Local stories, community first — Sydney and beyond.
Isaac Heeney has won his third consecutive best and fairest award with the Sydney Swans, despite being absent from the ceremony due to a club-imposed ban for breaching standards. The award marks Heeney as the 11th player in South Melbourne and Sydney Swans history to claim three best and fairest titles.
The city of Newcastle is going all out to celebrate the Knights' first NRL grand final appearance in 25 years, with fans getting tattoos, eating blue sausages, and showing their team spirit. Local businesses are also getting behind the team, with blue and red decorations and Knights-themed food popping up around town.
The University of Newcastle has agreed to a $7.55 million settlement with 163 students who took the institution to court over an unaccredited engineering degree. The students, who undertook a Bachelor of Medical Engineering (honors) in 2018 and 2019, claimed the university had misled them by suggesting the course was accredited.
Residents in Western Sydney are living in fear after a spate of mistaken-identity shootings linked to organised crime. Eight innocent people have reportedly been killed in such incidents since 2021, with two killed in separate shootings less than 48 hours apart last month.
Jenna Forrester has broken the Australian women's 400m individual medley record at the Australian Short Course Championships in Sydney, while Flynn Southam claimed victory in the men's 100m freestyle. The championships continue to deliver standout performances, with Olivia Wunsch and Rowan Crothers also securing wins.
Jai Arrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease earlier this year, has been told 'nothing' about a pre-game tribute planned for him ahead of Sunday's NRL grand final. Arrow was honoured with the Provan-Summons Medal at the Dally M Awards for embodying the spirit of the game.
The rugby league community is gathering tonight in Sydney for the annual Dally M Awards. Nathan Cleary and Tamika Upton are favourites to take home the top honours in the NRL and NRLW.
A popular Sydney yum cha restaurant, Emperor's Garden, has reached an agreement to repay over $1 million in tax debt to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), amid discussions to reopen the cream puff eatery. The 47-year-old restaurant in Chinatown suddenly closed in August amid scrutiny from the ATO over unpaid bills.
Australia's major telcos are set to activate a temporary disaster roaming agreement, providing mobile coverage to customers in regional areas affected by severe weather. The system will allow customers to access a rival network if their own goes down during a weather emergency.
A massive $15 billion data centre is being proposed for a site near Wagga Wagga in south-western New South Wales. The development, if approved, would be one of the biggest planned data centres in Australia.
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