Here's what you need to know this morning.
Hazard reduction blunder claims half of North Head
Aerial photographs show for the first time the extent of damage to North Head bushland by a hazard reduction burn that jumped containment lines on the weekend.
Around 50 firefighters battled the blaze in Sydney Harbour National Park on Saturday after it got away from them when the weather changed.
Manly local Andrew Kelly took the photos on Saturday afternoon using a drone, showing how close the fire came to buildings.
Mr Kelly estimated 50 per cent of North Head's bushland had been destroyed.
Man charged over dating app sexual assault
A man has been charged over the alleged sexual assault of a woman he met through a dating app earlier this year.
In March, a 20-year-old woman met a man she'd been communicating with over the app for the first time at a home in Leichhardt.
Police allege the 37-year-old man sexually assaulted the woman and they arrested him yesterday at a property in Rydalmere.
He has been charged with aggravated sexual assault — inflict actual bodily harm on victim, and will appear at Burwood Local Court on November 9.
COVID-19 alert in Sydney's south-east
NSW Health authorities are calling on people in south-east Sydney with any COVID-19 symptoms to get tested as soon as possible.
A person with COVID-19 visited the Kingsford and Ramsgate areas in the first two weeks of October while possibly infectious.
They went to several cafes for short periods of time while ordering takeaway, though no venues of concern were identified.
Call for tax-free jobs
The state's peak business body says any new jobs created during the COVID-19 pandemic should be exempt from payroll tax.
Business NSW has put the proposal to the Treasurer in a submission ahead of next month's State Budget.
Damian Kelly from Business NSW said the organisation wants it to be an automatic payroll tax rebate, based on payrolls recorded during the pandemic period.
He said the Federal Government provided support to business in its recent Budget, and it was time for the state to follow suit.
Taree man charged with 70 offences
NSW Police have charged a man with 70 offences related to the alleged sexual and physical abuse of a woman and six children on the mid-north coast.
Police said a 45-year-old woman and six children were allegedly abused by a man known to them from 2015 to 2018.
A 61-year-old man was arrested at a home near Taree on Wednesday, September 2 and charged with a slew of offences.
Among them, grooming a child under 14 years old, stalking, sexual assault, rape, torturing animals and affray. He will appear in court today.
ICAC funding questioned
The Auditor General's anticipated report into the funding arrangements for the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will be handed down today.
The findings come a week after the Premier gave evidence to the corruption watchdog about former MP Daryl Maguire with whom she had a secret relationship for five years.
The ICAC has previously raised funding concerns and pushed for an overhaul to the arrangements.
Legal advice given to the ICAC, and tabled in Parliament, described the funding model as unlawful.
