The family of a motorbike rider who was killed after hitting a pole during a police chase has been remembered as "soft spoken, well-behaved and respectful".

Bradley Wilder, 20, died following a collision during the pursuit near Newcastle in NSW last night.

Police said they tried to stop a motorbike on King Street in Hamilton, around 4km from Newcastle's CBD, about 7.30pm as it didn't appear to have number plates.

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Police started a pursuit after he failed to stop.

They followed Wilder south on the Pacific Highway at Charlestown through several suburbs, before he came off the bike after hitting a traffic pole.

Wilder was treated by paramedics but he died at the scene.

His cousin Monique said Wilder was usually a "safe rider". He had bought a new bike around two months ago.

"Bradley was such a soft spoken, well-behaved and respectful young man towards absolutely everyone he crossed paths with," she said.

"I have [sic] drove with him a few times he has ridden his bike since purchasing it, and he has always been such a safe rider so for all this speculation and knowing him as the person he is it is definitely out of character for him."

Monique said Wilder had been looking forward to spending more time with his terminally-ill father, Craig.

"He liked doing things like playing video games, spending time with his family and loved his father so much in which whom he lives with and is very sick at the moment," she said.

He said he was due to care for his father when he had a lung transplant in Sydney.

"I'm so very hear broken, my baby cousin taken way too soon under such avoidable circumstances," she said.

Police have declared a critical incident following Wilder's death.

Witnesses reported the motorbike was travelling at high speed before losing control, 9News understands.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner David Waddell could not confirm the speed but said the rider was "definitely speeding".

Police initially believed the motorbike did not have plates, however Waddell said the bike was registered but the plates were obscured.

Waddell said the "tragic" collision took place just five minutes into the pursuit.

"This is a tragic set of circumstances," Waddell said.

He said the officers involved are "obviously traumatised" by the incident.

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Police have established a crime scene and a critical incident team from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District will investigate the incident.

Waddell said police are now appealing for anyone with dashcam footage or CCTV footage.

Police are also investigating another motorbike which was "racing" in the same vicinity earlier that evening.

That motorbike was also the subject of a pursuit, which was later terminated.

The investigation will also be subject of an independent review by the Professional Standards Command and oversight by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

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Allan Rosewarne became eligible for parole about two years, but remains behind bars.

Haami Hanara’s murder conviction was quashed in 2023. He admitted to manslaughter.

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The Herald followed the drivers as they took police on a cat-and-mouse chase.

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A Melbourne mother-of-two says her six-month-old daughter is suffering from cracked, crusting and bleeding skin due to withdrawal from topical steroids prescribed to treat eczema.

Nikki Estrada took her baby daughter, Xenrea, then four months old, to hospital after she became dehydrated due to low milk supply.

While they were there, doctors noticed a red patch on Xenrea's cheek and prescribed five days of antibiotics and 14 days of topical steroid cream as well as bleach baths as a "precaution" in case the skin had become infected.

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"I thought it was a normal baby skin rash, I didn't suspect it was eczema," Estrada said.

"My gut instinct was like, this is wrong, she doesn't need it… but you just think, I'm gonna listen to the doctors.

"And it worked, the little patch on her cheek, it was gone."

But two days after finishing the prescribed topical steroid cream treatment, she said her daughter's symptoms worsened.

"As soon as I stopped, it just came back with a vengeance," Estrada said.

"It's broken, it's open, it's weeping, she doesn't sleep.

"I can't sleep because I need to hold her so she doesn't scratch.

"Her mouth cracks and bleeds from trying to eat."

Desperate and distressed, Estrada took Xenrea to the GP and a paediatrician, who both recommended she resume the topical steroids until the symptoms cleared.

By that time, she had begun researching topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) online and had found similar cases in online support groups.

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TSW is characterised by red, burning and itchy skin, that sometimes presents after ceasing prolonged or high-potency steroid treatment.

"Speaking to other mothers, it sounded like she was going through a withdrawal, because, you know, I only applied (steroid cream) to her face, but it was everywhere on her body, which was identical to other parents and their kids," she said.

"First, it becomes really, really red and hot and burning, and then the body will ooze, the skin barrier breaks, and then it scabs, and because it's so dry it bleeds and it's prone to infection, and it's just a cycle until the new skin comes back up."

Estrada is now seeing a naturopath and says her daughter's skin is slowly improving with the use of natural creams, and prebiotic and probiotics for her gut health.

"It's just been so heartbreaking seeing my daughter in so much pain and she's only six months old," she said.

"I feel like I've still got months until her skin's gonna go back to how it was."

According to Professor Deshan Sebaratnam, a dermatologist at The Skin Hospital in Sydney, side effects from the use of steroid creams are rare.

"When used for skin conditions which come and go like eczema, where you are only applying them for a few days then taking a break, side effects are vanishingly rare," Sebaratnam said.

"When patients stop using their steroids, their underlying skin disease can flare back up, and sometimes this can be confused by people as dependency or addiction – which it isn't.

"Patients need to also consider the effects of not controlling their eczema – itch, pain, increased risk of infection, sleep disturbance, cost, the impact on the whole family et cetera."

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Eczema is often worse in winter, due to low humidity, long hot showers, and irritation caused by people wearing extra layers, heating and electric blankets.

Melody Livingstone, CEO of Australian skincare company MooGoo, said sales of their eczema and psoriasis creams had doubled this winter, compared to last year.

