James O'Doherty

A radical plan allowing new terraces, townhouses, and six-storey apartment blocks to bypass council development applications is being considered by Planning Minister Paul Scully, as a way to un-clog the planning system.

Government contractors have been caught trespassing on private property in a bid to forcibly acquire land for renewable energy transmission lines.

Transport for NSW has been short-changing property owners when compulsorily acquiring land for major infrastructure projects, pushing through “low-ball” compensation payments based on “spurious” legal principles.

The future of Moore Park is mired in uncertainty, with Treasurer Daniel Mookhey revealing the Minns government has not yet made a ­decision on how to reclaim 20ha of public green space by hacking the site’s popular ­public golf course in half.

State’s workplace insurer’s $4.9bn debt exposed as claims balloon

The Dutton Opposition has joined the fight to save Moore Park Golf Course, committing $1 million to build a multi-sport “youth recreation zone” as part of a plan to keep an 18-hole golf course while delivering 15 hectares of new public space.

Western Sydney commuters are being promised a no-frills, functional Metro service focused on getting them to and from work, with Premier Chris Minns shunning the flashy fit-outs that made four Metro City stations so expensive.

Repeat real estate underquotes should be forced to declare their offences on advertising material, the state Opposition says, as part of a crackdown to stop agents wasting buyers’ time and money.

In his own words, Premier Chris Minns’ government is heading into the second half of its term with “black eyes and bloodied noses”.

Revealed: Sydney’s Christmas comeback

Real estate agents caught illegally underquoting on auction guides are only copping a paltry fine of $2,200, with the Minister responsible now conceding he will consider a “name and shame” register to stamp out the practice.

Senior Minister Ron Hoenig forced a taxpayer-funded chauffeur to drive a 71km round trip on Christmas Day so he could be driven to the airport, which is less than 5km from his house.

Taxpayers are being slugged more than $130,000 per week for a “Big 6” law firm to give legal advice on toll reform.

Only one of the “major” road infrastructure upgrades required to service the Aerotropolis will be complete by 2027 and almost 17 other transport projects remain “unfunded”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of politicising a soiree to celebrate the Vietnamese community by inviting the Labor candidate for the seat of Fowler while snubbing sitting MP Dai Le, the only federal politician of Vietnamese heritage.

A senior government minister has been inserting songs with blatantly sexual lyrics over videos showing teenage school students, a “Women in Local Government” award winner, and a visit to a school construction site.

Inciting “racial hatred” will become a crime under a suite of measures toughening NSW hate speech laws to crack down on anti-Semitic hate crimes.

Striking sparkies causing chaos for a major energy company have been forced back to work, ending a 10-month pay dispute that has prevented families moving into new homes and threatened to delay infrastructure projects.

Work on the Parramatta Powerhouse has passed the halfway mark, with Western Sydney builders enjoying a big slice of the construction pie.

Water bills are set to jump by more than 50 per cent over the next five years to keep up with Sydney’s booming population growth.