A proposal for a multimillion-dollar expansion of the Dreamworld precinct on the Gold Coast faces significant environmental hurdles, including loss of koala habitat, planning minister Jarrod Bleijie has warned.

The development application, initially lodged in 2023, encompasses a tourism centre, residential homes, and a resort precinct across a 30-hectare site.

Bleijie announced earlier this month that the government was considering fast-tracking the project by using its "call-in powers", at the request of Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate.

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In a call-in notice lodged with council, Bleijie proposes the development should be called in as it involves the "economic and environmental interests of the state".

It also notes the site is "heavily vegetated with native vegetation and koala habitat trees".

"The proposal… represents a major tourism and economic opportunity, however there are significant environmental matters related to the proposal that require careful consideration," Bleijie wrote.

"In particular, the proposal includes clearing of native vegetation across the site within areas mapped for environmental significance, including regulated native vegetation and koala habitat."

An ecological report lodged with Gold Coast City Council as part of the development application reveals plans to remove 42,285 square metres of koala habitat, home to 1072 koala habitat trees.

"The proposed vegetation clearing on the subject site will require clearing of mapped koala habitat areas," the report reads.

"However, this clearing has been drastically minimised to only seek the removal of necessary trees from within the mapped area."

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A koala management plan also lodged as part of the development application makes clear a result of the development is the "threat of potential impact and risk to koala that may arise or be temporarily intensified".

"The applicant is highly committed to ensuring these potential threats and risks have minimal impacts on any koala individuals that may be present within the site," it states.

It notes that no koalas can legally be removed from the site by human intervention and must be allowed to vacate the site without interference.

Koala spotters would be on site during the clearing process and any trees found to contain a koala would not be cleared, as well as any that overlap, until the animal had moved on.

Council will consider the call-in notice at the next full council meeting.

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One person is dead and seven others, including five police officers, remain in hospital after a gas leak at an Indian restaurant in north-west Sydney.

Emergency services responded to reports of a gas leak at the Haveli Indian restaurant on Garfield Road in Riverstone this morning.

A 25-year-old man who was believed to be an employee who worked as a cleaner at the restaurant, was confirmed dead at the scene, having suffered what is believed to be carbon monoxide poisoning.

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Five police officers and two cleaners, believed to be the restaurant's owner and his son, were taken to Blacktown Hospital in a stable condition.

Speaking to media, Assistant Police Commissioner Gavin Wood said the man was found on the ground floor of the restaurant by the owner and his son, who had noticed a foul odour.

In their attempts to help the man, the pair and the police officers were exposed to the odour.

"Police were there as a result for a concern for welfare as a result of the owner of the premises," Wood said.

"The owner and the owner's son located the 25-year-old male, commenced CPR. Police then responded and commenced CPR. In that process, they became exposed in some respects to the odour.

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Jeff Hogan from NSW Fire and Rescue said firefighters responded at the scene this morning, where they quickly identified irregularities.

"We identified a source of carbon monoxide were at extremely high levels throughout the building," he said.

"In total, our crews worked with NSW Police to remove a number of occupants from both the ground floor and level two of the building."

Assistant Commissioner Wood said investigations on the cause of the odour were still ongoing.

He said the owner and the owner's son of the restaurant were shaken up, and praised the work of police officers for putting themselves in a dangerous environment in an attempt to save the man who died.

Six people, including three of the restaurant's chefs, live upstairs and all managed to escape unharmed.

"It's shocking news to me," said restaurant owner Resham Singh.

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"The five police officers who were involved in the CPR and the initial component… were extremely brave, they have all been taken to Blacktown Hospital for treatment for some of the effects from some sort of odour at the premises," he said.

"They put their own lives at risk, going into the environment, commencing CPR, and they are now themselves subject to medical intervention." 

Police also confirmed six residents living above the restaurant were evacuated, but no injuries were reported.

Warren Kirby, the state member for Riverstone, expressed his condolences to those impacted.

"I am deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death and hospitalisations in Riverstone following the gas leak at a local restaurant," he told 9news.com.au in a statement.

"My thoughts are with the family of the person who has died and with everyone affected, including first responders and their loved ones.

