Controversial Cardinal George Pell was farewelled at a funeral in Sydney – but not everybody was there to pay their respects.

The pool, the centrepiece of the award-winning home, was found to be uncompliant.

The recovery of a tiny but powerful radioactive capsule was all thanks to authorities scouring regional Western Australia with a detector mounted to the back of a van.

The 8mm by 6mm capsule was found by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Association (ANSTO) in collaboration with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) about 50 kilometres from the mining town of Newman.

The item is believed to have fallen off the back of a truck while being taken from a mine to Perth on January 10.

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The capsule was found two metres from the roadside on the Great Northern Highway by ANSTO's radiation detection equipment which was mounted to the back of a van.

Authorities pinged the little capsule while driving at 70 km/h along the highway using technology that takes 360-degree images to pinpoint radiation in the area.

But authorities had to test the equipment before driving out into the vast Western Australian landscape.

So ANSTO staff performed drive-by test runs past the same level of radioactivity to figure out what speed and terrains would impact detection.

The efforts of the ANSTO team have been commended after the capsule had been missing for three weeks.

"For the team to find this missing source over a span of 1400km and in the formidable conditions of the outback after only being on the ground for two days, is not only a phenomenal feat, but a testament to Australia's highly sophisticated nuclear capabilities and our people," ANSTO group executive Dr Miles Apperley said.

READ MORE: Cardinal George Pell's funeral comes to an end

Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic said finding a highly radioactive capsule the size of a button in the vast Western Australian landscape was a miracle.

"ANSTO's expertise in nuclear technology played an absolute key role in detecting the equipment, having innovated the device which was ultimately used to find the coin-sized capsule on the roadside," he said.

DFES Darryl Ray said finding the capsule wasn't an act of luck, it was thanks to a team of specialists.

"As long as it was on a route we definitely were going to find this thing," he said.

Mining giant Rio Tinto apologised on Tuesday for losing the radioactive capsule.

The truck transporting the capsule arrived at a Perth depot on January 16, but emergency services weren't notified of the missing capsule for more than a week, on January 25.

People were earlier warned it could have unknowingly become lodged in their car's tyres.

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The caesium 137 ceramic source, commonly used in radiation gauges, emits dangerous amounts of radiation, the equivalent of receiving 10 X-rays in an hour.

It could cause skin burns and prolonged exposure could cause cancer.

The capsule was removed from the side of the road yesterday before being stored in a secure location and transported to Perth in a lead container.

Chief Health Officer Dr Andrew Robertson said when the capsule arrives in Perth it will be taken to a secure facility where it will be stored until a decision on its disposal is made.

An investigation into how the capsule fell off the truck is ongoing. 

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Jayden was in extreme pain after the accident and began vomiting.

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said the plane tried landing “a couple times”

Jamie Wolley lost her Rānui home after debris-filled water seeped into her property.

Reminiscent of the Goldilocks tale, the intruder helped himself to the victims’ home.

Skyrocketing GP wait times have prompted a new push from both sides of politics to allow pharmacists to be able to prescribe certain medications in a bit to cut queues.

The crisis is set to be tackled in tomorrow's national cabinet meeting, where leaders from around the country will weigh in on a potential "new way of thinking".

New research conducted by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia estimates some 6.5 million appointments could be moved from GPs to pharmacists every year.

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This would mean a huge reduction in crowds in GP waiting rooms as well as the number of people presenting at emergency departments.

Health Minister Mark Butler said Australians deserve "21st Century healthcare".

"We said at the election that there was no higher priority for Labor in the health portfolio than strengthening Medicare and rebuilding general practice, because the constant advice we have received across the country is that after nine years of cuts and neglect to Medicare, it has never been harder to see a doctor," he said.

READ MORE: Cardinal George Pell's funeral comes to an end

"Australians deserve access to a primary care system for the 21st Century – a system that reflects the disease profile of an older population, including a population that has more complex chronic disease.

"The Strengthening Medicare Taskforce, a representative group of primary healthcare's key stakeholders, has recommended the best ways to improve access and deliver better support for patients."

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Though some politicians are keen on the idea, the medical community will have to agree on which conditions can be diagnosed and the frequency of prescriptions.

"It needs to be limited, it needs to be highly protocolised and it needs to be for simple and straightforward conditions," Australian Patients Association ambassador for health reform Dr Nick Coatsworth said.

After the Productivity Commission revealed more Australians are delaying trips to specialists, dentists, and mental health professionals because of costs, GPs have also warned changes to the way practices are taxed will force prices even higher.

"The numbers I've been hearing are around about $15 per consultation that if you're actually able to afford to continue to run," Dr Charlotte Hespe, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Head said.

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A dog has been seized after a man was bitten on the chest in Sydney's south.

Paramedics found the 40-year-old man with a deep laceration when they arrived at the "chaotic scene" in Sylvania this morning.

The American Staffordshire Terrier was restrained before paramedics treated the man at the scene.

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NSW Police said the dog has been seized by Sutherland Shire Council.

"The council will be taking carriage of the investigation," NSW Police said. 

The man was taken to St George Hospital in a stable condition.

"We treated a man who had received a deep laceration with a puncture point on the right side of his chest," NSW Ambulance said.

"Our Medical Specialist Team were able to complete an ultrasound on his chest to determine the extent of his injuries."

He has since been released. 

Hundreds of mourners have gathered in Sydney for the funeral of Australia's highest-ranking Catholic church official, Cardinal George Pell, as protests took place nearby.

Mourners packed into the St Mary's Cathedral to farewell Pell, as a crowd sat in the courtyard while the service was streamed on large screens.

Across the road, a planned protest went ahead by Community Action for Rainbow Rights, after a last-minute challenge on Wednesday threw the demonstration into doubt.

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Inside the church, Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher acknowledged Pell's contribution, while others remembered him as a great man of the Catholic church.

His brother David Pell said the late cardinal was "a prince of the church, a good and holy man and a proud Australian".

"He believed in the rule of law, a fair go to all, and in Aussie rules parlance, he played the ball and not the man," he said.

A top adviser to Pope Francis and one of the most powerful figures in the Vatican, Pell faced criticism for his response to child sexual abuse allegations within the church and was himself jailed on historical charges in a conviction that was later quashed.

Pell, the highest-ranking Catholic official to be jailed over child sexual abuse allegations, always maintained his innocence but spent more than a year in jail before the High Court overturned the decision in 2020.

"He was falsely accused, tried, convicted and spent 404 days in solitary confinement," Fisher said at the funeral.

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Several Australian leaders were in attendance, including former prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet were among the leaders who did not attend the service.

Abbott described Pell as "the greatest Catholic Australia has ever produced and one of our country's greatest sons".

"This funeral is less a sad farewell to a great friend, and more a joyous tribute to a great hero," he said.

He said there should be "Pell study courses, Pell spirituality courses, Pell lectures, Pell high schools, Pell university colleges, just as there are for other saints".

"George Pell was the greatest man I've ever known," he said.

As a stream of more than 275 members of the clergy departed from the church with Pell's coffin, some protesters could be heard yelling "shame".

Some protesters explained to 9News why they decided to take part in the demonstration.

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"I'm an abuse survivor myself and I have an organisation that supports survivors of institutional abuse," one man said.

One woman said Pell took the Catholic Church in Australia back to pre-Vatican II days.

"I was a Catholic," she said.

Two people were arrested and there were several verbal clashes.

The late cardinal was buried in the cathedral's crypt alongside seven other former archbishops.

Pell spent his life in Victoria and served as the archbishop of Melbourne.

However, he was buried in Sydney as this was where he served his more recent appointment.

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