Sydney's emergency department waiting times have deteriorated significantly, with patients at Blacktown, Prince of Wales, Westmead, St George and Canterbury hospitals now waiting up to an hour longer for treatment and discharge compared to four years ago. Premier Chris Minns, who campaigned on fixing the hospital crisis before taking office, has attributed the delays to aged care bed block, with approximately 1300 beds occupied by aged care and NDIS patients. The state government has announced a $130 million investment to expand short stay spaces across busy hospitals, delivering 22 additional beds with recliners for semi-urgent patients requiring observation.

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Five Sydney Swans players—Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, James Jordon and Nick Blakey—face additional sanctions from the AFL over a hotel scandal, being banned from Brownlow Night despite remaining technically eligible. Lawyers representing three women at the centre of the incident now claim there were multiple assaults, not just the one under police investigation, with all three seeking compensation. The Swans played their final game before finals amid overwhelming fan support, with players taping their wrists in a solidarity gesture during the toughest week in the club's history.

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One Nation faces internal confusion over its migration policy after new MP David Farley contradicted the party's 130,000 target figure, prompting leader Pauline Hanson to redefine it as a net migration target rather than total visas. Migration expert Professor Alan Gamlen from ANU criticises the political debate as focusing on wrong numbers, arguing the real issue is over two million permanent temporary migrants left in legal limbo without full rights. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised to maintain Western Australia's 75-cent GST floor while he remains in office, despite the Productivity Commission calling the arrangement a costly mistake.

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A mother and daughter escaped a fierce fire that destroyed their Georges Hall home in Sydney's south-west just two weeks after moving in. The blaze, which started at the rear of the property around 10am, consumed 26 years of belongings, photos and memories within an hour. Investigators are treating the property as a crime scene amid fears the fire was deliberately lit.

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SpaceX is preparing to recover a 52-metre section of its Starship rocket that has been floating in the Indian Ocean for 24 days after splashing down off Christmas Island. The space debris landed following a test flight from Texas, with rough seas delaying retrieval efforts. A delicate recovery operation is scheduled to begin, followed by an elaborate journey to transport the rocket section back to the United States.

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Australia Post is recruiting 3,500 casual workers for the Christmas period, offering roles in parcel sorting, warehouse operations and deliveries at approximately $36 per hour.

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Counterfeit squishy toys are flooding the Australian market, raising concerns about children's exposure to dangerous chemicals from inferior materials. The Australian Border Force has been activated to address the massive influx of hundreds of thousands of counterfeit toys entering the country.

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The Australian sharemarket traded higher with the ASX 200 rising approximately 35 points, driven by a rally in mining stocks. Mining giant BHP gained more than 3 per cent, helping the materials sector reach a record high. The Australian dollar is trading at around 71 US cents.

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A mother and daughter escaped uninjured from a devastating house fire in Georges Hall after being alerted by a smoke alarm around 10am.

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Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has rejected proposals for a new 20,000-seat stadium at Melbourne Park, despite support from Live Nation Australia's president and former tennis boss Craig Tiley.

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