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Newtown - 2042

These houses in Sydney have sat empty for decades, but there's 'very little' council can do about it

With official estimates putting the number of vacant and derelict homes above 100,000 across Australia, local governments and property lawyers argue they could be part of the solution to Australia's apparent housing shortage.
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Derelict terrace houses covered in graffiti.

A TikToker interviewed Baz Luhrmann on the streets of Newtown … and had no idea who he was

When Australian TikToker Georgia Godworth approached a stylish man, she didn't realise who he was — now, their interview has gone viral.
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A triptych of the director Baz Luhrmann, black hat, green jacket, grey hair, with a little microphone in his face

New Sydney store accused of copying its neighbour 500 metres up the road

Accusations of copycatting have been levelled by two small businesses operating close to each other in the same street in Sydney's Newtown.
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two photos of two stores with green branding, set next to each other

How this unapologetically queer design duo fell in love with fashion — and each other

The fashion designers behind Nicol & Ford create collections inspired by queer muses the history books have forgotten. Their latest centres on a Kings Cross icon.
Two white women dressed in sheer dresses - one white, one black - and with matching platinum blonde hair sit smiling.

His book has sold 2.5 million copies and his TV show won him a BAFTA. Meet former doctor Adam Kay

Adam Kay, the doctor turned writer-comedian whose diaries about his career in medicine became a global sensation, visits Australia for the first time this month.
A TV still of Ben Whishaw, looking into the camera. He's wearing blue scrubs and surgical gloves and is holding forceps.

Streets are being 'smashed' as drivers try to save money in the 'most tolled city in the world'

Councils in Sydney say they can't afford to maintain local roads, which are busier than ever despite the newly opened toll motorways nearby. 
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Woman with red hair and white fluffy dog pointing at cars on her street

Feeling overwhelmed by comedy festival season? We asked our fave comedians who we should see

We asked Australia's most-loved comedians, including Wil Anderson and Mel Buttle, to give us their picks of the comedy festival.
A composite image of Nina Oyama, a Japanese Australian woman, Mel Buttle, and Nazeem Hussain, a Sri Lankan Australian

Sleater-Kinney have helped fans process grief for 30 years. On their new album, they process their own

Ahead of their Australian tour, we speak with Sleater-Kinney about processing trauma through music and celebrating 30 years of this era-defining band.
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two women wearing black clothing stand before a maroon background

NSW Police officer charged over collision that resulted in death of Indigenous teenager

An Indigenous teenager died in 2022 after an unmarked police car collided with a motorbike he was riding in Sydney.
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A mural painted in graffiti style on a wall.

This bizarre TV show you've probably never heard of might just change how you view the world

Documentarian John Wilson talks about his unique approach to television, where he shifts our sense of the ridiculous from individuals to their environment.
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John Wilson stands looking concerned and rugged up on a NYC street, camera in hand.

Inheritance allows 'Guardian of Sydney Harbour' to quit his job and pick up plastic

Andy Orr did not dive into a life of luxury when he received an inheritance but instead dedicated his time to cleaning up the beaches of Sydney Harbour.
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A middle-aged man stands on the beach holding a bucket and rubbish tongs.

Sydney council changes direction on bin pickups after FOGO rollout sparks complaints

A Sydney council has backed down from a plan to switch from weekly to fortnightly waste collection after complaints about smelly bins, maggots and flies.
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A row of bins outside a house.

Fingerprint analysis suggests this is Osvaldo Perez. But police have no record he officially existed

A fingerprint analysis in 2021 found the man's name was allegedly Osvaldo Perez, but this could also be an alias.
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Black and dull pink photo of Osvaldo Perez, who died in Sydney's Inner West in 1981, and the tattoos on his thigh

From carabiners to the hanky code: Do young queer people still use flagging devices?

Fashion was an important tool for LGBTQIA+ people to find each other and build their communities in Australia, especially when homosexuality was criminalised — so how much do young queer people still flag today?
Three young people in a collage of carabiners and hankies.

Kristina Keneally's son guilty of fabricating police statement that led to innocent man spending weeks in jail

A court has found the police officer son of former senator and NSW premier fabricated evidence with the intent to mislead a judicial tribunal.
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A man in a suit stares ahead outside a court house with another man in a suit next to him on his right.

perspective:'We lift each other up': How my touch footy team helped me find the joy in sport

As a very obviously gay kid in the Blue Mountains, I was only included in sport if I had to be. It was ostracising and reminded me that I wasn't one of the boys.
A smiling man standing on a football pitch at nighttime. He's wearing a blue shirt and holding a football in his hands.

Construction turned Huw's bright apartment into a 'dungeon'. There was nothing he could do

Evidence is growing about the importance of being exposed to enough natural light, but what rights do residents have to protect their access to it?
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A dark living area with couch and television and a window covered in mesh cladding.

Would you pay 30 per cent more for a jug of beer after 10pm? There's no avoiding it in some pubs

The Oxford Hotel has copped criticism for its late-night price hike, but it's far from the only venue in Sydney upping costs after dark.
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A person drinking a beer

Australia's main streets are increasingly multicultural, but measuring success is a challenge

Researchers say there is very little data on the contributions that African Australian businesses are making to the economy, so several universities have teamed up to fill that gap — and they hope to change perceptions along the way.
Two people stand inside a shop.

A goanna killing the engines, heat and red dust, 'you never get bored' at the helm of the Gulflander

Ken Fairbairn drove the Gulflander train through Queensland's savanna for 12 years, but it was pure chance that he ended up at the helm after quitting an engineering career in Sydney's inner-west.
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A man wearing a dark cap and sunglasses sitting in the driver's seat of a train locomotive.

Man who siphoned money from businesses and charities to fund drug habit has sentence reduced

An Adelaide man convicted of diverting $1.15 million from small businesses and charities in a "sophisticated" computer hacking scheme has had his sentence reduced.
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A man and a woman smile at the camera.

Sydney train strike expected to cause major delays

Commuters are being warned to expect more delays on Sydney's rail network as the union takes more industrial action.
ABC News Current
Duration: 2 minutes 37 seconds

Sydney councils criticised for shunning e-scooter trial

Residents and tourists in Sydney's CBD and inner-city suburbs will have to wait for e-scooters to be available as trials are launched in other areas of NSW.
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A bearded man rides an e-scooter on an orange brown bike path

We haven't talked about it, but 'massive' changes are coming for millions of workers

An industrial relations fight is looming as employers protest mooted changes giving more employment security to gig-economy workers.
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People hold placards that read: "Fair pay and work rights now".

NSW police find owner of boarding house where three people died

Three days on from a deadly fire that gutted a Sydney boarding house, homicide detectives have caught up with its owner.
ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 51 seconds