Good morning and welcome to the Morning Buzz for Monday, January 9.
It is set to be a mostly sunny day with tops of 29 degrees across the Sydney region.
News Buzz
UNDER REVIEW: The effectiveness of laws banning political donations from property developers and the alcohol, gambling and tobacco industries will be reviewed, but Premier Mike Baird says his government "does not intend" to overturn them.
PLAN TO KEEP COOL: Western Sydney's struggle to cool down is set to heat up this year, with a mini-plebiscite and multiple reviews to determine the future of the region's swimming pools.
MARRYING LATER: It happens around the age of 30 to almost half of Australians. That moment when, for the first time in their lives, those who have never married are no longer the majority of people their age.
VIOLENT FIGHT: One man was stabbed and another beaten unconscious in a violent fight near Darling Harbour in Sydney overnight, police say.
CENTRELINK SLAMMED: Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has called on the Turnbull government to immediately suspend Centrelink's controversial automated debt recovery program, describing it as a "toxic mix of incompetence and cruelty" that has ruined Christmas for vulnerable Australians.
WIFI CONCERN: The Greens New South Wales has criticised the rollout of a free Wi-Fi trial on Sydney buses, highlighting privacy concerns which the party suggests the state government has not made clear.
FROM MITTAGONG TO MERRYLANDS: In a stolen gold car, a man and woman sped along the Hume Highway, threw a hatchet at police and led officers on a 100-kilometre chase from Mittagong to Merrylands.
LEY APOLOGISES: Embattled Health Minister Sussan Ley has admitted she made an "error of judgment" by charging taxpayers for a trip to the Gold Coast in which she bought a $795,000 apartment and will repay the cost of four taxpayer-funded trips.
CHANGE IS COMING: Long-awaited changes to the state's planning laws will mean councils will determine fewer development applications, but will be responsible for more regularly and clearly devising planning controls for local areas.
TRANSPORT DELAYS: Many public transport users experienced long delays on the weekend when the Illawarra rail line was closed for track maintenance work.
BRIBE ALLEGATION: A Sydney councillor has been accused of offering a party colleague an $80,000 bribe on Christmas Day in exchange for power to determine Liberal party preselections.
RURAL SNUB: The Baird government directed 90 per cent of its priority infrastructure fund to urban projects last year, despite promising at least 30 per cent would go to rural and regional areas.
Sports Buzz
WATSON IS BACK: Hold the phone - the Sydney Thunder"s faint pulse in this season's Big Bash has been upgraded to a thumping heartbeat and all of a sudden, captain Shane Watson is back in form.
HAPPY CAMP: Glenn Maxwell is expecting to find a happier Australian camp when he joins the squad ahead of the upcoming one-day international series against Pakistan.
GROTH FOCUSED: Sam Groth may be the fastest server on the planet but Australia's Davis Cup star was focused on breaking opponents, not records at the Canberra Challenger this week.
RECORD BLITZED: Like father, like son. Canberra teenager Edward Osei-Nketia knew he'd broken the under-16 national 100-metre record as soon as he crossed the line at the Australian All Schools Championships.
