Category Archives: New South Wales

PM announces new sanctions – as it happened

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Biden’s cancellation not a snub, Marles insists

The media is still trying to get the Albanese government to admit it feels bruised after Joe Biden cancelled his Australian visit for the Quad leaders meeting.

You’ve got a leader of a country who is dealing with an urgent issue in terms of their domestic politics. It’s unfortunate. But it happens. It’s nothing more than that.

It says a lot about Australia’s standing in the world right now. It says a lot, I think particularly about our relationship with Japan, actually, given that they’re the hosts of this.

We wish to express our thanks to God and all who have continued to pray for us.

We express our relief that Dr Elliott is free and thank the Australian Government and all who have been involved over time to secure his release. We also continue to pray for those still held and wish them freedom and safe return to their loved ones.

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Sydney’s abandoned tram tunnels transformed into light spectacle for Vivid

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Hidden platforms and connecting tunnels are having their lights turned back on for the festival’s installation Dark Spectrum

There’s no Hogwarts Express, and instead of running towards a brick wall you slip through an unremarkable door next to a Coles supermarket, but for decades Sydney’s Wynyard station has had its own secret platforms hidden from the public – until now.

The hundreds of thousands of commuters who pass through each week may have wondered why the station boasts only platforms three through to six.

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Two-thirds of people playing NSW pokies before 8am are problem gamblers or at risk, research shows

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Exclusive: Earlier closing times could help protect gamblers, study commissioned by government says

Almost two-thirds of people playing poker machines into the morning are problem gamblers or at moderate risk of developing a problem, with research commissioned under the previous New South Wales government suggesting earlier venue closures could help protect punters.

The Roy Morgan research, prepared for Liquor and Gaming NSW, found that 22.8% of those playing poker machines between 2am and 8am were problem gamblers, while 41.8% were classified as “moderate risk problem gambling”.

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Clover Moore warns NSW government against sale of state-owned land

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Exclusive: Sydney’s lord mayor says plan to sell unused parcels in order to develop housing is ‘disappointing’

The lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, has called a plan to rezone and develop underused state land as “really disappointing” despite the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns’ insistence that the government housing scheme did not amount to privatisation.

Moore said the state government should instead be focused on genuine investment in social and affordable housing, while thinking carefully before making any decisions to sell off land.

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Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has had three out of four rape charges against him dropped

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The 32-year-old was facing four counts of sexual intercourse without consent, but the public prosecutor withdrew three of the charges on Thursday

Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has had three out of his four sexual assault charges dropped after he allegedly raped a Sydney woman.

The 32-year-old was facing four counts of sexual intercourse without consent while in Sydney for the T20 World Cup, but the public prosecutor withdrew three of the charges in a Sydney court on Thursday.

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MP questions referendum wording – as it happened

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Quad still a priority, White House says

Despite the postponement of Joe Biden’s visit, the White House says that partnerships like the Quad remain a priority.

Revitalizing and reinvigorating our alliances and advancing partnerships like the Quad remains a key priority for the President. This is vital to our ability to advance our foreign policy goals and better promote global stability and prosperity. We look forward to finding other ways to engage with Australia, the Quad, Papua New Guinea and the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in the coming year.

I think he will obviously be working very hard for this not to happen. We’ve danced this dance before, as the phrase goes …

I think we’ll get to a good place and I think that’s why he’s wanting to stay there, to focus on just that.

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Sale of Waterloo South public housing will see residents rehoused nearby, NSW government pledges

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Exclusive: Tenants feel let down by Labor, but Chris Minns insists sale does not meet ‘definition of privatisation’

The New South Wales housing mister, Rose Jackson, is moving to reassure tenants in the Waterloo South public housing they will be rehoused within the suburb and offered spots back in the complex when the controversial development is completed.

The government has been fending off criticism for proceeding with the sale and is pushing forward with plans to sell more land to developers for housing, despite promising to end privatisation and freeze the sale of all social housing assets.

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NSW taxpayers to fund indemnity for 47 organisations against child abuse claims

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Exclusive: State government steps in as private insurers refuse to provide coverage to organisations working with vulnerable children

The New South Wales government has been forced to provide taxpayer-funded indemnity to 47 non-government organisations, including church bodies, to cover child abuse claims, as states and territories scramble to respond to the widespread withdrawal of cover by the private insurance market.

Private insurers are now widely refusing to provide coverage for physical and sexual abuse to organisations working with vulnerable children in out-of-home care and youth homelessness services.

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Rogue NSW taxi drivers still refusing to use meters despite crackdown, commissioner warns

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Exclusive: Opposition calls for greater penalties as data reveals 59 fines issued this year, down from 96 between late November and end of December

Rogue taxi drivers are still being caught refusing to use meters and demanding upfront and excessive payments from customers across Sydney, with calls for the New South Wales government to increase penalties for those fined for the illegal behaviour.

A crackdown on taxi drivers attempting to negotiate fares with customers has so far resulted in compliance officers issuing 155 fines to cabbies, after the former Perrottet government passed laws to give the state’s point to point transport commission stronger powers in November.

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Inquiry into Menindee ‘catastrophic fish deaths’ to consider ways to prevent future ecological disasters

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Terms of reference include water monitoring data, environmental conditions and whether community consultation was sufficient

An independent inquiry into the deaths of millions of fish in the Darling-Baaka River at Menindee in March will look at whether local management interventions could prevent future fish kills.

