A new report's list of affordable suburbs reveals first home buyers in Sydney and Melbourne need to be searching as much as 100 kilometres from the CBD.

A new program supporting young innovators in regional Australia is launched by the ABC and the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

A NSW Central Coast man has been donning camouflage to attack girls, one as young as 12, with police describing the clothing worn in one attack as a ghillie suit.

Defending champions Sydney FC get their title defence off to a perfect start a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory, while the Newcastle Jets demolish Central Coast Mariners 5-1.

The Central Coast Mariners get their first win of the season and hand Sydney FC their first loss, to get round six underway in Gosford on Friday night.

Sydney FC go back on top of the ladder with a 3-1 win over Brisbane, after the Mariners surprise the Phoenix in Wellington.

Check your public transport timetable before leaving the house this week in Sydney and NSW as more than 9,000 new weekly train, bus and ferry services launch for the Greater Sydney network.

The Video Assistant Referee has again been a focal point as the Western Sydney Wanderers recorded a 2-0 win over nine-man Central Coast Mariners.

Angry Mariners coach Paul Okon pledges to appeal against red cards handed to Wout Brama and Jake McGing from Saturday night's controversial loss, as the Video Assistant Referee yet again comes under the spotlight.

Three men with links to the Rebels bikie gang are refused bail after being charged with the murder of a Central Coast man who was beaten so severely he spent two months in a coma before dying.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance admits it will be impossible to find alternatives to move more than 1 million passengers on Sydney's train strike day.

In what's being described as an "extraordinary" move, train workers in New South Wales plan to strike for 24 hours later in the month, potentially plunging the struggling Sydney rail network into further chaos.

No agreement is reached to avert the planned train strike at the end of this month, despite four hours of negotiations between Sydney Trains and unions.

The tone of talks may have improved, but a pay deal is yet to be thrashed out ahead of a planned rail strike that will cause commuter chaos later this month.

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama faces a nervous wait for the A-League match review panel to ponder his horrible tackle which left Brisbane Roar forward Corey Gameiro in tears.

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama is let off with a two-match ban for his tackle that left Brisbane Roar forward Corey Gameiro in tears.

Sydney has lost nearly 20 per cent of its essential workers in the past decade because of the city's housing affordability crisis, a report finds.

More than 500 workers in Sydney have their jobs terminated after the collapse of the Red Lea chicken company, leaving staff without pay and "eating two-minute noodles for dinner", one former manager says.

Drawing on her own experience growing up in rural Queensland's Ilfracombe, Dame Quentin Bryce says the role of women in agriculture has come a long way.

Penrith brings down competition leaders St George Illawarra to the tune of 28-2, while the Sydney Roosters and Rabbitohs both record convincing wins.

A fast train network connecting greater Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle as a "mega region" could create more than 10,000 new jobs, according to a new report.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is investigating allegations of unconscionable conduct towards growers by one of the country's major vegetable processors.

Usain Bolt has turned down a two-year deal to play in Europe, but that won't make Mike Mulvey and the Central Coast Mariners rush into offering the eight-time Olympic champion a deal.

Usain Bolt's time with the Central Coast Mariners could soon be coming to an end, with the A-League club revealing any potential deal will need to include "financial contribution" from a third party.

Thousands of homes were left without power and Sydney Airport experienced flight delays due to the storm system.

While many find them majestic, the pride of the township of Ourimbah is often seen in trees, atop cars, feeding on bird seed on porches, and more recently as roadkill.

Thousands of homes are still without power this morning as a series of severe thunderstorms dumped heavy rain across parts of Sydney, the central coast and Wollongong last night.

MORNING BRIEFING: Police charge a man in Parramatta after finding tools to make a homemade bomb in his backpack, while Sydney residents can soon expect formal water restrictions as dry conditions continue.

MORNING BRIEFING: A woman is charged after allegedly driving while almost nine times over the legal blood alcohol limit, and the NSW Government introduces fines of up to $440,000 for animal rights activists trespassing on farms.

MORNING BRIEFING: A pair of boys are "met by their parents and spoken to by police" after climbing a 111-metre communications tower, and 21 people are charged after a violent riot and police siege at a youth detention centre.

MORNING BRIEFING: A bushfire that threatened homes near Newcastle last night is brought under control, and nine detainees at a juvenile detention centre are charged over a June riot.

The father of murder victim Danielle Easey says he is waiting to come face-to-face with the man accused of the violent death of his daughter whose body was found wrapped in plastic and dumped in a Newcastle creek.

A man and a woman are arrested in connection with the murder of Danielle Easey, whose body was found last month, wrapped in plastic and dumped in a creek near Newcastle.

MORNING BRIEFING: The serial sex offender who raped and killed Sydney woman Janine Balding will not be released for another two years, while the North Ryde RSL club cancels a conservative event on abortion over security fears.

MORNING BRIEFING: The average petrol price in Sydney is expected to jump to $1.66 by Thursday the highest level in more than a decade while a man dies in a house fire in Sydney's west.

MORNING BRIEFING: Dozens of firefighters from South Australia head to New South Wales as back-up for weary RFS workers, and two people are fined after a banner is hung from the Harbour Bridge.

The Melbourne derby ends in a scoreless draw as the Victory host City at Docklands in the opening round of the A-League, while the Wanderers celebrate a 2-1 triumph over the Mariners at their new home ground.

Sydney's iconic Sirius building is sold for $150 million to developers who plan to refurbish the existing building and deliver 89 apartments, along with retail and commercial spaces.

John Burrows died at his mother's garage in Portland near Lithgow in 2015, with a bomb expert telling his murder trial he had never seen a device like the one used to kill the 58-year-old.

Parkes was made famous by the Australian film The Dish, but without a small tracking station just outside of Canberra, we would never have seen Neil Armstrong's first few steps on the Moon.

Michael Hackett has raced in Central West New South Wales since he was 18-years-old.

Like most country racetracks, Tomingley's isn't irrigated.