Bruce MacKenzie
Bruce MacKenzie is the lead news reporter at ABC North Coast.
Eighty-year-old child sex offender convicted 47 years later
Posted
A woman who was sexually assaulted by her stepfather 47 years ago has welcomed a sentence putting the now 80-year-old in prison for at least 10 months.
Topics: sexual-offences, law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, lismore-2480
NSW shark nets killing hundreds of animals, review finds
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Only two months after shark nets were installed at Ballina, the Greens call for the NSW Government to phase out its entire Shark Meshing Program in response to new data.
Topics: shark, animal-attacks, state-parliament, nsw
Two charged with bestiality after 'despicable' assault on pet pig
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Police say they've "never seen anything like this" as two men are charged over an alleged attack at a farm in northern NSW that left a pig with serious injuries.
Topics: animal-attacks, animals, animal-welfare, law-crime-and-justice, assault, crime, nimbin-2480
Byron Mayor pushes for bed tax
Posted
The Accommodation Association of Australia says it would oppose any move to impose a bed tax in popular tourist destinations.
Topics: tax, lifestyle-and-leisure, travel-and-tourism, local-government, byron-bay-2481
Great white shark numbers unseasonably high, scientist says
Posted
It is surprising to see so many great white sharks off the New South Wales far north coast this late in the year, a senior research scientist from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) says.
Topics: shark, marine-parks, science-and-technology, biology, marine-biology, ballina-2478, lennox-head-2478
Young people too cocky about their condom use, study shows
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A new study shows many young people feel confident about their condom use, despite often using them incorrectly and inconsistently.
Topics: diseases-and-disorders, sexually-transmitted-diseases, sexual-health, youth, carnivals-and-festivals, lismore-2480, sydney-2000
Premier gets in a tangle as Ballina installs first shark net
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An animal rights activist attempts to capture Premier Mike Baird in a net during a clash between protesters and department staff as Ballina rolls out its first shark net.
Topics: shark, environmental-impact, environmental-management, surfing, oceans-and-reefs, ballina-2478
Hundreds turn out in Ballina to support shark net trial
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Hundreds of people braved sweltering temperatures on the New South Wales north coast today to voice their support for a planned six-month shark net trial in the region.
Topics: shark, environmental-management, environmental-policy, environmental-impact, surfing, oceans-and-reefs, ballina-2478
Nurse accused of murdering two elderly women 'had boasted of knowing how to kill'
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A nurse accused of murdering two elderly women in a nursing home on the New South Wales north coast had previously boasted about knowing how to kill a person without it being detected, a court hears.
Topics: murder-and-manslaughter, crime, law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, lismore-2480, ballina-2478, nsw
Emotions overflow as Murwillumbah Mustangs honour fallen team mate
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The Murwillumbah Mustangs have ridden into history with a courageous win in the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League grand final.
Topics: rugby-league, regional, family-and-children, charities-and-community-organisations, community-and-society, sport, murwillumbah-2484, cudgen-2487, lismore-2480
Coroner calls for guidelines on homebirth
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General practitioners are being urged to establish homebirth guidelines, after the death of a baby in NSW in February last year.
Topics: infant-health, womens-health, health-policy, healthcare-facilities, lismore-2480
Burnt body found on NSW far north coast identified
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Police identify the charred remains of a body found on the New South Wales far north coast as missing Queensland mother Sabrina Bremer, and reject reports she was tied to a tree before being set alight.
Topics: murder-and-manslaughter, crime, law-crime-and-justice, missing-person, community-and-society, murwillumbah-2484, tweed-heads-2485, logan-central-4114, qld, nsw
Catholic priest John Casey found not guilty of 16 child abuse charges
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Catholic priest and former police chaplain John Patrick Casey is found not guilty of 16 charges relating to the sexual abuse of children in northern New South Wales in the mid 1980s.
Topics: sexual-offences, law-crime-and-justice, child-abuse, community-and-society, casino-2470, lismore-2480, sawtell-2452, nsw
Jury considers verdict in trial of Catholic priest
Posted
A jury retires to consider its verdict in the trial of a Catholic priest accused of child sexual abuse offences that allegedly occurred west of Casino in the mid 1980s.
Topics: sexual-offences, lismore-2480
Shark attack listening stations extended along NSW coast
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Listening stations that monitor the movement of sharks and tweet warnings to beachgoers are to be dropped into waters off the NSW south coast in an effort to prevent attacks.
Topics: shark, animal-attacks, human-interest, lifestyle-and-leisure, travel-and-tourism, travel-health-and-safety, safety-education, kiama-2533, batemans-bay-2536, mollymook-2539, lismore-2480, ballina-2478, sussex-inlet-2540, wollongong-2500, merimbula-2548, nsw
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