Sydney news

Police investigating reports of gunshots being fired outside a block of units in Fremantle take a man into custody

The chief executive of a Mandurah drug and alcohol service is calling for ongoing federal funding for amphetamine and methamphetamine support services amid what she says is a spike in demand.

Meet two people who say they are neither male nor female.

A woman remains in a critical condition in hospital after a unit fire that killed her son, aged three, on Sunday night at Beenleigh, south of Brisbane.

Prolonged dry weather has Australia's south-east and west set for above-average bushfire risk in the coming months.

The Mayor of Forbes says she fears larger regional centres are being favoured for sporting grants, making it difficult to secure facilities in smaller rural towns.

Federal Nationals MP Mark Coulton says support for marriage equality within youth ranks of the Nationals is unlikely to prompt a shake-up in his party.

The Hunter Development Corporation says the iconic Empire Hotel site in Newcastle West is again up for sale, but it has abandoned plans to require developers to build affordable housing.

There are concerns that the so-called 'ice epidemic' is destroying small towns such as Warren.

Increased use of farming machinery and less hands-on intensive work are being blamed for rising obesity rates in the Hunter's rural sector.

A group of Vietnam veterans has trashed the outside of Parliament House over the course of a 150-day protest against the closure of the Repatriation Hospital, the Speaker of the House of Assembly says.

Community preschools across the Hunter are being forced to increase fees as state government funding cuts come into effect.

A Newcastle dietician says obesity is not only a health issue for miners but a safety issue for the industry as a whole.

A helipad for the Royal Hobart Hospital is a step closer but final approval will hinge on a detailed noise impact study.

Documents supporting a state significant application for remediating a Newcastle gasworks site, show contaminants are widespread, exceeding national health health standards.

Hunter and Central Coast teachers appear to be feeling the psychological strain, with workers compensation claims lodged over the past 18 months, worth millions of dollars.

The double jeopardy rule, which protects citizens from being retried for a crime they have been acquitted of, could be altered under a proposal released by the ACT Government.

War of words over regional plan

A 5917 steam locomotive captivated onlookers as it rolled through the Clarence and Richmond valleys as part of Coffs Harbour's Centenary of Rail celebrations.

The ACT Government uses live-streaming mobile app Periscope to broadcast a Cabinet meeting, in a bid to increase community engagement.

The Raiders run away with a 34-18 victory over the Penrith Panthers on a cool Monday night at Canberra Stadium.

Eating under combat conditions is no picnic but it is hoped a new chocolate bar being developed for the Defence Forces might make it a little tastier.

A Melbourne school uses an Australian-first approach based on neuroscience, which focuses on a healthy and happy mind, to revolutionise its learning and boost its grades.

The main person of interest in the 1969 disappearance of Tasmanian woman Lucille Butterworth is convicted murderer and rapist Geoffrey Charles Hunt, an inquest reveals.

A 19-year-old woman is killed in a car crash at Somerville on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne.

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull accuses Labor of failing to promote its candidate in an upcoming WA by-election, as he dodges questions on internal Liberal Party tensions.

Canberra locks up boom five-eighth Blake Austin on a long-term deal, signing him to a one-year contract extension that will keep him at the NRL club until the end of 2018.

Local community groups and New South Wales frontbencher Gabrielle Upton voice concerns over the planned redevelopment of six buildings at the Gap Bluff precinct at Watsons Bay in Sydney's east.

A program based on neuro-science is turning around the performance and lives of children at Broadmeadows Primary School.

Canterbury coach Des Hasler issued with a $20,000 fine by the NRL for comments made about the referees in Saturday night's win over Newcastle.

Bart Cummings' family have paid an emotional tribute to the legendary racing trainer who died on Sunday.

Victoria Police approach AFL player Courtenay Dempsey after he was the target of racial abuse online.

The Victorian Parliament is likely to pass legislation to establish buffer zones around abortion clinics to keep away protesters.

Melbourne experiences its coldest winter in 26 years, with average temperatures just under 14 degrees Celsius and there is no sign of a warm start to Spring.

Gold Coast police searching for Linda Francis Sidon, last seen in 2009, scour an area in the Numinbah Valley in Queensland's Gold Coast hinterland.

Queensland researchers are close to completing work on an autonomous robot that will cruise the Great Barrier Reef and inject the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish with a toxic solution.

Grandstand brings you live updates from Canberra's Monday night clash with Penrith.

The Fremantle Dockers confirm they are considering resting up to eleven players for their final match of the AFL season, against the Power in Adelaide on Saturday.

A Liverpool Plains environment group launches legal action challenging the approval of the Shenhua open-cut coal mine claiming the impact on koalas was not properly considered by the NSW Government.

A three-year-old boy is dead and his mother is in a critical condition after a fire tore through their unit at Beenleigh, south of Brisbane, overnight.

A maze in country New South Wales that until recently was being eaten by sheep has been bought by a couple who are committed to restoring it to its full glory.

The annual Ministerial Gifts Register released today reveals an eclectic list of what was presented to Queensland Cabinet ministers in the last financial year.

Compensation payouts to victims of crime should at least double in South Australia, the Law Society says, arguing the Government's proposed changes offer little benefit to most people.

Margaret River winemakers put trial products to the taste test during inaugural Department of Agriculture event.

The Cicada press comes to the region

The head of a cancer accommodation centre says the New South Wales Government is having a "Dumb and Dumber" moment over its patient travel scheme.

With a threefold increase in the number of cruise ships visiting Eden the hunt is now on for tour guides. The number of ships is expected to massively increase once the new port redevelopment is completed.

Motorists have again been urged to drive safely amid a spike in the state's road toll after four young men died in two separate accidents on New South Wales roads on Sunday.

A man accused of crashing his car into four pedicabs in Surfers Paradise then fleeing into the Gold Coast hinterland appears in court.

Two men are jailed for a total of seven years and three months for sexually assaulting a woman walking in Broome earlier this year.