A NSW police officer who groomed and coerced a teenager into sex after meeting her while on duty has been jailed for at least three years. Matthew Robert Townsend admitted pursuing the 15-year-old after taking a statement from her when she was physically assaulted at school. The 29-year-old former probationary constable pursued the schoolgirl using … Read more
Almost a million Australians are set to see a cash boost in the new year, as indexation to government payments takes effect from January 1. More than 936,000 Australians receiving youth, student or carer support will see a 6 per cent boost to their payments. The increases to payments ensure that Australians receiving support can … Read more
A young couple’s wedding has been saved after Qantas was able to quickly reschedule flights cancelled amid ex-tropical cyclone Jasper — and airline staff personally ensured their connecting flight was also booked so they could be home in time to tie the knot. Hannah Jefferies and Dylan Stitt were planning to fly from Cape York … Read more
A revered rural fire captain has died while responding to a car blaze in regional New South Wales, just hours after a firefighter was killed in a house blaze in Sydney. Group Captain Dale Bowles is being remembered as “energetic, dedicated and accomplished” following a fatal medical episode on the way to the fire in … Read more
A lost love for letters means posties will only deliver them to most Australians every second day, but parcels will still be dropped off daily. After recording a $200 million loss, Australia Post is shifting its priorities to packages, with half a billion parcels delivered to people in the last financial year. WATCH THE VIDEO … Read more
An Australian tourist has died in Bali in a hit-and-run scooter crash. The 33-year-old was left for dead following a collision on the Persinggahan Hwy in Klungkung, in Bali’s southeast, about 3.30pm on Tuesday. The traveller was riding a Honda Scoopy scooter along Persinggahan Hwy when a speeding bike, coming in the opposite direction, crashed … Read more
Two pedestrians and several cars were hit as chaos erupted at a Coles carpark in Sydney’s southwest on Thursday morning. An elderly man, who police say was driving the out-of-control car, and a pedestrian were taken to hospital. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Out-of-control car hits two pedestrians in shopping centre carpark. Watch the latest news … Read more
Thousands of students will have part of their HECS/HELP debt waived due to an admin error. About 13,748 individuals were affected by delayed HECS loan records from 104 institutions. The Department of Education said it had been working with universities since the start of the year to “correct records for current and former higher education … Read more
A prominent South Australian publican has claimed the price of the humble chicken schnitty could rise to as much as $40 — but not for the reasons you may think. Rather than the price of chicken rising as production costs increase, it’s feared moves to cut emissions net-zero could have consequences for the pub favourite. … Read more
Kathleen Folbigg — who spent two decades in prison after being convicted of killing her four children — has had her name cleared after the NSW Court of Appeal quashed her convictions. Folbigg, 55, was pardoned and released from prison in May, following the conclusion of a second inquiry into her murder and manslaughter convictions … Read more
