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Herald Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- Herald Sun
Road tolls to rise on iconic bridge to address brutal Sydney divide
Don't miss out on the headlines from On the Road. Followed categories will be added to My News. Tolls on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and tunnel will rise for the second time in 16 years to help bridge the brutal divide forcing Western Sydney commuters to fork out up to $39 for round trips to the city. A weekday peak hour return trip from Liverpool or Campbelltown to the CBD costs commuters about $39.10 in tolls, while those travelling from Blacktown to the city are similarly out $38.03. Road tolls are set to rise on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and tunnel. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer It will mark the second time the tolls have risen on the bridge since 2009. Picture: Newswire / Gaye Gerard Back in 2009, the same trips cost about three times less. The fees are in stark contrast to those travelling return from Neutral Bay to the city, who pay just $4.41 to cross the iconic bridge — only a $0.41 increase since 2009. The NSW government have now announced tolls on the Harbour Bridge and tunnel will rise for the second time since 2009 in a bid to give motorists hit hard by the road fees some relief. The peak hour weekday toll to use the key road in the CBD will rise by about 14 cents from July 1. Commuters travelling on weekdays between 6.30am and 9.30am, and 4pm to 7pm will be $4.41 out of pocket when the change comes into effect, compared to the current toll of $4.27. The toll hike is set to provide relief for commuters in the western suburbs. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer The extra cash collected will go towards the government's $60 toll cap. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer All extra cash collected will be put into the government's $60 toll cap, which allows eligible drivers to pay a maximum of $60 per week on tolls. NSW Transport Minister John Graham said the move would provide much needed relief to those in Western Sydney, who pay the highest tolls. NSW Transport Minister John Graham said tolls have gone up in Sydney's west quarterly or annually. Picture: NewsWire / Monique Harmer 'A toll rise on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel remains a rare occurrence, with this marking only the second time in 16 years since they have gone up,' Mr Graham said. 'In our city's west they have gone up every quarter or every year. 'We are focused on delivering a fairer tolling network and this inflation-linked increase will go into toll relief that has become so important to motorists who pay the highest toll bills in the suburbs of Western Sydney.' The $60 cap, introduced in January last year, is set to expire at the beginning of 2026. Originally published as Road tolls to rise on iconic bridge to address brutal Sydney divide
Perth Now
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
‘Turning point' for state's brumbies
The number of feral horses roaming NSW's Kosciuszko National Park could be as low as just 1500 as wildlife activists herald the success of controversial aerial culling. An October 2024 report found that between 1500 and 6000 brumbies likely remained in the park, down from a whopping 13,000 to 22,000 reported the previous year. The survey puts the state government well ahead of its legally mandated goal of reducing the population to 3000 by June 30, 2027. Invasive Species Council chief executive Jack Gough said the report was a 'turning point' and 'nature is responding' to the dramatic reduction in feral horses. 'Fewer hard-hoofed feral animals trampling the fragile alpine environment means more native species returning,' Mr Gough said. 'More delicate wetlands recovering and more hope for one of Australia's most vulnerable national parks. Bill Jones Hut, Kosciuszko National Park before the cull. NPWS Credit: Newswire Bill Jones Hut, Kosciuszko National Park after the cull. NPWS Credit: Newswire 'Now we need all sides of politics to come together to keep up this momentum for a wildlife revival by overturning the law which requires 3000 feral horses to remain trashing and trampling one third of the iconic Kosciuszko National Park.' Introduced by former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro, the so-called Brumby Bill – known properly as the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act – recognised the 'heritage value' of wild horse populations within parts of the park and mandated numbers be reduced to just 3000. The Invasive Species Council, at the time, said the Bill 'turned Australia into a global laughing stock', and it was heavily criticised by academics and environmental activists groups who have long decried the harmful impacts of the invasive horses on the delicate alpine ecosystem. Independent Wagga Wagga MP Joe McGirr introduced a petition to repeal the Bill, which was signed by more than 11,000 people, to parliament earlier this month, with no MPs from Labor, Liberals or the Greens speaking against the petition, including Monaro MP Steve Wahn. 'Barilaro's brumby law has no friends in parliament, other than a few fringe voices in the upper house, and the next step must be for parliament to repeal this bad law once and for all,' Dr Gough said, having previously called on NSW Premier Chris Minns to repeal the Brumby Bill. The state government survey also comes after new photos were released by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service of recovery in the Kosciuszko National Park. Reclaim Kosci founder and Invasive Species Council Indigenous ambassador Richard Swain said feral horses 'trample our fragile landscapes, pollute our streams, and damage sacred Country'. Little Peppercorn Flat, Kosciuszko National Park before the cull. NPWS Credit: Newswire Little Peppercorn Flat, Kosciuszko National Park after the cull. NPWS Credit: Newswire 'Finally, the health of the soil, water and our native species in the Snowy Mountains is healing, but we need to fix the ridiculous law that still protects a feral animal over our native plants and animals,' she said. 'It's a national park, not a horse paddock. 'For the sake of the high country, it is past time that we put to bed the senseless arguments and accept the evidence that removing feral horses is the only way of protecting Country from this destruction.' ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society professor Jamie Pittock said the new images 'should be the catalyst – let's stop debating numbers and get on with the job of protecting the park'. 'Kosciuszko is home to threatened species like the northern corroboree frog, broad-toothed rat and critically endangered alpine she-oak skink – all of which suffer when feral horses degrade their habitat,' he said. 'Every delay puts this more at risk.' The state government survey used two independent scientific methods – both showing a significant drop off in numbers compared with previous years, albeit it with some variation between estimates. The Australian Brumby Alliance, which has have been vocally opposed to aerial culling of feral horses, are yet to respond to the report, which was released on Wednesday, but has been critical of population control. The organisation is supporting a parallel petition by NSW Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst that is calling on the state government to implement 'nonlethal solutions', namely rescue and rehoming of wild horses. An attempt to stop aerial culling of wild horses was dismissed by the NSW Supreme Court last year.
