The attack comes after several violent incidents on Auckland buses recently.

A woman has died after her car was struck by a falling tree branch near the NSW Southern Highlands.

The woman was travelling along the Illawarra Highway at Macquarie Pass near Clover Hill Road when the severe weather dislodged the branch about 4pm today.

A man believed to be travelling in the front seat of the car suffered minor injuries, while two people in the back seat were not physically injured.

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The notorious road is expected to be closed for several hours while emergency services work at the scene.

The tragedy is one of hundreds of jobs emergency services have been called to over the past few days as wild weather lashes communities near the NSW coast.

As heavy rain poured down over the past 24 hours, State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers helped several people trapped in their cars as flash flooding hit Albion Park, Picton and Marulan.

NSW SES Superintendent Matt Kirby warned residents to heed the warnings from authorities.

"This weather can produce heavy rainfall and strong winds, so we remind people not to drive through floodwaters and be wary of where you park your vehicles as tree branches can fall at any time," Kirby said.

"Download the Hazards Near Me app to stay up to date with any warnings that have been issued."

READ MORE: Holidaymakers left in limbo as Wye River flood clean-up begins

Heavy rain has already drenched parts of the state over the last two days in the worst storm of the summer.

In Moruya, almost 200 millimetres of rain fell in the 48 hours to 9am today.

A slow-moving pressure system was predicted to bring up to 120 millimetres of rain in some parts of the NSW coast over the following 24 hours.

Heavy rain and damaging winds were likely to continue in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Illawarra and Shoalhaven over the next 48 hours.

Severe thunderstorms are also likely across the Central Coast and Mid North Coast regions, which could cause isolated rainfall of up to 120 millimetres in the next 24 hours, along with strong winds and hail.

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The proposal would have allowed commercial boats to keep and sell marlin bycatch.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has split Labor's proposed package of hate and gun laws after the Greens announced they would join the Coalition in opposing the legislation.

Labor will instead introduce separate bills on gun laws and hate crimes and migration on Tuesday but will not proceed with proposed racial vilification legislation.

Greens leader Larissa Waters confirmed her party would not support the bill, which proposed a range of reforms in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack.

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The original proposal combined a landmark gun buyback scheme, increased penalties for hate crimes, new offence for hate preachers radicalising children and inciting hatred to intimidate and harass.

They also include an expanded ban on prohibited symbols and increased powers for the Home Affairs department to cancel or refuse visas for people who spread hatred.

During a snap press conference this afternoon, the Prime Minister said the government would only proceed with measures that had the support of the parliament.

"The Greens party have engaged in good faith, and I thank them for that, and I had a discussion with Larissa Waters yesterday and she informed me about where they had landed," Albanese said.

"She informed me she would vote for the gun laws but would not vote for other parts of the legislation.

"In order to ensure passage of these gun laws, we will be separating out schedule three and four of the bill.

"That is important to deal with customs updates but also to have the national gun buyback scheme along the model that was implemented after the Port Arthur massacre under John Howard.

"We will separate out the bills, the gun laws will be separate and the laws on hate crimes and migration will proceed, but we will not be proceeding with the racial vilification provisions because it's clear that that will not have support.

"We will only proceed with measures that have the support of the parliament and are likely to receive that."

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Waters said in a statement this morning the party would work with the government to pass gun laws but Greens members believed the rest of the bill needed work.

"With every hour that passes, more concerns are raised by legal experts, faith groups and the community about the omnibus bill," Waters said.

"This is complex legislation, with a lot of massive pitfalls and omissions, and the process to fix it can't be rushed."

Waters argued the federal government should "start fresh with a bill that aims to protect everyone from hatred and discrimination".

"We are willing to sit down with the government to find a way forward, but it's clear that the amount of negotiations and legal analysis required to produce a good outcome can't be done in the extremely tight timeframe the government has created," she said.

"We need to keep all people in the community safe from discrimination and hatred, and good laws don't come from rushed work."