The terms of reference for the inquiry, which was announced last month, were released on Monday. They include an investigation of the environmental conditions and water monitoring data in the lead up to the fish kill, the success of the emergency management framework which saw New South Wales Police as the lead agency responding to an ecological and public health disaster and whether there was sufficient community consultation, particularly with First Nations people.

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Alternative reality: two kambo deaths spark soul-searching in Australia’s counter-culture capital

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A fortnight of harrowing testimony at consecutive inquests shines a light on the northern rivers’ alternative therapy scene

The road into Mullumbimby beckons like a promise.

With its palm trees and buskers and its slightly raffish air, “Mullum”, as it is known, has long drawn dreamers and idealists looking for alternative ways of being. People come here to escape, to reinvent themselves, to cast away the past, to be healed.

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NSW government moves to ban political donations from clubs with poker machines

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Exclusive: Proposed changes to the state’s electoral funding act will treat some venues similar to developers

The political influence of clubs in New South Wales will be curtailed under proposed laws banning donations from venues with poker machines that are being introduced to the state parliament on Thursday.

If passed, the electoral funding act would be changed to outlaw political donations from registered clubs that have poker machines or are involved in any other wagering, betting or other gambling activities.

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High end Sydney jeweller accused of allegedly orchestrating $2.8m heist in his store

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Police allege Michel Elias Germani, 65, planned an armed robbery in a bid to defraud an insurance company

A high-profile Sydney jeweller has been charged after allegedly arranging an armed heist of his own jewellery store in what New South Wales police say was an elaborate attempt to defraud his insurance company more than $2.8m.

Michel Elias Germani – whose business Germani Jewellery, has designed items for the likes of Diana, the former Princess of Wales; Elizabeth Taylor, and the Saudi royal family, according to its website – was arrested on Monday.

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‘Unique’ frogs in NSW rainforests feared locally extinct after black summer bushfires

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Pugh’s mountain frog, which has been ‘evolving since Australia was connected to Antarctica’ was worst affected of nine threatened species, researchers say

Several frog species are feared to be locally extinct in parts of New South Wales after the black summer bushfires, a survey of amphibian populations has found.

Scientists conducted a survey of 411 sites in north-east and south-east NSW, monitoring 35 frog species for 18 months after the 2019-2020 bushfire season.

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Eastern Australia wakes up to cold weather, snow, wild surf and flight cancellations

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Freezing weather conditions saw 10-20cm of snow fall in Australian alpine regions as damaging winds caused hazardous surf conditions for much of the NSW coast

Cold and gusty southerly winds across eastern Australia are causing temperatures to plunge, as well as dangerous surf conditions and flight cancellations.

Every state except Western Australia and the Northern Territory experienced a minimum temperature below zero Monday morning, according to Dean Narramore, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology.

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‘First proper day of winter’: snow and hail blanket parts of NSW and ACT as cold front settles across south-east

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Widespread areas of frost and temperatures of near or below zero expected for ranges and further west with BoM forecasting ‘cooler days’

Canberra residents have described Sunday as the “first proper day of winter” after snow and hail fell on parts of the city, as a cold front brought cooler temperatures to parts of south-eastern Australia.

Rain, hail and snow fell across parts of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, and though temperature lows are not breaking records just yet, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Gabrielle Woodhause said “we are entering some of the cooler days seen so far this year”.

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Sydney Harbour to receive $45m for repair and protection after ‘decade of neglect’

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Harbourside sites such as seawalls and wharves at Cockatoo Island and Macquarie Lightstation in Vaucluse to be shored up with investment

Culturally and environmentally significant sites in Sydney Harbour will be repaired and protected with a $45m investment in Tuesday’s budget that the federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, claims is needed after “a decade of neglect”.

The money will be used to shore up a range of harbourside sites, including unstable seawalls and deteriorating wharves at Cockatoo Island, also known as Wareamah, and critical maintenance to keep sites open to tourists.

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First Mpox case in NSW for six months sparks health warning

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Men who have sex with other men urged to be aware of symptoms after infected person not found to have been overseas

Health officials are urging men who have sex with other men to be aware of symptoms for Mpox, also known as monkeypox, with the first New South Wales case in six months detected in Sydney.

Vicky Sheppeard, director of the South Eastern Sydney Public Health Unit, says while the state’s vaccination program against the infectious disease has been very successful, the virus will continue to show up in Australia while it circulates overseas.

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Labor warns NSW facing a ‘momentous task’ in transition to renewables

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Energy minister Penny Sharpe says state will need to decarbonise its electricity sector at a faster rate

New South Wales faces a “momentous task” to decarbonise its electricity sector and will need to accelerate the state’s transition to renewables, the new energy minister, Penny Sharpe, has said.

The electricity infrastructure roadmap, inherited from the previous Coalition government, aims to drive 12 gigawatts of new renewable generation and 2GW of long-duration storage into the grid by 2030. The plan’s first tender secured 1.4GW of new capacity at record low minimum prices, the government said earlier this week.

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Short-term rental properties in NSW surge by 13,000 since December 2021

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Exclusive: 45,209 rentals now registered as minister prepares to review proposed annual limits

The number of properties listed as short-term rentals across New South Wales has surged by 42% since 2021 to exceed 45,000, with the state’s planning minister to review proposed annual caps later this year.

Paul Scully said his department would interrogate the calls for 60-day caps, amid pressure from mayors to allow councils to set their own limits to deal with the rise in listings that they say is adding to the statewide housing crisis.

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