If she doesn't set an alarm, a run-of-the-mill trip to the shopping centre can turn into a financial headache for Zoe Sheehan.

On a recent sunny Sydney day, the 30-year-old parked in a 30-minute zone at a Westfield, bought a coffee, promptly forgot about her car and walked home.

Only hours later did she realise her car was still sitting at the shops – with an unwelcome $300 fine attached to the windscreen.

This, Sheehan told Nine.com.au, is a common example of the "ADHD tax" that Australians are paying every single day.

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Sheehan has paid dearly for her neurodivergence, something she chalked up to forgetfulness until just four years ago.

After being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at age 26, it dawned on Sheehan just how much unnecessary money she had been paying simply because of the way her brain is wired.

"There's so many times when I've done that. It is all the key symptoms of having ADHD – like forgetfulness, impulsivity, distraction, procrastination, time blindness, all coming together," Sheehan said.

"The intention is there… but you might get distracted or hyperfocussed, and then eight hours later you realise and it's like… holy s–t.

"People might say, Oh just set a reminder, and they just don't understand the way that our brains work.

"It's literally the same thing as telling someone with dementia to just remember."

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Parking fines are just the tip of the iceberg.

Sheehan said the hidden cost of ADHD also includes late payment fees (she has set up direct debit for all her bills to avoid this), payments for unused services like apps or gym memberships and impulsive online shopping.

According to the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA), the average productivity losses associated with the disorder amounted to $9.98 billion in 2019, which is around $17,483 per person living with ADHD.

Psychiatrist and Pandion Health co-founder Dr Brendan Daugherty agreed the ADHD tax is a financial complexity that can come with the disorder.

"The ADHD tax is the running cost of having an ADHD brain in a system designed for neurotypical brains," Daugherty explained.

"It can easily cost thousands a year.

"The modern world has a lot of demands, and it's not made for the neurotypical brain, much less the neurodivergent brain."

Since her diagnosis, the Sydney woman was able to get a "leniency letter" from her doctor, which explains her diagnosis and how it can lead to the offence or penalty.

She is yet to use it, but said it is an important tool which could soften the financial burden for many adults with ADHD.

"I don't want to be pushing for people to be abusing the system and not being responsible, because they still need to follow the law," she said.

"But it is a disability, so there needs to be some sort of support."

Because ADHD is invisible, Sheehan said, diagnosed adults are not offered the same leniency or help.

"For anyone disabled, you've got disabled parking spots…. for pregnant women, things that are visible, people [are treated] differently," she added.

"When it's invisible, it doesn't get the same treatment."

According to Fines Victoria, you can apply to review your fine under special circumstances if you can prove you committed the offence, in part, because you "had a mental or intellectual disability, disorder, disease or illness".

Daugherty said adults with ADHD often need more nudges and support – including alarms, stricter planning or detailed calendars.

"Mitigation is mostly about reducing reliance on memory and willpower. Automate bills and savings on payday," he said.

"Use phone reminders and calendar notifications for anything important. Audit subscriptions quarterly. Have one fixed spot at home for keys, wallet, phone. Use a 24-hour pause rule on impulse buys."

He described untreated ADHD is the most "expensive scenario".

"Because medication, therapy and coaching directly address the executive function gap that drives the tax in the first place."

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ADHD rates soar in Australia

More than a million Australians have ADHD, according to the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA).

New analysis by UNSW Sydney researchers has found the number of adults being treated for ADHD has surged by more than 600 per cent since 2017.

And women have now overtaken men in the prescribing rates of ADHD medication in Australia.

The statistics have laid bare the sheer volume of Australians who don't fit the neurotypical mould.

Sheehan has been a vocal advocate for ADHD awareness and education online.

She is also developing an app to help other neurodivergent Australians with "time blindness" to mitigate the financial toll of ADHD tax.

On her platforms, Sheehan speaks candidly about how she navigates the pitfalls – and silver linings – of living with ADHD.

She said it doesn't need to be a burden. It can also be a superpower.

"ADHD is so misunderstood. And it's not until you experience it and live with it first-hand, that you realise," she said.

"I just would love to bring more positivity around it, because I think that people are ashamed of ADHD because of the negative talk around us."

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A missing dog has been rescued from a 13th-storey ledge days after escaping from a balcony at an apartment block on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Elbie the two-year-old Jack Russell went missing on Saturday after squeezing past pot plants and through a narrow gap on the balcony at the Meriton apartments in Dee Why.

"We looked around the entire apartment and looked everywhere, every small, little spot, and there was nothing," friend James Tomac said.

