Cassie Henderson impressed all four judges during her blind audition on The Voice.

Reality TV star Matt Wright offered $10,000 to the family of a helicopter pilot badly injured in a fatal crash but it was declined, a jury has heard.

The Outback Wrangler star is on trial in Darwin Supreme Court having pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The charges follow a helicopter crash in February 2022 that killed Wright's friend and co-star Chris "Willow" Wilson on a crocodile-egg collecting mission in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land.

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Pilot Sebastian Robinson, 32, was left a paraplegic after the crash.

Today, his mother, Noelene Chellingworth, was questioned about her diary entries in the weeks after the crash, agreeing she had recorded that Wright had offered her $10,000 to "tide her over" and pay bills. 

"We told him we didn't want it," she said under questioning by crown prosecutor Jason Gullaci SC. 

Chellingworth told the court she had met with a lawyer in March 2022 to discuss whether her son could sue for negligence and explored claiming workers' compensation.

She agreed the legal advice was that Robinson was an independent contractor so making a claim as a direct employee was not an option.

One of her diary entries made when she was with her son in Royal Brisbane Hospital read: "Matt Wright came in today and tried to persuade Sebastian to put hours on his helicopter".

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Wright has been accused of trying to get Robinson to fake flying-hour records because he was concerned crash investigators would find out he and his pilots had disconnected flight-time meters and faked paperwork

Senior defence counsel David Edwardson KC put it to Chellingworth she had added diary entries to support her claims in court, which she denied.

She disagreed with Edwardson's accusation she falsely alleged Wright had wanted Robinson to transfer flying hours from the crashed chopper onto the pilot's helicopter.

Under questioning from Gullaci, Chellingworth agreed she was very concerned her son might not walk or work again and explored legal options for compensation.

"He wasn't going to be dropped in on a wheelchair to collect eggs was he?" Gullaci said, referring to egg collectors being slung on a line under a helicopter to be dropped onto crocodile nests.

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Chellingworth tearfully told the court in the weeks after the crash she was devastated, and very worried about her son and his mental state.

She said Robinson had a paraplegic uncle who he was a carer for "so he knew what he was in for".

The jury has heard Wright was unvaccinated against COVID so at the time of the crash could not work in Arnhem Land because of virus restrictions.

That meant Robinson, who could sling collectors under a chopper, was "always under pressure from Matt Wright", Chellingworth said.

The charges against Wright do not relate to the cause of the accident and the prosecution does not allege he is responsible for the crash, Wilson's death or Robinson's injuries.

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Authorities are warning of potential flooding in parts of NSW as relentless rainfall is set to worsen over the coming days. 

The state is being battered by heavy precipitation due to an unpredictable and complex weather system.

The northern and north-western parts of the state are in line to see intense rainfall, with the weather set to deteriorate in areas west of Tamworth and along the north coast this evening.

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The NSW SES has warned there is a risk of flash floods due to the already elevated river levels and full dams from recent weather events.

Residents have been urged to be prepared in case the situation changes and to monitor warnings.

"We know the weather and flooding this year has been tiring for many of you, but please, stay ready and stay safe," NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Malone said.

"Have an emergency plan in place, understand your own risk and know where you will go and what you will do if your home and family are impacted."

NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Deb Platz said the wet weather is "likely to continue for the rest of the year" and warned residents against complacency.

Today brought up to 45mm of rain across the east coast from Jervis Bay up to the Queensland border, with some isolated totals of 75mm.

The wet weather is expected to peak tomorrow before easing on Friday.

Widespread rainfall up to 80mm is likely and isolated falls of 120mm are possible along the coast from Sydney to Ballina tomorrow.

Totals of up to 35mm are likely for those same coastal areas, while isolated totals of 60mm from Port Stephens to Byron Bay are possible on Friday.

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Sydney CBD and the Greater Sydney area are also forecast to be battered by more rain over the next three days.

Bureau of Meteorology manager of hazard preparedness Steve Bernasconi said the widespread, moderate to heavy rainfall is due to a high-pressure system in the southern Tasman Sea drawing in moist air.

"This may not seem like a lot [of rain], but over three days it is," Bernasconi said.

"What we have here is a significant rain event impacting most of the state.

"The main issue is flooding."

The bureau expects the high-pressure system to start to move out to sea on Saturday, but warned there may be some lingering showers in the afternoon and evening. 

The SES has fielded 330 calls and responded to 120 incidents so far.

Road closures are expected, particularly in flood catchment areas.

Flood watches across the state

There are 28 warnings in place across the state as of 4.30pm today, stretching from Menangle Park in Sydney's south-west to Boomi on the border with Queensland.

Minor to moderate flooding is likely and isolated major flooding is possible for parts of the Mid North Coast, Hunter and North West Slopes from late today.

Minor to moderate flooding is also possible in the Hunter and Colo River catchments from tomorrow morning.

A flood watch and act alert is in place for Goangra and the surrounding suburbs.

Residents are urged not to enter floodwaters due to the steady and minor flooding in the area. 

Advice alerts are issued in 27 other parts of the state. 

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NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said the organisation is preparing assets and personnel to respond.

"We're sending aviation assets, high clearance vehicles and crews into the areas likely to be impacted by this rainfall," he said.

"While we're prepared for an increased volume of calls for assistance, we ask the community to prepare too.

"Stay across the latest warnings and advice via the Hazards Near Me app and set up a watch zone for your local area."

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SES flood warnings remain in place for communities in western NSW as floodwaters caused by a coastal low-pressure system earlier this month continue to move downstream.

