Sam Burgess taken to police station following a positive roadside drug test.

Former South Sydney Rabbitohs player Sam Burgess has been arrested for allegedly driving unlicensed and allegedly under the influence of an illegal drug.

NSW Police confirmed to AAP that a 34-year-old man was stopped in the Sydney suburb of Kingsford for roadside testing at about 10am Thursday and subsequently taken to a nearby station after testing positive for an illicit substance.

The driver underwent secondary testing and was issued a notice to appear at Waverley Local Court on February 15 for driving unregistered.

"Inquiries are continuing, and police will await the result of a secondary oral fluid analysis," a police statement said.

Burgess has since released a statement via his Instagram story.

“An initial roadside drug test was taken, which showed positive to cocaine,” he said.

Image: Sam Burgess' Instagram Story.

 “After I was released from the police station, I immediately and voluntarily went to an independent, internationally accredited testing facility and undertook a urine test.

“The urine sample returned a negative result to all illicit drugs. I deny any suggestion that I have drugs in my system.”

He went on to say that he has not consumed, obtained, or possessed any illicit drugs.

“I have made positive improvements to my life and to my driving since my full licence was returned to me following a 10-month loss of licence. I am clean and sober from drugs, living a happy, healthy and balanced life.”

In March, the NRL fined Burgess $30,000 for using illicit drugs and threatening another player in 2018, and driving with traces of cocaine in his system in February 2021 while working at the Rabbitohs in an off-field role.

For the latter incident, Burgess avoided conviction but was placed on a nine-month good behaviour bond.

The NRL also suspended him from official duties with South Sydney for 12 weeks and any further sanctions could impinge on his hopes of launching a professional coaching career.

With AAP.

Gold Coast theme park Dreamworld has to pay $2.15 million to the husband and two children of a woman who died when a ride malfunctioned in 2016.

Sydney woman Cindy Low, 42, died on the Thunder River Rapids ride along with Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi when a water pump failed and caused the raft they were in to overturn.

Brisbane Supreme Court Justice Susan Brown last week approved a settlement agreement between Dreamworld parent company Ardent Leisure Limited and Cindy's husband, Matthew Low.

Mr Low sued Ardent and filed a claim for dependency costs and economic loss in June 2019 on behalf of the couple's two children Kieran and Isla, aged 10 and six respectively at the time of Cindy's death.

Kieran was on the ride when his mother was killed but suffered only minor injuries.

The terms of the settlement were not revealed in court but public documents now show that Ardent Leisure agreed in September to pay $2.15 million plus $280,000 in costs and outlays to the Low family.

The two children's share of the settlement will be managed by a discretionary trust until they turn 18.

Mr Low's legal representatives, the Clayton Utz firm, had originally filed a claim for more than $2.46 million.

Some of the settlement costs were based on Mrs Low's plan to start a full-time role in administration at a large commercial and real estate firm with an above-average salary plus bonuses.

Mr Low, 47, stated in an affidavit for the lawsuit that his wife was the primary carer of children and they both planned to keep working until at least age 67.

He said he and Cindy, whom he met in New Zealand in 1997 and married in Fiji in 2004, enjoyed experiencing life in other countries and expected to travel more once their children became older and more independent.

 The Thunder River Rapids ride after the incident occurred. Image: AAP.

The Low family decided to split up during their visit to Dreamworld on October 25, 2016 because Kieran wanted to ride the Thunder River Rapids for a second time.

After waiting at a coffee shop, Mr Low and Isla were tracked down by a Dreamworld staff member.

"I saw Kieran sitting outside the Ride's entrance with staff looking very distressed. I was told 'the paramedics are with Cindy'," Mr Low said in his affidavit.

"Kieran said to me words to the effect that another empty boat on the ride hit them a few times and the boat that he and Cindy were on flipped over. He was very sure Cindy was badly hurt and he was upset he could not save her."

Mr Low had to rush to tell their families about his wife's death due to the national publicity around the tragedy.

"It was one of the most difficult tasks I have ever had to do, and I lost count of the calls I made," he said.

Mr Low, his family members and representatives have been banned from making comments on the settlement under the agreement with Ardent Leisure.

Ardent Leisure was fined $3.6 million in 2020 after pleading guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court to breaching the Work Health and Safety Act.

