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The New South Wales government has indefinitely delayed some of Sydney's major infrastructure projects due to surging construction costs and labour shortages.

Projects like the Northern Beaches Tunnel and the Parramatta Light Rail have been put on hold by Infrastructure NSW.

These projects accumulatively cost taxpayers around $100 million.

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"What we have recommended is the government take a little time because the construction industry is at capacity," Graham Bradley from Infrastructure NSW said.

Government officials like Transport Minister David Elliott have defended the decision to delay the projects.

"The government is not walking away from any of these projects – what we have to recalibrate is the time frame," he said.

However, the opposition leader believes these projects will not be delays but instead cancelled.

"It means a cancellation as far as they're concerned… this is an old trick being used by governments," Chris Minns said.

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The projects, which were in their infancy, have caused chaos for Sydneysiders who either had their homes acquired or moved to an area to access the transport options.

Residents in Balgowlah Street were pushed out of their homes after it was acquired by the government to make way for the Northern Beaches Tunnel.

"You feel like your home is being ripped from under you and you cant do anything about it," Nerissa Levy a former Balgowlah local said.

"Ultimately people need to be able to plan their lives."

Thousands of people also moved to Wentworth Point where the Parramatta Light Rail was set to link Parramatta to Olympic Park.

"Places around Olympic Park, high density neighbourhoods they were designed to accommodate public transport," David Borger from Business Western Sydney said.

It is unknown when the projects are set to restart.

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Meanwhile, there is a proposal to remove the Cahill Expressway which connects Sydney's CBD to the Warringah Freeway.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore wants the expressway to be torn down once the Western Harbour Tunnel is completed.

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Mini supermarkets are popping up in schools across the country in a bid to provide employment and social opportunities for Australian kids with disabilities.

For the last five years Woolworths' has been providing a space for students with diverse needs to learn on-hand skills like customer service while at school.

Mini Woolworths Ambassador Kiara Misciagna is a recent graduate from St Edmund's College where the scheme was first launched in 2018.

She is now an official Woolworths employee.

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"Yes, I am working at Woolworths," said Miscianga.

"I do cheese cutting and greeting people."

Miscianga said the thing she loves about working at Woolworths is seeing people smile and saying hello to her.

The Mini Woolies program has been rolled out at 12 schools so far, but is set to expand to 25 by June next year.

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The national expansion of the program was announced at the opening of the newest Mini Woolies at Clarke Road School in Hornsby, Northern Sydney.

READ MORE: Aussies warned of severe weather as polar blast hits state

Clarke Road School Principal Rebecca Saunders said the shop "will enable the students to practice their skills before moving out into the wider community".

Each mini-supermarket replicates the Woolworths experience with baskets for fresh food, supermarket shelves, a fully operational check out and the Woolies uniform.

Team members from local Woolworths supermarkets help train the students.

Nearly 100 kilometre per hour winds are battering New South Wales with experts warning more icy conditions are on the way for Australia's south-east.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the polar cold front, which caused the drop in temperature and damaging winds in four states, has now moved offshore.

However, the country's south-east will experience "a very cold and windy air mass" for the next 24 to 48 hours.

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Winds of up to 90 kilometres per hour are lashing lash NSW with the State Emergency Service warning it could cause more trees and branches to be brought down.

"Reconsider whether it's necessary for you to be on the roads, and if it is, drive to the conditions," NSW SES deputy commissioner Daniel Austin said.

"Consider that powerlines may be tangled in fallen trees. If you're at home, secure any outdoor furniture and avoid parking your vehicle under trees."

The bureau added the strong winds are making temperatures feel much lower.

The bureau warned the damaging winds may ease briefly on Thursday but another polar blast is set to hit the south-east over the weekend.

"While this system will bring more cold and snowy conditions, it will not be as windy," the bureau added.

Ski resort opens early as snow continues to fall

Perisher is set to open this weekend, one week earlier than planned as the weather event brings over 30 centimetres of snow.

The popular ski destination will open on Saturday June 4 so avid skiers and snowboarders can enjoy the fresh coating of snow.

"With over 50 centimetres of snow still to come over the next week, we're looking forward to welcoming guests back to Perisher and kicking off the season," the resort said in a statement.

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The bureau said there have been reports of between 15 to 20 centimetres of snow at Alpine resorts with more snow and blizzards forecast in the coming days.

Rhylla Morgan from Buller Ski Lifts told Today the fresh snowfall at Victoria's Mt Buller is "absolutely magical".

Australia's ski communities have struggled during the past two years of lockdowns and travel bans, and are hopeful of a resurgent 2022 season.

"There is a lot of excitement here in the community on the mountain," Morgan said.

"It's going to be a really big season, we hope.

"This is a really nice way to start."

Bookings have been strong ahead of the slopes opening, with reservations already being made through to September.

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Snowfall is also predicted to fall in suburbs as low as 600 metres above sea level.

"The coldest air will move over south-eastern regions during Tuesday afternoon and evening, with the snow level falling to as low as 600-800m for NSW, Vic and Tas," the bureau said.

