Good morning and welcome to the Morning Buzz for Thursday, July 20. Today will be another mostly sunny day, but slightly cooler with expected highs of about 16 degrees. Enjoy your day!
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Huge delays as Sydney emergency departments swamped with patients
Paramedics and emergency departments in Sydney's south-west have been inundated by huge numbers of sick patients, causing major delays in ambulance transfers and hospital admissions.
Emergency staff say their emergency departments have been clogged with patients over the past few days, many presenting with flu-like symptoms, causing significant delays in admissions times.
Paramedics have also reported ambulances have been unable to transfer patients to hospital emergency departments due to a lack of available beds, a situation known as "bed block". Read more.
Two people killed after semi-trailer crashes with sedan on Hume Highway
Two people have died after a semi-trailer collided with their vehicle in the Southern Highlands on Wednesday evening.
The sedan the pair were travelling in was struck by a southbound semi-trailer while trying to cross the Hume Highway at Golden Vale Road shortly after 6.30pm.
The driver and passenger of the sedan died at the scene. Read more.
Katoomba-Leura Brigade launches Six Week Get Ready Challenge
Imagine a whole community working together to make our beautiful Blue Mountains stronger and more resilient.
Katoomba-Leura Brigade is promoting bushfire safety from a different perspective.
Members of the brigade gathered at the brigade station for the “raking of the leaves” to mark the beginning of the Six Week Get Ready Challenge for 2017.
The Six Week Challenge, a series of six emails over six weeks, focuses on the very easy things you can do to keep your home safe against the impact of a bushfire. Read more.
Hawkesbury students encouraged to apply for Anzac trip
Hawkesbury students can apply for a state government program, which will see six high schoolers visit historic battlegrounds Anzac soldiers have fought at.
The 2017 Premier’s Anzac Ambassadors Program will take six students to Greece and Israel. Member for Hawkesbury Dominic Perrottet encouraged Hawkesbury students to apply for the program. Read more.
Major banks ordered to raise capital buffers to be 'unquestionably strong'
Banks should not use new requirements to strengthen their balance sheets as an excuse to hike interest rates for home loan customers, Treasurer Scott Morrison has warned.
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority on Wednesday unveiled its long-awaited views on what banks must do to be considered "unquestionably strong," as recommended by the 2014 financial system inquiry.
It said the country's largest lenders would need to increase top tier capital - a cushion used by banks to absorb shocks - by about 1 percentage point, to 10.5 per cent of their assets. Banks will need to meet the new target by 2020. Read more.
Aboriginal archaeological discovery in Kakadu rewrites the history of Australia
Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for a minimum of 65,000 years, a team of archaeologists has established - 18,000 years longer than had been proved previously and at least 5000 years longer than had been speculated by the most optimistic researchers.
The world-first finding, which follows years of archaeological digging in an ancient camp-site beneath a sandstone rock shelter within the Jabiru mining lease in Kakadu, Northern Territory, drastically alters the known history of the trek out of Africa by modern humans, according to the leader of the international team of archaeologists, associate professor Chris Clarkson of the University of Queensland.
The findings, which are already causing intense interest in archaeological circles across the world, have been peer reviewed by internationally recognised scientists and are published this week in the world's most prestigious science journal, Nature. Read more.
'Reasonable' for police to fear ambush, lawyer says after Justine Damond death
The lawyer for one of the US police officers involved in the shooting death of Australian Justine Damond says it is "certainly reasonable" his client feared he was the target of an ambush.
Minneapolis lawyer Fred Bruno, who represents Officer Matthew Harrity, pointed to the recent execution of a New York police officer gunned down as she sat in her car. Read more.
How your suburb rates, according to the 2016 census
Sydney now has more than 100 suburbs where at least half the population lives in a flat or apartment.
Topping the list for high-density living was Sydney Olympic Park.
In that relatively new suburb, 99.9 per cent of the population lives in a flat or apartment, analysis of the 2016 census shows.
The next biggest share was in the central business district suburb of Sydney (99.4 per cent) followed by Haymarket (99.3 per cent). Read more.
Hornsby Council calling on state government for return of territory
Hornsby Council are demanding the return of territory lost, after a failed amalgamation with Ku-ring-gai.
Councillors voted to submit a proposal calling on the state government to return territory it lost during mergers in May 2016.
Last year’s controversial merger saw the NSW goverment remove land south of the M2 motorway from Hornsby and give it to City of Parramatta Council. Read more.
Olympian Nicola Zagame to enter new series of Australian Survivor
Nicola Zagame is out of the pool – and marooned on a beach.
The two-time Olympian is one of 24 contestants taking part in season two of Australian Survivor. The series sees the castaways left on a beach in Samoa with no shelter, electricity and minimal food and left to fend for themselves against the elements and each other.
A former student at Gymea Bay Public School and Kirrawee High School and Cronulla Sharks Water Polo player, “Ziggy” will look to outwit, outplay and outlast her fellow castaways and bring home the $500,000 prize money. Read more.
NRL officials descend on Manly headquarters over alleged salary cap breaches
A team of investigators from the Integrity Unit of the National Rugby League has descended upon the Narrabeen offices of the Manly Sea Eagles.
NRL Integrity Unit lawyer Joe Collins and salary cap auditor Richard Gardham arrived at Manly headquarters, accompanied by other forensic accountants, just after 10am on Wednesday.
It marks the beginning of the NRL's investigation into alleged previous salary cap breaches at the Sea Eagles. Read more.
How Pilates helped save Cronulla Sharks star James Segeyaro's season
James Segeyaro has credited a new-found love of Pilates with helping to save his season.
Segeyaro returned from a 13-week absence with a broken arm for Cronulla on Saturday night and could start for the Sharks in their must-win clash with South Sydney on Friday night.
With the release of Manaia Cherrington and Daniel Mortimer, Sharks coach Shane Flanagan turned to back-up half Fa’amanu Brown for Cronulla’s last two matches to replace hooker Jayden Brailey, after the young star suffered a badly broken jaw against Manly. Read more.
Prospect of ANZ Stadium hosting GWS-Swans AFL final
The prospect of an all Sydney final being held at ANZ Stadium is considered highly improbable despite both the Swans and Giants being open to playing a September derby at the venue.
An all-Sydney final is back on the cards after the Swans' stunning return to form. If both clubs were to hold their ladder positions, the Giants would have hosting rights.
While AFL chief Gillon McLachlan raised the prospect of a return to the venue if such a match-up was to occur, ANZ Stadium has not planned for a return of the code since the league secured an early release from its finals agreement last year. Read more.
