Sydney news

A fire in an abandoned rubbish tip at Somerton, in Melbourne's north is sending up a huge cloud of smoke that could affect residents, the CFA says.

Federal Labor savages NT Infrastructure Minister Peter Chandler for failing to read an influential report raising concerns about allowing Chinese interests to take over the Darwin port.

Residents returning to homes in fire affected areas around Esperance are being warned to brace themselves for the worst when they return to their properties.

Some 11 city playgrounds in Adelaide will be tested for contamination after scheduled council tests reveal elevated levels of the toxic chemical Benzene at one playground.

North Queensland Cowboys superstar Johnathan Thurston caps a spectacular year by being named rugby league's best player for an unprecedented third time.

The boss of Australia's largest horticulture company wants a more even approach to foreign investment.

A man who allegedly started a fire in a house after a domestic dispute in Wynnum on Brisbane's bayside is charged with attempted arson and serious assault of police.

Scorching temperatures of up to 36 degrees Celsius and damaging winds with peak gusts of up to 90 kilometres per hour are forecast for Canberra today.

Shark-spotting aircraft will patrol beaches in the Byron Shire this summer.

The Victorian opposition says the Labor government is playing a cruel hoax on northern Victorians by suggesting the water could be pumped north

Broken Hill's mayor says council should stop investigating whether the city could host refugees, citing concerns about funding support and jobs.

A meat processor boycott at Wodonga Saleyards in February still under investigation by the consumer watchdog.

A Gympie abattoir owner says it is better for farmers, processors and consumers if the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) stays below 600 cents per kilogram.

For the first time in years, residents of Fingal in Tasmania's north east do not have to boil tap water before they drink it, thanks to a $4 million water treatment plant.

The isolation of elderly people opens the way for abuse, and more needs to be done to ensure older Australians are protected, a New South Wales inquiry will hear.

A total fire ban is in force in the region's south due to the forecast high temperatures and strong winds.

The owner of an iconic building in Mudgee says he is confident work to transform the former movie house will start once one remaining issue is resolved.

A local government group says it is shoring up support for a framework to increase transparency in agreements between councils and mining companies

Bathurst residents are being promised robust consultation over a potential agreement that would see council effluent being used by a mine.

The Warrumbungle Shire says it wants a say in the sale of the Cobbora coal mine near Dunedoo to ensure it can be property revived for agricultural use.

A 23-year-old man arrested in connection with the shooting of a police car in Melbourne's west on Thursday is in hospital under police guard.

Newcastle Anglican Bishop Greg Thompson has expressed shock that allegations of abuse gripping his diocese have alleged links to high profile sectors within the Hunter community.

Union officials say a four-year guarantee for jobs at the newly sold Vales Point power station is a good result.

With just weeks left in the term, a Hunter Valley family remains in limbo over where their child will go to school next year.

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison proposes reforms to the process for selling state government-owned assets, following the controversial deal to offload the Port of Darwin to Chinese interests.

The New South Wales Parliament has passed laws to bring the state's wagering tax in line with Victorian rates.

Landholders affected by this year's Hunter floods are being reminded they can still apply for financial help.

It's hoped an exchange between a school in the city and one in the country can help bridge an education gap.

A man is taken into custody after a tense stand-off that ended with a house being set on fire in Brisbane on Thursday night.

Indigenous actor Robbie Collins will take centre stage as King Mufasa when The Lion King musical begins its Perth season this weekend.

Gui Finkler turns on the style with two excellent goals to help the Melbourne Victory to a 2-1 A-League win over the Central Coast Mariners at AAMI Park.

A team of international researchers find coral with higher levels of fat or other energy reserves are better at surviving adverse events such as bleaching.

Local government councillors in Western Australia are set to face much tougher rules on disclosure of gifts and contributions to travel.

Two of the nation's most exclusive schools, the King's School in North Parramatta and Tudor House Preparatory School in Moss Vale, are the focus of a royal commission investigation.

Police acting on intelligence that some protesters due to attend an anti-Islam rally and a counter protest in Melbourne's west were planning violence have charged a man after a weapon was found at his home.

A court hears workers at Linc Energy's underground coal gasification trial site on the Western Darling Downs recorded huge amounts of gas escaping from the wells in 2007.

Queensland Government departments cannot hand over documents to an inquiry examining the closure of the state's only long-term mental health facility for adolescents until after the inquiry's reporting date.

Anyone arrested for violent offences in the Northern Territory should be tested to see if they have taken the drug ice, a new report into the drug's impact on the NT recommends.

A body is found in Majura, and the death is being treated as suspicious, ACT Police say.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk gives her strongest indication that she plans to expand her 14-member cabinet, and does not ruled out a reshuffle.

More than 90 per cent of interactions by WA's child protection authority where family and domestic violence was found did not lead to further action, the state's Ombudsman says.

Thousands of sheep are estimated to have perished in the Esperance bushfire emergency, with one group saying the final figure could be close to 15,000.

A deadly bushfire burning in areas north of Esperance on WA's south coast is downgraded back to a watch and act.

Two women and a man are arrested in Werribee over a single shot that was fired at a police car from a stolen ute in Hoppers Crossing, in Melbourne's west, in the early hours of this morning.

A web of child sexual abuse in the Newcastle Anglican diocese has alleged links to politicians, business people, doctors and members of the city's legal fraternity, the ABC understands.

Tune in and follow the latest updates from the A-League round seven clash between the Victory and Mariners in Melbourne.

The key to lower wait times, as exemplified by WA's improvement in recent years, seems to be a willingness by health bureaucrats to innovate and embrace new ideas.

This tournament needed Adam Scott in contention on Sunday and, ideally, he would fly out early to ensure the key storylines attached to him — and the galleries — follow him through all four days.

The mother of a teenager who died driving a car belonging to his school's janitor is planning legal action against the school for not acting on allegations the pair were drinking mates.

President Anote Tong of Kiribati has a challenge for all Australians. "I challenge people, leaders in Australia to face the reality. Or let them say 'I don't care' and then go to church next Sunday."