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The Greens have argued the laws should protect everyone from hatred and discrimination, including women, members of the LGBTQ+ community and those living with disabilities.

Members of the party have also said the laws should not be used to shut down legitimate political protests.

The minor party joined the Coalition in expressing opposition towards the reforms after Opposition Leader Sussan Ley described the proposed bill as "unsalvageable" earlier this week.

"The opposition will continue to scrutinise this legislation carefully, but from what we have seen so far, it looks pretty unsalvageable," Ley said.

"As it stands, the government's proposal is half-baked, and Australians deserve far better."

Ley claimed the proposed changes do not address the root issue of the Bondi attack.

"We have got this bundle of measures heading in many different directions, criticised in a very valid way by a whole range of people, but not actually addressing the issue," she said.

"Parliament should have been reconvened before Christmas to actually demonstrate leadership, compassion and the determination that I have spoken of every day since to tackle radical Islamic extremism and eradicate antisemitism."

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A family heading to North Shore said no extra buses were put on from Britomart last night.

More than 20 Auckland beaches remain under ‘do not swim’ black flags.

The Queensland Government has tonight issued a 'please explain' to the Police Commissioner, after officers failed to stop a convicted paedophile from working alongside children at a popular Queensland family attraction.

Steven James Harvey was exposed in a 9News investigation two months ago.

Locals now outraged to find he still has a job, as a fresh police probe gets underway.

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Harvey was sentenced to eight years behind bars in 2017 after pleading guilty to fifteen sex offences, some committed against children.

And just this week he was working within metres of kids, at the City Chicks attraction in Samford, A Current Affair revealed.

Back in November, 9News revealed Harvey – whose record includes indecent treatment of a child and multiple counts of rape – was employed by the business, which has a café and a petting zoo.

He'd been dating its owner, Ingrid Dimock.

When the story broke, Dimock claimed she'd checked with Blue Card Services and was advised her staff didn't require approvals.

"I'm just trying to salvage my business after this and ensure all families that it's a very safe place and Steve Harvey has been removed from the premises and anything to do with the business," Dimock told 9News in November.

The matter was referred to police to investigate back in November, when the investigation came to light.

"A breach has been identified and police are investigating it," Premier David Crisafulli said at the time.

"I think that shows how seriously that's been taken."

But last night, A Current Affair revealed Harvey is back and the matter has now been referred to Queensland Police, for a second time.

"How is a person who's been convicted of these offences now working with children? It's beyond comprehension," Shadow Attorney-General Meaghan Scanlon said.

Police Minister Dan Purdie said he's "been assured" by the commissioner that it's a "top priority".

"The footage I saw last night was shocking and as a parent and as a former child abuse detective it's very concerning, and that's why I've asked the commissioner for a please explain," he said.

Yesterday the cafe's been closed to the public. A sign on the front gate telling visitors it's due to staff unavailability.

A call to the number suggested on the sign indicates the business will remain closed until January 24 "for operational reasons".

It comes as the tight-knit Samford community calls for answers.

"I don't understand why a man with that reputation is allowed to work around children," one local said.

Sex offender registry first

Queensland's sex offenders registry, which went live on New Year's Eve, had one of it's key features activated for the first time.

One of the registry's main features is it lists reportable offenders who've breached their obligations and whose whereabouts are unknown to police, with their name, photograph and birthday made public.

That feature was utilised for the first time yesterday afternoon, when a convicted male offender allegedly breached his reporting conditions.

Police allege in the period the man was missing, he approached a 13-year-old girl at Coolangatta whom he didn't know and assaulted her.

Officers arrested him at Tugun around 5.30pm and he appeared in court today on four charges, including indecent treatment of a child.

Since tougher Blue Card laws came into effect in September, more than 400 people have had their cards suspended, or been prevented from starting child-related work.

Those suspensions have been sparked by allegations of sexual or violent behaviour towards a child, or other criminal or concerning conduct.

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