The NSW Opposition says cafés could be fined $22,000 if they fail to offer a reusable cup under a proposed bill. Under the bill, businesses would have to offer reusable cups through a reuse scheme and could not charge for them. Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh says the plan adds costs and red tape for struggling businesses. The Liberals and Nationals have moved amendments to scrap the mandatory scheme and exempt small businesses, but Labor and the Greens voted against them. The Opposition says the government has not explained how the scheme would work in practice.
Aboriginal names could soon be considered for streets and buildings in Coffs Harbour under the city's first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy. Councillors endorsed the strategy at their latest monthly meeting after it was strengthened following public exhibition and community yarn sessions. The strategy outlines 38 actions and was developed with the Yandaarra Aboriginal Advisory Committee. Short-term actions include compiling a database of Gumbaynggirr and local Aboriginal names, adding Acknowledgement to Country to email signatures, and creating a network of Reconciliation Champions. Progress updates will be provided through the City's reporting framework.
Coffs Harbour radio host Michael Moffett will leave the Triple M Coffs Coast breakfast show on Friday, 6 November. He is moving to Canberra to host Forever Classic Workdays on 2CA, starting in mid-November. He replaces Rob Duckworth, who has been filling several on-air roles across the network. Capital Radio Network content director Mike Byrne praised Moffett for his work in local radio. Local political and civic leaders, including Cowper MP Pat Conaghan and Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams, have paid tribute to him. No replacement for the Coffs Harbour breakfast spot has been named.
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Coffs Harbour voters will go to the polls on Saturday 12 December to fill a single councillor role. The NSW Electoral Commission will run the by-election after Paul Amos resigned from the council. Voting is compulsory, and residents are urged to check their enrolment details online, especially if they have recently moved. Mayor Nikki Williams said the community will choose a candidate to represent them on council. Early voting opens on 5 December, and results are due on 31 December.
A Coffs Harbour couple held the first wedding ever staged at the Big Banana sculpture, which has stood for 62 years. Historian Angie Derrett and partner Corey Murtagh married there on Saturday 17 October 2026. The bride and bridesmaids arrived in garbage trucks, and guests wore costumes for an Alice in Wonderland meets Willy Wonka theme. Around 100 family and friends attended the reception, where the decorations and croquet sticks were made by family and friends at Marian Grove. Derrett said the couple wanted a celebration of their love and of Coffs Harbour.
The City of Coffs Harbour will hold an information session for prospective by-election candidates on Wednesday 28 October. The one-hour session, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm in the River Oak Room at Yarrila Place, will explain the work and responsibilities of a local councillor. Candidates do not need expert knowledge of local government, as councillors come from diverse backgrounds. General Manager Murray Wood said the role involves major decisions affecting the community's future, and urged people considering a run to attend and ask questions.
A free family event at the Coffs Harbour Jetty foreshore on Friday, 23 October, will feature emergency service displays, food trucks, live music, a firefighters' torchlight parade and a fireworks display over the harbour. The Community Engagement Evening runs from 5pm to 9pm and precedes the 2026 NSW Firefighter State Championships. Around 200 competitors from NSW and Victoria will compete at Maclean Street Sporting Fields on Saturday and Sunday, with entry free for spectators. Organisers say the championships are the first held in Coffs Harbour since 2003.
Business Professional Women Coffs Coast says gender equality remains an issue, despite progress in some areas. The group points to an ABC Four Corners investigation published on 18 October, in which more than 100 women described job losses, reduced hours and unfair treatment linked to pregnancy or having a child. The group will host a panel discussion titled "The Equality Conversation: Women, Feminism and What Comes Next" under the theme "Equality in 2026: Where Are We Now?" The group has also asked any woman who has faced such discrimination to get in touch.
