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.
The State Government has approved a 17-building development near Caddens Corner shopping centre, adding 482 apartments despite significant community objection. Planning Minister Paul Scully signed off on the project, which Penrith City Council opposed. The Sydney Western City Planning Panel had initially refused it in 2024. Claremont Meadows resident Jennifer Newman said the approval was baffling given unresolved traffic and infrastructure concerns. Londonderry MP Prue Car backed the decision, saying housing and infrastructure must be delivered together.
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NSW Police have charged a 46-year-old man from Sydney's northwest with using a carriage service to groom a child under 16. Police allege Kerim Tokcan was found engaging in a sexual act in his car at his workplace on Monday morning. Officers also seized electronic devices from his Rouse Hill home. Tokcan faces charges of possessing and soliciting child abuse material and wilful and obscene exposure in a public place. He was refused bail at Penrith Local Court on Monday and his case will return to the court in January.
Six NSW police stations, including Penrith, will accept surrendered firearms from November 2 under a new national gun buyback scheme. Eligible licence holders will receive compensation at a fixed price schedule. More stations will join in December, and the scheme will run for 12 months. Participants must book through the Gun Safe portal, as walk-in surrenders will not be accepted. Police and Counter-terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley said fewer guns in the community would make it safer.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has said he will absolutely not take part in the national gun buyback, arguing good people should keep their weapons. NSW police stations in six locations will accept surrendered guns from November 2, with 34 more sites opening from December 1. NSW is the only state so far to sign up, and the scheme will compensate people for firearms they can no longer legally own. NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said fewer guns in the community means a safer community.
Firearms licence holders in NSW can now book through the Gun Safe portal to surrender eligible guns and ammunition for compensation. The scheme officially starts on 2 November and is expected to see up to 274,000 firearms returned in the state. It follows the Bondi Beach terror attack earlier this year, in which 15 people were killed. Only Sutherland and Penrith police stations take bookings in the first phase, with more stations opening later in November and in 2027. Police Minister Yasmin Catley said fewer guns in the community mean a safer community.
Western Sydney International Airport has opened for its first commercial flights. The inaugural Jetstar service to the Gold Coast sold out in 45 minutes. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially opened the airport at a ceremony on Sunday morning. The airport is about 50 kilometres from the city centre and will operate without a curfew. It is expected to host 10 million passengers a year by the 2030s and support up to 8,500 jobs. Its first overseas flight is due to land on Monday morning.
Labor has announced that Penrith City councillor Garion Thain will contest the Badgerys Creek seat at the March 2027 state election. It is his second attempt at the seat, after he ran against Liberal MP Tanya Davies in 2023. Davies recently announced she would not contest the election, and the Liberals have yet to name a replacement. The Liberal Party currently holds the seat with a 10.5 per cent margin. Premier Chris Minns said he hoped the seat would fall to Labor.
The first passenger flight took off from Western Sydney International Airport this morning, about 20 minutes behind schedule. Jetstar flight JQ362 headed for the Gold Coast. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially opened the airport, which was first chosen for Sydney's second airport at Badgerys Creek 40 years ago. Politicians from all sides attended the opening. Airlines including Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways will operate from the airport, and the first international flight to New Zealand is due tomorrow.
The first passenger flight took off from Western Sydney International Airport this morning, about 20 minutes behind schedule. Jetstar flight JQ362 headed for the Gold Coast. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially opened the airport, which was first chosen for Sydney's second airport at Badgerys Creek 40 years ago. Politicians from all sides attended the opening. Airlines including Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways will operate from the airport, and the first international flight to New Zealand is due tomorrow.
Penrith City Council will consider a $72 million construction contract for the first stage of the Dunheved Road upgrade at its Monday night meeting. The council has split the 4.2km Werrington project into three stages after a funding shortfall. It says it lacks the money to complete the second and third stages and has formally requested more federal funding. The federal government committed $127 million in 2020, but work has yet to start. The council's report also says it will accept contractor Georgiou Group's pricing for the later stages if extra funding is secured.
The NSW Government has approved a 17-building development of 482 apartments at Caddens, despite 147 public submissions objecting to the plan. The project will replace the car park at Caddens Corner shopping centre and includes 79 affordable apartments. Penrith City Council and the Sydney Western City Planning Panel had opposed the project, which the panel refused in 2024. Planning Minister Paul Scully approved the plan on Friday. The developer says the project will create 600 construction jobs and 81 operational jobs.
Bulldogs football boss Phil Gould has confirmed that Matt Burton can approach rival clubs before he officially becomes a free agent. Gould said the early approach would help both parties gauge Burton's true value. He stressed that he loves Burton, wants to keep him, and that neither side has yet discussed money for 2028 onwards. Burton reportedly wanted to play five-eighth rather than centre, and is believed to be of interest to the Chiefs, Bears, Parramatta and Penrith.
Badgerys Creek MP Tanya Davies will not contest the 2027 State Election, a decision she announced on Thursday afternoon. She said her time in Parliament had been an honour and a deep privilege. The decision leaves the Liberal Party without a candidate in three local seats, with none confirmed for Penrith or Londonderry, five months before the election. Davies first won the seat of Mulgoa from Labor in 2011 and was returned at three later elections. She did not say what prompted her decision.
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In this episode, Troy and Nathan look at four Penrith players who are out of contract, and what the approaching 1 November deadline could mean for them. They also cover the latest from the World Cup. The hosts ask how far the Panthers should build their campaign around the idea that this is Ivan Cleary's final season in charge. The discussion treats the contract situation and the coaching farewell narrative as open questions rather than settled matters.
The New Zealand Warriors have reportedly locked in 2026 Dally M Hooker of the Year Wayde Egan on a 12-month extension. Egan was set to come off contract at the end of 2027, so the deal keeps him at the club for at least the next two NRL seasons and off the player market on November 1. The Warriors have also granted fellow hooker Sam Healey early permission to speak with rival clubs for 2028. Egan, who joined from Penrith in 2020, will enter his ninth season with the club in 2028.
Western Sydney International Airport will have its first commercial flight this Sunday, 25 October. The airport, in Luddenham, has four terminals and two runways and plans to handle 10 million passengers a year. Travellers can reach it by train to St Marys followed by a free shuttle bus, which takes about 20 minutes, or by a faster Super Shuttle service at a higher fare. Jetstar will be the first airline to fly from the airport, with flights to Brisbane, Melbourne and the Gold Coast. Several other airlines will follow in coming months and years.
Keeping children entertained need not be expensive. Five family days out in and around Sydney are suggested, including Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park at Doonside and Sydney Zoo at Bungarribee. Taronga Zoo can be combined with a harbour ferry ride, and Luna Park entry is free with only rides paid for. Booking attractions in advance through Klook, bundling attractions and watching for sales can help the budget go further.
