One person sustained critical injuries in a crash this afternoon.

A 18-year-old will front court today charged after a shooting in Wetherill Park last Friday landed him in hospital.

The teenager had to undergo emergency surgery after he turned up at a hospital in western Sydney with a gunshot wound at around 7.50pm on August 25.

Police had been called to Blackfriar Place in Wetherill Park about 35 minutes earlier following reports of a shooting.

READ MORE: Peter Dutton pledges to hold second referendum if Voice vote fails

Bullet cartridges and a mobile phone were seized at the crime scene by forensic examiners.

Initial reports by police indicated that the 18-year-old was standing next to a ute with three other men when a black SUV drove past and allegedly fired shots at them.

However, it is the injured teenager who was arrested yesterday immediately after being discharged from hospital.

He was taken to Merrylands Police Station, where he was charged with acquiring a prohibited firearm, having a gun without a licence or permit and participating in a criminal group.

Police allege he was also in breach of his bail conditions.

The man was refused bail to appear before Parramatta Local Court today.

Investigations into the shooting continue and police haven't ruled out further arrests.

Fairfield City Police Area Commander Superintendent Michael McLean said the community shouldn't tolerate violent behaviour which makes them feel unsafe.

"NSW Police will continue to engage in high-visibility police operations and actively target those individuals who engage in violent acts," McLean said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has promised to hold a second referendum on constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians if next month's Voice to parliament vote is defeated and the Coalition wins power at the next election.

Dutton has been a leading figure in the campaign against enshrining a Voice to parliament in the Constitution, saying it would interfere with the processes of government and do little to improve the lives of regional and remote Indigenous Australians.

"Enshrining a voice in the Constitution is divisive, it will divide the country down the middle and it will not provide the practical outcomes," he said.

READ MORE: John Farnham gives You're the Voice song to Voice Yes campaign

"It will change the way of government very significantly, because of the broad words, and I think it would grind the process of government decision-making to a near halt."

Setting out his alternative proposals, the Coalition leader said he supported the creation of local advisory groups in regional and remote areas, and having Indigenous Australians recognised in the Constitution – but not via a national advisory body.

"We went to the last election and a number of elections before that with that as our policy and that will be our policy going into the next election as well," he told Sky News.

"I think it is right and respectful to recognise Indigenous Australians in the Constitution. We will work with the Labor party to find a common ground."

Asked whether his party would commit to holding another referendum during its first term of government if the vote on October 14 is defeated, he said it would – even as he hit out at the upcoming referendum's $450 million cost to taxpayers, saying it would be "better spent building boarding houses" in remote communities.

Dutton's pledge comes on the same day as the Uluru Dialogue revealed its Yes campaign ad featuring John Farnham's hit song You're The Voice.

READ MORE: Ticket fees scrapped at best Sydney NYE firework vantage points

The opposition leader used the Yes campaign's Farnham announcement to highlight his opposition to the campaign.

"In a sense, it is the appropriate song for the Yes campaign, because, remember, the key line in the lyrics there is 'You're the voice, try to understand it'," he said.

"I don't think most Australians understand it.

"(The prime minister) is withholding information until after the election – he's been very clear about that."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the Voice to parliament as an advisory committee chosen by Indigenous people and said it won't hold any direct veto power over parliament, but he hasn't specified how the committee would be elected.

READ MORE: Aussie ski areas to close Monday in one of the 'earliest ever closures'

Dutton said his alternative proposals have the support of the Indigenous elders he has spoken to in remote and regional communities, but Uluru Dialogue strategic advisor Kristie Parker said it was clear he was not listening to the Indigenous community.

"Some people have said that the referendum is an expensive exercise, and yet here we have the opposition leader proposing to spend the same amount of money on something that would not change lives," Parker said.

"That's the poorest investment of Australian taxpayers' dollars."

India launched its first space mission to study the sun on Saturday, less than two weeks after a successful uncrewed landing near the south polar region of the moon.

