Sydney news

Hawthorn redesigns Waverly ground to better prepare for Fremantle showdown in Perth.

The number of fare paying customers using Perth public transport declines for the second straight year, but overall patronage is up slightly.

It is understood Ali Sultan's company has pulled out of the $80 million Montpelier Retreat project in Hobart.

In the purple streets of Fremantle, Dockers fans prepare to give Hawthorn a rowdy reception at tonight's AFL preliminary final at Subiaco Oval.

The four teams left in the NRL all look like champions, so who will be left standing after this weekend's preliminary finals?

The Federal Government says it is on the front foot in dealing with a toxic chemical at the centre of a contamination case in Williamtown.

Three Queensland vets are being prosecuted by Workplace Health and Safety over how they handled cases of Hendra virus in horses.

The NSW Government is fitting the final 10 of 20 koalas with GPS tracking collars as part of its first study into the mammals in the state's Southern Highlands.

The proponents of a massive Upper Hunter abattoir expansion have been asked to give planning officials more information, including plans to house its extra workforce.

Educational institutions in India and Canberra are set to develop stronger partnerships, as the territory's Education Minister Joy Burch visits the country this weekend.

Police say about 20 drivers in the western region have been caught disobeying stop signs at level crossings.

It is known as the bear pit and, if one politician has his way, New South Wales Parliament could eventually open its doors to companion animals.

A pollution incident at Hobart's Prince of Wales Bay which resulted in a "significant amount" of diesel fuel released into the River Derwent is being investigated.

A Hunter child welfare agency says two years on from an adoption law overhaul the local foster care sector remains in crisis.

A national aviation group has earmarked Parkes as the site for an aircraft museum and preservation centre.

A 50-year-old woman is charged with extorting Queensland MP Billy Gordon. It comes after police yesterday said they would not proceed with domestic violence allegations against him owing to insufficient evidence.

Newcastle's Anglican and Catholic bishops are working on a joint strategy to welcome potential Syrian refugees, being resettled in response to what's become a humanitarian crisis.

A man who has used the Murrumbidgee River for kayaking tours has questioned what is being done to address river health.

This week's cold snap has had local grape producers on edge.

The Department of Defence has announced its closing childcare centres at three of its bases, including Williamtown.

After the traumatic event of finding out she was intersex, musician Shon Klose has found healing in the Red Centre.

Wayne Bennett believes unorthodox Brisbane props Adam Blair and Sam Thaiday typify the spirit of their last NRL premiership-winning bookends.

It is not just sunglasses and wallets left on public transportfalse teeth, a gorilla suit and washing machine make the wacky lost and found list.

Player manager Liam Pickering claims Michael Talia has been hung out to dry as the AFL investigates a Western Bulldogs complaint.

Plastic surgeons are urged to stop using popular breast implants manufactured by Brazilian company Silimed, sales of which have been suspended in Europe.

There is insufficient evidence to lay charges against Queensland independent MP Billy Gordon relating to alleged domestic violence, police say.

Syrians who have come to Australia by boat and are held in detention centres plead for the Government to accept them as part of its special intake of 12,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

An Irish rower is being held back by an English language test that he needs in order to become an Australian citizen in time to represent his new home at the Paralympics, and it's a use of the test that's been labelled 'unethical' and 'extortion'.

A 41-year-old woman is charged after playing children allegedly find a baby girl abandoned in a pram on Brisbane's south side.

Senior 7-Eleven management apologise "unreservedly" to exploited workers and vow to fully refund underpaid staff, during a Senate Committee hearing in Melbourne.

A Muslim parent fears a support kit which is meant to help teachers spot children at risk of becoming radicalised will provoke extreme reactions from some teachers.

There is insufficient evidence to lay charges against Queensland independent MP Billy Gordon relating to alleged domestic violence, police say.

The ACT Government says it has learnt its lesson after a man accused of serious domestic violence was accidentally released back into the home of his ex-partner.

The Federal Government signals for the first time that it could be willing to commit funds to Melbourne's multi-billion-dollar Metro Rail Project.

The Australian Dunny Derby is helping lift the spirits of locals in drought-ravaged Winton in central-western Queensland.

The re-election of controversial deputy mayor Salim Mehajer to Auburn City Council overnight shows why local governance reform is needed, New South Wales Premier Mike Baird says.

Support services for the children of women killed in domestic violence attacks have significant gaps, SA's commissioner for victims' rights says.

A Brisbane judge gives a 32-year-old convicted drug trafficker a suspended sentence due to his cooperation with police.

In Maffra's memorial hall almost a million Lego pieces are being constructed into dragons, landmarks and streetscapes in an exhibition to raise money for the Central Gippsland Health Service.

There are concerns some students at Launceston's Big Picture School will struggle to cope when the campus is moved to another site at a nearby school.

Adelaide has vowed to take a tough-line stance with AFL rivals Geelong when seeking adequate compensation for departing superstar Patrick Dangerfield.

A drink driver who badly injured a teenager in a head-on collision was herself hit by a drink driver when she was a child and is "ashamed" of her actions, the Perth Magistrates Court is told.

A collection of historic Tasmanian wildflower watercolours set for publishing more than 130 years ago finally goes on display.

Former CFMEU Queensland president Dave Hanna admits he cannot justify a statement he made that paperwork destroyed last year was relevant to the trade union royal commission.

Eyre MLA Graham Jacobs has accused Virgin Australia of taking advantage of Government regulation to "cherry pick" profitable regional routes.

Riverland retailers are divided over whether a proposal by the Productivity Commission to reduce penalty rates on Sundays would increase trade.

The Brumbies Rugby Union team in Canberra calls in police to investigate the controversial sale of its Griffith headquarters.

A Canberra man is found guilty of raping a man he tricked into sex through a fake female Facebook account.

Wests Tigers skipper Robbie Farah looks set to stay put with new chief executive Justin Pascoe saying the club intends to honour his contract.

The definition of Northern Australia is causing angst within several WA towns that are campaigning to be included in the Federal Government's plans for the Top End