Police have charged two people, including a 15-year-old, as the alleged driver and gunman in the shooting of former NRL player Matt Utai outside his home in Sydney's west earlier this week.

The ex-Bulldogs and Wests Tigers winger is now in a stable condition after he was shot multiple times outside his family home in Greenacre, at about 6am on Tuesday, as he was leaving for work.

"We will allege in court that the 25-year-old man was the person who did the shooting while the 15-year-old was the person who drove the getaway car," Detective Acting Superintendent Brad Abdy said.

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"Ordinarily, criminals like to have a degree of anonymity when they're committing crimes, and now they seem to want to be Facebook or other social media influencers."

Abdy said the pair were known to police before their arrest.

The 25-year-old was arrested at about 6.50pm in Marsden Park, and the 15-year-old boy was arrested shortly after.

The pair were taken to Mt Druitt Police Station.

They were charged with shooting with intent to murder and participating in a criminal group in relation to the alleged shooting in Greenacre.

The 25-year-old was also charged with possession of a prohibited drug.

They were refused bail and remain before the courts.

The arrests came a day after officers executed six search warrants in Riverwood, Guildford, Lilyfield, Villawood and Auburn.

Police later seized three vehicles, 1kg of cocaine, knuckle dusters, electronics and clothing.

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Four males, aged from 16 to 19 years old, were arrested and charged with crimes in relation to the alleged firebombing and shooting.

They all remain before the courts.

Authorities said they believe some of the alleged offenders are acting "as part of a criminals-for-hire group".

"It's quite disgusting to be honest, that criminals who are overseas and now recruiting young people into Australia and essentially consigning them to a particular lifestyle and then while they remain offshore," Abdy said.

"We believe there are at least another two people who were involved in the shooting of the premises at St Clair, and possibly a third offender for the firebombing at Guildford West."

Abdy said police have spoken with Matt Utai briefly and are waiting for his condition to improve before speaking to him in the coming days.

A short time after the shooting on Tuesday morning, a black Toyota was found burnt out in Wiley Park, believed to be connected to the attack.

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The following night, at about 12.45am, shots were fired at a house in St Clair.

A woman in her 50s was uninjured inside.

A second burnt-out car discovered a short time later in Colyton was seized by police for forensic examination.

The early morning following the second shooting, a fire erupted at a Guildford West home and a nearby car was found well alight.

Firefighters extinguished both blazes, and no one was injured.

Police say there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Matt Utai, and he is not involved in any criminal activity.

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Police are investigating whether Utai's son, Iziah's, alleged links to the Alameddine crime network could have been the reason behind the alleged attacks.

9News understands 24-year-old Iziah is currently overseas.

Police say the younger Utai is currently wanted for "criminal group offences".

NSW Police set up Strike Force Halesowen to investigate the incidents, all of which are believed to have been targeting Utai's family.

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Exclusive: Australia's reading rate is dropping, especially among young men, but hope is not lost according to a nine.com.au reader poll.

Of 480 respondents*, more than 60 per cent said they had already read at least one book in 2026.

Close to a third had read four or more books in the first seven weeks of the year, but nearly 40 per cent said they'd not finished a single book.

LIVE UPDATES: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested

More than one in three respondents also said they read every day for leisure, while 14 per cent said they did it weekly.

Some people said audiobooks and e-books had made it easier for them to make time to read in their busy lives.

"I no longer read physical books, I prefer to use audio books," one said.

"There's nothing better than lying in bed in winter snuggled up listening to a good book and earphones mean you can enjoy a good 'read' almost anywhere."

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at our breaking newsletter here

A construction industry veteran is helping women fleeing domestic violence, addiction or homelessness to find jobs in the booming sector.

Canberra mum Annalisa Fox has spent 25 years working in the mostly male-dominated industry and has observed how female employees – if given the chance – can really thrive.

It was her long career in high-vis that sparked Fox's bright idea to launch a social enterprise helping struggling women land a job in traffic control.

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"Our real philosophy is that we want these women to have an independent income," Fox told nine.com.au.

"We don't want the women who come to us to be limited by the fact they may have never had a job before."

After over two decades as a foster parent, Fox is painfully aware of how women can become trapped in a "horrible" situation without money or any experience on their CV.

Fox said she has seen abusive partners drain funds and spend years chipping away their partner's agency and independence.

That's where Fox Traffic Control steps in.

Traffic control jobs are both well-paid and in abundance, particularly in a growing city like Canberra.

Fox realised it could be a valuable launching pad for someone needing gainful employment who may be overlooked because of a gap in a resume, recent incarceration or a lack of skills.

"What a lot of people don't get is… you might see a person who is homeless or is on Centrelink and you think, 'Why don't they just go and get a job?'," she said.

"If you've never had a job before… it's not that easy to do it."

