Latest news with #NikkiShort
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Perth Now
Major e-bike crackdown hits Sydney
Police have wrapped up a month-long crackdown on illegal e-bike usage in Sydney's Northern Beaches, where modified e-bikes speed between vehicles and pedestrians regularly. NSW Police conducted Operation Kilowatt from June 17 to July 15, conducting hundreds of compliance checks on e-bikes which were spotted by officers patrolling in Avalon, Manly and Dee Why. Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Assistant Commissioner David Driver said the focus of Police was not just on enforcement, but education as well. Police have undertaken similar operations before. This image was taken during a police bicycle safety operation in 2023. NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia 'Legal e-bikes are powered with rechargeable batteries, and the electric motor assists while pedalling up hills. To be compliant, the rider must primarily propel the bike with pedals,' Assistant Commissioner Driver said. 'Parents need to understand e-bike riders are subject to the same rules as bicycle riders. They need to make sure the e-bike is not unlawfully modified and complies with the law,' he said. 'Police commonly see illegal and modified e-bikes where the motor becomes the primary source of propelling the bike – essentially making it a motorbike. The use of unlawfully modified e-bikes create a significant risk when used in pedestrian or heavy traffic areas.' E-bikes are popular with Sydney's gig economy workers. NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia 'Young people and adults need to understand these risks when riding an e-bike, so they do not become a danger to themselves and others.' In NSW, there have been two fatalities involving e-bikes in the past two years, and in April an e-bike accident resulted in a boy sustaining a compound fracture to his leg. E-bikes are considered illegal when they have been retrofitted or modified to operate outside of their legislated power output and speed limit. An e-bike is considered to be illegally modified if the power output and speed capabilities exceed those regulated by the NSW government. The Northern Beaches are a hotspot for E-bike usage. NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia Under NSW law, an e-bike motor must cut off when the bicycle reaches speeds exceeding 25km/hr. E-bikes are usually built with speed capabilities that greatly exceed NSW regulations, but companies retrofit them with throttle locks so the bikes are complicit and able to legally be sold. Some companies offer users the ability to remove their throttle lock upon request, a process referred to as 'jailbreaking,' and jailbroken e-bikes are often sold and advertised on less-regulated online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace. Overall, 32 penalty notices were issued, 28 illegal e-bikes were identified and 29 warnings were handed out during the operation. Earlier this year, a parliamentary inquiry into the use of e-scooters, e-bikes and related mobility options released its findings. Chairperson Cate Faehrmann said NSW laws were struggling to keep up with the development of e-bikes. 'Without a shift to forward-thinking, comprehensive strategy, the opportunities promised by e-mobility could be overshadowed by safety risks, public frustration and preventable incidents,' she said. 'The issues we are seeing with e-mobility devices are not so much about the devices themselves - they are signs that the rules and the way we enforce them are outdated or ineffective. Action is needed now.' Responding to the inquiry in May, Minister for Transport John Graham said he recognised the concerns of the community. 'They're known as 'micro' devices, but e-bikes and e-scooters represent a major shift for our road and transport networks,' he said. 'We believe a sensible set of rules will promote the health and lifestyle benefits of e-bikes and e-scooters while protecting the safety of riders and everyone else sharing the paths and roads with them.' The NSW government is placing a major focus on 'boosting rider and road user education' through 'voluntary tests, campaigns and updates to in-school road safety education programs'. It also aims to increase e-bike data collection to better understand the needs of the community.
