Reports of antisemitic incidents in Canberra doubled over the last financial year, ACT Policing data shows. ACT Policing received 73 reports, up from 37 the previous year, including displays, graffiti, posters, stickers and comments. Chief Police Officer Scott Lee said each report was assessed and actioned. Overall police attendances fell 7 per cent to 48,192 incidents, while family violence-related assaults made up 43 per cent of assaults. Police complaints fell to 61 from 107.
The Garage Sale Trail, Australia's biggest second-hand festival, is holding its final edition in Port Stephens. Residents can register their own garage sales and use a national map to find sales nearby during the 7-8 and 14-15 November weekends. Since starting in Bondi Beach in 2010, the event has grown across the country with support from more than 120 councils. Organisers say four million people have taken part, raising more than $52 million. Expressions of interest are open for a new organisation to take over the event.
Buyers at the upper end of the property market are increasingly seeking homes that express individuality, with built-in gallery features such as high walls, track lighting and reinforced floors. Bondi Beach artist Paul Ewart says his three-level home doubles as a studio and staging ground for an upcoming residency at QT Bondi and a sculpture exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea 2026. Balmain artist Lara Scolari works in a purpose-built studio on her home's lower level.
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NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane has told gun owners who do not want to surrender their firearms to hold on to them. She vowed to scrap key elements of the state's gun buyback scheme if the Liberals win government in the March election. The Shooters Union has urged gun owners to boycott the scheme. Phase one, due to start in two weeks, offers between $450 and $1000 to licence holders who are above the new legal limit. Sloane said the focus should be on illegal firearms held by organised criminals and terrorists instead.
The NSW police watchdog has begun hearings into police actions at a February protest in Sydney against a visit by Israeli president Isaac Herzog. The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission has received more than 800 complaints. Counsel assisting said no findings have been made. Case studies include an elderly couple hit with pepper spray and a young woman who had seizures after being sprayed. The commission will hold private hearings for five weeks before public hearings begin, then deliver a final report to parliament.
NSW's joint state and Commonwealth gun buyback opens on 2 November. Owners who hold more firearms than the new 4- or 10-gun limits allow are eligible for payments of $1000 for revolvers and $850 for semi-automatic handguns and double-barrel shotguns. Dealers can access grants of up to $25,000. A second phase, with compensation for eligible firearms valued above $3000, is planned for early 2027. The Opposition Leader, Kellie Sloane, has pledged to freeze the buyback and scrap ownership limits for farmers if elected in March, pending a commission of inquiry.
A Sydney man who made death threats to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the Bondi Beach attack has avoided jail. Gregory William Tait, 44, of Greystanes, pleaded guilty to two charges of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence. Acting Judge Timothy Keady sentenced him to a two-year good behaviour bond. Tait apologised for his behaviour, saying he had been drinking, taking sleeping pills and grieving his father's death. The judge said politicians should be able to do their jobs without such threats.
Firearms manufacturer Jeff Bacon will be second on One Nation's upper house ticket in New South Wales. He wants the state's post-Bondi gun laws repealed, saying every rifle his Tamworth company makes has been banned in the state. Bacon said his business faces collapse because of the reforms. Gun reforms passed in December limit recreational licence holders and include a federal buyback scheme. A Resolve poll in September found 63 per cent of voters supported the reforms, while 33 per cent of One Nation voters opposed them.
Kiama woman Judi Sandilands-Cincotta and her therapy dog Ollie have been named among 15 finalists for the inaugural Australia's Kindest Person Awards. Judi, a former mental health nurse, volunteered with Ollie at Bondi Beach after the attacks there. Since then they have visited schools, courts, hospitals and libraries across the region to offer comfort. Teachers at Lake Illawarra High School nominated Judi for her work supporting young people's mental health. The winners will be announced on 13 November at a gala night at Dreamworld Resort, with the winner receiving $25,000 to donate to a charity of their choice.
Melbourne punk band Amyl and the Sniffers will headline the Golden Hour festival at Bondi Beach on March 4. The band will be joined by rapper BARKAA and post-punk group Xiao Xiao. Organisers have returned the $99.90 Affordability ticket, aimed at making the event more accessible. Eligible concession, healthcare, pension, seniors and veteran cardholders, students and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can access discounted entry. Waverley area residents will have a dedicated locals presale. General ticket sales open at noon on Thursday, October 22.
Barnaby Joyce has accused Josh Frydenberg of plotting to return to politics and take over the Liberal Party. Joyce said Frydenberg's actions were 'very bad for Angus Taylor’s health' and urged him to 'cut the BS'. Frydenberg, who lost his seat in 2022, has hinted at a possible return, citing the need for better leadership in the party. Taylor welcomed Frydenberg's potential support for the party's economic plans.
Jetour T1 and T2 mid-size SUVs have been spotted testing in Australia, with both expected to be the first models offered by the Chery Group brand when it launches here in 2027. Photos sent by a reader show the camouflaged vehicles parked at Bondi Beach. Jetour will be run separately from other Chery Group brands in Australia. The larger F700 ute and G700 off-road SUV are not expected until the second half of 2027 at the earliest.
