Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah has accepted an invitation to appear at the 2027 Adelaide Writers' Week. The Adelaide Festival confirmed the news as it unveiled its next program. In January, the festival board removed her from the 2026 program, citing her past statements, a decision the Festival Corporation later apologised for. The 2027 festival will run from February 25 to March 14 and includes West End play Oedipus and Bela Bartok's opera Bluebeard's Castle.
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has taken up a part-time professor of practice role at the University of Sydney. She will guest-lecture, run masterclasses and mentor students and researchers in the school of public health. Her work will focus on empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust. Ardern, who led New Zealand from 2017 to 2023, said she has been focused on leadership since leaving office. University vice-chancellor Mark Scott said her leadership showed that empathy and resolve can strengthen each other.
A 28-year-old man has been charged after an alleged fight on Banna Avenue in Griffith. Police allege he threw punches at another man in the middle of the street at about 2 am on Sunday, October 25, after being refused entry to pubs. Officers had earlier told him to leave, and police say he later swore at them and kept approaching despite being directed to leave. He was arrested, charged with behaving in an offensive manner in a public place, and granted bail. He is due to appear before Griffith Local Court on November 18.
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Police are searching for a masked man after a house fire in Sydney's inner west. An 88-year-old woman was rescued from the balcony of the Abbotsford home, which was engulfed in flames about 4am on Tuesday. Four occupants were treated for smoke inhalation and are now in a stable condition. NSW Police believe the fire was deliberately lit, with a suspect seen spreading an accelerant before fleeing in a red Holden Astra.
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.
A tradie's ute was marked with pink spray paint in Freshwater, in Sydney's northern beaches, after it blocked a driveway. Tradie Rob Rakuc said the paint was likely permanent and would cost a couple of hundred dollars to remove. A Tesla on the same street was also reportedly sprayed. Online reaction was mixed, with some people backing the act and others saying it was illegal. Similar anger over parking has surfaced in Doonside and Narrabeen, where vehicles were also marked. Under NSW law, a basic graffiti offence carries a $440 fine.
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.
NSW gun owners can book to surrender firearms under the National Gun Buyback from Monday, 2 November, before rules on keeping extra guns are finalised. Under a draft proposal, licence holders with genuine reasons such as sport shooting, pest control or business could apply to keep more than 10 guns, while recreational hunters are capped at four. Only six stations, none in the New England, will take surrenders at first. Eligible licence holders will receive letters and must book through the Gun Safe portal.
Gun owners on the North Coast will have to wait months to surrender firearms under the NSW National Gun Buyback. Grafton is the only North Coast station opening from November 2. Lismore, Ballina and Tweed Heads stations start on February 8, 2027. The limit of 10 guns per licence holder is still a draft proposal, with exemptions under consideration. Walk-ins are not accepted, and surrenders require a booking through the Gun Safe portal.
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.
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.
A 36-year-old service station worker has died in hospital, days after he was trapped under a ute on a Coffs Harbour forecourt. Police were told on Sunday that he had died, and a report will be prepared for the NSW Coroner. The man was checking underground fuel tank levels when he was hit and dragged under the vehicle. It took about half an hour to free him. Police have charged a 44-year-old woman with negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and with a breach of bail for separate offences.
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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.
A six-bedroom home at 15 Freemans Rd, Mt Eliza, has sold for $12 million, close to the suburb's $12.4 million house price record. The sale was the biggest for a house in the suburb since 2017. The listing agent, Michelle Skoglund, called it a positive sign for The Block's House 1 renovation, which is set for auction this weekend. The property sits on 3502 square metres, with about 73 metres fronting Port Phillip Bay. Mr Cooley, a well-known auctioneer, will sell House 1 on the agent's behalf.
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.
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.