Perth Now
01-07-2025
- Climate
- Perth Now
Bomb cyclone sparks travel chaos
Sydneysiders are being advised to brace for travel chaos with wild weather from the 'bomb cyclone' system continuing to reek havoc on travel infrastructure. In an update on Wednesday morning Transport NSW warned 'train passengers should avoid non-essential travel across the rail network' with service alerts issued on eight of the nine major train lines. People fight strong winds and rain in the CBD on Tuesday. Residents in NSW are being urged to prepare now as a powerful bomb cyclone bears down on the state. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia 'Due to fallen trees, trains on some routes have been cancelled,' the update read. 'Motorists across Eastern NSW are being urged to prepare for delays and disruptions, as extreme weather is set to lash the region today and into the coming days. 'Transport for NSW is warning that damaging to locally destructive winds, heavy rainfall, and hazardous surf conditions will impact key coastal areas from the Mid North Coast down to the South Coast, including the Hunter, Central Coast, Sydney, and Illawarra.' It comes as Airservices Australia announced single runway operation at Sydney Airport on Tuesday night, with reduced operations expected to continue into Wednesday. 'This adheres to our International Civil Aviation Organisation safety regulations for runway usage amid inclement weather,' a spokesman said. 'Safety is Airservices' number one remit – this decision is purely weather- and safety-related to safeguard the travelling public. Flight delays are expected to continue into Wednesday. Photo: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia 'Delays are expected. We will continue to work closely with industry to minimise impacts for the travelling public. 'Decisions regarding flight cancellations are a matter for individual airlines.' The powerful weather event will likely bring another day of chaos for Australian travellers, with warnings from the SES on Tuesday afternoon that the 'situation is going to worsen' through the next 24 hours. The 'bomb cyclone' or 'bombogenesis' system was forecast to hit Sydney and lengthy stretches of the NSW coast from Tuesday, bringing significant rainfall and blistering winds. Flight routes between major cities Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne have been among the worst-affected. TRAINS Trains between Central and Wynyard are running again after earlier flooding on the tracks near town hall. T1: Trains are not running between Penrith and St Marys due to a tree blocking the track at Kingswood, with 'a very limited number' of replacement buses in place, and commuters urged to use regular bus routes instead. CCN: Buses continue to replace trains between Fassifern and Wyong on the Central Coast and Newcastle line, due to urgent overhead wiring repairs at Dora Creek. FERRIES F1 Manly ferries are not running due to heavy swell, with buses replacing services between Manly and Circular Quay in both directions. More to come
The Australian
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Australian
Powerball jackpot soars to $100m
A staggering $100m jackpot will be up for grabs next week after no claims were made for the Powerball division one prize in Thursday night's draw. This is the first time the top prize has reached this amount since November 2024, and the 12th time Powerball has offered a $100m jackpot in the game's 29-year history. Powerball has jackpotted to $100m. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper This year alone, eight Powerball division one winners have taken home more than $210.8m – three in Queensland, two each in NSW and Victoria, and one in Western Australia. Last year, a man from South Australia claimed a whopping $150m, the game's biggest individual lottery win in Australia. It will be the 29th time in the game's history that that amount has been offered. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short While there were no division one winners on Thursday night, six lucky Aussies took home $127,979 each in the division two prize pool. The winning numbers were 1, 30, 12, 34, 24, 9, 6 and the Powerball 10. Tickets for the upcoming Powerball are available for purchase until 6pm next Thursday in-store, online or via the Lotto mobile app.
Perth Now
06-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Powerball jackpots to insane amount
A staggering $100m jackpot will be up for grabs next week after no claims were made for the Powerball division one prize in Thursday night's draw. This is the first time the top prize has reached this amount since November 2024, and the 12th time Powerball has offered a $100m jackpot in the game's 29-year history. Powerball has jackpotted to $100m. NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia This year alone, eight Powerball division one winners have taken home more than $210.8m – three in Queensland, two each in NSW and Victoria, and one in Western Australia. Last year, a man from South Australia claimed a whopping $150m, the game's biggest individual lottery win in Australia. It will be the 29th time in the game's history that that amount has been offered. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia While there were no division one winners on Thursday night, six lucky Aussies took home $127,979 each in the division two prize pool. The winning numbers were 1, 30, 12, 34, 24, 9, 6 and the Powerball 10. Tickets for the upcoming Powerball are available for purchase until 6pm next Thursday in-store, online or via the Lotto mobile app.
Perth Now
19-05-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
‘Appalling act': Qantas to pay for sackings
Qantas could be forced to pay more than $120m in penalties for illegally outsourcing more than 1800 ground workers. The High Court unanimously rejected a Qantas appeal after the Federal Court found that the airline had illegally sacked staff. A five-day hearing began in the Federal Court in Sydney on Monday to decide the penalty Qantas must pay for the 2020 decision during the Covid pandemic. The Transport Workers Union (TWU) is calling for the maximum payment of more than $121m to be paid out. 'Not only was it an appalling act to get rid of a loyal workforce, it was the biggest case of illegal sackings in Australian corporate history,' TWU secretary Michael Kaine said in a statement on Monday. Transport Workers Union secretary Michael Kaine called the Qantas decision 'appalling'. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia 'The penalty to Qantas must reflect this and send a message to every other company in Australia that you cannot sack your workers to prevent them from using their industrial rights.' Mr Kaine said ground handling work for Qantas was now being undertaken by companies such as Swissport, which he alleged had 'severe understaffing' and a 'revolving door of fed-up workers'. 'This cannot be a business case for outsourcing and Qantas should not only pay the maximum legal penalty for its actions but commit to funding fair standards throughout its supply chain,' he said. Qantas is expected to pay millions in compensation. NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui Credit: News Corp Australia 'We need to see Qantas held accountable to the fullest extent here.' The maximum penalty Qantas can be ordered to pay is $121m, on top of the $120m compensation fund that is now in the process of being administered to workers. The hearing before Justice Michael Lee continues.
