Here's what you need to know this morning.
Fog cover causes disruptions across Sydney's transport network
Sydney has woken up to a thick blanket of heavy fog over much of the city and metropolitan area.
Ferry services west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, including the F3 Parramatta River, F4 Pyrmont Bay, F8 Cockatoo Island and F10 Blackwattle Bay, are currently not running, due to the fog.
However, all ferry services operating east of the Harbour Bridge have resumed.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that reduced visibility, due to the fog, will make road conditions across Sydney dangerous during Friday morning.
Motorists are being warned to take extreme care on the roads and to expect travel delays or to use alternative transport.
A spokesman for Sydney Airport said the conditions had not caused any delays, with flights arriving and departing as normal, despite pictures showing heavy fog.
Diesel spill in CBD
About 200 litres of diesel has spilled on the northern end of Pitt Street in Sydney's CBD after a crane dropped worksite materials.
Fire and Rescue Superintendent Adam Dewbury said the crane failed, causing debris to drop and rupture a fuel tank on a truck.
"Firefighters are checking the waterways to determine if any diesel as entered into them and, if it has, working [out] a strategy to recover and contain that so we don’t pollute the harbour," he said.
No injuries have been reported and around 50 people have been evacuated from the worksite.
Gas and electricity bill support boost for struggling households
With gas prices set to rise in July, the government has boosted support for Sydney residents having trouble paying their energy bills, allowing up to $1,600 a year to be claimed in cash assistance.
From Monday, each payment assistance limit will increase from $400 up to $1,600, a move to pre-empt the electricity and gas bills hike in a few months.
It comes after a decision yesterday by the Australian Energy Regulator, which determined NSW energy customers on standing offers will face an increase from July 1.
Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean says more than 100,000 households received low-income and gas rebates last year, with various assistance schemes available.
“With cost-of-living pressures increasing, colder weather arriving and days shortening, we want to make sure households in NSW not only keep the lights on but [also] keep their families safe, warm and comfortable,” Mr Kean said.
The government says price increases are being driven mostly by external factors, including the Ukraine war and recent flooding in NSW and QLD.
Check your eligibility here.
Organised crime raid sees 45 arrests, $4m of drugs seized
The NSW Police gang crime squads are celebrating a big week of arrests and drug seizures across the regions, warning crime groups they will "hold (offenders) accountable", regardless of their location.
This week, 45 people were arrested, eight guns and 20 kilograms of illegal drugs were seized in a major operation targeting organised crime networks.
Operation Hawke's commander, Detective Superintendent Jason Weinstein, said organised crime groups chose to work in regional areas to try to evade police.
"The tentacles of illicit activity stretch far beyond our cities," Superintendent Weinstein said.
"New South Wales attracts around 40 per cent of Australia's national organised crime population, many of whom attempt to evade the attention of police by operating outside of the Sydney metropolitan area."
"The sale of prohibited drugs in NSW is a lucrative market — worth at least $3.7 billion per year at a street level — and a root cause of the violent spate of murders we've recently seen."
Earlier this week, 18 members of an alleged crime family — the Alameddines — were arrested on a range of serious drug supply charges and accused of operating a "dial a dealer" drug network across Sydney.
Catholic school teachers to strike
About 18,000 teachers and support staff across 540 Catholic diocesan schools will walk off the job today.
The Independent Education Union has organised 10 rallies and marches throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Catholic school teachers are calling for pay increases, a cut in teacher paperwork and more staff to be hired.
Branch secretary Mark Northam acknowledged that students would be impacted, but said the profession was facing a crisis.
"You're not going to have sufficient teachers to meet demand. So, we've got more students coming in and we've got teachers not staying in the profession," he said. "That's called the perfect storm."
The union says it's the first full-day stoppage for Catholic school teachers since 2004.
Call for review into COVID-19 fines
The NSW Law Society wants the state government to review thousands of COVID-19 compliance fines, saying the most vulnerable may have amassed debt they cannot pay.
It says the only way for people to challenge the fines is in court and, if they lose, they face a conviction, an $11,000 fine and/or six months in prison.
Society president Joanne van der Plaat said the communities with the most outstanding fines were also among the most disadvantaged.
"Places with high Aboriginal populations are actually in the top three: Walgett, Brewarrina and Wilcannia," she said.
"And 11 out of the top 15 locations for fines are counted as the most-disadvantaged communities in our state."
Appeal for man missing almost 50 years
Police are appealing for help to find a man who hasn't been in touch with his family for almost 50 years.
Brian Fulljames moved to Australia from New Zealand in 1968, living firstly in North Sydney before taking a job that saw him travelling around Australia.
He was last seen in Darwin about 1973. However, no family or associates have seen nor heard from him since the late 1970s.
At that time, he was aged 34 and he would now be 83.
"Missing persons cases have a long-term and traumatic toll on families, many of whom never get over their loved ones vanishing," Detective Chief Inspector Rod Blackman said.
Vivid Sydney returns to light up city
Vivid Sydney returns tonight, after being cancelled for the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The largest festival of lights in the Southern Hemisphere opens tonight with more than 200 events.
Each year the event has operated, its light spectacular has drawn millions of people to the city.
For the first time, Central Station and the Goods Line will be lit up.
Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres said Sydney "bursts back to life" with Vivid.
"We have created the most-amazing program to bring everyone back into the heart of the Sydney CBD," he said.
Legionnaires' disease warning for CBD
The state health authority is asking people who visited the Sydney CBD in the past 10 days to look out for symptoms of Legionnaires' disease.
NSW Health said five people who developed the disease spent time in the area over the past three weeks.
It said the disease could not be spread from person to person, and that people were likely exposed to the bacteria from contaminated water particles in cooling systems.
Symptoms can take 10 days to develop and include chills, a cough and shortness of breath. They may lead to severe chest infections, such as pneumonia.
Treatment usually requires antibiotics administered in hospital.
NSW Health and City of Sydney are investigating cooling towers that could be potential sources.
