Round 10 of the NRL season has revealed how players have adapted to new rule changes, and how much it has impacted them mentally and physically, a Rugby League Players’ Association survey has shown. The 57 players, mostly delegates from each NRL club, has shared their feelings towards topics including match speed and intensity, overall fatigue, match dynamics such as referee decisions, rule changes, post-match recovery, training, and peak performance. At the start of the 2026 season, three new rule changes were greenlit by the Australian Rugby League Commission: an expansion of match-day squads from 17 players to 19, no…
Author: Harrison Mellare
Power prices are falling across Australia as renewable energy sources continue to grow, new data has shown. Power prices across New South Wales will be reduced by between 3.7 and 7.7 per cent. In south-eastern Queensland power will be cut by 10.7 per cent, while South Australians will have a smaller reduction of 1.1 per cent. Australian Energy Regulator Chair, Clare Savage told the ABC that the price changes are a positive sign for residents and businesses, and eased pressures on the energy supply chain. “This is a positive outcome with prices coming down for the majority of households and…
Elderly Australians are waiting close to a year to receive aged care in facilities or at-home support care, new data has revealed. A report by the NSW Department of Health has revealed the average wait times that Australians face after submitting applications, the number of undecided applications, and the statistics per state. Despite a drop off in undecided applications since the second quarter of 2025-2026, the number is still just under 50,000 applications awaiting a triage decision. For answered applications, there is an average wait time of 360 days waiting for all non-specialist services, 396 days for ongoing residential care,…
The State of the Night report has been released by the NSW Government, documenting the spending habits during the nighttime hours in New South Wales, constituting almost seventeen per cent of the state’s total economy. In the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region during the December Quarter 2025, 16 per cent of nighttime spending was done in person across various economic sectors. Furthermore, there was a 24.1 per cent increase in in-person nighttime spending from the September Quarter 2025, the highest increase out of the six regions in New South Wales. In a February media release, 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues said the late-night…
Fare evasion on public transport across NSW is being blamed on the cost-of-living crisis. Despite the surge of public transport usage, fare evasion has become an issue with survey results from Transport NSW showing trends of fluctuating non-compliance rates. Concerns have been raised after the NSW Government announced they will not introduce free public transport services amid the ongoing fuel crisis, despite Victoria and Tasmania offering the free services. NSW Transport Minister John Graham told the media that the government would not go down the path of free public transport. “This situation will last more than a month,” he said.…
A demand for a pay rise has increased for early education workers across New South Wales under the Start Strong Pay Fair movement. It resulted in a media report by the Independent Education Union of Australia, and highlighted how preschool staff have worn pink as a protest against the pay dispute in Fair Work Commission. In a media report, Independent Education Union of Australia Branch Secretary Carol Matthews said without a pay rise, dire outcomes could occur. “Many community preschools have been forced to raise fees for families,” Ms Matthews said. “Without an increase in NSW government funding to lift…
Caffeine consumption is surging among younger generations, with Millennials and Gen Z members reporting increased intake of coffee and energy drinks. A study by Medianet in January found 64 per cent of Millennials drink two to three coffees per day while 42 per cent only drink one coffee per day. University of Wollongong student Dominique Mcpherson, said the rise in caffeine consumption is a normalised activity, where coffee and energy drinks have become routine. “Coffee is really popular, especially because it’s such a normalised kind of drug and energy drinks seem to have like a worse reputation I would…
Following a surge in gym culture over social media, influencers have been praised for their effectiveness in boosting the gym industry. Gym culture has became mainstream on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, inviting users to post their regimes, beliefs, and fitness hacks in the online space. UniActive customer service and finance manager Callum McGoldrick said the rise in online gym culture has allowed users to see into the lives of the fitness community. “It’s influenced the gym community in being able to see more stuff that’s been happening through gym, and getting more exposure to more people,” Mr McGoldrick…
More than 30 local homegrown produce and artisan stalls took the streets of Campbelltown for the Handmade and Homegrown Markets. The city’s small business owners have praised the event for helping to display their work and drive sales amidst the cost-of-living crisis. Co-founder of Just a Little Quirky, Nathanial Marsh said the markets have helped revitalise his business and generate valuable exposure. “Since we do markets, we get more website sales, [and] we get people messaging us on Facebook,” Mr Marsh said. “Before we did markets, it was quite a slow business.” The Handmade and Homegrown Markets run weekly and…
Illuminate Wollondilly has welcomed residents for another year of music, food, light shows and a fireworks display. The annual event in the Wollondilly Shire area, runs for three days in Picton’s Botanical Gardens and CBD during a weekend in September. Wollondilly Shire Council’s Community Projects and Events Team Leader Rob Moran said the annual event was a way to bring more tourism into the area. “We had a working group which was an Arts and Culture working group, which I chaired that group,” Mr Moran said. “We identified a potential event where we could light up some buildings here in…