Good morning and welcome to the Morning Buzz for Wednesday, October 18. It’ll be foggy this morning, followed by a sunny day with top temperatures of around 24 to 26 degrees. Enjoy your day!
New energy policy to shave $2 off weekly bills
Households will be an average $2 a week better off under a reinvention of Australia's energy and emissions policy - and the Turnbull government has refused to guarantee even those meagre savings.
It emerged on Tuesday that the savings could start as low as $25 a year, or 50c a week.
Despite pitching the policy as a salve to the hip pockets of price-weary power consumers, the government also concedes that the predicted cost saving was based on preliminary analysis, and detailed modelling has not yet been carried out. Read more.
Wettest day in months on the way, which is not saying much
Sydney may get its wettest day in more than four months later this week, bringing brief respite to the city's parched parks and gardens.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting the city's record dry spell to run until Friday when it predicts 10-20 millimetres will fall.
Before that, two mild and partly cloudy days with pleasant top temperatures in the mid-20s should extend the number of consecutive days with less than 2 millimetres of rain to 76 days. Read more.
Complaints peak with 160 per cent rise driven by NBN woes
Just under 50 per cent of all complaints were about Telstra, while another 20 per cent concerned the NBN, found the Ombudsman's annual report being released today, which showed consumers are paying a big price for the rollout of the national network.
Not since 2012/13 have so many Australians been unhappy with their phone and internet service, found the Ombudsman's 2016/2017 annual report to be released on Wednesday. Read more.
One gang, six victims in 25-kilometre Sydney crime spree
A manhunt is underway after a gang went on an alleged crime spree in Sydney on Monday night, robbing six people and leaving one man with serious injuries.
The alleged attacks took place in Parramatta, Surry Hills, Hyde Park and Glebe - a distance of more than 25 kilometres - over about 90 minutes, ending with a car chase through Sydney's inner west.
NSW Police said the first incident occurred about 2.25am when a 39-year-old man was allegedly threatened by three men in Parramatta. Read more.
Teenager arrested for allegedly driving fake emergency services truck
A teenager has been arrested for allegedly terrorising Melbourne motorists in a fake emergency services truck he modified himself.
Detectives from the Heavy Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit allege a 16-year-old Brighton teenager fitted the truck out with red and blue flashing lights, a spotlight on the rear of the vehicle, and even installed an emergency siren. Read more.
Newcastle teenager dies after reports of assault at Lambton Pool
A teenage boy has died and an investigation is under way after an incident at Lambton Swimming Pool on Tuesday afternoon.
The boy, 17, died in John Hunter Hospital after he was apparently restrained by bystanders following an alleged assault on an employee of the swimming centre.
A parent told Fairfax Media the pool was in lockdown for several hours. Read more.
Channel Nine set to axe The Footy Show after 24 years on air
Channel Nine is set to axe the Logie-award winning The Footy Show after 24 years on-air with founding host Paul Vautin told he will not be part of a revamped program on Thursday nights.
Fairfax Media can reveal Footy Show executive producer Glenn Pallister this week told Vautin, who is holidaying in the US, that the long-running program would make way for a new one-hour program headed by co-host Erin Molan and with a football focus. Read more.
Shire’s Nathan Walker making history in NHL
When Nathan Walker started playing inline hockey on roller skates, little did he know where the sport would take him.
Walker, 23, who grew up in Cronulla, became the first Australian to play in the NHL this month, scoring on debut for the Washington Capitals during their first home game of the season.
Walker’s family, who still live in the shire, made the trip to Washington DC for his debut and have been on cloud nine during the visit. Read more.
From Blacktown to Perth Glory
Blacktown FC midfielder Mitch Mallia will head west to take up an A-League injury replacement contract with the Perth Glory.
A star forward for City this season, Mallia scored six goals from 18 games during the National Premier Leagues season but impressed during Blacktown’s FFA Cup run.
Mallia is no stranger to the A-League, having played one game for the Central Coast and 18 games for Sydney FC before joining the Demons in 2014. Read more.
Transgender footballer Hannah Mouncey has bid to enter AFLW draft rejected
Transgender athlete Hannah Mouncey says she's "disappointed" at not being allowed to compete in the national women's football competition in 2018, after the AFL declined her request to nominate for the AFLW draft.
The AFL based its decision on the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act, which states that athletes can be discriminated against based on their sex or gender "if strength, stamina or physique is relevant".
The league has left the door open for Mouncey to be eligible for the 2019 draft, but she would have to go through a similar process. Read more.
Maloney expects to be at Cronulla Sharks in 2018
Cronulla five-eighth James Maloney expects to be at the Sharks next season, despite year-long speculation he wants out of the Shire.
The Kangaroos half has been linked with varying degrees of conviction to Newcastle, Penrith, Melbourne, Souths and the New Zealand Warriors throughout the past season amid the suggestion he wants a more lucrative contract. But Maloney says he plans to serve out the final year of his Sharks contract.
His stock rose again on Saturday when he helped orchestrate Australia's wins over Papua New Guinea and Fiji in Suva, playing halfback to cover for Cooper Cronk who was rested. Read more.