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft took off on board a satellite launch vehicle from the Sriharikota space centre in southern India on a quest to study the sun from a point about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth.

The point, known as L1, affords an uninterrupted view of the sun.

READ MORE: Major change to Sydney NYE fireworks

The spacecraft is equipped with seven payloads to study the sun’s corona, chromosphere, photosphere and solar wind, the Indian Space Research Organisation said.

After over an hour, the ISRO said the launch was “accomplished successfully”.

“The vehicle has placed the satellite precisely into its intended orbit. India’s first solar observatory has begun its journey to the destination of Sun-Earth L1 point,” ISRO posted on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.

The satellite is scheduled to take 125 days to reach the L1 point.

India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole on August 23 — a historic voyage to uncharted territory that scientists believe could hold vital reserves of frozen water.

After a failed attempt to land on the moon in 2019, India joined the United States, Russia and China as only the fourth country to achieve the milestone.

Jitendra Singh, India’s junior minister for science and technology, praised the ISRO officials for their work on the latest launch.

“Congratulations India. Congratulations ISRO,” he said while being present at the ISRO control room.

“It’s a sunshine moment for India.”

The sun study, combined with India's successful moon landing, would completely change the image of the ISRO in the world community, said Manish Purohit, a former scientist at the research organisation.

Hundreds of people who had gathered to watch the launch cheered as India’s sun mission took off.

READ MORE: Aussie ski areas to close early

Among the spectators, Prakash, who gave only one name, said the launch was “one more milestone” like the country’s recent moon mission.

“This is going to set the bar high for ISRO,” he said.

“We are privileged to be Indian and witness this kind of developmental activities on the space center for India,” Sridevi, who also gave only one name, said.

Once in place, the satellite would provide reliable forewarning of an onslaught of particles and radiation from heightened solar activity that has the potential to knock out power grids on Earth, said B.R. Guruprasad, a space scientist, in an article in The Times of India newspaper.

The advanced warning can protect the satellites that are the backbone of the global economic structure as well as the people living in space stations.

“Those seven payloads are going to study the sun as a star in all the possible spectrum positions that we have visible, ultraviolet, and X-ray. … It’s like we’re going to get a black and white image, the colour image and the high-definition image, 4K image of the sun, so that we don’t miss out on anything that is happening on the sun,” Purohit said.

Premier Chris Minns has made good on a key election pledge today, announcing NSW government-owned sites around Sydney's harbour foreshore will be free for the public this New Year's Eve.

Included are some of the best vantage points to view Sydney's world-renowned fireworks display, including locations in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Barangaroo Reserve and the Domain – including Mrs Macquaries Point.

Also included are West Circular Quay (including First Fleet Park), Campbells Cove and Hickson Road Reserve.

READ MORE: Man charged after siblings killed metres from home in alleged hit-run

Last year, tickets at these locations ranged in price from $12.50 all the way up to $520.

Most of these vantage points will operate on a first-come, first-served basis, with monitored capacity limits in place.

Each vantage point will be closed once capacity is reached.

Other state-operated vantage points will also be free, but revellers will need to pre-purchase a ticket to help manage capacity limits.

These locations include Bradleys Head, Strickland Estate and Clark Island, Me-Mel (Goat Island) and Shark Island.

READ MORE: John Farnham gives You're the Voice song to the Yes campaign

Tickets at these NSW National Parks and Wildlife venues last year cost between $24 and $286.

This year, those who secure tickets to the island locations will only pay a small fee to cover their return ferry voyage.

More than 60,000 Sydneysiders and tourists are expected to make use of the newly free vantage spots.

About one million people flock to Sydney's foreshores and surrounds to watch the Sydney Harbour Bridge and harbour lit up in a pyrotechnic display each year.

The NSW government began charging at a handful of locations in 2011, which has expanded over the years to include more than 20 locations.

The announcement fulfills one of the Labor government's key election promises to make New Year's Eve celebrations accessible to everyone.

