State

An inquiry has been promised into how 20,000 people in outback communities were left to rely on one faulty back-up generator after suspected tornadoes wiped out major power lines. Outback towns in western NSW spent Tuesday clearing fridges of spoiled food and medicines after mains supply around Broken Hill failed on Monday. Generators kicked in at major hospitals but some primary schools were without power. The area, which topped 33C on Tuesday, has experienced patchy electricity supply since severe thunderstorms last Thursday mangled transmission infrastructure connecting the region to the national grid Gas-fired generators should have backed up the mains […]

NSW’s “buck-passing approach” to the handling of invasive species cannot continue as a blistering assessment warns pests could become a $30 billion problem within six years. A government-commissioned review revealed on Monday that invasive species, including cats, foxes and 340 weeds, have spread across the state but the response remains fractured, often ad-hoc, ineffective and incomplete. Calls for curbing pet cats’ freedoms and an end to sporadic, fragmented cash splashes are among more than 70 recommendations. Invasive Species Council spokesman Jack Gough said the report needed to be the catalyst for genuine reform. “We simply can’t afford to continue an […]