Man’s body found at newly opened beach in Sydney’s west

Emergency services called to Penrith Beach on Boxing Day after a man was seen going underwater and not resurfacing

A man’s body has been found after a search at a newly opened beach in Sydney’s west.

Emergency services were called to Penrith Beach just after 2.30pm on Boxing Day after a man was seen going underwater and not resurfacing.

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Police issue warning after suspected cocaine packages appear on beaches between Sydney and Newcastle

NSW police say no one should open or remove any of the packages after finding seven washed ashore

New South Wales police have issued a warning to the public about packages suspected of containing cocaine washing up on beaches between Sydney and Newcastle.

At least seven packages – with “significant barnacle growth” on the outer plastic wrapping – have been found on beaches since Friday night, and police on Sunday warned people not to open or remove any further finds.

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Australia news live: only 54.3% of Virgin flights and 66.3% of Qantas flights on time last month, transport minister says

‘Very disappointing results, it is no wonder that so many Australians remain fed up with our major airlines,’ Catherine King says. Follow today’s news updates live

‘Very, very clear’ renewables are the cheapest form of energy, Bowen says

Renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy, including its storage and transmission costs, the energy minister told ABC RN.

Its conclusions this year are unimpeachable and very, very clear.

The cheapest form of energy is renewable energy, even including the costs that go with renewable energy around storage and transmission.

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Alleged drink-driving senior NSW detective pleads not guilty over NorthConnex crash

Officer, who cannot be identified, was charged in November with driving under the influence and high-range drink driving

A senior New South Wales police officer charged with allegedly crashing a work car in Sydney’s NorthConnex tunnel after getting drunk at a work function earlier this year has pleaded not guilty.

The high-ranking detective, whose identity is being kept secret under a court order, was charged in November with driving under influence of alcohol and high-range drink-driving, nearly six months after the May incident.

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Criminals tipped off after law enforcement staff shared photo of intercepted shipping container on WhatsApp

The 2020 blunder, whereby more than 400 Australian public servants received the photo, revealed in annual report of former corruption watchdog

A criminal syndicate was tipped off to a covert operation after federal law enforcement staff shared photos of an intercepted shipping container with more than 400 public servants across multiple agencies.

The blunder compromised the investigation, prompted a multi-agency corruption investigation and led to written warnings to the heads of the Department of Home Affairs, the federal police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

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Sex crimes squad informed of 2017 complaint against Alan Jones

Jones strongly denies allegations as NSW police confirm there is no current investigation into Jones but say sex crimes squad will try to contact complainant this week

New South Wales police say they will this week try to speak to a person who made a complaint about Alan Jones to officers in 2017, after the police commissioner, Karen Webb, said last week that no complaints had been made about the broadcaster.

She made the comments during a press conference on Friday after allegations of indecent assault were published in the Sydney Morning Herald the day before. Jones has strongly denied the allegations and has threatened legal action.

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Driver charged over fatal Daylesford pub crash ignored blood glucose level warnings, court hears

Five patrons at the Royal Daylesford Hotel about an hour’s drive from Melbourne were killed after a car crashed into the beer garden

A man charged over the Daylesford beer garden crash that killed five people received multiple alerts on his phone suggesting his blood glucose levels were low shortly before the incident, a Melbourne court has heard.

On Monday morning, Victoria police charged William Swale, 66, with five counts of culpable driving causing death, two counts of negligently causing serious injury and seven counts of reckless conduct endangering life over the 5 November crash.

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Protocols protecting young people’s right to silence ‘forgotten’ by NSW police, watchdog finds

Officers interviewed people who wished to remain silent despite court judgments finding practice was improper, law enforcement commission says

New South Wales police officers have been interviewing young people in custody in a way that compromises their right to silence, with a report by the state’s law enforcement watchdog finding it is a “systemic problem”.

The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (Lecc) found that NSW police had also failed to act with any urgency to prevent officers interviewing vulnerable people, including Aboriginal people and young people, after they had received legal advice and said that they did not wish to be interviewed.

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‘A new low’: police believe gasmask-clad graverobbers sought to intimidate Melbourne gangland rival

Victoria police say theft may not be only motive of two men who targeted coffin of Meshilin Marrogi, the sister of George Marrogi

An attempt to remove a body from a Melbourne mausoleum was part of a plot by an underworld figure to disturb a gangland rival, police believe.

Detectives confirmed on Friday that it was suspected two men who committed the offence had been trying to remove the corpse of Meshilin Marrogi to cause “friction and hurt” to her imprisoned brother, George Marrogi.

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Mother of four-year-old boy found dead in Queensland pool charged with murder

Tarrin-Macen O’Sullivan’s mother charged with murder more than two years after son found dead in back yard pool in Munbura near Mackay

The mother of a four-year-old boy found dead in a back yard pool in regional Queensland has been charged with murder.

Tarrin-Macen O’Sullivan was discovered after emergency services responded to a call about a child drowning in August 2021.

