Here's what you need to know this morning.
Premier welcomes international borders re-opening
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has welcomed the re-opening of international borders from February 21, saying it would provide a massive boost to the state's economy.
Yesterday Prime Minister Scott Morrison said all visa holders would be welcomed back under one condition — they had to be fully vaccinated.
Mr Perrottet said the re-opening would give momentum to the state's COVID-19 recovery roadmap and assist with the return of foreign investment.
"The New South Wales government has led the progressive return of international students and through Investment NSW is underway with a range of initiatives aimed at welcoming more international businesses to the state," he said.
The cruise industry, however, said it was being sidelined, calling for a ban on its operations to be urgently lifted.
Joel Katz from Cruise Lines International Association, said the industry had experienced a devastating two years.
"The 18,000 Australians who rely on the cruise industry for their livelihoods are really angry and frustrated at the lack of progress," he said.
"They can't understand how the borders can re-open for international visitors yet we can't carry Australians on cruises around Australia."
Central Station revamp takes shape
Sydney's Central Station is now home to the longest escalators in the southern hemisphere as part of a $994 million upgrade to accommodate the city's new metro line.
Wynyard Station previously had the city's longest escalators, but the new installation at Central will come in at 45 metres long.
Premier Dominic Perrottet will today inspect the new escalators and progress on the redevelopment project.
The escalators will link light rail, suburban trains, and the under-construction metro lines at Central.
A metro station in Saint Petersburg, Russia, currently holds the title of world's longest escalator, at 138 metres long.
Chief Operations Officer of Transport for NSW Howard Collins said the new-look Central Station would be "amazing".
"There's going to be 42 escalators at central station; we've already commissioned four. It will help people get around the station very quickly."
First Novavax doses arrive in Sydney
The first shipment of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccination arrived at Sydney Airport from Singapore last night.
The initial 3 million doses will be supplied to state vaccination hubs, pharmacies and GPs in coming days ready for use from February 21.
However, Health Minister Greg Hunt said they first had to undergo batch testing by the Therapeutic Good Administration.
It's the fourth vaccine in the arsenal against the virus for those aged 18 and over.
At this stage, Novavax can only be used as a primary vaccine, with studies ongoing over its suitability for children and as a booster.
Last month the federal government announced the purchase of 51 million doses.
Close to 44 per cent of those aged 16 and over in NSW have received their boosters.
Forty-three per cent of 5- to 11-year-olds have received one dose, with 78.7 per cent of those aged 12 to 15 vaccinated with two doses.
Report into grant programs to be released
The NSW auditor-general will today release a report into two grant funding programs, including one deemed a "clear abuse of process" by a parliamentary inquiry last year.
An audit has combed over administration of the $252 million Stronger Communities Fund and $47 million Regional Cultural Fund, which were distributed in 2017/18 and 2018/19.
Last year's upper house inquiry into the Stronger Communities Fund found 95 per cent of money went to councils in Coalition held, or marginal, seats.
Greens MP David Shoebridge, the inquiry's chair, wrote the program was established to support newly merged councils "but morphed into a brazen pork-barrelling scheme".
An ABC News investigation in 2020 found $44 million from the Regional Cultural Fund also went to government seats.
It comes as state Labor again accused the NSW government of pork barrelling over a separate funding program called ClubGrants.
Analysis shows about 75 per cent of the $100 million distributed between 2013 and 2021 went to projects in Coalition seats.
"Again we have another example of this Government using funds like it's their own piggy bank," NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said.
"There would be thousands of deserving community projects that have missed out on funding, simply because they live in the wrong area."
SAS soldier returns to witness box in Ben Roberts-Smith trial
An SAS member giving evidence in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial will return for further cross-examination today after denying he once punched a female soldier in the face.
Mr Roberts-Smith is suing three newspapers over articles that reported allegations of war crimes, bullying and domestic violence, which he denies.
The war veteran's barrister yesterday put it to the current witness, he punched an American soldier at a party in Afghanistan in 2012, before she fell unconscious into a pool.
He told the judge he was instead the victim of an unprovoked attack, and agreed it was Mr Roberts-Smith who broke things up.
Two cars burnt out in Sydney's west, south-west
Police are investigating after two vehicles were torched within the space of an hour in Sydney's suburbs overnight.
A Mercedes was found burnt out in a driveway on Markey Street, Guildford about 12:20am.
About 40 minutes later, officers were called to Koala Road in Greenacre where a white Holden Commodore had been set on fire.
NSW Police said the Mercedes had been destroyed by fire but the Holden had been towed for further examination.
Cumberland and Bankstown police are investigating the respective incidents.
It is not known whether the fires are linked to a public place shooting in Greenacre early on Monday morning.
Several bullets were fired into a home on Karuah Street at 1:10am.
Three people were inside the property but no one was injured.
Several vehicles have been set alight after being used in gangland shooting across the city in the past 18 months.
Calls to boost Indigenous vaccination rates
Vaccination rates among Indigenous people must be pushed above 90 per cent, a network of experts formed to provide advice on how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic says.
OzSAGE is made up of experts from multiple fields such as health, business and education.
In its latest briefing it also outlined that 44 Indigenous people with COVID have died with more deaths in the past five weeks than the entire pandemic.
School of Population Health researcher at the University of New South Wales, Ebony Lewis said more effort needs to be made to improve vaccination rates.
"Nationally, coverage remains around 15 per cent lower than in non-Indigenous people," she said.
"In some regions vaccination remains far lower with some areas reporting less than 60 per cent double vaccination, this leaves some communities completely exposed."
