Category Archives: New South Wales

NSW election: Labor’s pledges on domestic violence could affect existing services, PBO warns

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Parliamentary Budget Office raises concerns that rollout of programs could lead to cutting of initiatives by Legal Aid and police

Labor’s domestic violence election commitments could “affect the delivery of some services” by Legal Aid and New South Wales police, the independent body charged with analysing the cost of both major parties’ promises has warned.

Labor has made a series of commitments on domestic violence in the lead-up to the state election including funds for a pilot program for specialist sexual violence police in a handful of local areas and the extension of a series of court-advocacy programs.

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Seats to watch: the NSW election is likely to come down to these key electorates

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It looks like being close. The Coalition faces threats on a number of fronts but Labor’s path to victory is uncertain

The New South Wales state election on Saturday shapes as the closest in 16 years. The Coalition government, already in minority, is fighting to hold on after a series of scandals, high-profile resignations and a creaking economy.

It faces threats on a number of fronts: from Labor in Sydney’s west and in the south of the state; and from a clutch of teal and independent candidates in the city’s east.

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Five NSW men charged after methamphetamine worth $15m allegedly found on ‘black flight’ from PNG

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Plane intercepted at airstrip in rural Queensland after police allege aircraft was flown under the radar with 52kg of meth on board

A “black flight” allegedly carrying more than $15m worth of methamphetamine from Papua New Guinea has been halted by Australian federal police in rural Queensland allegedly on its way to New South Wales.

The light aircraft landed at an airstrip in the central Queensland town of Monto to refuel on Tuesday when officers swooped and made five arrests.

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Teals and independents are fighting hard to win a seat in the NSW parliament. Have they done enough?

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Three-horse races and optional preferential voting making calling seats ahead of Saturday’s state election a risky wager

Michael Regan, the independent running for the New South Wales seat of Wakehurst, has told staff he wants his to be the first seat called by the ABC’s election analyst, Antony Green, on Saturday night.

By that he means he wants to emulate the blistering win of the independent Zali Steggall, who scored a second term in the overlapping federal seat of Warringah in 2022 with more than 50% of the primary vote.

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NSW Liberals accuse Minerals Council of feeding poll data that undermines Matt Kean to the media

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Government source says people were asked questions such as ‘do you agree Matt Kean is responsible for pushing up energy prices?’

The Perrottet government has accused the New South Wales Minerals Council of feeding data to the media to undermine the Coalition in its battle to limit losses in closely contested seats.

Sky News Australia on Tuesday and Wednesday cited unnamed “industry polling” as pointing to big swings away from the Coalition in three key seats and in Hornsby, a safe seat held by the treasurer, Matt Kean. It did not cite other details such as the polling size or the questions asked.

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Dominic Perrottet denies he called health minister to get faster ambulance response for his sick wife

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NSW premier says he wasn’t looking for special treatment and doesn’t know if the commissioner personally ordered an ambulance

Premier Dominic Perrottet has denied he called health minister Brad Hazzard in order to receive a faster ambulance response for his sick wife.

Perrottet was grilled on Sky News over a call he made to Hazzard, who was with Ambulance Commissioner Dr Dominic Morgan which resulted in an ambulance being sent to his house.

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NSW Labor labelled ‘amateurs’ by Perrottet after analysis shows election policy risks budget blowout

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Chris Minns defends promise to scrap public sector wages cap as party leaders scramble in final week of NSW election campaigning

The New South Wales opposition leader, Chris Minns, has been forced to defend the cost of his signature wages policy after the state’s independent budget analysis agency noted “significant risks” of a blowout.

In a frantic final week of campaigning that has seen Dominic Perrottet set out on a two-day tour through the state’s south, focus has shifted to Labor’s promise to scrap the Coalition’s longstanding public sector wages cap.

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NSW election: Legalise Cannabis eyeing an upper house seat in bid to overturn drug-driving law

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Pollster says it’s a crowded progressive micro-party market, but some high-profile donors are backing the party’s campaign

When Antony Zbik was handed a “life-changing” medical cannabis prescription almost six years ago, he did not realise it would also rob him of his freedom.

While the treatment helped the 38-year-old with crippling pain caused by fibromyalgia, it also forced him to move back home and become reliant on his parents to drive him around.

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NSW swelters in record heat as firefighters battle blazes

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Wagga Wagga experiences its hottest March weather yet, breaking a previous high set in 1983

Inland New South Wales sweltered through record-breaking March temperatures on Sunday as fires burned across the state.

While inner Sydney remained relatively cool – the mercury peaked at 28.9C, thanks to a sea breeze – the state’s western districts scorched, with temperatures above 42C in Bourke, Cobar and Brewarrina.

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Chris Minns says documents show Liberals considered privatising parts of Sydney Water

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Labor to start final week of NSW election campaign by continuing pursuit of Perrottet government over its privatisation record

Documents canvassing the possible partial privatisation of a Sydney Water asset were compiled at the request of the New South Wales Treasury department, which the state Labor opposition will rely on to argue that the government was contemplating a broader sell-off of the asset.

Chris Minns will mark the start of the NSW election campaign’s final week on Sunday by continuing his pursuit of the Coalition over its record on privatisation, seeking to use documents compiled by the consultancy firm KPMG to argue that the premier, Dominic Perrottet, directed the public service to investigate a possible sale.

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Neo-Nazis and trans rights protesters clash in Melbourne; bushfire alert for parts of Great Ocean Road – as it happened

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Melbourne forecast to reach 37C while northern regions of the state could exceed 40C. This blog is now closed

Federal government welcomes decision to hear MH17 case

The federal government has welcomed the International Civil Aviation Organization Council’s decision to hear Australia and the Netherlands’ case against Russia for the downing of flight MH17.

