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Sydney news: Businesses welcome easing of close contact household isolation rules

Business NSW says the hospitality and retail sectors have been hit hard by household contact rules. (AAP: Bianca De Marchi)

Here's what you need to know this morning.

Businesses can now operate 'the proper way', peak body says

The state's peak body for businesses has welcomed changes to close contact isolation rules, saying they will help ease crippling staff shortages in the retail and hospitality sectors.

The changes set to come into force on Friday night will mean household contacts of COVID-19 cases no longer have to isolate for seven days as long as they are symptom-free and carry out daily rapid tests.

Daniel Hunter from Business NSW said the changes were "sensible" as many businesses had struggled with staff being absent due to household contacts testing positive.

"Healthy people can go back to the office, back to the workplace, back to the cafe, back to the restaurant and we can get on with life and people can operate their business in the proper way," he said.

Renewed appeal for witnesses to fatal alleged assault

Evander Tuala was critically injured in the alleged assault. (Supplied: Facebook)

Police have renewed their appeal for witnesses to the fatal alleged assault of Evander Tuala, 23, in Darlinghurst earlier this month.

Mr Tuala was left on life support after allegedly being punched in the head during a brawl outside the Oxford Hotel, and later died in hospital.

Three men were charged after a fight broke out between two groups when a man was ejected by security from an Oxford Street hotel at about 12:30am on April 10. The men remain before the courts.

Police believe 10 to 15 people were involved in the incident, and strike force detectives are appealing for assistance to identify a dark-haired man who at the time was wearing khaki 3/4 pants, no shirt, and white shoes.

It is not believed the man was involved in the assault of the 23-year-old but he was with the group involved in the brawl and may be able to help police.

Detectives also want to identify and locate a number of other witnesses, in particular a group seen walking across a pedestrian crossing, and a man and woman sitting on a bench nearby.

Key workers struggling to find affordable housing 

A report has found an additional 300,000 new affordable homes will be needed over the next 15 years.  (ABC News: John Gunn)

A forum will be held in Penrith today to discuss ways to address the shortfall of social and affordable housing in Western Sydney.

A report compiled for the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, a Western Sydney think tank, has found that key workers who have played a vital role during the pandemic are among those struggling to keep a roof over their heads.

Many of them live in Western Sydney, where the supply of social and affordable homes has failed to keep up with demand.

The report estimates an additional 300,000 affordable homes will be needed in NSW by 2036 to meet demand.

Homelessness has increased  by 40 per cent over the past five years, according to the report, with older, single women and women fleeing domestic violence at most risk of becoming homeless.

Elvis festival returns to NSW

The rescheduled Elvis Festival opens in Parkes today. (ABC Open contributor Margaretha Barnard)

After being postponed in January, the Parkes Elvis Festival will get underway today.

The annual event has been impacted by COVID-19 in recent years but organisers are hoping the crowds will return.

Normally held in the second week of January to coincide with Elvis Presley's birthday, this year's festival had to be rescheduled due to the Omicron outbreak.

The "Elvis Express" train will leave from Sydney this morning, packed with Elvis Presley fans. 

It is one of the biggest tourism drawcards in the Central West, attracting more than 20,000 fans each year. 

The theme of this year's festival is "Speedway", the 1968 movie starring the king of rock 'n' roll. 

Country music legend's big moment

Troy Cassar-Daley used his speech to talk about Slim Dusty and mental health. (Supplied: Tamworth Country Music Festival)

Troy Cassar-Daley has become the most awarded person in the 50-year history of Tamworth's Golden Guitar awards, overtaking Slim Dusty and Lee Kernaghan.

Last night the performer received three awards, including Male Artist of the Year and Top Selling Album, bringing his total number of Golden Guitars to 40.

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