Category Archives: New South Wales

Bankstown nurse sacked over viral video has charge of threatening to kill Israeli patients dropped

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Sarah Abu Lebdeh yet to enter plea for other charges related to video in which she and a colleague allegedly said they would refuse to treat Israeli patients

A Sydney nurse sacked over her alleged inflammatory rhetoric in an online video is no longer accused of threatening to kill Israeli patients after prosecutors dropped a charge.

Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 27, and Ahmad Rashad Nadir, 28, sparked widespread criticism when a video was released of the pair saying they would refuse to treat Israeli patients and appearing to threaten violence towards them.

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One dead and seven in hospital after gas leak at Sydney restaurant Haveli

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Five police officers among those taken for treatment after being called to Indian eatery in Riverstone

One person has died and seven people – including five police officers – are being treated in hospital after a gas leak at a restaurant in Sydney’s north-west.

New South Wales ambulance said the people who had been taken to hospital were all in a stable condition.

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Australian PM blames ‘aggressive protesters’ for closure of local electorate office

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Anthony Albanese says site next to church ‘became untenable’ after repeated protests against Gaza war in inner Sydney suburb

The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has closed his inner-Sydney electorate office after almost 30 years, saying his hand had been forced by repeated protests outside the office.

Albanese’s office in Marrickville, in his electorate of Grayndler, has long been a target of demonstrations, particularly over the war in Gaza, including a months-long sit-in outside the office in 2024.

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Secret rating system kept parents in dark about safety fears at NSW childcare centre

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Case in which parents were not told centre was in the ‘very high risk’ cohort illustrates a glaring safety gap, critics argue

A childcare centre in New South Wales was approved as “meeting” government standards in the publicly available rating system, but flagged months later as a “very high risk service” in a secret rating system maintained by the Department of Education, the Guardian can reveal.

The centre, which Guardian Australia is choosing not to name, was flagged by officers from the NSW early childhood regulator as being in the highest risk category of childcare services, after officials visited in May 2024 to investigate a complaint.

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The question for the NSW Liberals after the Kiama drubbing is: can anyone do better than Mark Speakman?

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Kellie Sloane has ruled out moving a spill and James Griffin isn’t eager. Alister Henskens is thought to lack the numbers. So, for now, the leader might be safe

Byelections are usually a referendum on the government. But Saturday’s Kiama byelection – and the poor performance of the New South Wales Liberals – has deepened angst within the opposition party regarding Mark Speakman’s leadership.

In Kiama, Labor increased its primary vote – a feat in itself in a byelection – and looks set to achieve an impressive swing on a two-party-preferred basis. Labor’s Katelin McInerney is on track for a thumping 60% to 40% 2PP victory over the Liberal candidate Serena Copley.

Anne Davies is Guardian Australia’s NSW state correspondent

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After four decades of stalled attempts, there’s a new plan to ‘transform’ Sydney’s ugliest road

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NSW government to rezone Paramatta Road corridor and make room for 8,000 new homes – but plan omits mooted light rail

Sydney’s ugliest road is again being touted as the next development hotspot, with plans by the Minns government to rezone and develop about 8,000 new homes along Parramatta Road in Leichhardt and Camperdown, in the city’s inner west.

The state government and inner west councillors have agreed to partner on rezoning along the Parramatta Road corridor to deliver a major boost to housing close to the CBD.

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Labor claims win in Kiama byelection with Katelin McInerney to replace convicted rapist Gareth Ward

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Initial count has ALP candidate securing 60.6% of the two-party-preferred vote over Liberal Serena Copley in state seat

Labor has claimed victory in the New South Wales seat vacated by disgraced MP and convicted rapist Gareth Ward.

The Kiama byelection was held on Saturday to replace Ward, who was convicted of sexual and indecent assault in July.

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Revenue from seatbelt fines spikes 1,400% in NSW as AI cameras peer into 140m cars

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Exclusive: Isabel was fined three times in one week in Sydney. ‘I was like, there’s been some kind of malfunction,’ she said

Isabel didn’t even realise she had broken the law until three fines turned up in her mailbox.

The fines – collectively worth more than $1,200 and nine demerit points – were all for seatbelt offences within the same week in Sydney while she helped a friend move house.

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Wild weather brings flash floods in Sydney and at least two tornados reported in regional NSW

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Light rail passengers rescued in Randwick on Wednesday night as severe weather warnings remain in place across NSW

Two tornadoes, record-breaking rain and large hail have hit New South Wales in the 24 hours to Thursday morning, as supercell thunderstorms and a band of rain sweep the state.

Heavy downpours triggered a surge in calls for assistance.

Collaroy (Long Reef golf glub): 108mm

Sydney Botanic Gardens: 116mm

Rose Bay (Royal Sydney golf club): 110mm

Randwick (Randwick St): 145.8mm

Marrickville golf club: 81mm

Peakhurst golf club: 113mm

Cronulla South bowling club: 147mm

Campbelltown: 99mm

Camden airport: 77.8mm

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Tornado in central NSW and flood rescues in Sydney as wild weather soaks state

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Heavy rainfall forecast to continue in Sydney on Thursday as low pressure weather system heads for parts of Queensland

Two groups have been rescued from flooding while a tornado warning for central New South Wales has been downgraded as large parts of the state brace for a further battering of rainfall and heavy winds from a low pressure system off the Tasman Sea.

The NSW State Emergency Service said it had responded to more than 90 incidents in the past 24 hours, including flood rescues for a motorist who had driven off a cliff face at Camden Bypass and a group of bushwalkers trapped by flood waters at Wattamolla.

