Information reside: Geelong overtakes Sunshine Coast as migration hotspot for Australians; deadly home fireplace in Sydney’s interior west

Minns says failure to purchase Rosehill racecourse for housing improvement means dropping a ‘one-in-a-generation opportunity’

The New South Wales premier has mentioned he’ll hold pushing to construct extra properties however his state missed a “one-in-a-generation opportunity” after an inner-Sydney race membership’s rejection of his authorities’s bid for the Rosehill racecourse.

Chris Minns mentioned he revered the Australian Turf Membership’s choice, which blocked his $5bn bid to construct 25,000 new properties and a Metro cease, however would hold preventing the backlash towards new housing:

Governments have been too scared to take dangers on housing due to the backlash from nimby teams. A metropolis pays a worth for that sort of timidity. And in Sydney, that worth is being paid by our younger individuals. …

We’ll hold supporting massive daring options for housing. We’ll hold our foot on the accelerator.

He additionally gave particular reward to the membership’s chair, Peter McGuaran, and the Racing NSW chief govt, Peter V’Landys, each of whom championed the sale:

I didn’t know Peter V’Landys very properly earlier than I grew to become premier, however he’s a do-er. He’s somebody who grabs initiatives and pursues them. I believe Sydney might do with ten Peter V’Landys moderately than one.

Learn the complete report from our Anne Davies right here:

An individual has died after a home fireplace in Sydney’s interior west early this morning and a second individual is unaccounted for, emergency providers have mentioned.

Simply after 4am right now, quite a lot of 000 calls have been made alerting firefighters to a blaze on Irrara Road, Croydon, Hearth and Rescue NSW’s Supt Adam Dewberry mentioned.

Police mentioned they discovered the physique of an individual inside the house and established against the law scene, investigating the circumstances surrounding the hearth, which had brought on in depth harm to the home. A second individual remains to be but to be situated, Dewberry instructed Seven Information:

A second individual remains to be unaccounted for. We’ve vital roof collapse which is making getting these hotspots out tough. …

[Firefighters] have been really pressured again attributable to that depth of the hearth and the roof was beginning to collapse.

Firefighters have extinguished the blaze. The physique is but to be formally recognized and a report might be ready for the coroner, police mentioned.

The New South Wales authorities has appointed a three-person panel to conduct its a “short and sharp” evaluate of the Sydney Trains community within the wake of the commuter chaos that swept town one week in the past.

The premier, Chris Minns, mentioned the evaluate would search for enhancements to upkeep, punctuality and communication with passengers after a reside wire with sufficient voltage to immediately kill a human fell on prime of a prepare, trapping 300 passengers onboard and grinding practically all heavy rail traces throughout the community to a halt.

The skilled panel might be made up of Carolyn Walsh, a former chief govt of the NSW Impartial Transport Security and Reliability Regulator; Kerry Schott, a former head of Sydney Water; and Trevor Armstrong, a former Ausgrid CEO.

Whereas Walsh led a evaluate of the community’s infrastructure and programs in 2023, the NSW transport minister, John Graham, mentioned this evaluate wouldn’t be a do-over:

The purpose right here is to not repeat the earlier evaluate of Carolyn Walsh however I’m assured her detailed information of this challenge and Kerry Schott’s huge expertise supported by Trevor Armstrong will guarantee precious new insights are delivered.

Sydney Trains is working its personal investigation, together with metallurgical evaluation of the failed wire, and can report findings to the investigators, the federal government mentioned in an announcement.

Thanks Martin Farrer for beginning us off. I’ll take you thru the remainder of the day’s information.

Falling gas prices and extra seats drive down costs in Australia and the Asia-Pacific

Cheaper jet gas and extra seat availability have pushed down costs for Australian jetsetters and the worth reduction is anticipated to proceed, AAP report.

Home economic system air fares have been 12% cheaper within the first two months of 2025 than the identical time final 12 months, knowledge compiled by company journey advisers FCM Consulting exhibits. That represents $29 off the typical ticket worth.

The worth drop comes regardless of the Australian Competitors and Client Fee claiming restricted home competitors was serving to the nation’s dominant airline teams – Qantas and Virgin – increase their revenue margins.

Globally, jet gas is down nearly 17% in comparison with the 2024 common, pushed partly by financial uncertainty from Donald Trump’s commerce battle. FCM Consulting’s director, Felicity Burke, mentioned Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific area had skilled sharper drops in fares in contrast with the remainder of the world.

“We’ve been saying for a long time now that global capacity increases and other factors like jet barrel cost reductions would go hand-in-hand with air fare price drops in various regions, and this is one of several reasons that we’re now seeing this come to fruition,” she mentioned.

Air fares for the “golden triangle” route between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane remained pretty flat – a consequence of upper demand.

International capability in Might was 7% larger than 2019 and 5% larger than the identical time final 12 months. Worldwide economic system air fares out of Australia dropped 5% in January and February in contrast with the identical interval final 12 months, whereas enterprise class tickets fell 3%.

The better Geelong area has grow to be the nation’s hottest vacation spot amongst Australian movers after figures confirmed that it had taken the most important share of internet inside migration.

The newest regional movers index (RMI) report exhibits that within the 12 months to the March quarter, the better Geelong native authorities space had a 9.3% share of whole internet inside migration, in contrast with 8.9% for the Sunshine Coast, which had topped the chart for the earlier two years.

The figures replicate a rise in motion out of metropolitan areas to the areas, with capital metropolis to regional relocations rising by nearly 11% on the earlier quarter to sit down 20.5% above the pre-Covid common.

The RMI is produced by the Regional Australia Institute and the Commonwealth Financial institution and analyses quarterly and annual developments in individuals shifting to and from Australia’s regional areas.

Liz Ritchie, the chief govt of the RAI, mentioned the information demonstrated the nation’s “love affair” with regional residing was displaying no indicators of abating with 25% extra individuals shifting from capital cities to the areas, than again in the other way.

The recognition of the Geelong area comes with an increase within the recognition of regional Victoria as an entire. The state captured 34% of the overall internet inflows into all of regional Australia through the March 2025 quarter, bigger than the 28% share within the March 2024 quarter.

Josh Foster, performing govt common supervisor of regional and agribusiness banking at Commonwealth Financial institution, mentioned the figures confirmed the vitality of Victoria.

It’s pleasing to see annual inhabitants progress is continuous to profit Australia’s regional economic system as extra persons are drawn to the life-style and employment alternatives discovered past metropolitan areas.

Larger Geelong has grow to be the star performer attributable to its idyllic location, established providers and vary of employment alternatives.”

Good morning and welcome to our reside information weblog. I’m Martin Farrer with the highest tales to begin the day earlier than Luca Ittimani takes the recent seat.

David Littleproud says he has “comfort” within the tweaks to the coverage bundle that he’ll current to the Nationals occasion room, suggesting he expects a deal to reunite the Coalition will get the nod from his MPs and senators.

Stress is constructing inside Labor’s grassroots membership for the federal government to impose sanctions on Israel over its blockade of meals and assist into Gaza, with an inside pro-Palestine group reporting “a surge in anger and frustration” amongst members. The problem has loomed giant over the Sydney Writers’ pageant and we report on how Israeli and Palestinian individuals have tried to navigate what one known as a “moral crisis”.

Plus: the Sunshine Coast is now not the preferred vacation spot for inside migrants, and the brand new metropolis on the prime of the listing is a really completely different choice. And new knowledge exhibits that air fares are falling – however will it final?