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Deal suggested by NSW building commissioner comes after residents were forced to evacuate in 2019Owners of apartments in Sydney’s Mascot Towers may reach a potential settlement to clear massive debts for the first time since being forced to evacuate their units due to defects.The New South Wales building commissioner, David Chandler, has offered a lifeline to residents of the buildings, in the city’s inner-south,...

Ambulance Victoria says woman and baby taken to hospital after incident in town of Ocean GroveA newborn baby is in a critical condition in hospital after being delivered in an apparent “freebirth” in regional Victoria.The medical industry has expressed concern about the practice, which is typically characterised as a birth without help from a healthcare professional.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best...

Exclusive: NSW government says it is open to all options even though new rolling stock, now due in 2026, will have reclining seats onlyThe permanent withdrawal of sleeper carriages on Sydney-Melbourne trains may be averted after new rolling stock enters service, thanks to the increasing popularity of intercity rail.New Spanish-built trains ordered by the previous Coalition government were initially meant to enter service in...

Adam Bandt signals new rent freeze push and criticises ‘tax cuts for billionaires’ as Labor aims to get ‘help to buy’ scheme through parliamentNew year, new housing fight.The Labor government may have started the year keen to talk cost-of-living relief and housing solutions, but the Greens have entered 2024 vowing to push the Albanese government to make actual change. Continue reading...

Network Ten describes former Liberal staffer as ‘fundamentally dishonest’ in submissions released by federal court Bruce Lehrmann’s legal team has accepted their client’s evidence in his defamation trial against Network Ten was “in a number of respects unsatisfactory”, but not to the extent that he is a “compulsive liar” or had raped Brittany Higgins, newly released documents reveal.In written closing submissions released by the...

Police say group jumped on the car in Coburg and shattered windows in what union calls ‘horrific planned assault’A mobile speed camera operator has been injured after his car was attacked by five men in a Melbourne street.The blue SUV, fixed with traffic cameras in its rear window, was operating on Nicholson Street at Coburg in the early hours of Friday morning when it...

Albanese yet to reveal government’s stance on South Africa’s case in international court of justice but Coalition says Australia must support Israel’s right to defend itselfThe opposition has urged the Albanese government to rule out any support for what it says is South Africa’s “unbalanced” case against Israel at the UN’s international court of justice (ICJ).The “unprecedented” case brought by South Africa at the...

Woman in 70s taken to hospital after kicking accused in groin and scratching his face during attack in Coffs Harbour nursing home, police sayA man has been charged with breaking into an aged care home and allegedly assaulting an elderly woman on New Year’s Eve on the New South Wales north coast.Emergency services were called to an aged care home in Coffs Harbour at...

Qantas and Jetstar to offer special airfares, with accommodation deals to come, as Queensland premier insists region is ‘open for business’ after Cyclone JasperImages of Tropical Cyclone Jasper’s devastating impact on far north Queensland may have driven away tourists during peak season.But the Queensland premier, Steven Miles, insists the region is “open for business”, making a $5m pitch to lure visitors back. Continue reading...

Blaze broke out at Croydon building Friday morning, with firefighters highlighting risks from lithium batteriesAn e-bike workshop has been destroyed in an early morning fire in Sydney’s inner west, causing road closures along the suburb’s shopping strip.Residents were woken just before 5am on Friday after the fire broke out at the building on Elizabeth Street in Croydon. Continue reading...

Spider measuring record 7.9cm across is almost as big as largest female collected in 2021, which was named Megaspider by Australian Reptile ParkWith fangs that could pierce a human fingernail, the largest male specimen of the world’s most venomous arachnid has found a new home at the Australian Reptile Park where it will help save lives after a member of the public discovered it...

Rank-and-file members say joining the ICJ case accusing Israel of genocide would send a ‘powerful signal to the world’Rank-and-file Labor party members are urging the Albanese government to intervene in and support South Africa’s case against Israel at the UN’s international court of justice (ICJ), pointing to Australia’s previous support of Ukraine in a similar case against Russia.The first hearing in The Hague is...

Expert says if you see a snake you should leave it alone and call for a professional catcherWhen Tennille Bankes walked into a toilet cubicle in Goondiwindi, Queensland, she was greeted by the scaly tail of a spotted black snake peaking out beneath a closed lid.The wildlife carer and snake catcher was called by police to the public bathroom after a local, surprised by...