Police expect to identify the burnt body found in a cabin in California’s Big Bear ski resort as the fugitive Chris Dorner. Dorner was involved in a shoot-out with scores of police yesterday before the cabin was set ablaze. Scientists examined the charred human remains on Wednesday but it will be some time before the…
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A man was stabbed and punched in south Sydney overnight after being involved in a three-car crash. The 39-year-old was admitted to Sutherland hospital in a critical condition with lacerations to his chest. The incident happened when the victim slammed on his brakes after the car in front of him slowed abruptly and another car tailgated him,…
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The Catholic Church’s College of Cardinals will meet in March to elect a new pope to replace Benedict XVI, who resigned this week. The papal conclave will meet in the Sistine Chapel until two-thirds of the cardinals agree on a candidate. Benedict, the 265th pope and the first to step down in 600 years, cited poor…
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New local government laws hold councillors to account for their behaviour, but not for their spending. This month NSW Local Government Minister Don Page announced changes to the councillor Model Code of Conduct and new powers to improve dysfunctional councils across the state’s 152 local government areas. The new laws include the power to intervene at an early…
DetailsThe chance for the Statewatch team to submit FOI applications for free has been snatched away by the NSW Liberal Party. A private member’s Bill to remove the $30 application fee was blocked by the O’Farrell government despite his election campaign promises to abolish fees. One of the many reasons Attorney-General Greg Smith gave for…
DetailsWe thought local councils in New South Wales would be transparent but that was as naive as thinking they would cooperate with student journalists. Statewatch is a term in The Newsroom that represents countless hours, hard work and frustration endured by 14 reporters over the past six months. Our investigation began in May. We aimed to contact…
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Nicki Minaj at her Pink Friday launch at Myer. Nicki Minaj fans yesterday crammed into Sydney City’s Myer store to see their favourite rapper release her new perfume, Pink Friday. The “Super Bass” singer, who is about to tour Australia and was a presenter at last night’s Aria awards, kept the crowd of more than…
DetailsA large number of NSW local councils told Statewatch they do not record councillor expenses in detail and do not have the resources to do so. But councils’ annual reports must contain total figures for allowances spent by councillors and senior staff on travel and entertainment. Statewatch finance reporter Jessica Amir, who worked for AMP…
DetailsIn an ongoing Statewatch investigation The Newsroom has found that some NSW councils ignore ratepayers’ requests for information regarding their spending habits. As part of our investigation, we approached ratepayers in different jurisdictions and asked them to replicate the actions of our investigative journalists. This involved sending an email to councils to get a breakdown of…
DetailsJournalism students from China and Sydney crossed borders and united via Skype, exchanging ideas about the future of online journalism and the importance of sharing news content, yesterday. The cyber forum brought together masters’ students from China’s Renmin University, and journalism students from Macleay College’s Newsroom. Nothing was lost in translation when a student from Renmin University discussed the…
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