Three Mid North Coast players were part of the Oztag Tagaroos team that won the International Tag Federation World Cup in Coffs Harbour last weekend. The Tagaroos beat Great Britain in the final after the match finished one all and went to extra time. Di Mascord and Claire Thurlow made their debuts for Australia, while Natalie West was playing for her nation for the second time. The team won despite muddy grounds and only two group practice sessions beforehand.
Prospective candidates for a Coffs Harbour City Council by-election can attend an information session on Wednesday, 28 October, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm at the River Oak Room, Yarrila Place. The session will cover the responsibilities of councillors and the decisions they make. General Manager Murray Wood urged anyone considering running to attend and ask questions. The by-election fills the seat left vacant by Paul Amos's resignation, with polling day on Saturday, 12 December. The new councillor will serve until the September 2028 general election. Candidates do not need prior local government experience.
A 36-year-old service station worker remains in critical condition after a ute ran over him at a Coffs Harbour forecourt on Tuesday evening. Reports of him being trapped drew emergency crews to the United station on Harbour Drive around 7pm, and bystanders gave first aid before police, fire, ambulance and SES personnel freed him. He was taken to Coffs Harbour Hospital and later airlifted to John Hunter Hospital. Police were told he had been checking fuel tank levels when the collision happened.
A 36-year-old service station attendant was critically injured on Tuesday evening at a Coffs Harbour fuel station on the NSW Mid North Coast. Police allege he was pinned under a ute while checking a fuel tank's levels on the forecourt around 7pm. SES and Fire and Rescue NSW crews freed him before paramedics took him to Coffs Harbour Hospital, and he was later flown to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle. A 44-year-old woman allegedly driving the vehicle has been charged with negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm and breaching bail.
A man was critically injured after being trapped under a ute on a Coffs Harbour service station forecourt. Emergency services were called to Harbour Drive about 7pm on Tuesday, 20 October. Members of the public gave first aid before paramedics and crews freed him. He was taken to Coffs Harbour Hospital and then airlifted to John Hunter Hospital. Police allege the 44-year-old woman driver was the ute's driver. She has been charged with negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and breach of bail. She was refused bail to appear in court on Wednesday, 21 October.
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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Kiama Community Radio is hosting Blues in the Night, a fundraising event on Saturday 7 November at Kiama Leagues Club. The station, run by volunteers, is seeking support to fund its equipment, technology and facilities. Headliner Frank Sultana will perform alongside Shane Flew and Matt Ross, and Jr and the Jewel-Tones, which includes Kiama musician Dave Shaw. Doors open at 5 pm. Tickets cost $50, or $40 for station members, plus a booking fee. Every ticket sold supports the station, which has operated since 2020.
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.
Mini has unveiled the Lucky 13 Edition, an Australian-exclusive limited-run model based on the John Cooper Works three-door hatch. It honours the 1966 Bathurst 500 victory by Rauno Aaltonen and Bob Holden in a factory-backed Morris Mini Cooper S. The special edition's name comes from Mr Holden drawing number 13 from a hat and adopting it as his lucky number. Design cues include white bonnet stripes, a white roof and circular 13 decals. Just 26 cars will be built for Australia, with arrival expected in the first quarter of 2027. Pricing starts at $71,990 before on-road costs.
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.
Sexual assault complainants could face less distressing questioning in court under proposed changes. Wollongong District Court is one of three NSW courts chosen to trial new rules on how long questioning can last and what topics can be covered. The trial would run from 2027 to 2030 if passed by NSW Parliament. The Illawarra Women's Trauma Recovery Centre has welcomed the reforms, backed by $4.8 million in government funding. Attorney General Michael Daley said the changes would minimise trauma for complainants.
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.
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.
Rafael Bonachela, artistic director of Sydney Dance Company for nearly 20 years, will premiere his final work for the company in its 2027 season. The new piece will appear in a triple bill called Wild Order. Bonachela announced in March that he would leave the company in mid-2028, saying it was time for someone else to lead it. The 2027 season also includes Future Reverie, a collaboration between four choreographers, and tours to regional New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and overseas.
