NSW lifts drone ban over Sydney beach after shark attack – as it happened

Surf Life Saving NSW granted exemption to fly drones over Coogee beach, minister says

In the press conference at Coogee just now. the NSW agriculture minister, Tara Moriarty, said the government was working with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa) to ensure that Surf Life Saving NSW would be able to fly drones over Coogee beach as part of its shark monitoring program.

double quotation mark We’ve got a partnership with Surf Life Saving NSW and Surfing NSW to run a drone program. They haven’t been able to fly drones over Coogee beach because of proximity to Sydney airport and Casa rules.

Surf Life Saving NSWs have applied to Casa for an urgent … exemption to be able to fly drones over Coogee Beach, that has been granted,. we, as a NSW government, will work with Surf Life Saving NSW to work with Casa to make sure that that becomes permanent.

And that’s where we’ll leave you this afternoon. Here’s a wrap of what we learned today:

Liberal frontbencher Jonathon Duniam says he will quit politics before the next election. saying the decision was made in the best interest of his family.

The federal health minister, Mark Butler, says the NDIS will “still be Australia’s biggest social program outside aged pension” despite strong criticism from people with disability. their advocates about the government’s proposed changes to the scheme.

The body of a young girl has been recovered from Sydney’s Parramatta River after her father was also found dead earlier on Saturday. with an investigation into their deaths continuing.

A nine-year-old Australian girl has been killed. her father and brother seriously injured in Pakistan after local police reportedly shot at their car, mistaking it for that of suspected criminals.

Wet road conditions may have been a factor in the death of Australian sprinter Jemma Stapleton. according to local media reports in Thailand.

Tara Moriarty. NSW minister for agriculture, has said “nothing is off the table” in terms of how the government deals with the risks of future shark attacks.

A permanent memorial will be established at Bondi beach to remember those killed in the terror attack in December last year.

The founder of a women-only social media app found by the federal court to have discriminated against a transgender woman is seeking to appeal against the decision in the high court.

Thanks so much for your company today. Our live news blog will be back bright and early tomorrow morning. See you then.

Local media in Thailand say wet road conditions were a factor in the death of Australian sprinter Jemma Stapleton.

Stapleton had been on a family holiday in Koh Samui,. was riding a motorcycle before the crash in the province of Surat Thani in the island’s south, according to the Bangkok Post.

Slippery road conditions appeared to have been a factor in the road accident involving three vehicles. the paper said, citing comments from provincial police chief, Maj Suwat Suksri, on Saturday:

double quotation mark Police on Saturday released CCTV video that captured the moments leading to the fatal crash. It showed Stapleton’s motorcycle losing traction. falling before sliding into the opposite lane while an oncoming car was approaching, causing a violent collision with the rider, police said.

Her body was thrown more than 20 metres along the road. while the motorcycle slid to a halt in front of another vehicle travelling behind the first car …

Police were told that Stapleton had been riding ahead of family members, who were travelling behind on other motorcycles. Investigators believe the wet road surface and slippery conditions contributed to the accident.

More World Cup fan gatherings

Guardian Australia’s audience editor Dave Earley is watching the match in the Sydney suburb of Earlwood. at Earlwood Oval, with a crowd of other locals.

The watch event is being held by the Earlwood Wanderers football club. with what looks to be a very strong turnout.

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Fisher dies after being swept off rocks on NSW coast

A fisher has died after being swept off the rocks on New South Wales’ north coast today, according to police.

Emergency services were called to Conner Hurley lookout at Evans Head shortly after 11am today after reports a rock fisher was swept into the water. NSW police said in a statement this afternoon.

Police accompanied by Surf Life Saving NSW and NSW Ambulance paramedics attended. The man could not be revived and died at the scene.

An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is in progress,. police said initial inquiries led them to believe the man was fishing on a rock wall nearby when he was swept into the water.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

If you’d like to follow along with the Socceroos match. Jonathan Howcroft has all the updates here in our dedicated World Cup blog:

I’m in Federation Square, Melbourne, waiting to watch match six of the 2026 World Cup. Australia v Turkey! The crowd is buzzing. It’s a sea of green and gold and the occasional red.

I’m chatting to Michael, a Socceroos fan sporting a gold and green scarf. He says there’s something special about The World Cup:

double quotation mark It just brings everyone together. Doesn’t matter what nationality you are. You all come together as Australians.

I see in the distance two legends on very tall stilt legs with very big muscles (real or not. I’m not sure). I go over to chat. Their view from high up there is great, apparently. They say there’s a “vibration in the air.”

We are 15 minutes off from the start of the match. I’m off to enjoy some drummers dancing in the crowd!

Maxim Buckley studies how leukaemia cells communicate with each other. It’s critical research. as a PhD student he’s paid just $18.50 an hour, a rate that’s just above the poverty line.

The 29-year-old is in his final months of research at University of Adelaide on acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. which predominantly affects children, research that will help future treatments of the cancer.

Buckley rents a room in a share house with four others. takes on university tutoring and paper marking to make ends meet beyond the minimum 38 hours he spends per week on his PhD. His salary is below the minimum wage, which will hit $26.44 an hour from 1 July.

The minimum research training program (RTP) scholarship – at $34,315 – sank below the Henderson Poverty Line in September 2025. The last significant boost was under former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd in 2009. The government has been sitting on a report it commissioned by an independent expert panel. recommended urgently increasing the stipend.

Read more on this story here:

Fellow Tasmanian Liberal, Bridget Archer, has thanked outgoing frontbencher Jonno Duniam for his time in politics.

Duniam, who was elected to parliament in 2016. is seen as one of the Liberals’ best talents, said it was an “extremely difficult decision to make” but one he had been considering for “quite some time” to spend more time with family.

Archer, who was ousted as the federal member for Bass at the 2025 federal election, is one of the state’s more moderate Liberals. wished Duniam, the conservative faction operator, the best for the future.

double quotation mark It’s no secret that political life can take its toll, especially when it comes to family.

I want to thank Jonno for his years of service. commitment to the Tasmanian people, and I wish him and his family all the very best for the future.

Music festivals have been a mainstay of New Zealand’s summers for decades and, for many, a cultural rite of passage. Up-and-coming local artists cut their teeth on the festival circuit and larger events draw international acts to the isolated country.

But the music community is becoming increasingly alarmed as it watches the country’s local independent festivals buckle under the weight of tough economic conditions, dwindling funding. the rise of international promoters, whose big budget events are difficult to match.

Henry Oliver in Auckland has the full story here:

Australian cookbook authors win prestigious prize

Two Australian cookbook authors have claimed medallions in the James Beard media awards. one of the most prestigious prizes in the food publishing world.

The awards, announced in Chicago on Saturday evening local time, recognise books, media. journalism covering food and drink that have been published or broadcast in the United States.

Read the full story here:

Surf Life Saving NSW granted exemption to fly drones over Coogee beach, minister says

In the press conference at Coogee just now. the NSW agriculture minister, Tara Moriarty, said the government was working with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa) to ensure that Surf Life Saving NSW would be able to fly drones over Coogee beach as part of its shark monitoring program.

double quotation mark We’ve got a partnership with Surf Life Saving NSW and Surfing NSW to run a drone program. They haven’t been able to fly drones over Coogee beach because of proximity to Sydney airport and Casa rules.

Surf Life Saving NSWs have applied to Casa for an urgent … exemption to be able to fly drones over Coogee Beach, that has been granted,. we, as a NSW government, will work with Surf Life Saving NSW to work with Casa to make sure that that becomes permanent.