Secret extra hearings will be held by the anti-Semitism royal commission to examine Australia's counter-terrorism, intelligence and law enforcement agencies before the Bondi attack. Commissioner Virginia Bell said the sessions will be closed to the public because of the sensitivity of the evidence and to avoid prejudice to national security and ongoing criminal proceedings. The hearings will review the security environment, how intelligence about individuals was shared, security arrangements for the Chanukah by the Sea event, and counter-terrorism resourcing.
An 88-year-old woman has died in hospital after she was struck by a car in Pyree, in the NSW Shoalhaven region. Police were called to Pyree Lane at about 1:45 pm on Saturday, 24 October, after reports of a pedestrian being hit. Paramedics treated the woman at the scene before she was flown to St George Hospital in a critical condition. Police were told on Sunday, 25 October, that she had died. The 43-year-old driver returned a negative result on a roadside breath test and was taken to Shoalhaven Memorial Hospital for mandatory testing.
A whale calf carcass has washed ashore at Malabar Beach in Sydney, the third landing spot for the same animal. Randwick Council workers moved the remains up the sand, roped off the area and closed the beach on Tuesday. Council said strong currents moved the carcass from Lurline Bay and that it will be removed and disposed of on Tuesday 27 October. Earlier, Coogee and Maroubra beaches were shut after the carcass became stuck against rocks at Lurline Bay.
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The NSW Government has committed $6.8 billion to electrify the South Coast rail line between Kiama and Bomaderry and to double tracks at key bottlenecks. Construction is expected to be complete by the mid-to-late 2030s, with detailed planning starting in 2027. The announcement follows the government scrapping timetable changes that were due to take effect in November after community concerns. Premier Chris Minns said the upgrade would deliver faster, more reliable trains. An immediate $621 million will fund upgrades to power, signalling and flood protection ahead of the main works.
Police are searching for a man in a balaclava after a suspected arson attack on a house in Abbotsford, in Sydney's inner west. Four people were taken to hospital. An 88-year-old woman was rescued by a 49-year-old man who climbed a ladder. A neighbour confronted the man while he was allegedly setting the house alight. Police believe he fled in a red Holden Astra and had suffered burns. About 40 firefighters attended the blaze, which spread to an adjoining house.
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has been hired as a professor of practice at the University of Sydney. The 46-year-old joins the faculty of medicine and health, where the role will focus on empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust. Ardern will explore ways to address global health challenges, inclusion and wellbeing, and will lead guest lectures and masterclasses. The university says the position is not a full-time teaching role. Ardern and her family moved to Australia in February, reportedly buying a $5.3 million home on Sydney's northern beaches.
Will Lee has served 56 years with the NSW Rural Fire Service, which he began after helping fight a major fire in the northern Illawarra in 1968. He joined the Austinmer Bushfire Brigade in 1970 and went on to hold several leadership roles, including Group Captain. He was recognised with a National Medal with a fourth clasp at a recent ceremony, where his daughter Belinda Lee also received a 40-year Long Service Medal. Will now focuses on training young firefighters. He says the job of an old firefighter is to teach young firefighters to become old firefighters.
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern will lecture and mentor at the University of Sydney, beginning this month. Her work will focus on empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust. Based in the school of public health, she will host guest lectures and masterclasses, although the university says it is not a full-time teaching role. Vice-chancellor Mark Scott praised Ardern's leadership, saying empathy and resolve can strengthen each other. Ardern moved to Australia earlier this year.
Local Government NSW is calling for a $5 billion interest-free loan scheme to help councils build roads, drainage and other infrastructure needed for housing. Councils would repay the loans through developer contributions as development progresses. The peak body says thousands of homes are being delayed by inadequate infrastructure, particularly in outer metropolitan Sydney and regional areas. LGNSW president Darcy Byrne urged all political parties to back the proposal ahead of the state election. The plan also includes $3 billion in upfront state and regional infrastructure funding and allows developer contributions to fund community facilities.
The Rotary Club of West Pennant Hills and Cherrybrook is running its Trees of Joy campaign again this year, aiming to deliver more than 1,000 Christmas gifts. Shoppers choose a gift from a bauble bearing a person's story and wish, then return it to a drop-off point. The club works with more than 10 local charities to reach children and adults who may otherwise go without. Trees are at four shopping centres in Cherrybrook, Westleigh, Pennant Hills and Thornleigh from 2 November until 10 December. Rotary asks people to return gifts early to ease distribution.
Randwick Council has closed Malabar Beach in Sydney's east after whale remains washed up there. The juvenile whale carcass had earlier drifted onto the shore at Lurline Bay last week. Council lifeguards fenced off the area over concern the carcass could attract sharks. Council moved the remains further up the beach and is arranging contractors to dispose of them. The beach will stay closed until further notice.
A man in a balaclava may have set himself on fire while torching a home in Sydney’s inner west, leaving four people hospitalised. Police believe the offender, who fled in a red Holden Astra, acted alone. A 49-year-old resident and police officers rescued an 88-year-old woman from the flames. The house on Weddle Ave was destroyed, and the hunt for the offender continues.