The company has reportedly paid a total of more than $5 million in compensation claims as of 2020 to other family members of the victims as well as emergency responders and witnesses.

With AAP.

It’s been confirmed that Taylor Swift has been officially knocked out of the Oscars race for her music video All Too Well, but in a surprise twist she could be taking home a different Academy Award.

Plus, Lana Del Rey has a new album coming out, and she is promoting it via a single billboard, in the town where her ex-boyfriend lives. There’s a whole backstory to Lana’s actions, and some of it has to do with a PR strategy.

And the first trailer for the upcoming TV special Lamar Odom: Sex, Drugs & Kardashians has been released and we have some strong thoughts about the show profiteering off Khloé Kardashian’s name. But what’s even more interesting is who is making and screening the documentary behind the scenes.

Listen to today’s episode of The Spill below:

A father and his 10-year-old daughter have died in a shed fire at a property in regional Queensland.

Emergency services were called to the property at Biggenden, west of Maryborough on Tuesday afternoon before making the discovery. 

The man and child are believed to be 54-year-old local baker Todd Mooney and his daughter Kirra.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Detective Chief Inspector Gary Pettiford said the man was due to marry his partner and the child's mother next week.

"The whole thing is very tragic for the community out there... they were actually getting married at the property," he said.

Image: Nine News.

The woman involved is distraught and in shock, Det Chief Insp Pettiford said.

"It will to be a long time before she comes to terms with the loss of not only her partner but her daughter," he said.

Once it's safe to enter the structure, forensic experts will begin to gather evidence and the remains will be retrieved.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

"This investigation will go for at least two to three days before we'll know anything concrete," Det Chief Insp Pettiford said.

 - With AAP.

A Sydney man faces possible jail time over the deaths of two men who were swept from a ute during the recent NSW floods.

Yesterday, 41-year-old Jawad Al Hussein was charged with two counts of manslaughter seven weeks after allegedly attempting to negotiate a causeway on swollen Prestons Creek at Bevendale, west of Goulburn.

The vehicle was swept by floodwaters into the waterway, police said at the time.

Al Hussein and another man in the cabin of the ute swam to safety but two others - aged 30 and 32 - who were travelling in the tray, were taken downstream. Their bodies were found days later.

Driver charged with manslaughter after two men in tray of his ute died in NSW flood waters, police say https://t.co/XCDh0y2suT

— Guardian news (@guardiannews) December 20, 2022

A day after his arrest, Al Hussein faced Parramatta Local Court yesterday and was granted bail. Conditions include a $300,000 bail surety and that he report to police three times a week. He is also barred from driving. 

As well as manslaughter, Al Hussein faces two back-up counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and a separate charge of driving while suspended.

He's due back in court in February.

Meanwhile, a body believed to be that of a missing elderly Queensland man has been recovered from floodwaters in southwestern NSW.

The 89-year-old was last known to be travelling from Gympie on October 31 and was headed for South Australia via Victoria, police said.

After someone spotted a flooded vehicle in the small rural town of Barmedman on Tuesday, officers located the man's body inside. While it is yet to be formally identified, it is believed to be that of the missing man.

- With AAP.

Former Neighbours star Bonnie Anderson has welcomed her first child with her fiancé Sam Morrison.

The actress and singer, who won The Masked Singer in 2020, shared a photo of her baby boy, named Bobby Ray, on Instagram yesterday.

 "It was always you our darling boy," she captioned the post. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bonnie Anderson (@bonnieandersonmusic)

Anderson first announced she was pregnant back in June, two months after sharing news of her and Morrison's engagement. 

"The best is yet to come and we couldn't be more excited," she said at the time of her pregnancy announcement. 

Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year for many of us, but it also might be one of the worst if you’re at an airport. 

With flight prices, delays and cancellations all having increased this year, there's no better time to have a strategy in place for taking your flight. 

Today we speak to two people who have just boarded or are about to board their flights home for Christmas, to find out what strategies they used to avoid the mayhem that is taking a flight over the Christmas period.  

We also speak to CEO of the Australian Airports Association, James Goodwin on why some of these issues are occurring and how best to prepare for them. 

Feature Image: Getty.