The judge describes it as a murder "on a whim" as Rebels motorcycle club member John Richard Weston is sentenced to 34 years in jail for killing a man over a rare motorbike.

Perth Glory get their first win of the season against the Mariners after Newcastle Jets beat Brisbane in a controversial game at Lang Park.

Natural disasters can have devastating effects on communities, with the ensuing financial and psychological pain taking years to ease, but being prepared can reduce the impact.

Sunday proves to be a day of A-League score draws as the Mariners hold Victory to a 1-1 draw after the Jets and Wanderers battle it out for the same scoreline.

The Central Coast Mariners get their first win of the season and hand Sydney FC their first loss, to get round six underway in Gosford on Friday night.

The principal of three alternative schools in New South Wales says she will run them illegally if she is forced to close following a scathing report into their compliance.

Check your public transport timetable before leaving the house this week in Sydney and NSW as more than 9,000 new weekly train, bus and ferry services launch for the Greater Sydney network.

The NSW Government allocates $3 million to fund nine new palliative care specialists in health districts across regional NSW.

The Video Assistant Referee has again been a focal point as the Western Sydney Wanderers recorded a 2-0 win over nine-man Central Coast Mariners.

Review systems in sport are always controversial but Central Coast Mariners' coach Paul Okon's broadside against the Video Assistant Referee this weekend should not be dismissed out of hand, Richard Hinds writes.

It takes eight wranglers to force a 200 kilogram alligator in its most aggressive state away from a well-guarded nest of eggs, but they need to be taken to ensure their survival.

Neither side really looked like scoring in a dour New Year's Eve contest leaving the Wellington Phoenix last and the Central Coast Mariners in eighth.

Two men are injured and thousands forced to evacuate after a barge catches fire during a New Year's Eve fireworks display at Terrigal Beach, on the New South Wales central coast.

Melbourne Victory miss out on the maximum points after a 1-1 draw with Central Coast Mariners in their A-League encounter in Geelong.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance admits it will be impossible to find alternatives to move more than 1 million passengers on Sydney's train strike day.

In what's being described as an "extraordinary" move, train workers in New South Wales plan to strike for 24 hours later in the month, potentially plunging the struggling Sydney rail network into further chaos.

A highly contentious underground coal mine on the New South Wales Central Coast has been given the go-ahead, despite an election "guarantee" against coal mining in the region.

No agreement is reached to avert the planned train strike at the end of this month, despite four hours of negotiations between Sydney Trains and unions.

The tone of talks may have improved, but a pay deal is yet to be thrashed out ahead of a planned rail strike that will cause commuter chaos later this month.

Tamworth's population doubles as country music lovers move in at festival time.

Visually impaired children at a surfing event in the NSW Hunter region are encouraged to get into sports and not let their disability hold them back.

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama faces a nervous wait for the A-League match review panel to ponder his horrible tackle which left Brisbane Roar forward Corey Gameiro in tears.

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama is let off with a two-match ban for his tackle that left Brisbane Roar forward Corey Gameiro in tears.

For Edward Daly, who was at a rehab centre on the NSW Central Coast to get over his ice, alcohol and gambling addictions, having his partner involved in his recovery made all the difference.

Sydney has lost nearly 20 per cent of its essential workers in the past decade because of the city's housing affordability crisis, a report finds.

Footage of the man punching a 21-year-old woman in the face was viewed thousands of times on social media and led to the motorist being handed a good behaviour bond and a $900 fine.

Commuters can expect long delays heading north from Sydney on the M1, with two lanes closed and traffic stretching back 21 kilometres after a man died in a crash between a ute and semi-trailer at Mt White, north of Sydney.

The sizzle of a steak on a barbecue may soon sound a little different as Australia's $16.8 billion beef industry prepares to adapt to demands from 'locavores' and technological change.

Drawing on her own experience growing up in rural Queensland's Ilfracombe, Dame Quentin Bryce says the role of women in agriculture has come a long way.

Penrith brings down competition leaders St George Illawarra to the tune of 28-2, while the Sydney Roosters and Rabbitohs both record convincing wins.

Young men detained for assault, theft and drug offences are training guide dogs in a program they say is changing their lives.

Whale watchers spot hundreds of humpbacks, with the population looking healthy, on annual migration census day.

A District Court judge warns jurors deliberating in the trial of a Newcastle doctor not to bully each other as they deliberate on dozens of sexual abuse allegations.

The former superstar sprinter is set to undertake a trial with the Mariners ahead of a possible shock A-League move.

Tricia Fortier remembers two things about the time her granddaughter Marlei was in hospital: worrying and smiling. Now she's made it her mission to bring more laughs to her local hospital.

A farmer near Gunnedah is feeding his cattle orange peel, donated by a juice factory, in a bid to keep them alive as the drought wears on.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is investigating allegations of unconscionable conduct towards growers by one of the country's major vegetable processors.

Some of Australia's most prestigious arts companies Bangarra, Australian Theatre for Young People and Australian Chamber Orchestra have cancelled tours to regional New South Wales, after the state's arts funding agency delivered the lowest funding round in its history.

The sale of government land on the New South Wales central coast waterfront for the bargain price of $38,000 has locals up in arms and prompted Greens MP David Shoebridge to refer the matter to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

The eight-time Olympic gold medallist did not set the world alight at his first training session, but will be given all the time he needs to prove himself from Mariners coach Mike Mulvey.

The union between a struggling football club and one of the world's greatest Olympic athletes comes from way outside the box, but each party brings to the table what the other desperately desires, writes Tracey Holmes.

The former fastest-man-in-the-world makes his professional football debut for the Central Coast, but in 19 minutes he wasn't able to make much of an impact.

A Berejiklian Government MP has revolted against his own party's policy, backing his "local fishing community" over his Government's plan to introduce 25 new marine park sites across the state.

Clown doctors in Outback Australia medicate paediatric patients with a regular dose of humour.

Usain Bolt has turned down a two-year deal to play in Europe, but that won't make Mike Mulvey and the Central Coast Mariners rush into offering the eight-time Olympic champion a deal.