"Australia has one of the highest incidences of eczema in the world, and it is only getting worse – 50 years ago, only one in 10 Australian children suffered from it," she said.

Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic, debilitating disease that affects 2.8 million Australians, including one in three Aussie kids under the age of six.

Management includes keeping the skin moisturised and avoiding triggers such as soap, fragranced washing detergents, prickly fabrics, and heat.

Topical steroid creams, when used under the supervision of a doctor, are widely considered by doctors and specialists to be a safe treatment for flare-ups.

Please note the information in this story is general in nature. Please always consult your GP or health professional for advice that is tailored to your specific health concerns.

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The cost of doing business is making it "increasingly difficult" for retailers to operate in Australia, an expert says, as more shops close down physical locations.

According to leading retail expert Gary Mortimer, businesses are re-assessing the need for brick-and-mortar stores, with some offering a hybrid-style online-offline model.

"Margins are getting squeezed and I think that's why we're seeing more retailers closing some physical stores and pushing more of their business online," Mortimer said.

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"In the same way that households struggle with that cost-of-living crisis with increasing electricity, gas, rates, household costs – businesses are facing those same costs.

"Rents are going up, wages are going up, electricity is going up and security services are going up.

"Fashion, generally between 25 to 30 per cent of their revenue is now online, which tends to suggest you could potentially close 25 per cent of your stores, move that revenue from an online channel and not actually experience any net loss to your revenue."

In March, Jeanswest announced it would close all brick-and-mortar stores and cut hundreds of jobs as its parent company entered administration.

Meanwhile, the remaining Millers and Noni B stores closed earlier this year after parent company Mosaic Brands collapsed.

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Country Road is the latest brand to reassess its retail portfolio after it closed its landmark store inside the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney in a move the company said would "ensure we're continuing to meet the needs of our customers".

"We are committed to delivering great experiences throughout our networks and we are investing in our stores, with 10 new or refurbished stores opening by the end of the year," the spokesperson said.

"This includes our beautifully renovated Mosman store reopening in September, a new Country Road flagship store in Queen Street, Brisbane opening in August and three new stores opening in Chatswood Chase in October."

Mortimer said the cost of rent at flagship locations could come at an "astronomical" cost for some businesses.

"Flagship stores really only work now today for global brands that can afford the commercial real estate and you can underpin those costs with global sales," he said.

"If you're an Australian fashion retailer, you don't have a global revenue stream, it's a very costly exercise to maintain those premises."

In order for brands to withstand challenges in Australia, Mortimer said must evolve and widen their range to cater to a range of consumers.

"RM Williams readjusted their range several years ago to target that younger market, the 25- to 35-year-old market to replace an aging consumer group," he said.

"I think good fashion businesses, particularly those that are 50 to 60 years old, need to constantly reinvent themselves so they are always attracting a new market."

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East Perth residents are ramping up their push against the transformation of a once luxury hotel, into a mixed housing complex.

Protesters today claimed they're not against social housing, insisting they've been totally blindsided by the state government and haven't had community consultation.

But homelessness advocates say the crisis is becoming so desperate, we need to put an end to NIMBYism, a term referring to a "Not In My Backyard" mentality.

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The majority of people protesting the plans to turn Fraser Suites into a social and affordable housing complex live a stones throw from the building.

They claim they were blindsided by the state government's $100 million purchase last month, saying their biggest concerns are density, shared spaced and parking.

"We want to make sure from here on in consultation, planning and doing the right thing by the complex, not just by this building," one protester said.

The group denies it's a case of "not in my backyard".

"We support social housing, we just want it to be done in the right way and we feel that in Australia we have the resources and the money to do this better," another local said.

Homelessness advocates say we can't afford to wait, with 22,000 West Aussies currently on a two-year waitlist for social housing.

They say the hotel's 236 rooms barely scratches the surface.

"We know people sleeping in cars, sleeping under bridges, staying with family," Kath Snell from Shelter WA said.

The Housing Minister is pushing a similar sentiment.

"The growing cohort is women over 55 who are at risk of homelessness, they're the type of people that I'm trying to provide housing for," John Carey said.

Carey met with opponents airing their concerns for the second time in two weeks but resident says it's not enough.

With an overflowing waitlist, the state government hasn't ruled out plans to repurpose more WA buildings and turn them into social and affordable housing.

Like Fraser Suites, there's no guarantee community consultation will take place beforehand.

"To mess with people's house and them not know anything about it, leaves a really sour taste in my mouth," one local said.

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The personal details of thousands of people across south-east Queensland have potentially been stolen in a major data breach.

A man is accused of breaking into multiple mortgage brokers and tax offices, 9News can exclusively reveal.

Court documents show Joseph Kelly – a man in his 30s – is accused of breaking into Mortgage Choice offices and an ITP Tax office between Monday and Wednesday this week.

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He allegedly targeted three buildings on the Gold Coast, along with one in Logan and another in Ipswich.

Police allege Kelly stole computers and filing cabinets, transferring an unknown amount of sensitive client data onto his own encrypted device.

It's understood the stolen data may include drivers licences, passports, payslips and mortgage applications.

Police sources say he could face separate fraud charges for each customer whose information was allegedly taken.

ITP Queensland say they have contacted 64 affected clients, while Mortgage Choice are still working to identify how many of its customers have been impacted.

The ATO confirmed to 9News its systems have not been compromised.

Kelly has also been charged with possessing dangerous drugs and attempting to enter another office in Robina.

He's been remanded in custody and his matter will return to Southport Magistrates Court next Monday.

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