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Tradies across the nation are again being asked to 'pink up' in support of the more than 20,000 Australians expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

Carpenters, electricians, bricklayers, plumbers and other trades people make up almost a third of the national workforce and have become a major plank in raising funds for the cause.

With 55 people diagnosed each day, breast cancer makes up 14 per cent of all new Australian cancer cases and an estimated 6.3 per cent of cancer deaths.

After its #BCNAPinkTradie campaign took off last year, Breast Cancer Network Australia is calling on chippies, sparkies, brickies, plumbers and roofers to get involved this August and September.

They can pitch in by hosting small fundraisers and engaging in conversations with workmates about how to raise awareness, Pink Tradie ambassador Matt Cutuli said.

The apprentice boilermaker from small-town Mourilyan in far north Queensland lost his nanna to breast cancer in 2018.

Lorraine was a passionate advocate for BCNA and supported numerous patients in her community as they underwent treatment. Mr Cutuli grew up next door to his grandparents and visited her every day.

"She was a massive inspiration to everyone that met her and especially to me in the respect she had for everyone she met," he said.

"I am doing this in her honour because although I will never be able to fill her boots, I know she would be proud of me".

Mr Cutuli wants fellow tradies across Australia to join him by organising a pink morning tea or BBQ at work, a golf day, a trivia night or even a head shave, in a COVID-safe manner.

Pink Tradie socks, beanies and other merchandise are being sold and social media photos featuring someone in BCNA merchandise and using the hashtag #BCNApinktradie until September 31 will go into a draw to win one of three $500 gift cards from campaign supporters Middy's Electrical.

This year's campaign highlights the financial implications for people diagnosed with breast cancer.

The cost of scans, tests and treatment, along with potentially needing to stop work or take time off causes major stress for individuals and families.

BCNA provides information about work and breast cancer for everyone impacted, and refers sufferers to services providing aid and advice about workplace rights.

© AAP 2021

Image Credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Compliance checks will ramp up in NSW supermarkets over the weekend following another record day of COVID-19 cases.

After the state recorded 390 coronavirus cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian implored people to get vaccinated to enable "freedom for all".

The premier said the government was exploring more freedoms for those who were vaccinated and where there were low case numbers in the coming months.

"What we want to achieve in September and October is provide some opportunities for people to have an extra thing they can do which they currently can't do today," Ms Berejiklian told reporters on Friday.

But while strict public health orders remain in place, SafeWork NSW said inspectors would be targeting retailers and specifically supermarkets from Saturday.

"Any business found breaking the rules may be subjected to fines and could face a closure," Director of Compliance Dimitri Argeres said in a statement.

From Monday, the Australian Defence Force will send an additional 200 soldiers to NSW on top of 550 already assisting COVID-19 efforts.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said they would support contract tracing work, accompany police officers, and other compliance measures.

Meanwhile, media have reported the NSW crisis cabinet had on Friday afternoon agreed to a permit system for people wanting to leave the Greater Sydney area.

It comes after Sydneysiders spread the virus into the Hunter and northern rivers regions.

The crisis cabinet also backed Victorian-style support payments for those awaiting COVID-19 test results, to encourage them against working, and changes to the singles bubble arrangements in Greater Sydney's 12 local government areas of concern.

Health services in western Sydney face a "big challenge" as 25 new cases were recorded in local areas, with eight in Dubbo and two in Walgett.

A one-week lockdown began on Wednesday for Walgett, Dubbo, Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine and Warren.

Two schools in Dubbo, the Buninyong Public School and the Dubbo School of Distance Education, closed following COVID-19 cases while the NSW Department of Education said late on Friday that Oxley Park Public School in western Sydney's St Marys would shut after a member of the school community tested positive.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said an additional 8000 vaccines were being sent to Walgett, where about 80 per cent of the 6500 residents are Aboriginal.

Ms Berejiklian on Friday scolded people who are "knowingly" breaking the rules and using the health orders as an excuse, after two COVID-positive women, aged 20 and 21, were charged for travelling from Sydney to the Hunter.

"People are saying, 'Oh, I didn't know' ... Most of the time that is not true. Let's not pretend that people are doing the right thing," she said.

The 19-year-old son of Zoran Radovanovic, 52, has also been charged after the duo from Rose Bay in Sydney's east travelled to Byron Bay and sparked a lockdown in the NSW Northern Rivers.

The state also recorded another two deaths in an unvaccinated woman in her 40s who died at home in southwest Sydney and a vaccinated Hunter man in his 90s in palliative care.

The toll for the current outbreak in NSW is now at least 38.

There are currently 63 COVID-19 patients in NSW in intensive care, with 30 being ventilated.

© AAP 2021

Image Credit: MewMeowth, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Anthony Griffin has urged his St George Illawarra side to remain resilient after a fifth-straight NRL loss all but put a line through their finals hopes.

The Dragons' downward spiral since BBQ-gate continued on Friday night with a 34-16 loss to Penrith, soured by a nasty ankle injury to hooker Andrew McCullough.

He'll likely miss the rest of the season, which is extremely unlikely to include a finals campaign given they could be two wins outside the top eight by the end of this weekend with just three rounds to play.

The Dragons had all the ball thanks to a sloppy Penrith in the first half - at one stage they had completed nine sets to the Panthers' one - but still trailed 16-6 at the break.

Matt Burton assisted a Dylan Edwards try before scoring one of his own to break the game open, before impressive teenager Talatau Amone shone when shifted to No.6.

His try assist for Jack Bird was followed by a try in a bright spot that offset a horror night for playmaker Corey Norman, which included two intercepts that led to tries.

Griffin said he would consider recalling fullback Matt Dufty, whose creativity was sorely missed, but that he was happy with Jack Bird's work in the No.1 jersey.

"It is (tough to swallow), but our club has been really resilient all year and I thought again they represented us pretty well," he said of their late-season fade-out.

"There was just a bit against us but it is what it is, we've just got to keep coming.

"The last two week we weren't far off, not far away from a win or two so the motivation is pride in our club and individually."

Griffin shot down reports the Dragons were hunting strike Penrith back-rower Viliame Kikau.

"I haven't heard that; I thought he was happy at Penrith and they'd want to keep him, but we haven't made an offer or discussed it," Griffin said.

"He'd be a handy acquisition for any side; he's one of the marquee players in the game like (Gold Coast back-rower) David Fifita, there's only a couple of those guys."

© AAP 2021

Image Credit: Dragons Facebook