Residents in several Victorian and South Australian towns are fighting proposed McDonald's developments. Opponents raise concerns about health, traffic, family businesses and local identity. On Phillip Island, plans for a store near a primary school have drawn strong objections. McDonald's says the proposed Phillip Island outlet will create up to 120 jobs, though critics question this. A public health professor says the wider food environment and marketing shape diets. Victoria is considering a private members' bill that would let councils reject fast-food outlets on public health grounds.
Mick Mundine, a 79-year-old leader in Sydney's Aboriginal community, was arrested in Redfern on Thursday morning. He faces charges related to alleged sexual assaults of a 15-year-old girl in 1986. The offences were investigated by Strike Force Millersburg, established in 2025. Mundine, CEO of the Aboriginal Housing Company, was granted bail and will appear in Downing Centre Local Court. His family includes boxing figures Tony and Anthony Mundine.
Indigenous Elder and entrepreneur Mick Mundine has appeared in Sydney's Downing Centre court on child sexual assault charges. The 79-year-old was arrested on Thursday over an alleged 1986 assault on a Redfern teenager. Sydney councillor Yvonne Weldon has publicly identified herself as the alleged victim, who was 15 at the time. Mundine is on bail and will next be heard on October 28. His lawyer says he intends to fight the charges, which include indecent assault.
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Indigenous Elder and entrepreneur Mick Mundine has appeared in Sydney's Downing Centre court on child sexual assault charges. The 79-year-old was arrested on Thursday over an alleged 1986 assault on a Redfern teenager. Sydney councillor Yvonne Weldon has publicly identified herself as the alleged victim, who was 15 at the time. Mundine is on bail and will next be heard on October 28. His lawyer says he intends to fight the charges, which include indecent assault.
City of Sydney councillor Yvonne Weldon has publicly confirmed she is the complainant in a historical child sexual assault case against Aboriginal leader Mick Mundine. Weldon said in an Instagram statement that she had carried the matter for 40 years and wanted to speak out for children and survivors. Police arrested Mundine, 79, at 7am in Redfern on Thursday 8 October. He was charged with sexual assault and sexual assault against a person under 16, and granted conditional bail. He is due at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday 14 October.
City of Sydney councillor Yvonne Weldon has publicly confirmed she is the complainant in a historical child sexual assault case against Aboriginal leader Mick Mundine. Weldon said in an Instagram statement that she had carried the matter for 40 years and wanted to speak out for children and survivors. Police arrested Mundine, 79, at 7am in Redfern on Thursday 8 October. He was charged with sexual assault and sexual assault against a person under 16, and granted conditional bail. He is due at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday 14 October.
Sydney councillor Yvonne Weldon has revealed she is the now-adult complainant in child sexual assault charges against Indigenous elder Mick Mundine. Mr Mundine, the 79-year-old chief executive of the Aboriginal Housing Company, was arrested by the Sex Crimes Squad on Thursday. He has been charged with sexual assault and sexual assault of a person under 16, over an alleged historical incident involving a 15-year-old girl in Redfern in 1986. Police have granted him bail, and he is due to face the Downing Centre Local Court next week.
The Newcastle Yowies lost 7-6 to Dunghutti RLFC 1 in the NSW Koori Knockout men’s rugby league final. The four-day tournament at Raymond Terrace’s King Park Sporting Complex brought Aboriginal communities together for football, family and culture. The Yowies’ under-13 and under-15 boys teams won their matches, while other teams also recorded close and convincing victories. Transport for NSW promoted road safety during the event, with Minister Jenny Aitchison highlighting the importance of community-focused safety messages.
Mick Mundine, a prominent Indigenous leader and uncle of boxer Anthony Mundine, has been charged with historic sexual assault offences. Police arrested the 79-year-old in Redfern on Thursday and took him to Newtown Police Station. He was granted conditional bail and will appear in Downing Centre Local Court next week. The charges relate to allegations of assaulting a 15-year-old girl in Redfern in 1986, reported to police in 2025.
Mick Mundine, a respected Indigenous leader and CEO of the Aboriginal Housing Company, was detained in Sydney's Redfern early Thursday. The 79-year-old faces historical allegations of sexually assaulting a minor in 1986, investigated by Strike Force Millersburg since December. Police transported him to Newtown Police Station for questioning. Mundine is related to late boxer Tony Mundine and current sports figure Anthony Mundine. Authorities have not yet disclosed further details about the case.
Mick Mundine, a respected Indigenous leader and CEO of the Aboriginal Housing Company, was detained in Sydney's Redfern early Thursday. The 79-year-old faces historical allegations of sexually assaulting a minor in 1986, investigated by Strike Force Millersburg since December. Police transported him to Newtown Police Station for questioning. Mundine is related to late boxer Tony Mundine and current sports figure Anthony Mundine. Authorities have not yet disclosed further details about the case.
Mick Mundine, a 79-year-old leader in Sydney's Aboriginal community, was arrested in Redfern on Thursday morning. He faces charges related to alleged sexual assaults of a 15-year-old girl in 1986. The offences were investigated by Strike Force Millersburg, established in 2025. Mundine, CEO of the Aboriginal Housing Company, was granted bail and will appear in Downing Centre Local Court. His family includes boxing figures Tony and Anthony Mundine.
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of 20-year-old police constable Mia Lay at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney. Lay died in a car crash on Gibbons St in Redfern on September 25. NSW Premier Chris Minns described her as talented and optimistic, while police officers wiped away tears during the emotional service. A police march is expected to follow the funeral along Bathurst St in the city centre.
Mia Lay, a 20-year-old police constable, has been posthumously awarded the national police service medal after dying in a car crash in Sydney. The crash occurred on September 25 while responding to a car theft report in Redfern. At her funeral, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon praised her professionalism and dedication, noting she had only been on the job for 16 months. Lay's family and colleagues remembered her for her passion for soccer, love for life, and commitment to policing.
Blacktown pilot Aglaya Papadokokolakis flew the first commercial aircraft out of Western Sydney International Airport on Sunday. She said the milestone was a career highlight, launching operations in her home region. Her father is also a pilot, and she encouraged young women to pursue aviation despite its male-dominated reputation. The airport opened after about eight years of construction and is set to run around the clock. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially opened it at a Sunday morning ceremony, and its first international flight arrived on Monday.
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Sydney will host the 2027 Super Netball Grand Final for the first time since the competition began. The event is expected to attract more than 8,000 visitors and inject more than $4 million into the NSW visitor economy. The match will be played on Saturday 31 July at Afterpay Arena, Sydney Olympic Park, and is proposed rather than confirmed. Netball Australia chair Liz Ellis said the event would celebrate the sport's passion across New South Wales. NSW Premier Chris Minns said the state would invest more in netball, one of its biggest participation sports.
New South Wales Police Minister Yasmin Catley has defended the state's gun buyback scheme after 150 applications were lodged in its first hours. Bookings opened on Monday, and the government plans to remove up to 274,000 firearms from the community. Catley said fewer guns in circulation would make the community safer, pointing to firearms stolen across the state. Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane has criticised the scheme, arguing it focuses too heavily on licensed owners rather than illegal guns used by organised criminals.
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.
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.