Mint
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Mumbai Indians in talks with Sri Lanka's white-ball captain Charith Asalanka for IPL 2025 playoffs
Mumbai Indians are in talks with Sri Lanka's white-ball captain Charith Asalanka for the Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs, which begins on May 29. The development comes in considering the fact that the five-time champions will be missing South Africa's Corbin Bosch and Ryan Rickelton and England's Will Jacks, if they qualify for the playoffs. While both Bosch and Rickelton are a part of South Africa's World Test Championship (WTC) bound squad, Jacks is a part of the England team that travels to West Indies for ODI and T20I series, starting from May 29. Asalanka comes in with a reputation of hitting the ball hard. According to a Newswire report, Asalanka has been approached by Mumbai Indians to join the squad for the remainder of the IPL 2025. 'Sri Lanka's white-ball captain Charith Asalanka has reportedly been approached by Mumbai Indians to join the squad for the remainder of the IPL 2025 season,' read the report. 'The franchise is expected to miss key overseas players — South Africa's Corbin Bosch and Ryan Rickelton, and England's Will Jacks — if they qualify for the playoffs due to international commitments,' it added. The IPL 2025 was originally slated for a May 25 finish. But with the India-Pakistan conflict, the tournament was halted for a week. It will resume on May 17, with June 3 being finalised as the date for final. The one-week pause also gave a major headache to the some of the franchises as the revised schedule coincided with the West Indies vs England series and the WTC final preparation plans. If Asalanka joins Mumbai Indians, he will become the third Sri Lankan cricketer to join the cash-rich league as replacement players. Dasun Shanaka has already joined Gujarat Titans while the Shubman Gill-led franchise are already in talks with Kusal Mendis. Mumbai Indians started with four losses in their first five games before winning six games on the bounce. They now have 14 points from 12 games and need to win both their remaining games to stand a chance to qualify for the playoffs. Stay updated on all the action from the IPL 2025. Check the IPL 2025 Schedule, track the latest IPL 2025 Points Table, and follow the top performers with the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
West Australian
15-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
South Australia bans ham sandwich advertising on public transport amid battle against obesity
Australia's battle against obesity thickens following South Australia's move to ban ads on ham sandwiches on public transport, following in the footsteps of WA, which swung the axe against the Aussie staple last year. The iconic sandwich has been banished in a move to remove advertisement for items labelled as junk food from being publicised on buses, trains and trams across Adelaide from July 1. The bold action aims to limit the exposure of unhealthy food and drinks to children through advertisement, and bring a light to the link between eating processed meats and the increased risk in bowel cancer. The humble ham sandwich has been put in the same bracket as confectionery products like lollies, chocolates, ice cream, chips and soft drinks — as government figures showed 63 per cent of adults and 35 per cent of children in SA are overweight or obese. Western Australia made a similar move, with schools putting a controversial ban on ham and cheeses toasties from canteens last year. Industry marketing body Australian Association of National Advertising (AANA) has pushed back against the 'blanket ban' which it labels as unjustified. 'As it stands, this policy bans all processed meats which means a simple ham salad sandwich can't be advertised,' AANA CEO Josh Faulks told Newswire. 'This simply doesn't make sense and the government should be making evidence-based decisions, not blanket bans that don't align with nutritional science.' The leading body opposed all advertising bans on food and drinks, instead pushing for the government to adopt a 'science-based approach'. The suggested approach would use nutrient profiling scoring criteria to decide which foods should be restricted, instead of the healthy eating policy used to justify the ban. Western Australia followed the same system last year, when under the traffic light system, processed meats became a red item and were removed from canteen shelves.
Mint
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
GTA 6 delayed again: Frustrated fans respond with memes—‘Ruined my life!'
Rockstar Games has officially announced a delay in the highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI, pushing the launch date to 26 May 2026. The update was shared via the company's Newswire platform, with the studio expressing gratitude for fans' support and patience while acknowledging the disappointment caused by the delay. In the statement, Rockstar said: 'Hi everyone, Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to release on 26 May 2026. We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game.' The announcement, while unsurprising to some industry observers given the game's scale and ambition, quickly stirred a wave of reactions on social media platform X. A fan account named GTA 6 Countdown voiced frustration on the Rockstar Games' official announcement post on X, stating, 'If you are gonna delay it, at least give us some screenshots. This marketing strategy may be working for you, but it is painful for the fans.' Another user, @DarrylRMFC_, responded more bluntly: 'I speak for everyone when I say, keep the game—we don't want it anymore.' Others expressed their disappointment with a touch of dark humour. 'Maybe we ain't be alive then,' wrote one user, reflecting the long wait that fans have already endured. One comment in particular gained attention for its dramatic flair, with a fan claiming: 'I just smashed my TV in front of 30 guests at my party because of the game. My wife just took our crying kids and said they're all spending the week at a hotel. This delay has ruined my life and my expectations. I can't handle this anymore. Goodbye Rockstar. I am no longer a fan.' Despite the frustration, many fans remain hopeful that the additional development time will ensure a polished and groundbreaking entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. With Rockstar promising more updates 'soon', attention now turns to what new details—or glimpses of gameplay—the developer may share in the months ahead.
