around what they call frontier AI, generative AI and Australia will have a voice there with the CSIRO’s chief scientist, Dr Bronwyn Fox, who will represent our country in the development of that research work to give governments and regulators a heads up on how the technology is evolving too.

I have been concerned for weeks about where things would head. I was concerned that innocent Palestinian families would bear the brunt and the heaviest burden, in terms of the type of action that was being foreshadowed.

I think the world, the international community, is watching very closely. I have said previously there has to be a much more strategic, precise way to hold Hamas to account. Israel’s actions do matter, in terms of the way in which they conduct these military operations, and I think a lot of us are deeply concerned about the impact, not only on innocent Palestinians but particularly kids.

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Two people fined $500 over damaging posters of Israeli hostages at Bondi beach memorial

NSW police have issued criminal infringement notices after footage emerged of men attempting to take down posters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas

Two men have been issued fines for offensive behaviour over the vandalism of a memorial at Bondi Beach for Israeli hostages taken by Hamas.

The installation of 230 beach towels and pairs of thongs beside posters of those kidnapped on 7 October had run more than 100 metres along the concourse.

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Wiggles ‘deeply disappointed’ over use of Hot Potato to deter homeless people – as it happened

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Watts has gone on to confirm that there are still 65 Australians stuck in Gaza that the government is “supporting” and are being provided consular assistance.

Watts says Dfat is working to get those individuals to the Rafah crossing and out of Gaza “as soon as possible”.

We know this is an incredibly distressing time for Australians in Gaza and their families and we are providing all possible support we can, communicating through all available channels the best information and options we have about their safety in a very difficult situation.

The circumstances on the ground are incredibly challenging and they are changing on a day to day basis. This is a conflict zone. It is a very difficult operating environment so we do the best job we can in the circumstances.

Crossings like this are the result of an enormous effort from Australian consular officials and diplomats in the region. So many conversations at the ministerial level, foreign minister Wong spoke with her counterparts in the region and we’re grateful that this initial cohort has made the crossing from Gaza to Egypt.

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Reform of NSW police response to mental health episodes under way, minister says after string of fatalities

Rose Jackson says the way authorities respond needs to change, acknowledging system ‘has failed’ in some instances

The New South Wales mental health minister, Rose Jackson, has flagged significant reforms to the way police respond to people in acute distress as she conceded there were instances in which the current system “has failed”.

Jackson said the government and police were doing “a big piece of work about what comes next” and that she wanted mental health consumers and advocates to assist with designing the new system next year.

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Sydney boy, 10, dies after being trapped under lift at school for children with disability

Police have established a crime scene at St Lucy’s School in Wahroonga on the city’s upper north shore

A 10-year-old boy has died at a school for children with disability on Sydney’s upper north shore after becoming trapped under a lift.

New South Wales police said emergency services were called to St Lucy’s School in Wahroonga about 2pm on Wednesday after reports a child was trapped.

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New NSW fire chief flags mental health focus and financial stability after recent turmoil

Jeremy Fewtrell says upcoming bushfire season will include ‘periods of really intense activity’ as he takes up commissioner role

New South Wales’s incoming fire commissioner, Jeremy Fewtrell, has promised to focus on financial stability and the mental health of the state’s firefighters as he faces the further challenges of an extreme bushfire season and climate change.

Fewtrell, who takes up the role after his predecessor was sacked amid financial turmoil at Fire and Rescue NSW, also warned the upcoming bushfire season would be challenging, with some “periods of really intense activity”.

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NSW minister urges public to call out ‘inappropriate behaviour’ towards women after school coach’s death

Exclusive: State’s domestic violence prevention minister says it’s ‘up to every single one of us’ to help prevent harm against women

Preventing violence against women is up to individuals and government money to fight the scourge will be “wasted” without community change, according to the New South Wales domestic violence prevention minister, Jodie Harrison.

The minister wants everyone to call out disrespect towards women in the wake of the killing of 21-year-old Lilie James at an elite private school in Sydney last week that left Harrison “physically sick”.

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In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org

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Family of Sydney man shot dead during psychotic episode demand police retract claim he was ‘known’ to them

Call by family of Steve Pampalian comes as Greens accuse police of curating the narrative around other people fatally Tasered or shot

The family of Steve Pampalian who was shot dead by New South Wales police in Sydney while suffering a psychotic episode is calling on the force to retract its suggestion he was “known to police” or provide evidence to support the claim.

The demand comes as the NSW Greens accused police of curating the narrative around other people fatally Tasered or shot in recent months, including Clare Nowland and Krista Kach.

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Residents evacuated in middle of the night from three fast-moving Queensland bushfires

Firefighters continue to battle major blazes near Tara, where more than 30 homes have already been lost

Residents in Queensland’s Western Downs and Gladstone regions were ordered to evacuate in the middle of the night, as dozens of fires continue burning around the state.

Just before 1am on Saturday multiple emergency warnings were issued for the communities of Tara, Wieambilla and The Gums in the Western Downs region, west of Brisbane.

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Man charged as search continues for pet pythons allegedly dumped in Sydney street

Snakes Bagel and Mango are used to a much warmer climate than found in Coogee and owner is ‘scared for their safety’

New South Wales police have charged a man after two pet pythons were allegedly dumped on to the street in Coogee, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs last week.

The 2.5-metre snakes, named Bagel and Mango, have been missing since last Saturday, with the pet’s owner posting on a Facebook group that they were dumped in an alleged fit of anger by her former partner during their break-up.

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Sydney turns over a new leaf and says goodbye to much-maligned plane trees

Trees once described as ‘about as much use to our wildlife as concrete posts’ to gradually be phased out in favour of more drought-tolerant plants

The City of Sydney has said it will gradually phase out the use of plane trees across the streets of the city.

Plane trees, which account for almost 10% of the street and park trees across the whole City of Sydney but are the dominant species in some areas, have had their fair share of critics over the years.

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