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When it comes to flying economy, it turns out that while the dreaded middle seat may not be the most comfortable, it's officially the safest spot on the plane.

Experts say while flying on a plane is still safer than travelling in a car, accidents can occur and in the event that a plane crashes, the middle seat on the very last row has the highest survival rate.

CQUniversity's Professor of Aviation Doug Drury said a 2015 TIME magazine investigation that analysed 35 years of aircraft accident data found the middle rear seats of an aircraft had the lowest fatality rate - 28 per cent, compared with 44 per cent for the middle aisle seats.

"You have to think about when you have an aisle seat, you don't have anything to your left or right and so the crash properties will be swinging everybody around," he told AAP on Monday.

"In the middle seat in the back, you basically have a person on your left and one on the right and so they act as a buffer a little bit."

The odds of dying in a plane crash are about one in 205,552, compared with one in 102 in a car, according to the US National Safety Council's analysis of census data.

In 2019, there were just under 70 million flights globally, with 287 fatalities.

Professor Drury said though rare, in the event of an accident if a plane is to nosedive, no seat is safe, however when it comes to level landing, the back is the safest.

"If the aircraft is landing somewhat level ... if pilots are trying to land but they don't quite make it, then there is a probability that sitting in the back will have a higher chance of success of surviving than the people up front," he said.

"The physics of an aircraft accident are not the same every single time."

© AAP 2023

Embattled television personality Andrew O'Keefe has had a number of charges over an alleged altercation at a Sydney CBD apartment withdrawn as he faces a court hearing.

O'Keefe, 51, appeared in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Monday, where he had some assault charges dropped after the alleged victim left the country.

Police had alleged O'Keefe choked a 38-year-old woman before he punched and kicked her in his Sydney CBD unit in January 2022.

O'Keefe, a former lawyer and son of former NSW Supreme Court judge Barry O'Keefe, argued he acted in self-defence.

Police prosecutor Michael Cleaver withdrew charges of intentionally choke person without consent, common assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Monday.

"The prosecution case relies significantly on one single civilian witness who has left the country," Sergeant Cleaver told the court.

O'Keefe still faces resist police, drug possession, and domestic violence-related assault charges.

The court was shown body-worn camera footage from police responding to an incident in Sydney's east in September 2021.

Constable Elissa Major can be heard asking a woman if "he did that" to her arm, before she tearfully responds "yes".

In an off-the-record conversation the woman told her O'Keefe had been on "a bender" and not slept, Const Major said.

In another video from the back of an ambulance at St Vincent's Hospital, O'Keefe asks if police had seen photos of the woman's injuries.

Const Major said she did not tell O'Keefe about any injuries or see any other police do so prior to his comment.

Richard Pontello SC, representing O'Keefe, said his client knew about the abrasions to the woman's wrist because he had told police they were self-inflicted.

O'Keefe asked police to turn their body-worn cameras back on before making the comment, Mr Pontello said.

Const Major said she could not recall O'Keefe asking for cameras to be reactivated and only generally mentioned the woman's injuries being self-inflicted, as she included in her statement.

"I can't recall any conversation after I deactivated my body-worn camera," Const Major told the court.

Mr Pontello on Monday indicated O'Keefe will plead guilty to one count of contravening an apprehended violence order and one count of possessing a prohibited drug.

O'Keefe previously avoided a domestic violence conviction in June 2021 after charges were dealt with under the NSW Mental Health Act.

He was granted conditional release in May 2022 to attend a rehabilitation centre for up to 12 months to combat his cocaine, ice and cannabis abuse.

The court was closed to the public on Monday afternoon while a witness gave evidence.

The hearing continues before magistrate Alison Viney on Tuesday.

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© AAP 2023

Poker machines accepting cash will be gradually swapped for live music and entertainment under an ambitious five-year plan to reform the NSW gaming industry.

Premier Dominic Perrottet unveiled the long-awaited $344 million package he will take to the election next month, describing it as "the largest social community and law enforcement reform in our state's history".

"It will save lives. It will protect jobs and ensure that our communities across NSW are stronger now and into the future," he said on Monday.

Pressure is now mounting on Labor leader Chris Minns, who polls suggest will become premier after the March 25 election, to adopt the reforms.

He is expected to speak later on Monday.

Players will be linked to a single bank account, interim $500 cash feed-in limits will be implemented and a statewide self-exclusion register will be created.

The suite of changes is the answer to a damning NSW Crime Commission report that billions of dollars in crime proceeds were flowing through the state's 86,000 pokies each year.

"Today, we fix money laundering, we fix problem gambling and we support pubs and clubs," Mr Perrottet said.

"The time for trials is over ... the transition commences 2024, full rollout by (December) 2028 and at the same time (the government) provides financial support for pubs and clubs."

Pubs and clubs will be incentivised to diversify away from pokies with no-interest loans and one-off grants of $50,000 to invest in new income streams such as live music, food and bowling greens.

Large operators will be exempt from the grant scheme but will be able to participate in a government-funded scheme to buy-back 2000 machines statewide.

A transition taskforce made up of regulators, police, the privacy commissioner and industry will help guide the reform, with a status update every six months.

Gambling reform advocate Tim Costello said the reform package included most of what experts recommended.

"It isn't perfect, but it is pretty damn good," he told reporters.

But he pointed out the 44 per cent of pubs and 20 per cent of clubs without pokies wouldn't receive a cent for their "virtuous" position.

Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron said the ball was now in Labor premiers' courts.

"If a Liberal premier here in NSW can bring forward such a radical social reform policy then surely, Labor premiers in other states can also do something similar," he said.

The plan was also welcomed by independent crossbenchers Alex Greenwich and Greg Piper.

Both said their support for any minority government would be contingent on cashless gaming.

"Those are the big moral issues of our time," Mr Piper said.

"If we baulk at this, if we have that opportunity, then we really shouldn't be here."

Labor has promised to introduce mandatory trials for 500 poker machines and cut the 86,000 licences pubs and clubs hold.

But Mr Minns has been cautious about implementing mandatory cashless gaming, without more evidence it will work.

Reverend Costello said Mr Minns needed to "step up" and support police, regulators, charities and health practitioners - instead of sticking with ClubsNSW and One Nation's Mark Latham.

ClubsNSW, which represents the registered clubs operating 64,000 pokies statewide raised concern about the "significant costs and technical challenges" of turning pokies cashless.

"We're particularly concerned about the implications for small, regional clubs and the impact this will have on jobs across the industry," ClubsNSW said.

The industry group said it remained committed to tackling problem gambling and keeping criminals out of venues.

The deadline for the full package to be implemented is December 2028.

© AAP 2023