Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
Archive for February, 2018
Australia can expect a warm, dry autumn
A warmer, dryer autumn is forecast for most of Australia after a summer of contrasts, the Bureau of Meteorology says. February 28, 2018 A warm and dry autumn is predicted for Australia. Rainfall * SA and NT will be driest with less than 10mm of rain predicted to fall in many areas – less than […]
More arrests in Mehajer crash probe
Another man has been charged over the “staged” car crash involving controversial Sydney businessman Salim Mehajer. February 28, 2018 Another man will face court over the alleged staged car crash involving controversial Sydney businessman Salim Mehajer, who is behind bars. The 27-year-old man was arrested at a home at Greystanes earlier this month and charged […]
Women told to run together on Sydney track
Police are trying to find a man over a series of indecent assaults on women on Sydney’s popular Bay Run. February 27, 2018 Women are being warned to exercise in groups around the popular Bay Run in Sydney’s inner west after three females were assaulted by a serial sex pest with fang-like teeth. Detectives are […]
Life jacket helps save NSW rock fisherman
Water police have rescued a man from rough seas off Port Kembla after he was washed off rocks on the NSW south coast. February 27, 2018 A fisherman is lucky to be alive after being washed off rocks into rough seas on the NSW south coast with authorities saying he was saved by his life […]
Women told to run together on Sydney track
Police trying to find a man who may have information about a series of indecent assaults on women on Sydney’s popular Bay Run. February 27, 2018 Women are being warned to exercise in groups around the popular Bay Run in Sydney’s inner west after three females were assaulted by a serial sex pest with fang-like […]
Search cancelled for man missing off beach
Police have called off their search for a man who was thought to have been missing after a woman’s body was found on a beach in Sydney’s east. February 23, 2018 A search has been called off for a man thought to be missing after a woman’s body was found on a beach in Sydney’s […]
Four dead in five hours on NSW roads
Four people have been killed in three separate crashes during a horror morning on NSW roads. February 23, 2018 An 18-year-old man died after his car hit a tree and burst into flames near Cootamundra in the NSW Riverina, one of four people killed on the state’s roads in just five hours. The accident just […]
Woman’s body at Syd beach; search for man
A search is underway at Sydney’s Maroubra beach for a man after a woman’s body was found overnight. February 23, 2018 A woman’s body has been found at a beach in Sydney’s east with two rescue helicopters scouring the water for a man who may also be missing. A passerby found the woman’s body, aged […]
Embrace migrants or fall behind: report
Infrastructure Australia chief executive Philip Davies says Sydney’s growth pains should not scare it off embracing immigration. February 23, 2018 Infrastructure Australia has called on Sydneysiders to embrace growth in the face of continued demands to limit the intake of new residents in the city. Treasurer Scott Morrison and former Prime Minister Tony Abbott butted heads across the […]
NAPLAN ditched from NSW HSC graduation
NSW has decoupled the year 9 NAPLAN test from the minimum standard of numeracy and literacy for high school graduation. February 22, 2018 NSW year 9 students will no longer have to worry about their NAPLAN marks affecting their high school graduation. The NSW government has separated the controversial test from the minimum standard of numeracy […]
Two Sydney men accused of indecent acts
Two men are due to face court in separate incidents for allegedly performing indecent acts in front of schoolgirls and a woman. February 22, 2018 Two men have been arrested for performing acts of indecency in front of Sydney schoolgirls. Both men are due to face court after being charged over the unrelated incidents in North […]
More arrests after family feud in NSW town
Ten people have been charged after two mass brawls, reportedly between two large feuding families, left a NSW neighbourhood littered with broken bottles. February 21, 2018 More arrests have been made after a series of massive street brawls and the seizure of a samurai sword in a northern NSW town. Police were called to the […]