"We have the most beautiful harbour and the most beautiful city, and every person should be able to enjoy it – for free," Minns said at the time.

The NYE on the Cahill Expressway event will once again be free, managed through a ticket system via a live ballot which opens at 9am on Tuesday.

Taronga Zoo and the Botanic Gardens' Foundation and Friends Picnic will still be allowed to charge for tickets to their New Year's Eve events, to allow these not-for-profits to raise funds for their conservation and scientific work.

A Queenslander has turned his passion for collecting classic Australian cars into art by creating unique sculptures out of the car parts.

Brisbane painter Mick Brown spent the last 10 years collecting 1970s Holden, Ford and Chrysler cars but recently turned his collection into art.

Brown spent every weekend for nearly a year creating his Shark Rod sculpture, which will go on sale at Gold Coast's SWELL Sculpture Festival this month.

READ MORE: What is the Indigenous Voice to parliament and what would a referendum entail?

"Ideally, I'd like to see it in Mick Fanning's lounge room," Brown said.

He said he's loved classic cars and art since he was a boy.

"I guess from an early age I have always been an artist or have mainly been doing oil paintings and then later in life was airbrushing on cars and things like this," Brown said.

"I like to get my hands dirty and you know, cut out rust and paint cars and the engines and all that stuff as well."

READ MORE: Your landlord has just slugged you with a huge rent increase – what can you do now?

Brown also made a barbecue out of an old Holden last year, which became popular on TikTok.

As for the shark, Brown said he just woke up one day and decided to do it.

He said he thought the Monaro's guards would work well as the shark's gills.

He also wanted to stick to Australian cars from the '70s.

"I wanted to use solely panels from those three cars to make the whole piece.

"I also want to be noticeable that it's not just made of sheet metal, they're actually car panels that have been welded together to make the shape."

Brown has plans for more sculptures but isn't ready to reveal his new ideas just yet.

It has been a poor snow season in Australia after the country's warmest winter on record, with several ski areas set to close much earlier than usual this coming Monday, September 4.

Australia's largest and most popular ski resort Perisher announced on Saturday that it would close the Blue Cow and Guthega areas of the resort after this weekend, having already closed Smiggin Holes earlier this week, leaving just the Perisher Valley area open.

Perisher consists of four distinct areas – Blue Cow, Guthega, Smiggin Holes and Perisher – with one local commenting on leading snow industry website ski.com.au that it was "the earliest ever closure of Blue Cow except for COVID years".

READ MORE: Visitors turned away from Aussie ski resort after heavy snowfalls

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9News has contacted Perisher's owner Vail Resorts to confirm whether any of the resort's four distinct areas have ever closed this early in the days since snowmaking became commonplace in the 1980s, and will update this story if they respond.

Meanwhile, at least two other Australian resorts will be closed for skiing and snowboarding from Monday, including Mt Baw Baw in Victoria, and Selwyn Snow Resort in New South Wales.

These two resorts are the lowest ski resorts in mainland Australia and have suffered worse than higher resorts from lack of snow in the meagre 2023 snow season.

READ MORE: Three injured in Thredbo ski lift fall after 'freak' accident

Selwyn closed in early August, reopened briefly after a moderate snowfall, then closed again and hasn't reopened, while Baw Baw has struggled along with just one lift open for the last week, but the last few patches of man-made snow are now rapidly turning to mud, as you can see in the image above.

Traditionally, Australian ski resorts try to stay open until the first weekend in October, and while Perisher says it aims to make it through until then, the warm early spring weather predicted by the BoM may have the final say.

Indeed, September is often the time of year with the deepest snowpack, as it was in 2022 when the heaviest depth of the season at Spencers Creek in NSW – roughly halfway between Perisher and Thredbo – was 232cm on September 20.