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"We started thinking the worst possible thing, maybe she fell off the balcony."

After her owners raised the alarm on social media, a neighbour flying his drone spotted Elbie stuck between a railing on the ledge on the other side of the high-rise just after lunchtime.

Fire and Rescue firefighter Joel Spillane was tasked with the challenge of bringing Elbie to safety in front of dozens of anxious onlookers on the ground.

Spillane scaled the high-rise building using vertical rescue equipment and placed a lead on Elbie and a tarpaulin below the ledge to catch the dog if she fell.

"He was a little bit stuck, it took me a while to get him out, he was stuck in between the awning up there, but he was calm which helped a lot," he said.

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After 20 minutes trying to manoeuvre Elbie from the edge, she was lifted to safety through an apartment window, with crowds erupting into cheers below.

"We got him inside, he's drunk heaps of water, they gave him a shower, and I'm sure he'll be off to the vet, back tomorrow," Spillane said.

"We're not sure how long he was there, they mentioned a day or so but we're not sure."

Elbie was quickly reunited with her owner after spending two days without food or water.

"I was over the moon you know, I didn't know if I was going to see her again so, very happy," owner Jake Dobrin said.

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Police say it appears the people involved were known to each other.

Alicia Te Papa put items in a trolley then walk out of the store without paying for them.

Police are searching for a 47-year-old man who had recently been released from prison in relation to the suspected abduction of a young girl in the Northern Territory.

Five-year-old Sharon was reported missing about 1.30am yesterday from her home in Old Timers Camp on Marshall Court in Alice Springs.

She had been put to bed about 11.30pm on Saturday before she was later noticed to be missing.

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Acting Commander Mark Grieve confirmed police are asking for public assistance to find Jefferson Lewis, who was in the area at the time and staying at the residence, and who is believed to have disappeared around the same time.

"We do believe Sharon has been abducted and we believe Mr Jefferson may be able to provide us with some information in regards to this," Grieve said.

"He currently remains one of the few people who were in Old Timers Camp at the time and has not made themselves known to police, nor have police been able to locate him at this point in time."

He said Lewis had recently been released from prison, after being jailed for violent offences including assault and domestic violence.

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"We're still trying to work through his movements since he got out of prison, we certainly know that he was in and around Old Timers Camp at that particular residence Saturday afternoon and into that evening."

Grieve could not confirm how many people were at the home but said he understood Sharon's mother and other family were present.

Lewis is not directly related to Sharon, but is believed to have been known to the family, Grieve said.

"It's a terrible situation to have such a young child go missing, we're over 24 hours now so it would certainly be my worst nightmare as a parent," Grieve said.

He said police were "wrapping around" Sharon's mother and had provided accommodation and support to the family.

"We want to find Sharon healthy and we want to get her back to her family."

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Sharon was last seen wearing a dark blue short-sleeve T-shirt with a white ring stripe around the neck and a white ring stripe around the end of the sleeves, and a pair of black boxer-style underwear.

The ongoing search has included officers on foot, on motorbike, dogs, horses, and drones.

It is not known if Lewis has access to a vehicle and police believe he is possibly still in the area.

The Northern Territory Major Crime Squad was en route to the home today.

Anyone with information should call 131 444.

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A group of women and children with alleged ties to the militant Islamic State group could be on their way back to Australia within days, having secured flights out of Syria.

The group of four women and nine children left the dire conditions at Syria's Al-Roj camp on Friday, after spending seven years in the camp following the fall of the Islamic State caliphate.

They all have obtained Australian passports.

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The group, who are all Australian citizens, hope to depart Damascus within the next few days.

It's understood the group will need to undergo security clearances in the Syrian capital, with an army official saying it could take around 72 hours from the time they left the camp last Friday.

Once those checks are complete, there could still be further security checks during their flights back to Australia – the exact details and stop-off points of which remain unclear.

At least some could face criminal charges.

The group of 13 are part of a larger group of 34 Australians – 11 women and 23 children – who attempted to return to Australian shores in February.

Only one of the women has been temporarily banned from returning to Australia by the federal government following their scuttled February repatriation attempt.

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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke issued a temporary exclusion order on the woman, which prevents high-risk citizens from returning to Australia for up to two years.

The exclusion orders were introduced in 2019 to prevent defeated Islamic State fighters from returning to Australia.

There are no public reports of an order being issued before.

Burke said at the time that security agencies had not advised that any of the other Australians in the group warranted an exclusion order and they couldn't be made against children younger than 14.

However, the federal opposition is calling for most exclusion orders to be issued.

