People will die if plans to scale back are carried out, the Nurses Organisation says.

Lower Hutt locals are shutting themselves indoors to escape another wave of putrid odours.

A witness said they saw a man with what appear to be a large gun strapped around his neck.

Stanford made her comments at the annual PPTA meeting.

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An elderly doctor has been admonished in court for bringing a box-cutter on a long-distance flight to treat his skin condition, causing hours-long delays for hundreds of fellow passengers.

Adrian Francis Rodney Russell was spotted with the potential weapon at Sydney International Airport on July 23, 2024 as his United Airlines plane taxied out to the runway to take off to Los Angeles.

The 75-year-old took the blade out of his black toiletries bag, where it was placed along with his medications, and placed it on the tray table in front of his seat.

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It was spotted and seized by a passing flight attendant, who passed it onto the US air marshals aboard the plane.

The device contained an 8cm-long blade, according to an agreed statement of facts tendered in court.

"(The) knife had a substantial amount of dirty stains on it," the document said.

The plane was returned to the terminal, all passengers were required to be screened again through security and police searched the plane for any other prohibited items, delaying the departure by two hours and 40 minutes.

Australian Federal Police officers interviewed Russell, who was hit with one charge of possessing a prohibited item on board an aircraft.

The 75-year-old doctor, who runs a pathology clinic out of his home in Terrigal, on the NSW Central Coast, pleaded guilty in September.

He appeared from his home by video-link for sentence at Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday with numerous pieces of artwork seen hanging behind him.

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Russell told police he had not noticed the blade until he opened his medicine pouch on the plane.

He said he used the knife to open letters and as a "habitual scratching implement" to peel scabs and dead skin from his hand and arm because of a dermatitis-type condition.

His lawyer Kim Stapleton and crown prosecutor Kristen Wakefield agreed Russell did not need to be convicted for the crime.

Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson concurred, finding the offence proven but dismissing the case without conviction.

In handing down the sentence, she took into account his age, complete lack of criminal history, good character, co-operation with the authorities and remorse.

While the AFP had done their jobs properly by taking these kinds of offences seriously and charging Russell, Atkinson said his actions were at the low end of seriousness.

But she still reprimanded the 75-year-old, saying he needed to take extra care to check his hand luggage before boarding a flight.

"It's simply not appropriate to have these things on a plane," she said.

The maximum penalty for the offence is a $6260 fine.

Major changes have been made to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), including officially banning sex work claims.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten announced a sweeping reform to the scheme and what types of support participants can access.

Under the revamp, NDIS participants won't be able to have access to sex work, dating apps, concerts, reiki, crystal and cuddle therapy and vapes.

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The changes will come into effect on October 3 and come after a lengthy wait for Australians with a disability for the final list.

NDIS participants will be given a one-year grace period to get used to the changes and administrators will have the power to waive mistaken claims under $1500.

Those using a support now under the new banned list will also be allowed to retain the service until their NDIS plan expires.

Shorten said new guidelines would give Australians using NDIS more clarity.

"We are just putting certain therapies beyond all reasonable doubt that they are not what service providers should be offering," he said.

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"We're just being really clear that this scheme is going to be run properly, transparently, in the best of participants, not some service providers who are selling therapies, which we cannot find much in the way of scientific or evidentiary basis."

The government say the reforms will save taxpayers $14 billion over four years.

Shorten previously vowed to rule out sexual services under the NDIS after arguing it was "not a sustainable proposition".

He said the vast majority of people "aren't seeking these services".

"I think the vast majority of Australians are pleased to see that the scheme is sustainable, but they also want to see clear rules," Shorten said today when asked about the exclusion of sex therapy.

Shorten also said he will "do as much as we can" before he departs federal politics and his role as NDIS Minister in February 2025.

Now he’s been fined after netting $326,000 in a deal he hid from the vendor and his boss.

When a horse slipped in Race 1 in Hastings on Saturday, it was the beginning of the end,

Vapes are now available without a prescription from pharmacies, but will be behind the counter and only sold to adults, as part of the next stage of the government's crackdown on the devices.

Moves to try and stamp out the habit began on July 1, amid what leaders called "the biggest loophole in Australian healthcare history".

The federal government tweaked its plan, which was announced last year, after reaching an agreement with the Greens to pass an amended version of its legislation, that changes how Australians can buy the products.

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After initially requiring prescriptions, vapes will now be treated as behind-the-counter therapeutic goods.

That means customers will need to provide photo ID and have a discussion with a pharmacist before being allowed to buy them.

But they won't need to see a doctor to get a prescription.

They are only available to people who want to use them to stop smoking.

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​Children aged under 18 will still require a prescription.

From March 1, 2024, it has been illegal to import disposable vapes, irrespective of the amount of nicotine they contain.

That includes people buying vapes overseas and having them shipped to Australia for their own use.

The colourful vapes which attract young people and have been sold at vape shops are not supposed to contain nicotine.

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However, experts say the crackdown isn't working.

Avinash Singh Principal Lawyer at Astor Legal said in the 18 months from July 2022, there were only 12 successful prosecutions in New South Wales.

"The new laws seem to reflect an acknowledgement by the government of the practical difficulties in enforcing overly restrictive vaping laws," Singh said.

​"Perhaps more concerning is that the current penalties for vaping offences are clearly not a deterrent.

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"Seven of the shops that were prosecuted, continued to stock illicit vapes after they received a warning, had their products seized or were convicted in court.

"This is unsurprising when the fines they received were minuscule compared to the profits made from selling vapes."

Meanwhile, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is introducing strengthened product standards for therapeutic vapes including vaping substances, vaping substance accessories, vaping devices and vaping device accessories.