Cops ‘know’ who’s behind gangland murder
Police believe the body of Raphael Joseph, who had faced charges over a gangland killing, could be buried at a property northwest of Sydney. February 20, 2018 Detectives believe they know who murdered Sydney gangland figure Raphael Joseph in 2014 and they’re hoping a large-scale search on the city’s outskirts will uncover his remains. NSW Police […]
Premiers cold on ministerial sex ban
Premiers in NSW, Queensland, SA and WA have dismissed the idea of matching Malcolm Turnbull’s ban on sex between ministers and their staff. February 16, 2018 Premiers in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia have ruled out matching Malcolm Turnbull’s ban on sexual relations between ministers and their staff. The state’s leaders have no […]
Protesters angry at Basin plan tantrum
The NSW government’s threat to walk away from the Murray-Darling Basin plan has protesters in Sydney seeing red. February 16, 2018 Protesters have gathered outside state parliament in Sydney to vent their fury over the NSW government’s threat to walk away from the Murray-Darling Basin plan. The protest came after federal Labor and Greens senators […]
Airport workers protest shift changes
Aviation workers are set to protest at major airports as the Federal Court begins to hear a case which could result in split shifts for staff. February 16, 2018 Aviation workers are set to protest at major airports around the nation over proposed changes to pay and working conditions which they say risk safety and security. […]
Dive on Sydney’s last Japanese sub-wreck
More than 75 years after a Japanese midget submarine attacked Sydney, the public has been permitted to dive on the wreck. February 15, 2018 Ten lucky divers have been granted rare access to the wreckage of a World War II Japanese midget submarine off Sydney’s northern beaches. The group was allowed to dive the M24 […]
NSW Hunter blaze eases, RFS stays alert
The RFS expects a bushfire in the NSW Hunter Valley to worsen despite conditions easing overnight. February 15, 2018 A bushfire that’s burned through thousands of hectares of national park in the NSW Hunter Valley could take two weeks to extinguish despite conditions easing overnight. The Rural Fire Service downgraded the emergency warning for the […]
Scientists making harbour water drinkable
The CSIRO has used Sydney’s often-polluted harbour to help develop a new water filter membrane that could save lives around the world. February 15, 2018 Sydney’s often-polluted harbour has played a starring role in the development of a new CSIRO water-filter coating that could save lives around the world. The new graphene filter coating is […]
Sydney ferry becomes Valentine’s love boat
Sydney’s Manly ferry became a love boat on Valentine’s Day with 17 couples married aboard the iconic Sydney Harbour commuter. February 14, 2018 A pair of loved-up ferry workers are among 17 couples who charted a course for married-life aboard a Sydney harbour ferry on Valentine’s Day. Ray Windle, 49, and Jennifer Tucker, 50, who […]
Fire ban as NSW braces for a scorcher
NSW is bracing for hot and windy conditions with a total fire ban in force across parts of the state. February 13, 2018 Total fire bans have been declared for much of NSW as residents are warned to prepare for hot and windy conditions. Conditions on Wednesday will be difficult for firefighters with RFS Commissioner […]
Rudd to fight watered-down Closing the Gap
Kevin Rudd, speaking ahead of the 10th anniversary of his apology to indigenous Australians, says more needs to be done to close the gap for Aboriginal people. February 9, 2018 Former prime minister Kevin Rudd says he’ll fight any attempt to water down the Closing the Gap strategy for indigenous Australians. Days before the 10th anniversary […]
NSW rail jobs may go under new pay deal
The Rail Tram and Bus Union will consider a new pay package offered by the NSW government to the state’s train drivers. February 8, 2018 NSW train workers have been offered a three per cent annual pay rise for the next three years as part of a fresh offer from the state government – but […]
Body recovery op resumes at NSW beach
Police divers and lifesavers are trying to recover the body of a man who drowned after he was swept out to sea at a notorious northern NSW beach. February 8, 2018 Emergency services are trying to retrieve the body of a man who drowned after he was swept out to sea at a notorious northern […]