Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has given the final sign off on Sydney's long-awaited second airport today. The 1800ha site at Badgerys Creek in western Sydney will initially service about 10 million passengers a year, making it the size of Adelaide Airport, from the mid-2020s. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce says Sydney needs the second airport at Badgerys Creek because Kingsford Smith airport is already operating at capacity.
Seven people have died in a horror start to the Christmas holidays on Queensland's roads, with police confirming the death of a motorcyclist in the state's southeast. The rider struck a tree after losing control of his bike at Peak Crossing on Sunday afternoon. He is among seven people who have lost their lives in separate incidents since Friday, the official start of the state's annual Christmas road safety campaign.
A man has been charged over the alleged assault of a baby girl in a Queensland hospital with serious brain injuries. Detectives arrested the 39-year-old at Brisbane Airport overnight on Sunday after he returned from Western Australia. Police were called on July 20 after the 4-month-old girl became unresponsive and was transported from her Upper Coomera home to the Gold Coast University Hospital. She was later transferred to a hospital in Brisbane with very serious brain injuries. The man, of no fixed address, has been charged with grievous bodily harm and is due to face Southport Magistrates Court today.
Three 16-year-olds have carried their injured friend to rescuers after she was struck by a falling rock in the Currumbin Valley in the Gold Coast hinterland. The police helicopter was used to guide SES and police to locate the group on Sunday afternoon. The 16-year-old girl, who had suspected spinal injuries, was winched by helicopter out of the area and taken to hospital.
- AAP