We have maintained since May 2018 that the Russian Federation is responsible under international law for the downing of Flight MH17.

We now look forward to presenting our legal arguments and evidence to the ICAO Council as we continue to seek to hold Russia to account.

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‘The smell is next level’: millions of dead fish spanning kilometres of Darling-Baaka river begin to rot

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Releasing environmental water held downstream could help stem the spread of poor quality water, experts say

A “wall of dead fish” spanning tens of kilometres is moving along a stretch of the Darling-Baaka river near the town of Menindee, with temperatures forecast to reach 41C in the area on Saturday.

“The smell is just next level,” resident Graeme Crabb said. “Imagine the smell if you put a dead fish in your sink and let it rot for a few days – but we have millions of them.”

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Four arrested after climate protesters occupy Dominic Perrottet’s office – as it happened

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Six teenagers and a dozen adults occupied NSW premier’s office, protesting approval of new coal and gas projects. This blog is now closed

We’ve got some more information on the news the Albanese government is set to spend $1.3bn buying 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, said Australia would be working closely with the US to get more missile capability.

Making sure we have longer-range strike missiles is a really important capability for the country. It enables us to be able to reach out beyond our shores further and that’s ultimately how we are able to keep Australia safe.

The cruise missiles are a critical part of that, as are the submarines that launch them.

Our banking system is really well capitalised. It’s well regulated. We’re well placed in Australia to withstand some of the vulnerability in banking systems.

Whether it’s Silicon Valley banks, and the steps taken by the Americans, or credit Swiss, and the loans provided by the central bank, we’re monitoring it closely.

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Covid cases on the rise in NSW with a ‘patchwork quilt’ of variants

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Experts say data points to early signs of a new wave but, given level of immunity, is not expected to be as severe as in the past

New South Wales is experiencing a rise in Covid-19 cases, with one expert warning the data indicates early signs of a new wave with a “patchwork quilt” of variants.

NSW Health recorded 8,032 Covid cases in the week to Saturday, an increase of 9.2% from the previous week.

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Myer to close flagship Brisbane store – as it happened

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Turnbull concerned about UK economic situation

Malcolm Turnbull rounded out his concerns there with one shared with Paul Keating – although the language he used was a little more moderated than the former Labor PM is famous for.

The bottom line is their economy is sick. It’s got fundamental, sort of existential problems. And you’ve got to ask yourself, whether Britain is going to be able to sustain investment in its navy and its military in the years ahead, given this huge demand that they’ve got elsewhere, not least the National Health Service.

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Matt Kean exploring a move to federal politics if Coalition loses NSW election, sources say

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Figures close to Kean said the Liberal treasurer, a high-profile moderate, has floated the idea

The New South Wales treasurer, Liberal Matt Kean, is said to be considering a move to Canberra if the Perrottet government suffers a defeat on Saturday week in the state election.

Figures close to Kean told the Guardian he has floated the idea and is exploring possible avenues into federal parliament, but his decision would depend on whether the Coalition lost in NSW on 25 March and by what margin, as this would determine how long they would be out of office in NSW.

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Mark Latham to push for nuclear plants and ‘parental rights’ if made NSW kingmaker

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Exclusive: Labor and Greens concerned One Nation could gain at least one additional seat in 25 March election

Mark Latham will seek to overturn a longstanding ban on nuclear power technologies, strengthen “parental rights” and protect Christians from vilification if One Nation picks up enough seats to make him a kingmaker after the New South Wales election.

The former federal Labor leader is attempting to grow his party’s upper house presence from two to four at the 25 March poll, capitalising on voter disillusionment and a loophole that has allowed him to resign and re-run at the top of the ticket.

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ABC staff to walk off job next week – as it happened

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Acting prime minister and defence minister Richard Marles has spoken to ABC News Breakfast this morning after the $368bn announcement of the Aukus deal yesterday.

In response to the reaction from China accusing Australia, the US and Britain of embarking on a “path of error and danger”, Marles defends making a decision that is in Australia’s national interest:

We are seeking to acquire this capability to make our contribution to the collective security of the region and the maintenance of the global rules-based order.

And one of the issues within our region we are witnessing the largest conventional military build-up that the world has seen since the end of the second world war. And it’s not Australia who is doing that, but that shapes the world in which we live.

We’re completely confident these are in complete compliance with non proliferation.

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Climate activist Deanna ‘Violet’ Coco’s 15-month jail sentence quashed on appeal

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Coco and three other activists blocked a lane of the Sydney Harbour Bridge one morning in April 2022 as part of an environmental protest

A 15-month jail sentence imposed on a climate protester who blocked one lane on the Sydney Harbour Bridge with a truck has been quashed.

Deanna “Violet” Coco, 32, was issued with a 12-month conditional release order on Wednesday after district court judge Mark Williams heard she had been initially imprisoned on false information provided by the NSW police.

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Most Australian states face sharp power bill rises, despite government’s intervention

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Energy regulators issue draft default market offer, which set cap for this year’s increases

Power bills for households in three states will rise as much as 23.7% from 1 July if the Australian Energy Regulator’s draft determination, announced on Wednesday, is confirmed. Prices in Victoria may rise by almost a third.

The AER chair, Clare Savage, said the increases were “significant” but they could have been as much as 40% to 50% without the federal government’s intervention in December to cap domestic gas and black coal prices.

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