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The NSW planning minister has proposed a novel solution to Australia's housing crisis - using artificial intelligence to speed up building approvals.

Paul Scully says AI technology, like ChatGPT, could help developers fast-track building consents by identifying issues with proposals before they are submitted for approval.

He has directed his department to conduct a "global search" for the best examples of AI and machine learning technology being used in the planning process.

"And it may not be in the assessment side of things that AI comes in, it may be in the proponent side of things, where people can run their proposal through the system and see where there might be problems early on," he told a Property Council of Australia summit on Wednesday.

"So we can concentrate on where the difficulties might be and where the challenges might be in a particular proposal, rather than every single aspect of it."

Flooding the housing market with new supply is the key to addressing the housing affordability crisis, which has pushed an average 30,000 people out of the state per year, Mr Scully said.

"That's partly because people aren't now thinking, how will I buy a house in Sydney or even spilling into those areas like the Central Coast, the Hunter and the Illawarra, but they're thinking how will I afford to rent in some of those areas," he said.

While he wants to make it easier for developers to get planning approvals and densify areas around transport hubs, the minister warned them not to take it as an invitation to "build crap".

"Don't do it. The social licence for development has been diminished over time because of rubbish proposals," he said.

"We have to build in a more sustainable manner more generally."

Andrew Whitson, chief executive of communities at Stockland, said NSW had a once-in-a-generation opportunity to add housing density around new metro lines, but decried the lack of so-called "missing middle" residential stock.

"We go from 20-storey building to detached house next door around some of these metro stations," he said.

"Getting a real diversity of housing around those locations is going to be really important to increasing supply."

Parliament passed legislation on Wednesday to address the infrastructure bottleneck and ensure communities were not left waiting for adequate transport, schools and hospitals - a common objection to development.

The reforms to how contributions are collected will provide communities in high housing growth areas with $1 billion in new infrastructure funding over the forward estimates and a further $700 million per year into the future, closing the infrastructure time gap, Mr Scully said.

Urban Taskforce chief executive Tom Forrest attacked the Housing Productivity Contribution as a new tax on housing supply, saying it will add $10,000 to the cost of delivering a new apartment and $12,000 to delivering a new house.

"Put simply, this new tax will result in many projects stalling before construction starts," he said.

"It will not deliver the anticipated revenue and worse, it will work against the government's stated commitment to deliver on housing supply."

© AAP 2023

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Christopher Dawson is already expected to die in jail for murdering his wife but he has now also been found guilty of having an unlawful relationship with a student.

Judge Sarah Huggett found Dawson guilty of carnal knowledge on Wednesday following a NSW District Court trial of the former rugby league player and teacher.

"F***, f***, f***," Dawson said after the verdict.

The 74-year-old was jailed in 2022 for killing his wife Lynette, last seen in 1982.

A Supreme Court judge found he wanted to pursue an unfettered relationship with a student.

In the latest judge-alone trial, Dawson pleaded not guilty to one count of carnal knowledge as a teacher of a girl over 10 and under 17 years of age, a historical charge replaced in 1986.

His 24-year sentence for murdering Lynette Dawson, whose body has never been found, and laws preventing his parole before it is, mean it's expected he will never be released.

Known at trial as AB, a student in Dawson's year 11 sports coaching class in 1980 said she became engaged in sexual activity with him between July and the end of the school year on December 12.

Public defender Claire Wasley urged the judge to doubt her evidence, particularly around timing.

It was not disputed the pair had a sexual relationship, with Ms Wasley contending AB was mistaken and it began when she was no longer in Dawson's class.

Judge Huggett did find some of AB's testimony had changed over the years and was unreliable but not dishonest and not in relation to her most crucial evidence.

"Those differences are of no particular moment and do not reflect adversely on the complainant," she said.

Her evidence was also "supported by what was seen and heard by other witnesses".

Former students at the Sydney northern beaches school described seeing AB sitting in Dawson's lap and him standing in between her legs on school grounds and in his office.

AB's colleague at a supermarket recalled a threatening Dawson demanding he stay away from her, the judge finding he perceived the teenager a rival.

A friend described AB disappearing from their social circle in the latter half of 1980, when AB said she was babysitting Dawson's children and having sexual activity in his car.

The judge found Dawson's Friday night appearances at a pub where students drank underage were not providing support and counsel for AB's domestic issues, as claimed.

He showed up at the pub and told self-aggrandising stories to endear himself.

"Behaviour consistent with a person who on occasion, referred to himself as god," the judge said.

A card Dawson gave AB around Christmas 1980 signed with that name, and another to "the most beautiful girl in the world on her 17th birthday" in 1981 were "powerful evidence" supporting AB's timeline, showing a mature man, confident in the existence of a reciprocal and ongoing relationship which was already sexual, the judge said.

AB said they first engaged in sexual activity at the Maroubra home of Dawson's parents while they were out of town in the latter half of 1980.

The judge was satisfied by AB's evidence and the witnesses supporting it that Dawson was guilty.

He will be sentenced in September.

Outside court, Lynette Dawson's nephew David Jenkins said the verdict had been a long time coming.

"I hope this helps (AB) in her healing and helps her get through what she's had to go through all these years," he said.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

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GAMBLING REFORM REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

A federal parliamentary inquiry into online gambling harms has made 31 recommendations to crack down on advertising, including:

* a ban on gambling advertising, phased in over three years

* a ban on ads during school drop-off and pick-up times

* a ban during sports matches

* a ban between 6am and 10pm, before an outright ban, although dedicated racing channels would be exempted

* the development of a national strategy for online gambling harm reduction by the states, territories and commonwealth

* a national education campaign on the harm of gambling

* a levy on online gambling service providers, which would be used to fund harm reduction measures

* the development of minimum gambling protection standards by the federal government and the Australian Banking Association to guide financial institutions

* regulation to verify the identity of gamblers before they bet online

* the immediate ban on gambling inducements and advertising of inducements

* the establishment of a national gambling ombudsman

© AAP 2023

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Three Australian universities have been ranked among the top 20 higher education institutions in the world.

The University of Melbourne came in at number 14 while the University of Sydney and University of New South Wales tied for the 19th spot.

It's the first time the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings has placed a greater emphasis on employment outcomes, sustainability and international research connections instead of student-to-teacher ratios and other factors.

University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell said the results showed Australian institutions are among the best in the world.

"It is an unprecedented level of recognition that underlines the significant contribution that universities make to the nation's global reputation," Mr Maskell said on Wednesday.

His university climbed 19 spots and remains the highest-placed Australian institution in three major global ranking systems.

But the fact that two Sydney-based institutions secured spots in the top twenty reaffirmed the city's reputation as a global city for higher education, University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Mark Scott said.

"We know our research is world-class and the education our students receive at universities across Australia is amongst the best in the world and this outcome is a testament to that," he said.

University of NSW Sydney Vice-Chancellor and President Attila Brungs believes Australia's strong performance means the universities will be able to attract the world's best researchers, educators and students.

Other local institutions - including Australian National University, Monash University, University of Queensland, University of Western Australia, University of Adelaide and the University of Technology Sydney - made it into the top 100.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, better known as MIT, took out the top spot followed by the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard.

© AAP 2023