"Investigations are underway to establish the source of the gas leak. I have also asked for immediate updates from NSW Health on the status of those hospitalised."

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The decision to quash his convictions means the case remains unsolved.

Actor Craig McLachlan says he has pulled out of the Australian theatre production of Cluedo following "aggressive" backlash from the theatre community.

The former Neighbours star, 60, claimed news of his casting last week prompted a negative social media campaign against himself and two other actors.

McLachlan faced allegations of sexual harassment following his time as a cast member of Rocky Horror Show musical in 2014.

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He earlier faced 13 indecent and common law assault charges against four female actors, both on and off stage, during the Melbourne run of the production.

He was found not guilty of seven counts of indecent assault and six counts of assault.

The actor maintained his innocence throughout the court proceedings.

He later launched defamation proceedings against performer Christie Whelan Browne, Nine newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC in 2018.

McLachlan abandoned his defamation case in 2022.

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In a video posted to Instagram, McLachlan said he has now dropped out of Cluedo.

He described the online backlash facing the actors and production crew as "bullying".

"In the hours and days that followed, a focused social media campaign was deployed from within the theatre community, aggressively targeting the two other actors named alongside me, members of the production team, the director of the production, and everyday individuals who simply expressed their delight at my return to mainstream theatre," he wrote.

"The bullying even extends to my partner Vanessa, our friends and family.

"Make no mistake, this is bullying."

McLachlan said the other cast members have been harassed and bullied by their theatre community peers.

He said this prompted his decision to pull out of the show.

"In a sit-down meeting with key production personnel only days before the announcement, I made it very clear that I didn't want my inclusion in the cast to negatively impact any of the other actors," he said.

"I cannot and will not let my involvement in a show result in good people being targeted by trolls and bullied.

"I have therefore made the decision to withdraw from the production."

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McLachlan said he wrote and filmed a statement earlier this week, however put it on hold after his mother died.

"Shortly after composing my statement that I wanted to share with you yesterday, my dear mum passed," he said.

"We now ask you to let Craig and Vanessa live a life of peace and respect them during this time of grief," his post ended.

Cluedo is due to premiere in Australia in 2026, touring Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.

McLachlan had been cast as Colonel Mustard.

His replacement is yet to be announced.

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“This week is about celebrating where everyone’s at on their journey.”

It appears to have been sparked after an altercation between two groups of people.

US President Donald Trump has announced he will file a $US15 billion ($22 billion) lawsuit against The New York Times, alleging defamation and libel, and accusing the outlet of being a "virtual mouthpiece" for the Democrat party.

Trump had threatened last week to sue the Times after it published articles related to a sexually suggestive note and drawing that was given to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003 and appears to have been signed by Trump.

Trump and his aides have denied that he was involved in the creation of the note.

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In a post overnight on his social media platform, Truth Social, the president accused the Times of making false statements about him, his family and his businesses, though he did not elaborate on the allegations.

"Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Dollar Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times," Trump wrote.

"The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!" he added, while singling out the Times' endorsement of Kamala Harris during the last presidential election in 2024.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of high-profile legal challenges mounted by Trump against major media outlets in what he describes as a broader effort to "restore integrity to journalism".

The lawsuit would be filed in Florida, Trump said, without providing further details.

CNN reached out to The New York Times for comment.

In a complaint filed in a Tampa federal court, Trump's lawyers accused the Times of a deliberate pattern of "false, malicious, defamatory, and disparaging" reporting aimed at undermining Trump's presidential campaign and legacy.

The filing cites previous examples of lawsuits brought by Trump's lawyers against Disney's ABC News and Paramount Global's CBS News, which resulted in multimillion-dollar payouts and public acknowledgments of inaccuracies in their reporting.

It also cited a lawsuit brought in July against The Wall Street Journal and reporters who wrote a story about the collection of letters gifted to Epstein.

A spokesperson for Dow Jones, the Journal's parent company, said in a statement at the time, "We have full confidence in the rigour and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit."

In the latest lawsuit against the Times, Trump's lawyers say the "reputational injury inflicted in this case reaches billions of dollars" and confirms they are seeking at least $US15 billion in damages.


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