Sydney news

A former Tweed Mayor says time is running out to secure the shire's water supply.

The CHCC is considering launching another detailed study into a proposed Performing Arts Centre.

A man who allegedly shot at police in Tasmania's north-west is charged with aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, stealing, as well as firearms and driving offences.

South Australians who have signed up to help resettle Syrian refugees are more focussed on showing compassion and will not be put off by terrorism concerns, a volunteer organisation says.

Planning for El Nino, tipped to be as strong as the beginning of the Millennium drought, causes some farmers to leave and others to innovate.

Spending by Canberra consumers has surged by more than 8 per cent over the past year, a survey shows.

New South Wales Tourism Snowy Mountains says regular flights between Cooma and Sydney will help establish the high country as an all-year-round tourist destination.

Police find prisoner who escaped from minimum security at the Oberon Correctional Centre.

After a more than year long delay, there is hope a decision on whether an ecological thinning trial in the southern Riverina's redgum forests, will be made early in 2016.

Sydney has almost no affordable rental housing for low-income earners east of Blacktown, 35km west of the CBD, according to an affordability index.

Federal Minister for Agriculture, Barnaby Joyce, is continuing to push ahead with his proposal to relocate the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority from Canberra to Armidale.

A national study finds Hobart sits behind Sydney as the least affordable capital city for a family to rent a property.

Police are investigating a car crash in the Hunter that's left a woman dead and a man injured.

The Victorian Government has no intention of building a container island on Port Phillip Bay, Treasurer Tim Pallas says.

There is praise for a Wagga Wagga primary school, that will embark on a Riverina first program this week teaching young children about domestic violence.

Plans to impose extra charges at Dubbo Airport's car park will be restricted so short-stay users are not affected.

The speed limit for the westbound lanes of the Acton Tunnel will return to 90 kilometres per hour after this morning's peak hour.

Stock agents in Forbes are vowing to resist any push to make electronic tagging compulsory for sheep and goats in New South Wales.

Six of the current eight ACT Labor MLAs will seek re-election at next year's Territory election.

A laboratory-produced pheromone is the latest weapon to tackle the rusty grain beetle, an insect resistant to traditional control methods.

Two teenagers who allegedly led police on high-speed chases in Adelaide twice in two days are arrested and charged by police after road spikes were used to stop them.

The Brewarrina Shire says it will ramp up talks with dental clinicians to ensure the region does not lose the vital medical service.

It's still not known how many Syrian refugees will come to the Hunter.

Sydney FC striker Shane Smeltz says A-League fans will not watch games that take place in oppressive heat.

Police are searching for a prisoner who escaped from minimum security at the Oberon Correctional Centre.

Pat Howard admits the WACA wicket was too flat but Cricket Australia's performance boss is adamant there is no national pitch problem.

A 13-year-old boy suffers fatal head injuries when he crashes a moped into the back of a parked semi-trailer in Sydney's west.

A Williamtown resident who organised her own water tests in response to a contamination scare at the neighbouring RAAF base says she is still waiting to hear from Defence.

A Hunter tourism body says securing direct flights from New Zealand to Newcastle will be crucial to boosting international visitor numbers.

A former NSW school principal who is at the centre of an ongoing Department of Education investigation into sexual abuse has been coaching an elite women's touch football team, amid calls he should step down.

Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen says Torryburn residents will be relieved to finally get their bridge back.

La Trobe University in Melbourne has teamed up with the German Aerospace centre to develop the world's sharpest camera.

Retirement is often known as a time for rest and relaxation but a local research program is shedding light on the importance of exercise for the elderly.

The Newcastle Community Drug Action Team says the Hunter region is leading the way when it comes to dealing with the scourge of the drug ice.

With youth unemployment now at more than 20 per cent in the Hunter, economists say something must be done before it is too late.

The Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) downgrades a bushfire alert to advice level for residents at Clarendon Vale and Acton Park in southern Tasmania.

Sam Groth wins the 2015 Newcombe Medal as Australia's outstanding elite tennis player and ambassador.

A bushfire prompts Tasmania Fire Service to issue a watch and act alert for residents at Clarendon Vale and Acton Park in southern Tasmania.

A severe thunderstorm dumps golf ball-sized hail on Stanthorpe in southern Queensland and storms sweep across the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

A decision to offer new five-year leases to Perth taxi drivers who want to continue to use Government-owned plates is labelled "ludicrous" by a peak group representing drivers.

Jordan Spieth is generous with his praise for Jason Day as the American prepares to defend the title he says was the springboard to a remarkable 2015.

The sister of a renowned Darwin architect killed in a horrific crash with a fire engine says any penalty imposed in a court case should go to the orphaned sons of the victims.

A severe thunderstorm dumps golf ball-sized hail on Stanthorpe in southern Queensland as a storm front moves east towards Ipswich and Brisbane.

When to ask, how to ask, and sometimes not even asking at all are some of the suggestions for parents trying to communicate with their teenagers.

Environmentalists are urging the Queensland Government take action to control feral goats on Queensland's Great Keppel Island.

A mysterious part of Sydney Harbour's foreshore closed to the public for more than 140 years is being opened after a $20 million funding boost from the Federal Government.

The ongoing absence of an ex gratia payment to injured police officer Ryan Marron from the State Government is condemned as appalling by the WA Police Union.

Irritants in the air can trigger people without asthma to experience symptoms of altered breathing during bushfire season.

Private Tasmanian forestry company Forico seeks to double its Tasmanian exports after gaining international environmental certification.

Senior figures with the NSW Blues say they are impressed by the facilities Coffs Harbour has to offer, as the city prepares to host its first ever Sheffield Shield game.