Sydney news

Excess environmental water sold back to irrigators in southern Murray-Darling.

Australian Border Force officers raid a house on Brisbane's southside where they suspect a boiler room phone scam has been operating.

An Irish artist is bringing the Menindee Lakes water crisis to Sydney in a street art project designed to raise awareness of the drought.

More details are emerging about a devastating bushfire that has claimed four lives on Western Australia's south coast near Esperance.

Treasurer Scott Morrison says the government will block the sale of Australia's largest cattle operation, S Kidman & Co to foreign buyers.

Gloucester Council says it will accept a forced amalgamation with its Great Lakes and Greater Taree neighbours.

Broken Hill water campaigners say they're hoping a possible state parliamentary inquiry into the Menindee Lakes will lead to accountability for the water shortage.

The Member for Tamworth, Kevin Anderson, is concerned there's data that's not making it back to the Health Minister, about winching rescues conducted in the New England North West.

Fire conditions on Western Australia's south coast have eased overnight, allowing a major blaze burning north of Esperance to be downgraded to a watch and act level. That fire has killed at least four people and hundreds have been evacuated from properties in the past 24 hours. A separate, smaller fire east of Esperance remains on an emergency warning level.

Land at a selective school in south-western Sydney will be sold to developers to help fund two new schools in the area and a new agricultural high school in the Hawkesbury.

Police investigate the death of a five-month-old infant at a family daycare centre in Brisbane's south.

Police investigating a baby's death at a family daycare centre in Moorooka on Brisbane's south side say some children were locked in rooms.

Firefighters call on South Australians to be "careful", with the state facing catastrophic fire conditions in four districts and a bushfire south of Adelaide remains uncontained.

A man has poured bleach down his partner's throat at a unit in Maroubra in Sydney's east, police allege.

A sub-machine gun is seized from a man caught carrying the weapon in a bag in Sydney's inner west in an apparent police sting.

Newcastle's historic Victoria Theatre will be revived as an entertainment venue, after it was sold for an undisclosed sum to a Sydney company.

Police in Melbourne are looking for the person who fired a shot at them as they tried to pull over a stolen car.

A Melbourne woman is charged with assault after a police officer was hit by her car when she refused to stop for questioning over stolen fruit and vegetables.

Sydney's rich theatre scene about to welcome a new player, with a national theatre company in the western suburbs set to rival its city counterparts while challenging racial stereotypes.

The Hunter Region Botanic Gardens are lobbying for more signage when a massive bypass goes ahead.

Astronomers observe up to three newborn planets evolving from a disk of gas and dust particles circling a distant Sun-like star, the first to be seen that are still forming.

Lower Hunter graziers are heading into summer with their paddocks in peak condition thanks to recent bursts of rain.

Rural firefighters are asking residents of southern New South Wales to be vigilant, with hot, windy conditions posing a bushfire threat today.

Four people killed in a bushfire north of Esperance are identified as a local farmer and three backpackers from Germany, Norway and Britain, as conditions ease on WA's south coast.

A specialised unit for people with dementia is set to be built in Orange.

It might surprise you to learn that the humble hills hoist, an 1840 stripper and Wi-Fi all have something in common.

A multi-million dollar expansion of Dubbo's saleyards has passed its next hurdle.

A decision won't be made on a controversial marina extension at Soldiers Point until at least early next year.

The Coonamble Rural Transaction Centre is set to undergo a shake-up after the loss of banking services threatened its viability.

Newcastle researchers are warning of the dangers of elder abuse.

Controversial plans for a hard rock quarry in the Bathurst district have been given the green light.

A man whose family has had 85 years continuous service on a council in the New South Wales Riverina, will become the district's last mayor.

The RFS says it's time for Hunter families to prepare for fires.

A Hunter doctor looking into the long term health consequences of sport-related concussion says the early results from the research are positive.

Power is restored to Horsham, in Victoria's west, after a fire at an electrical substation fire.

The ACT Government should undertake a review of the territory's gas usage, in order to understand whether future infrastructure is necessary, says Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury.

Firefighers say they're starting to get some semblance of control over the major blaze north of Esperance. That fire, which has killed four people and burned out tens of thousands of hectares of land, was downgraded to a watch and act alert level overnight. A seperate, smaller blaze east of Esperance is still at an emergency alert level.

Volunteers band together to help victims of the Esperance bushfires as hundreds of people pack into the local civic centre to hear the latest on the emergency response.

University of Melbourne researchers have found that a drug used to treat alcoholism can bring dormant HIV out of cells to be killed by antiretroviral therapy AIDS drugs.

Hawkesbury Rail Bridge deemed safe...for now

A Sydney man is due to appear in court after he allegedly poured bleach down his partner's throat during a fight.

A massive hit to the iron ore price that has seen it tumble back to the lows experienced in July is re-testing junior miners and the WA Government's budget.

A farmer killed in a bushfire north of Esperance is identified by locals as Kym Curnow, with three German backpackers also believed dead.

Former Northern Territory police commissioner John McRoberts and Darwin travel agent Alexandra 'Xana' Kamitsis, who is currently facing fraud charges, were booked into the same hotel room in Melbourne in 2010, court documents show.

Land at a selective school in south-western Sydney will be sold to developers to help fund two new schools in the area and a new agricultural high school in the Hawkesbury.

An inner-city Brisbane cottage that ended up being wedged between a multi-storey development finally goes to auction, making its 82-year-old owner $1.4 million.

Queensland researchers identify genetic variations they hope will make it easier to assess whether patients have an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

A royal commission recommends police investigate allegations of credit card fraud by former union boss Derrick Belan, his brother Nick and their niece Danielle O'Brien.

Three German backpackers are among the four people killed in out-of-control bushfires on WA's south coast, local farmers say. Look back at the day's developments as they happened.

Embattled Wests Tigers player Robbie Farah will remain at the NRL club in 2016 and could still be the team's first-choice hooker, according to coach Jason Taylor.