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Inquiry reviews convictions of ‘Croatian Six’ over 1979 Sydney bomb plot

Judicial inquiry reviewing convictions of group jailed in 1981 over alleged terror plot to blow up Sydney targets

The testimony of a key witness and actions of a corrupt New South Wales police officer will be probed during an inquiry into the 1981 terror plot convictions of a group known as the ‘Croatian Six’.

The judicial inquiry, which began on Monday, will examine the possibility that Crown witness Vico Virkez may have been working for Yugoslavian intelligence services.

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William Tyrrell’s foster father argues ‘lawful’ force used on another child as punishment, NSW court hears

Foster parents of missing William Tyrrell facing court on assault and intimidation charges of another child who was in their care

William Tyrrell’s foster father rejects claims he grabbed a child by the neck as his lawyers argue he applied medium force to push the youngster down as they tried to get out of a timeout.

The 56-year-old foster father and 58-year-old foster mother returned to Parramatta local court on Monday.

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Stage set for national cabinet clash over GST – as it happened

This blog is now closed.

The NSW Australian Paramedics Association will take part in a 12-hour strike today, from 7am to 7pm, despite the threat of legal action.

Members will still attend emergency “lights and sirens” jobs as part of an ongoing pay dispute.

We want to assure the public that emergencies will still be attended to, with our focus intensifying on life-threatening cases.

Our decision to limit responses to non-emergency jobs enhances our capacity to manage critical cases.

Facing potential legal repercussions and a substantial fine of up to $20,000 per day, our commitment remains firm.

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Clare Nowland: charges upgraded to manslaughter for NSW police officer accused of Tasering 95-year-old

Sr Const Kristian White, 33, was previously charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and common assault

The New South Wales police officer accused of Tasering 95-year-old Clare Nowland who later died has been charged with manslaughter after advice from the state’s director of public prosecutions.

Police announced the upgraded charges for Sr Const Kristian White on Wednesday morning.

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Police told sister of missing transgender woman to call fire brigade, Victorian coronial inquest hears

Angela Pucci Love says she believes police failed to understand ‘the level of risk’ her sister, 28-year-old Bridget Flack, faced

One of Victoria’s top police officers says he is concerned to hear the sister of a missing transgender woman was told to call the fire brigade to search her apartment, saying it is not “proper process”.

Angela Pucci Love, the sister of 28-year-old Bridget Flack who died in 2020, gave evidence on Monday at a coronial inquiry investigating the deaths of five transgender and gender-diverse young people who died of suspected suicide between 2020 and 2021.

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NSW police accused of ‘killing’ music festivals by charging excessive fees

Greens MP and Australian Festival Association say NSW force charging much more than other states to patrol equivalent events

New South Wales police have been accused of “price gouging” and operating a “rort” that threatens the viability of music festivals, by charging tens of thousands of dollars more than their counterparts in other states to patrol the events.

The Greens MP Cate Faehrmann told NSW parliament this week that a recent festival that played across three states paid $107,852 for policing for 16,000 people in NSW, but just $45,000 for 14,000 people in both Victoria and Queensland.

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Intimate partner homicide data-tracker unveiled after four SA women killed in one week

Statistical dashboard with up-to-date figures on victims is ‘crucial’ in helping police and policymakers tackle domestic violence, minister for women says

A new intimate partner homicide dashboard offering more up-to-date figures will soon be available after the deaths of four South Australian women in one week.

The government will introduce the federal statistical dashboard by mid-2024 to provide more timely reporting on intimate partner homicide. The new dashboard will enable police, governments, policymakers and all those who are working to end violence against women and children, to better understand what is happening and when. It will initially provide quarterly updates but is expected to provide more up-to-date figures as the initiative develops.

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Friendlyjordies: NSW police hunt for crime gang after fire at YouTuber’s home

Jordan Shanks-Markovina is being provided with police protection due to suspected gang links to fire attacks

A YouTube personality whose home was targeted in a suspected arson case is being given police protection as detectives hunt the organised criminals believed to be behind the attack.

Investigators hope CCTV footage, released on Wednesday, could spark a breakthrough as they try to find those responsible for the fire at the Bondi house of Jordan Shanks-Markovina, known online as Friendlyjordies.

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Police investigating whether driver’s diabetes a factor in Daylesford pub crash that killed five

Detective tells coronial hearing that investigation still in its ‘infancy’ and no charges have been laid

Victoria police are investigating whether a driver’s diabetes was a factor in the fatal Daylesford pub crash that left five people dead, the coroner’s court has heard.

The driver of a white BMW SUV crashed through a busy beer garden in the regional town of Daylesford on 5 November, striking 10 people from three Melbourne families.

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NSW premier defends police conduct after dozens arrested at pro-Palestine rally in Sydney

Chris Minns says police acted ‘responsibly’ despite condemnation from civil liberties groups

The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has rejected accusations police were heavy-handed when they arrested people at a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney on Tuesday night.

NSW police arrested and charged 23 people who attended the protest at Port Botany directed at the unloading of a ship owned by Israeli company ZIM, which has supported the Israeli government in its fight with Hamas in Gaza.

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