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Proposed ‘nation-leading’ NSW childcare reforms to include $500,000 fines

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Greens welcome Minns government’s ‘bare-minimum’ changes but say more work is needed to restore faith in the sector

Large childcare providers found in breach of safety directives will face $500,000 fines – a 900% increase – under new laws to be introduced by New South Wales parliament on Wednesday.

The proposed legislation will grant greater powers to the early childhood regulator to suspend educators and revoke quality ratings in a suite of measures addressing grave concerns about safety in the sector.

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Australia news live: Judge says Erin Patterson inflicted ‘untold suffering’ and should receive maximum sentence for mushroom murders

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Justice Christopher Beale says possibility of parole is ‘main dispute’. Follow today’s news live

Victoria’s supreme court will hand down the triple-murderer Erin Patterson’s sentence shortly. The state’s supreme court will allow a television camera inside the courtroom to broadcast the sentencing hearing – with a 10 second delay – for the first time.

Patterson, 50, faces the prospect of spending the rest of her life in prison. Justice Christopher Beale will deliver her sentence from 9.30am in a hearing expected to last about 30 minutes.

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Minns’s $140m great koala national park will ‘obliterate’ regional towns, Coalition claims

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Labor’s koala strategy doesn’t go far enough, Coalition says, but environmentalists hail park a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ decision

The long-awaited great koala national park in the north of New South Wales, celebrated by wildlife groups, has drawn a mixed reaction from the state’s Coalition.

The opposition leader, Mark Speakman has hedged his party’s support, saying while he “supports the ambition of protecting koalas”, he was concerned about job losses and the cost of the park.

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NSW locks in great koala national park and brings in immediate ban on logging

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Minns government to create one of the largest national parks in the state as forest advocates welcome ‘historic’ victory

The Minns government has confirmed its long-awaited great koala national park, announcing it will add 176,000 hectares of forest to existing reserves in mid-north New South Wales to create one of the largest national parks in the state and protect more than 12,000 koalas.

The premier, Chris Minns, and environment minister, Penny Sharpe, said the government would put an immediate moratorium on logging within the park’s boundaries and roll out a jobkeeper style support package for workers at affected timber mills in the region.

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This old railway yard is for sale. Could new solar-powered trains be built there?

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Push for NSW locomotive workshop to be returned to government hands and used to retrofit diesel trains and help meet 50% Australian-made quotas

One of New South Wales’ few remaining large railway yards has been put up for sale, with locals pushing for state and federal government intervention to reinvigorate the rail industry.

Lithgow’s locomotive workshop, owned by Pacific National and reported to have an asking price of $35m, includes maintenance pit bays and outbuildings. It was ceded to the freight operator in 2003 when the state privatised its freight services and has been little-used since.

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Palestinian Australian brothers allege racist abuse on Sydney train

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Shamikh and Majed Badra said men shouted abuse at them, allegedly because Majed was wearing a keffiyeh

Two Palestinian Australian men say they were subjected to racist abuse on a Sydney train on the same day anti-immigration marches took place across Australian cities.

Film-makers Shamikh and Majed Badra told Guardian Australia they were verbally abused on a train on Sunday afternoon, allegedly because Majed was wearing a keffiyeh.

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Pauline Hanson joins crowds in Canberra as anti-immigration protests heat up across country – as it happened

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This blog is now closed

Asked about the planned anti-immigration protests across Australia today, Julian Leeser says he’s concerned about some of the anti-Indian and antisemitic sentiment being expressed. But he also adds that there are people who will be attending these protests with “goodwill”:

There are people there of goodwill who want to change policies in relation to this country. But I would say to them be careful of the company you keep. I’ve seen some of the material for that particular protest and I’m really concerned about the anti-Indian sentiment that is being expressed and some of the antisemitic undertones of some of those protests.

We are working through this legislation through our processes but I will say this: This cohort of people have had ample opportunities to put their case. They have exhausted all appeal avenues and the question now is whether they can be removed to another country.

This is a legitimate arrangement. The only reason people can remain in Australia – and this is very well established under the migration law of this country – is if they have an Australian citizen or on a valid visa.

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Former NSW police officer who lost her arm after a car accident awarded $2.3m by the court

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County court judge found physical and psychological injuries from the accident caused ‘complete destruction of her capacity for any form of meaningful remunerative work’

A former police officer has been awarded $2.3m after a car accident during a cannabis clearing operation that led to the amputation of her arm and the “complete destruction” of her earning capacity.

In a district court decision handed down in Sydney on Friday, acting judge Leonard Levy SC found the state of New South Wales had breached its duty of care to the former officer Jillian Oliver, and that its negligence had resulted in the accident, her injuries, and her “catastrophic” physical and psychological situation.

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Victoria warned to prepare for ‘destruction’ with severe weather and snow forecast

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Gusts reaching up to 130km/h expected to push further into south-eastern states on Saturday, bringing showers, hail and thunderstorms

Blizzards have been forecast for parts of Victoria and residents have been warned to prepare for power outages and “destruction” as damaging winds are expected to lash the south-eastern states into the weekend.

An intense cold front began moving across Victoria from South Australia on Friday, after rain, thunderstorms and destructive winds battered the Adelaide metro area and surrounds on Thursday night and Friday morning, and a tornado warning was briefly issued.

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Looming crisis for NSW’s regional galleries averted with $15.4m in state arts funding

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Labor announced on Thursday Create NSW’s Arts and Cultural Funding Program will provide financial assistance for 62 organisations statewide

Arts organisations and galleries across New South Wales have voiced their relief after the state government announced $15.4m funding over two years, allaying worries of a looming crisis for NSW’s regional galleries.

Sixty-two arts organisations across NSW will receive $15.4m funding for the next two years through Create NSW’s Arts and Cultural Funding Program (ACFP), the state government announced on Thursday, with $7.5m going to 31 regional arts organisations, including 10 regional galleries.

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