"We are talking here about people who deliberately chose a terrorist organisation ahead of Australia," Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Ted O'Brien said.

"They chose violence over peace."

Defence Minister Richard Marles said he has the utmost confidence in the nation's security agencies to bar anyone who poses a threat.

"Our intelligence agencies and our security agencies are always alert to anyone who might come into the country and we have utter faith in respect of what they do and of course they monitor people where that is appropriate," he said.

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A Dunedin woman discovered the horrendous aftermath of the suspected dog attack.

She was last seen about 4.30am today in the Wellington suburb.

A 24/7 McDonald's has been approved to be built on one of Melbourne's trendiest streets despite fierce opposition from residents who claim it will damage the suburb's "social fabric".

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) reversed a decision by Darebin City Council on Friday to block the Macca's from opening at a fire-damaged vacant lot at 323 High Steet in Northcote.

Northcote resident Andy Miller, who fought alongside the council to block the development, said it was a "disappointing" outcome but was confident the battle was not over.

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"McDonald's may have succeeded up to this point in this skirmish, but the campaign to halt the spread of these fast-food goliaths is far from over," Miller told Nine.com.au.

"'No Macca's Campaigns' are increasing nationally."

Darebin councillors in November voted 6-3 in opposition to the planning motion and the proposal returned to the table last week, with VCAT finding that concern from locals and businesses that the fast food outlet did not fit the vibe were not relevant to the planning application.

Miller said the VCAT tribunal was not interested in community outrage over the potential for Macca's to ruin the "social fabric" of Northcote's tight-knit community.

A petition against the proposal attracted more than 11,300 signatures.

Many feared the proposed convenience restaurant would spoil the blend of local restaurants, hip bars, boutique shops and live music venues that run along High Street, which runs along the suburbs of Northcote, Thornbury and Preston.

Locals said the late-night opening hours would compromise the suburb's "unique character".

The sting of the Golden Arches is a little more painful for local burger joint 300 Grams, which is just a few doors down from the proposed site.

But owner Norm Khzam told 9News he hopes residents will stay loyal to his business.

"We wouldn't open a couple of doors down from another burger shop, but at the same time we are confident in what we do," he said.

Time Out magazine last year named the buzzy High Street as number one in its "world's coolest street" rankings.

"Macca's relies on the fact that councils and communities get exhausted," Miller said, adding that Northcote residents will "regroup" and assess their options.

It is difficult to appeal a VCAT decision.

Tribunal decisions can only be appealed in the Victorian Supreme Court.

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Community members will gather for a "Fast Food Forum" next week to discuss who suburbs can "protect [themselves] against these powerful chains and reform the planning system that enables their proliferation".

A spokesperson for McDonald's said the fast good giant welcomed the outcome and that the application had been "fairly and rightly assessed".

"The restaurant represents an investment of more than $2 million and reflects McDonald's ongoing commitment to employment-generating development across Victoria," the spokesperson said.

"The restaurant will be owned and operated by a local Franchisee, who will contribute to the local area through employment, access to training and development opportunities, and supporting local community organisations."

McDonald's previously argued the development would generate around 100 jobs during construction and 100 full-time, part-time and casual jobs once it is open.

It is scheduled to open later this year.

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A magistrate's son has been ordered to stand trial on more than 100 child sexual offences.

Cooper Mitchell Bamberry faced Brisbane Magistrates Court today for a committal hearing on 129 charges that were laid in March and May 2025 when he was 22 years old.

The Helensvale man is the son of Queensland magistrate Mark Bamberry.

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Defence lawyer Adam Guest consented for the matter to go to trial after cross-examining one witness.

The alleged offences included one count of rape, two charges of intercourse with a child, 53 counts of indecent treatment of a child and 45 counts of using the internet to procure a child.

Bamberry is also accused of possessing and distributing child exploitation material, and involving a child in the making of exploitation material.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Stephen Courtney asked Bamberry, who stood in the dock wearing a black suit and red tie, if he had anything to say in response to the charges or enter any plea.

"No thank you, Your Honour," Bamberry said.

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Police prosecutor Qi Wang had earlier handed numerous police and witness statements to Courtney.

"Your lawyer has consented for you to be committed to trial without me considering the contents of all of those written statements," Courtney told Bamberry.

The court had been closed to the public for 25 minutes to hear from a single witness.

The woman was granted special witness status by Courtney and gave evidence via videolink from another room.

Courtney said the witness was not a child affected by alleged offending.

The matter will move to Queensland's District Court for a trial on a date yet to be determined.

Bamberry was not on bail and was remanded to stay in custody.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)

If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).