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Since launching last September, Fox Traffic Control has helped around a dozen women find a stable job.

Fox and her former husband run Jonox, a crane, forklift and labour hire company in Canberra, and offer shifts holding stop signs at construction sites.

Employees work for Fox Traffic Control on a contractual basis and are sent out to sites around Canberra.

They are paid an award wage and, in best case scenario, only stay with Fox for a few months before getting full-time jobs elsewhere.

Fox also helps the women to write their CV and earn their White Card.

"We will tell them, if you've had 15 jobs in three months because everyone sacked you after two days, you don't have to write that on your resume," Fox said.

"Or explain to them what a tax return is or a pay slip.

"It really is such a life changer for people."

Fox is at capacity right now but is hoping to ramp up hiring ahead of Easter.

The goal is to partner with the federal government to form a pathway program available for the one in four Australian women who experience violence by an intimate partner or family member.

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

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The tenant says he was concerned a plum tree he liked was going to be cut down.

She paid $5500 for an operation in Turkey after being priced out of local options.

The 32-year-old had sorted himself a three-course meal. Trouble is, he didn’t pay for it.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor may be out of police custody, but judging by the UK media's plans for tomorrow's coverage, the public eye remains fixed on the former prince.

Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested yesterday evening on his 66th birthday and held for 12 hours as part of an investigation into suspected misconduct in public office.

He has been released without charge, and a Reuters photographer managed to snap a picture of the apparently shellshocked former prince hunkering down in the back of a car as he left the police station.

LIVE UPDATES: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested

Judging by its prominence on tomorrow's UK front pages, it's destined to be part of the historical record.

Here's how the English dailies are covering the latest events in the Prince Andrew saga.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest has come as the former prince is under heavy scrutiny for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and accusations – strenuously denied by Andrew – that Australian woman Virginia Roberts Giuffre was forced to have sex with the disgraced royal.

However, the charge he was arrested on suspicion of, misconduct in public office, is not related to sexual misconduct, although it is linked to his relationship with Epstein.

This is what we know about it.

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What exactly is 'misconduct in public office'?

The charge of misconduct in public office is an old one in the UK, dating back to at least the 18th century.

The offence has been noted as extremely hard to define and a high evidential bar for prosecutors to clear.

The Crown Prosecution Service says the offence is committed when a public officer acting as such wilfully neglects to perform their duty and/or wilfully misconducts themselves to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public's trust in the office holder without reasonable excuse or justification.

Notably, no politician in the UK has ever been successfully convicted of the offence, though over the years several have been charged.

In recent years, prison officers have been prosecuted for the offence after having inappropriate relationships with inmates, as well as police officers leaking information.

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How does it relate to Andrew?

UK police have not charged Andrew as yet, nor have they suggested their investigation is connected with any dealings the ex-prince had with Epstein, the convicted sex offender who was found dead in a jail cell in 2019.

However, we do know the arrest comes shortly after millions of documents in the Epstein files were released by the US Justice Department, some of which named and pictured the British royal.

And while the misconduct in public office offence isn't specifically linked to an allegation of sexual wrongdoing against Andrew, it does appear to relate to his association with Epstein.

From 2001 to 2011, Mountbatten-Windsor held an official role as a UK trade envoy.

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This is what prosecutors will point to as a "public office" if any charges are laid – although this element alone is not a straightforward process.

"Firstly, it must be determined if Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was in a role within government that constitutes the title of public officer," Sean Caulfield, a criminal defence lawyer at Hodge Jones and Allen, said.

"There is no standard definition to clearly draw on."

Thames Valley Police previously confirmed it was looking into reports Mountbatten-Windsor sent confidential trade reports to Epstein in 2010.

Documents in those recently released Epstein files suggest Andrew passed on official government documents to the late financier when he was the trade envoy.

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Specifically, emails appeared to show him sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.

One, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by Andrew five minutes after he had received it.

In another a few weeks later, he appeared to send Epstein a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Afghanistan's Helmand Province.

Andrew has long denied any wrongdoing over his Epstein links.

What's the maximum sentence for misconduct in public office?

If charged and then found guilty by a jury, Andrew could spend the rest of his life behind bars, as the offence carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

However, experts believe he would be likely to be handed a shorter sentence if convicted – although they've also said a guilty finding would be difficult to achieve.

– with Associated Press

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The Serious Crash Unit has been notified and is investigating the scene.

A post-mortem will be conducted on the body of a woman found at a home in Ipswich, west of Brisbane.

The woman's body was found about 1.30pm yesterday, two hours after a man was taken into custody following a disturbance in the street.

Police say it appears the body may have been inside the Bellbird Park home for some time.

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The man is receiving a medical assessment and will be assisting police.

A crime scene was declared at the home and investigations are ongoing.

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