There is an increased police presence on Main North Rd, Papanui, after today’s incident.

The boy’s father wanted to change the stereotype around boy racers after his son’s death.

Australia will cap TV betting ads and ban them during live sport.

A new bill follows Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier’s damning inspection of a prison unit.

A weather system building towards parts of south and south-eastern Australia is expected to bring a mixed bag of conditions.

The deep low-pressure system brewing below Western Australia is expected to bring rain, storms, strong winds, heat, and then cold temperatures to Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.

Weatherzone flagged the system on Monday, predicting it would bring wind gusts of more than 89km/h to Australia's south-east on Friday morning.

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Storms and showers are expected to move in an easterly direction from South Australia tonight and into tomorrow.

Severe thunderstorms are a possibility on Thursday across South Australia's south, NSW's south and Victoria.

At the same time, temperatures are expected to rise beyond 30 degrees in some parts of Australia's east.

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The intense heat is set to begin tomorrow in Victoria, with tops of low 30s in the state's far north-west and in NSW's west.

Sydney is expected to cop the brunt of the heat with highs of up to 34 degrees expected on Friday, nudging the state's hottest ever April day of 35.6 degrees.

Meanwhile, parts of Tasmania are being told to prepare for snowfall as low as 700 or 800 metres by Friday, with conditions expected to continue into the weekend.

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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has urged people to ‘stock up’ on supplies.

‘A taxing trial for all concerned’ – Justice Lisa Preston

Auckland’s biggest ferry company says fuel costs jumped 92% in just two weeks.

Embattled former rugby league star Curtis Scott has been given the green light to fight in a bare-knuckle boxing match less than a month after he allegedly assaulted two people.

The 28-year-old former Melbourne Storm and Canberra Raiders player was granted bail with strict conditions after he was arrested over an alleged altercation at the Sydney Cricket Ground in March.

Police allege he and his 55-year-old mother, Dianna Allen, assaulted an 18-year-old following an argument after a Sydney Swans AFL game.

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The teen was treated by paramedics for facial injuries before being taken to a hospital.

Police stopped a tram at Moore Park and attempted to speak to Scott but he allegedly assaulted a police officer – who sustained minor injuries – before fleeing the scene.

Scott wore all black as he faced Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday to plead not guilty to affray, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and assaulting a police officer.

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His solicitor Paul McGirr asked the court to vary Scott's bail conditions to allow him to fight in an upcoming bare-knuckle boxing match in Brisbane.

The former centre, once among the NRL's brightest young stars, pivoted to boxing after his NRL contract was cancelled in 2021 following an altercation at a nightclub.

"He has a job and his main income is from fighting, sanctioned fights," Mr McGirr said.

"This is his craft and this is what he's good at."

He noted Scott, like many rugby league players, had the potential to "go by the wayside" after his career ended because the "sugar hit" of the high income had suddenly dissipated.

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But the one-time premiership winner has redirected his talents and found steady employment, Mr McGirr said.

Scott has abstained from alcohol and embraced weekly treatment, his lawyer said, but the night-time curfew should be removed to allow him to work in Queensland.

The suggestion was opposed by the prosecutor, who said the former NRL player has been charged over a "significant incident of violence" and has a history of violence.

The alleged confrontation with the teen involved "significant ferocity and force", Judge Michael Allen noted.

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He acknowledged concerns about the safety of the community and the commission of further offences but highlighted Scott's adherence to treatment.

The judge lifted the curfew, clearing the way for the former NRL player to fight later this month.

Scott will return to court in May and his mother will face court on Thursday.

She has been charged with common assault and hindering a police officer in the execution of duty but has not yet entered pleas.

Her son played 84 NRL games during his career, including a stint in the Storm's 2017 premiership-winning side.

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Nationals Leader Matt Canavan has called for new cities, more babies and a domestic space industry as part of his "Australia on steroids" economic plan.

In his first major address since winning party leadership last month, Canavan criticised the federal government for the state of the economy and called for a big shake up.

"I am proposing an Australian economic revolution, not a replay or a reset," he told the National Press Club this afternoon.

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Canavan laid out his six-point economic plan he dubbed the "Patriot Agenda for an Australian Economic Revival":

1. Scrap net-zero and invest in all forms of energy, including nuclear
2. Close borders to mass migration
3. Encourage a new baby boom
4. Build new cities
5. Protect manufacturing and key industries through all tools, including tariffs
6. Create a national works program to build space ports, dams, roads, rail

A key part of his plan is to ditch the 2030 net-zero target, which he has been a vocal opponent of, and unlock nuclear energy.

Canavan called to build new cities and infrastructure, including for a domestic space industry, but did not reveal how he would fund it.

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He compared Australia's singular orbital launch last year to New Zealand's 50 and said the space industry has become increasingly important for communications, defence and national security.

Canavan also hoped that building new cities in regional areas and embracing work from home measures would encourage people to move out of the major cities, afford a home and create a baby boom.

"If we've got people with homes and backyards, they would probably decide to have children," he said. 

Canavan did not reveal how he would fund any of his measures but criticised Labor's policies for failing to address the problem.

"We just need more of this country. Everything that is wrong with the country can be fixed by what is right," he said as he concluded his speech.

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