As more horses risk life and limb at The Melbourne Cup today, animal lovers are gathering at Flemington Racecourse and across the country to stand up for the victims of what has been described as an outdated and exploitative horseracing spectacle.

Hundreds of handmade jewellery pieces have been stolen from a Bangalow artists’ collective, leaving some members without any work to sell ahead of the crucial Christmas trading period.

The NSW Government will spend $3 million on a sewer link for the Saddle Road housing precinct near Brunswick Heads, a connection it says could service up to 600 residential lots.

The newly opened Veteran and Family Hub at Tweed Heads will be backed by a renewed $3.8 million commitment from RSL NSW to sponsor veteran and family services, delivered by partner charity RSL LifeCare.

The NSW Environment Awards, hosted by the state’s leading environmental advocacy organisation, Nature Conservation Council NSW, was recently held at Customs House in Sydney.