Malone urged residents in impacted areas to have a flood emergency plan in place before waters rise.

Residents are being reminded to never drive through floodwaters.

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However, the Waikato man has only been convicted on three of the occasions he was caught.

Hundreds of thousands of children with autism will be diverted away from the NDIS under a new scheme announced by the federal government.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler today proposed removing children with 'mild to moderate' autism or learning difficulties from the $46 billion dollar government-funded scheme to a new program.

Butler detailed the plan during an address at the National Press Club as he lamented the fact the NDIS has become too big and too expensive.

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His announcement comes after a report published in the Sydney Morning Herald found seven in 10 new people were joining the NDIS for autism.

The report found 56,000 of the 78,600 people who signed up for the NDIS between June 2024 and June 2025 had autism listed as their chief diagnosis.

Butler said the government is aiming to scale growth with a target of 6 per cent per year down from 8 per cent.

Butler said the NDIS will no longer capture kids with mild autism or developmental delays by mid-2027.

"Remember the NDIS was established to support people with significant and permanent disability," Butler said.

"Since the scheme's creation, the number of people with disability entering the scheme has generally stabilised close to initial projections, except in one area – children with developmental delay or autism."

"I think most Australians would be alarmed to know that now, one out of every 10 six-year-olds are on the NDIS, including 16 per cent of six-year-old boys," Butler added.

"That's one in every six boys in the average grade two classroom. In some regions, it's even higher."

The federal government said these children will be better served by a new specialised scheme called Thriving Kids, which will kick in by July 2027.

"Diverting these kids over time from the NDIS is an important step to making the scheme sustainable and returning the scheme to it's original content," Butler added.

"Standing up a robust program for thriving kids is what these children and their parents need."

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Butler said parents are desperate to have their children accurately diagnosed but acknowledged the NDIS does not "suit their needs".

"Too often they have to wait for ages and pay thousands of dollars just to get that diagnosed," he said.

The initial investment for Thriving Kids will be $2 billion dollars.

Impacted children won't be removed from the NDIS just yet.

The transition will take place once Thriving Kids is fully operational.

"Children who are enrolled in the NDIS now or become enrolled before that time will remain on the scheme subject to its usual arrangements, including, from time to time, reassessments," Butler said.

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Health workers offer condolences to grieving family as evidence exposes gaps in care.

A doctor who killed a young woman in a high-speed crash while almost four times over the legal alcohol limit has pleaded guilty.

Perth obstetrician Rhys Henry Stone Bellinge, 45, today admitted the manslaughter of Elizabeth Pearce on February 15.

The 24-year-old was an Uber passenger in a Honda Jazz hatchback struck by Bellinge's blue Jaguar sedan in Perth's leafy riverside suburb of Dalkeith.

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The father of two also pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm while under the influence of alcohol over the injuries to Muhammad Usman.

The 25-year-old Uber driver suffered two broken legs and arm injuries in the collision.

Bellinge, who has reportedly struggled in custody while on remand, appeared via video-link from Casuarina maximum-security prison.

Wearing a prison-issued green tracksuit, Bellinge was sullen as he confirmed he understood the charges before entering a guilty plea to each charge in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court.

A charge of driving under the influence of alcohol was discontinued by the court at the prosecution's request.

Bellinge's wealthy father Bruce Bellinge was in the court to hear his son's pleas.

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The court was previously told Bellinge had been drinking while watching football on television at his father's home before he climbed into his high-powered car and attempted to drive home about 10pm.

Dashcam footage showed Bellinge's car reached a speed of about 130km/h before the driver lost control, crossed to the wrong side of the road and collided with the Honda.

Pearce later died in hospital from her injuries.

Bellinge allegedly had a blood alcohol reading of 0.183 and was recorded apologising after the crash at the scene.

He suffered spinal injuries in the incident and had been experiencing "mental upset" following his recent marriage breakdown.

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Other dashcam footage previously played to the court showed Bellinge driving at speeds above 100km/h in a 40km/h zone days before the crash that killed Pearce.

Bellinge also allegedly recorded yelling vitriolic profanities about his estranged wife on the night of the crash and in another recording.

He was denied bail during a hospital bed court hearing in the weeks after Pearce was killed, and could be heard crying and sobbing over an audio link.

Bellinge will return to Perth Magistrates Court tomorrow for three counts of reckless driving while exceeding the speed limit by 45km/h and one count of dangerous driving related to his conduct in the days leading up to the crash that killed Pearce.

He will return to Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on February 24 for a committal mention ahead of sentencing for the manslaughter and dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm charges.

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The Bay of Plenty Steamers have two wins and one loss so far this season.

The accused, aged between 28 and 66, are due to appear in Christchurch District Court.

A man has been charged with murder after a woman believed to be his ex-partner was found dead in a home in northern Victoria yesterday.

A 45-year-old Dandenong man was charged this afternoon and is expected to face Shepparton Magistrates' Court shortly.

The charge relates to the death of a 32-year-old Cobram woman, who was found deceased in a property about 5am yesterday.

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Two young children were inside the home at the time, but were not physically injured.

"Their wellbeing is number one, and making sure they're OK and they're being looked after and provided support that they need," Victoria Police Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said yesterday.

"He is known to police and there is a link between that male and our deceased female."

It is understood an altercation broke out between the victim and the 45-year-old man.

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The tight-knit border community has been rocked by the incident.

Neighbours remembered the woman as a private person

Cobram is located on the Murray River, on the border between NSW and Victoria, and is about 260 kilometres north of Melbourne.

National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).