Older women are disproportionately affected by the housing crisis and financial insecurity. They are the fastest-growing group of people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.

Lismore City Council says Lismore households recently threw away an estimated $670,000 by placing eligible drink containers in their kerbside bins instead of claiming their refund, while almost half the contents of red-lid general waste bins could have been recycled or composted.

Across Australia, Telstra mobile and mobile data customers have been dealing with widespread outages this morning, from cities to the regions, including the Northern Rivers.

The NSW government says the state's surf life saving clubs can now apply for a share of $5.5 million through the Surf Club Facility Program, to upgrade, rebuild or future-proof the facilities that keep beaches safe.