Thousands without power, trees downed

Thousands of people were left without power earlier today and trees were blown down after heavy storms ripped through New South Wales and southern Queensland overnight.

About 20,000 homes on the Gold Coast and Hinterlands in Queensland were cut off from the grid this morning, while strong winds of over 60km/hr have been recorded.

Arriving flights are being delayed, cancelled and amalgamated at Brisbane Airport due to the conditions.

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However, no delays for departing flights have yet been reported.

The SES responded to at least 500 calls across NSW, while the storm system left 18,000 homes without electricity – 14,000 of them still without the lights on as of this morning.

The storm, with winds of up to 120km/hr struck everywhere from metropolitan Sydney, north to Newcastle and even Armidale, as well as Queensland's Darling Downs.

A tree fell on a parked Mercedes in Sydney's Double Bay overnight, which left residents shocked.

"It sounded like a tornado, you saw the storm coming in and it literally ripped through the gardens in three minutes maximum," a resident told 9News.

"You heard this huge crack. Yeah, it was pretty terrifying."

Queensland battered by gale force winds

Severe winds triggered traffic chaos in parts of Queensland as gusts of up to 90km/h uprooted trees, blocking roads and crushing cars in Brisbane.

Some of the worst winds were seen in the south-east region of Stanthorpe, where resident Marissa Clark's caravan was crushed.

"There were periods of haunting silence and then it would start up again, it'd be horrific," she said.

One Brisbane resident said she regretted venturing into the uncharacteristic cold.

"Freezing- my nose is literally dripping as I've been walking through here," Bec Cvilkas said.

"So windy, I don't even know what I'm doing out here."

In the Moreton Bay region, a boat was seen blown from it's mooring onto the shore.

Jonathan How from the Bureau of Meteorology said the worst of the damaging winds weren't over for the east coast.

"We will continue to see those damaging winds along the east coast of above 90 km/h potentially reaching up to 110 km/h around some of those elevated areas."

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The first cruise ship in more than two years has sailed out of Sydney Harbour.

P&O's Pacific Explorer departed at 4pm from the White Bay Cruise Terminal in Balmain for a four-night round trip to Brisbane.

Thousands of cruise fans are on board the mammoth vessel, which has set sail under the Harbour Bridge on its way out to the ocean with great fanfare.

READ MORE: How cruise ships are gearing up for Australian return

The 999-cabin ship, which arrived back in Sydney last month, will become the first to berth at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal.

It boasts 18 restaurants, seven bars and clubs and the first bowling green on an Aussie ship.

Cruises were banned in March 2020 when COVID-19 lockdowns began, following an outbreak on the Ruby Princess.

The ban was lifted earlier this year, but the mammoth vessels have only just started to arrive back.

President of Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia Marguerite Fitzgerald said it would be an "emotional moment" when the ship sets sail.

The voyage is being welcomed by the $5 billion industry which supports 18,000 Aussie jobs.

A total of 1.35 million Aussies took a cruise in 2018.

Peak season is between December and March.

Prior to the pandemic, cruising accounted for more than $1 billion annually in economic activity in Queensland, with regional destinations from Moreton Island to Cairns benefiting.

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More cruise ships are due back in Australia in coming months.

In June, Princess Cruises will home port Coral Princess in Brisbane, marking a ten-year Princess relationship with the city.

In 2023, Carnival Cruise Line will also home port a ship in the city.

Cunard's lavish Queen Elizabeth will call at Airlie Beach, Cairns and Port Douglas in November.

Sister ship Queen Victoria will call at Cairns in March 2023, with flagship Queen Mary 2 visiting Airlie Beach and Brisbane the same month.

READ MORE: Aussies warned of severe weather as polar blast hits state

The nation is one of the last in the world to allow cruises again.

Cruisers must be fully vaccinated and take a rapid test to board.

The tourist boat involved in the accident at Horizontal Falls in Western Australia last week "did not capsize", according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

The finding came after the government authority inspected the vessel involved and the scene of the accident, as a part of an ongoing multi-agency investigation.

"At this stage of the investigation, AMSA can confirm that the vessel did not capsize, no people fell in the water and appears to have collided with a rock wall," a spokesperon said.

READ MORE: Company behind WA boating incident says vessel didn't capsize

As a part of the investigation, the authority also interviewed the tourism operator's company personnel on-site.

Twenty-six tourists and two crew members were on board the vessel during the incident at 7am on Friday.

Several people were left with serious injuries which required surgery, medics say.

Police claimed at a press conference on Friday that "a number of people did find themselves in the water".

Officers also commended the efforts of tour operators to get patients back to pontoons.

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However, in a statement, the operator Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures said the boat did not capsize and immediately returned to the pontoon.

AMSA said it has issued a prohibition notice to the domestic commercial vessel and a direction notice to prevent the operator using any other vessel to transit the Horizontal Falls pending the outcome of the investigation.

"AMSA has also issued an emergency suspension of the master's Certificate of Competency," a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said "as the investigation is ongoing no more details will be disclosed at this time".  

"The findings of the investigation will be released in due course," they said.

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