Here's what you need to know this morning.
Sex offender actor's parole
Convicted sex offender, and Hey Dad! star Robert Hughes will soon be eligible for parole.
Hughes has been in jail since 2014 when he was found guilty of 10 sexual and indecent assault offences committed in the 1980s.
He will become eligible for parole in 60 days, and his first parole consideration meeting will be held tomorrow.
However, there's no guarantee Hughes will receive parole, as the meeting is "legislated as part of the judicial process", the state parole authority said.
MPs bushfire condolence motions
NSW parliamentarians have been sharing harrowing stories this week from the state's bushfire crisis, with one MP saying she received a text message from her firefighter son saying "I don't think we're going to make it, I love you Mum".
Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle's son was battling blazes near Nowra on New Year's Eve when his crew became stranded on a country road as the inferno closed in.
Doyle said it was a "miracle that they were able to get out of the trucks that eventually burned to the ground and walk to safety", adding that they were met by apprehensive crew members "waiting with stretchers because they were waiting for body recovery".
Ms Doyle was one of numerous politicians who detailed their experiences over the summer as the entire week of parliament is devoted to condolence motions for bushfire victims.
Measles alert
A measles alert has been issued by NSW Health after an eighth person this year was diagnosed with the disease.
While infectious, the person spent time at the University of Sydney in Camperdown.
NSW Health said people who visited the Laneway cafe in Wentworth last Tuesday were at risk of infection.
People should watch out for signs and symptoms until February 15, as the highly infectious disease can take 18 days to present.
Bushfire rates refund
Six months' worth of free council rates will be given to people if their properties were destroyed this bushfire season.
The NSW State Government will cover the cost of rates for the third and fourth quarter of this financial year.
A refund will be issued to small business owners and homeowners affected by the bushfires who have already paid their rates.
Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock said it would be unfair to expect someone who lost their home to pay for a property they can no longer live in.
Semester delay demand
Students are calling for the university semester to be delayed while those stuck in China cannot return to Australia because of the coronavirus outbreak.
An estimated 100,000 Chinese students are unable to travel back for university after the Federal Government banned anyone from mainland China from coming to Australia.
The Student Representative Council at the University of Sydney wants a two-week delay to ensure students are not disadvantaged by missing the beginning of the academic year.
"99.99 of students have never had contact with anybody who's had coronavirus. China is a very large country itself and the student population there is vast," General-Secretary Abbey Shi said.
Surfer's brush with death
A teen who went surfing in Lake Macquarie last night was winched to safety aboard a helicopter after large swell overwhelmed him and another surfer.
The two boys, both aged 17, encountered trouble at Redhead Beach. One of the boys was able to swim to shore and alert emergency services.
The other boy floated 100 metres from the shore before being winched aboard the Westpac rescue helicopter to safety.
"Had it not been for the swift response of emergency services, we could have had an extremely tragic event here today," said Inspector Cheryl Day from Lake Macquarie Police District.