READ MORE: Carpet of wildflowers wows Queenslanders

In more positive news, the NSW resorts of Thredbo and Charlotte Pass will both remain open this coming Monday along with the Perisher Valley section of Perisher

In Victoria, Falls Creek, Mt Buller and Hotham will all remain open, albeit with limited skiing and snowboarding on offer.

A 20-year-old man is facing a string of charges after he allegedly crashed into a brother and sister on their way home in Sydney's south-west on Friday night, killing them both.

Alina Kauffman, 24, was picking up her 15-year-old brother Ernesto Salazar from work just after 9pm when a black Mercedes crashed into their car metres from their home in Heckenberg.

Police allege the black Mercedes and the pair's Toyota Echo collided head-on, before the Mercedes hit a Toyota Rav4 and flipped on its side.

READ MORE: John Farnham gives You're the Voice song to the Yes campaign

The two occupants of the Rav4 were not injured.

Paramedics treated Alina Kauffman and her brother Ernesto but they could not be saved.

The driver of the black Mercedes allegedly fled the scene but attended Liverpool Police Station at 2pm the following day, where he was arrested.

Police announced the charges early today, after an emotional outcry from the pair's mother Angelina Kauffman at the crash site yesterday.

"My babies, they took them from me, my babies," she said.

"My kids were going to help people, my kids wanted to make a difference in this world, my kids were good people."

READ MORE: 'Margaritaville' singer Jimmy Buffett dies aged 76

Distraught friends and strangers joined her in laying flowers at the scene of the crash.

Alina was a dedicated nursing student with a kind heart, while Ernesto was an animal lover who was working at Kmart while saving for his first car.

The 20-year-old has now been charged with driving dangerously and negligently causing death, as well as failing to stop at the scene of a crash and driving while disqualified.

He will appear before Parramatta Bail Court today.

Another 18-year-old handed himself in to police yesterday and was released without charge, but police are still searching for two passengers of the Mercedes.

Two couples in their 70s who lost their lives in a quadruple fatal in northern Victoria have been remembered as wonderful members of their community.

Two siblings and their partners had been travelling to Melbourne to visit loved ones when the tragedy occurred on Thursday, leaving a small NSW town in mourning.

Trevor and Lorraine Breen, pillars of a country community, were tragically lost in a split second on the Hume Freeway, along with Trevor's sister Kerry Capes and her husband Noel.

READ MORE: Mum distraught after kids killed metres from home in Sydney crash

The two couples spent their early lives in the NSW town of Lake Cargellico, six and a half hours north-east of Melbourne.

Noel had recently returned to area to work in farming, while Trevor and Lorraine had moved to Wagga Wagga.

READ MORE: Tiny tablet provides huge results for girl with rare disease

A lifelong friend of the two couples, Paul Phillips, paid tribute to them all on Saturday as plans for a memorial in their hometown begin.

"People we can't afford to lose – as simple as that, wonderful people," Phillips told 9News.

"To lose four people who had the community standing that they did, in this area, is nothing less than devastating."

Victoria Police have said a moment of inattention may have led to the loss of the four lives after their car collided with a B-double truck near Chiltern around 10.30am on Thursday.

"After the community heard about it, Friday was a dead day in Lake Cargellico," Phillips told 9News.

"We'll certainly have something to remember them by, no question or doubt about that at all."

American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, best known for his 1977 hit Margaritaville, has died aged 76.

"Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs," a statement from his family on his website announced.

"He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many."

READ MORE: Elton John hospitalised after 'slip' at home

The family mentioned no cause of death in its statement.

Margaritaville was an easy-listening classic, in which the main character of the song drowns his sorrows in margaritas on account of a failed romance.

It contains the memorable line: "Some people claim that there's a woman to blame but I know it's my own damn fault".

READ MORE: Taylor Swift smashes record with 100 million Spotify listeners

Later in Buffett's life, Margaritaville became the name of a range of businesses and products in his business empire.

Buffett was still touring and performing shortly before his death but had no upcoming tour dates despite rumours of more shows across 2023 and 2024.

More to come.