Good morning and welcome to the Morning Buzz for Monday, October 23. Be prepared for a mostly sunny day. A high of 22 degrees is expected in the city today with temps expected to reach 25 in the west. Enjoy your day!
Traffic Buzz
WENTWORTHVILLE: There are heavy traffic conditions on the Cumberland Highway at M4 Motorway due to a truck breakdown.
Pressure on Sydney public transport fares as operating costs set to hit $5.7b
The annual cost of funding public transport in NSW is set to hit $5.7 billion within a decade, raising the prospect of commuters being slugged with higher fares to achieve a balance between those who "directly benefit" and others.
The forecast is contained in the draft Future Transport Strategy released on Sunday, which updates the NSW government's 2012 long-term transport master plan by outlining its vision for likely changes led by technology, innovation and population growth to 2056. Read more.
Suburbs in Sydney's north worst hit by storms
You know it's storm season when weather reports compare hail to golf balls.
As storms hit Sydney's upper north shore in February, there were reports of golf ball-sized hailstones falling at Pymble Golf Club, of all places, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's severe storm archive.
Pymble and other suburbs across north Sydney make a regular appearance on the bureau's comprehensive severe storm database, which dates back to the 18th century. Read more.
NBN speaks out, says under Labor connections cost it up to $40,000
NBN Co had to shell out more than $40,000 to connect some hard-to-reach properties, in one case spending more than $90,000 when it was compelled to provide fibre to a property near Townsville in Queensland, according to figures to be released on Monday in a bid to counter a push to have it revert to the Rudd government's original target of 93 per cent fibre to premises.
The list of the 10 most expensive to connect locations in each state shows it spent $41,304 connecting a business in Strathfield in Sydney that needed concrete and bitumen broken to install a new conduit.
It spent $51,464 connecting a business in Ballarat than needed 10 metres of bitumen broken and relayed. Read more.
Urgent action needed to help GPs prescribe fewer antibiotics: study
A Queensland academic has called for monitoring of antibiotic resistance rates in the community, new targets and help for GPs to reduce how much of the drug they prescribe.
About 1600 people die directly from antibiotic resistance in Australia every year, according to a piece published in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.
The authors, led by Bond University academic Professor Chris Del Mar, said the situation would get steadily worse until 2050, when deaths from currently treatable infections would overtake total cancer deaths. Read more.
Lucy Turnbull unveils plan for three Sydneys
Two thirds of Sydneysiders will be able to commute between their jobs, homes and key services within 30 minutes, but they may have to wait 40 years to do so, under new long-term strategies which will divide Sydney into three interconnected cities.
The NSW government claimed a "historic", "first time" collaboration between its planning and infrastructure auspices as it released two 40-year strategies to transform Sydney into a tripartite metropolis with eastern, central, and western cities by 2056.
The three are a western parkland city, west of the M7, a central river city around greater Parramatta, and an eastern harbour city. Read more.
'A final push': 15,000 marriage equality campaigners rally in Sydney
As the marriage equality postal vote campaign enters its last weeks, thousands of "yes" voters took to the streets of Sydney on Saturday afternoon in a final push for votes.
Up to 15,000 "yes" campaigners met in Belmore Park and marched towards Victoria Park with bright colours and music, in a bid to encourage remaining voters to mail in their postal forms this week.
The rally kicked off a "National Equality Weekend" run by the Australian Marriage Equality, with marches due to take place across the country in every capital city this weekend. Read more.
Man dies after being struck by utility at Gladesville
A 20-year-old man has died after being struck by a Holden ute in Sydney's north-west in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The accident occurred at the intersection of Victoria Road and Cowell Street, Gladesville.
Police and emergency services arrived just after 2.10am and found the man, James Gray from Abbotsford, suffering from serious injuries. Read more.
Michael Cheika to rest 13 Wallabies for Barbarians clash
Michael Cheika has rested 13 of his best players for next weekend's clash with the Barbarians and says spots will be up for grabs as he decides who will get a plane ticket for the Wallabies' end of year spring tour.
Still on a high after Australia's 23-18 come-from-behind win over the All Blacks in Brisbane, focus has already turned to the Barbarians match on Saturday at Allianz Stadium.
With a spring tour to follow, Cheika has had to be cautious with his personnel and it is no surprise he has rested 13 of the players that featured in the third Bledisloe Cup instalment. Read more.
David Carney says Wanderers have no right to protest penalty decision
Sydney FC winger David Carney has hit back at Western Sydney Wanderers over a dubious penalty awarded in Saturday night's derby, suggesting they had no right to complain over the decision.
The Sky Blues denied Western Sydney Wanderers a rare win at Allianz Stadium after fighting back from two goals down to clinch a 2-2 draw.
That comeback began when referee Jarred Gillett awarded Sydney a 37th-minute penalty after Carney had been fouled inside the box by Wanderers midfielder Chris Herd.
Instinctively, Carney positioned himself to come under heavy contact from Herd, showing his experience to draw a foul before striker Bobo converted the ensuing spot kick. Read more.
Sydney Kings are the ‘worst team in the NBL’: Andrew Gaze
Under-siege Sydney coach Andrew Gaze has brutally branded the Kings the worst team in the NBL and described their current plight as 'scary'.
Gaze delivered an old-fashioned, paint-stripping post-match spray at his team shortly after their humiliating 114-84 loss to the Adelaide 36ers on Saturday night - two days after New Zealand thumped the Kings by 17 points in Auckland.
"In this early stage, I think there are three clearly really dominant teams (Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide), the rest are very good and then there's us," said second-year mentor Gaze. Read more.
Blackwell the star as Australia strike first in thrilling women's Ashes ODI
A commanding middle-order performance from vice-captain Alex Blackwell has given Australia the perfect start to their defence of the women's Ashes, with the home side taking the first ODI of the multi-format series in Brisbane.
The sun finally arrived and the "sold out" sign was up at Allan Border Field for the first of three 50-over games, which heralded the start of a seven-game stretch that features another two ODIs, three T20s and a four-day Test at North Sydney Oval. Read more.
