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Coon Island in the Lake Macquarie region of New South Wales will be renamed after the local council voted in favour of changing the offensive title.

Last night council members voted 8-5 in favour of changing the name of Coon Island and Coon Island Point.

The council will now make a submission to the NSW Government's Geographical Names Board to change Coon Island to Pirrita Island, and Coon Island Point to Miners Point.

READ MORE: Residents and council at odds over change of 'derogatory' name

This is despite a public feedback survey finding more than half of locals wanted the name to remain.

The survey found 56 per cent of the 2112 respondents did not want the name changed.

Coon Island and Coon Island Point are located in a low-lying area at the head of the Swansea Channel, opposite Pelican.

The area is Awabakal land, with archaeological evidence dating back at least 7800 years ago showing occupation and widespread hunting areas.

Lake Macquarie City Council councillor Kevin Baker said Coon Island was named after its original inhabitant Herbert Heaney, who was a man of Anglo-Saxon origin.

"Herbert was a coal miner and when he used to come back out of the pit, he got a very unfortunate nickname," Mr Baker said.

There are various theories about where the nickname originated which relate to Mr Heaney emerging from the local coal mine covered in dark soot.

Mr Baker earlier said the name needs to change because it isn't someone's surname and is derogatory.

"It has genuine racial connotations," he told A Current Affair.

Carol Proctor, Chief Executive Officer of the Bahtabah Local Aboriginal Land Council, earlier welcomed the move to change the name.

"The name is offensive and we know it is an emotive issue for our mob," Ms Proctor said.

Some locals have responded to the news of the name change on Facebook groups, declaring they will still refer to the island as "Little Coonie".

In January of this year, Coon Cheese changed its name to "Cheer" due to the same racist connotations of the name.

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A fundraiser to support the family of a Brisbane father killed in a freak accident when scaffolding collapsed at his son's football game has raised over $20,000 in under 24 hours.

The generous donations, which have completely blown away friends of the family, come as Andy Jones' wife Rhianne yesterday shared the family's grief.

Campaign organiser and family friend Melissa Edwards this morning thanked the more than 300 donors and said the amount of generosity shown was "beautiful".

READ MORE: Kaylee McKeown wins gold for Australia

"Wow, just wow. To have raised over 50 per cent in less than 24 hours. The generosity of humankind is just beautiful," Ms Edwards said.

"Thank you, everyone, for your generous donations."

The fundraiser has also received support from multiple Brisbane football clubs, including Mitchelton FC, Brighton Bulldogs FC, Bardon Latrobe FC and Western Pride Supporters Group.

Football Gold Coast also donated $1000 this afternoon.

Several south-east Queensland clubs will also be holding a minute's silence before their forthcoming games this weekend.

Mr Jones played in the over-35s for the Mitchelton Mustangs, with the club's committee releasing a statement saying the community would greatly miss him.

"Two of Andy's children play at the club and will miss having Andy on the sidelines," the statement said.

Mitchelton team members have also revealed they will be donating all funds raised from their planned Bridge to Brisbane run on August 29 to support the Jones family.

A decision regarding changes to the upcoming HSC exams in NSW is expected to be handed down in coming days, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said.

Her comments come in response to calls for HSC exams to change for Sydney Year 12 students, with concerns they are disadvantaged during the city's coronavirus lockdown.

"Can I assure HSC students and their families that we will be making announced imminently about making sure they know what they can look froward to," Ms Berejiklian said.

READ MORE: NSW records 172 new virus cases as outbreak spreads to new suburbs

Ms Berejiklian insisted Year 12 students would be receiving an HSC regardless of any possible changes.

"All the hard work they've been doing will be rewarded so please don't stress," she said.

The head of Sydney Catholic Schools, Tony Farley, says affected students' end-of-year results should instead be based off school assessments.

"It's been difficult for all students across the state as this year has progressed, particularly with this latest shutdown. The students have had to manage all sorts of situations," Mr Farley told Today.

LIVE UPDATES: All the latest coronavirus news in Australia and the world

"But obviously in the south-west of Sydney, students have done it particularly hard and have found it extremely difficult given the circumstances."

Mr Farley said the HSC exams are like "the grand final of a 13-year school journey" and NSW needs to find ways of preparing students and giving them the best opportunities to perform in those exams.

He is calling for school assessments to play a greater role in determining a students final marks, not just their score in their HSC exams, particularly for students more disadvantaged by the lockdown.

READ MORE: Calls for teachers to get jab priority as schools face 'tinderbox situation'

"The whole state, all the students sitting the HSC, no matter where they are, are dealing with great difficulties but given exams are going to go ahead, we have to concentrate on defining the most disadvantaged," Mr Farley said.

"For example, some of our students that might be living in a two-bedroom apartment, there might be five or six family members, they're not able to go to school. If you take the sporting analogy, it means they can't be with their coaches, the teachers, their fellow players, the students, and they don't have the resources.

"It is extremely serious for them. They have to be given serious and special consideration."

READ MORE: Changes announced for HSC exams

He said the government is looking at ways to address the situation and specific circumstances need to be looked at, not just one generic solution for all.

"There is an arrangement that exists already for illness and misadventure. I think, in the circumstances that our students find themselves, particularly in the west and south-west of Sydney, they need to be beefed up so that they do get special consideration and they can walk into those exams with great confidence," he said.

Mr Farley oversees 33 schools across Sydney and some of those are in the city's south-west, where COVID-19 cases are surging and some of the state's harshest lockdown restrictions have been implemented.

NSW education officials have already rescheduled written exams by a week, delayed some practical exams and extended the deadline for major works.

READ MORE: Ballina airport arrival lounge added to NSW exposure sites list

Russia has started building a new 'doomsday' plane – an aircraft capable directing the nation's nuclear arsenal during a major conflict – local media reports.

The new plane would be a military version of the Ilyushin-96-400M passenger jet, and will be built in western Russia, state media outlet Ria Novosti (RIA) reports.

A source in the Russian military source hinted that two new aircraft would enter service "shortly."

READ MORE: Russia tests giant nuclear submarine equipped with secret weapons

Russia and the US each have four specially designed planes that would become airborne command centres during a major conflict.

Key strategic decisions, such as the launch of intercontinental nuclear missiles, could be made aboard the plane.

Russia's planned new 'doomsday' plane, known as 'Zveno 3S', will have a reinforced fuselage, special communication systems and no cabin windows to guard against radiation fallout.

But the new aircraft will also offer a much greater range than the aircraft it is replacing – the Ilyushin-80 – which started service in the 1980s.

READ MORE: Thieves steal electronic manuals from Russia's 'doomsday plane'

One of those planes made world headlines late last year when thieves stole supposedly secret electronic equipment from an Ilyushin-80 parked at an airfield in Russia.

Five radios and 39 pieces of electronic equipment were taken.

News of a new Russian 'doomsday' aircraft is one part of the Kremlin's modernisation drive in the military aviation sector.