Sydney news

An explosion and fire in the Hunter Valley leaves two people with serious burns, and damages a house and nearby school.

There's been no change to Broken Hill's high rate of domestic violence, with the latest crime statistics showing it's still well over double the state average.

Essential Energy says it was always the company's plan to set up Christmas decorations in Broken Hill, blaming a miscommunication for the suggestion that they weren't going to.

A group of teenage mothers in Melbourne graduate year 11 through a specially tailored classroom after being turned away by their high schools.

The New South Wales Attorney-General has revealed discussions remain ongoing about the appointment of a permanent District Court judge in Wagga Wagga.

The directors of a unique underwater logging operation are pleased with the outcome of their first online timber auction.

An Adelaide man and woman are accused of placing false ads of puppies and kittens for sale, which resulted in people forwarding money for a pet they never received.

The El Nino weather system is lingering, but record Indian Ocean temperatures raises prospect of more rain for Australia.

New point-to-point cameras on SA's South Eastern Freeway, which are being switched on next week, are about savings lives and not collecting revenue, the state's Road Safety Minister says.

A row has blown-up between a Mid North Coast Mayor and Federal MP over National Stronger regions grants

Populations of Western Australia's only freshwater aquatic mammal appear to be under threat, according to wildlife experts.

The Police Northern Region, which takes in the entire Hunter Valley and stretches north to the Queensland border, is officially over-staffed with officers.

Richmond star Dustin Martin is expected to keep training as usual with his team-mates as he awaits the outcome of a police investigation.

A police critical incident investigation has begun after a man died from a gunshot wound in Tamworth, in northern New South Wales.

Perth Glory are set to re-sign Ireland's Andy Keogh as a guest player.

A man is charged with murder after a 51-year-old man is stabbed to death in Sydney's inner west.

Two men and a woman, one armed with a steam iron, force their way into a unit in Adelaide's inner east before breaking into a second unit and stealing two decorative swords, police allege.

The Cobar Shire Council is set to relinquish ownership of an aged care facility, after the community voted unanimously for it to be co-located with a new medical centre.

A welfare agency in Tasmania's north is reporting a 100 per cent increase ice addicts and says it would take more clients if it had the resources.

An Adelaide researcher is looking underground for ways to breed more salt tolerant wheat

An Adelaide researcher is looking underground for ways to breed more salt tolerant wheat.

A suspect is arrested at the scene after a 51-year-old man is stabbed to death in Sydney's inner west.

Police and WorkCover are investigating a fire in the Hunter Valley that has left two people with serious burns, and damaged a house and a nearby school.

Souvenirs from the brutal assassination of an archbishop, sculptures depicting the fiery pits of Hell, opulent jewels, a walrus-tooth chess piece and war relics with echoes of Game of Thrones are on display in a world-exclusive Queensland exhibition.

Narromine is joining the central west's larger cities to try to attract a Rural Fire Service unit to relocate to the town.

Richmond star Dustin Martin is expected to keep training as usual with his team-mates as he awaits the outcome of a police investigation.

A six-year-old Labrador that was trained as an airport sniffer dog but became a pet when he failed the test is found stabbed to death by its owner.

The number of Canberrans needing homelessness support has dropped in the past year, a new report shows.

The Hunter Environment Lobby has slammed planning officials for allowing a mining company to explore for coal in an area earmarked as a biodiversity offset.

The remaining buildings of a Lithgow district village are being sold, marking an end to the settlement.

A Western Australian former soldier has spoken out over fears an anti-malaria drug he took as part of a pharmaceutical trial while serving has left him with a permanent and debilitating brain injury.

The Newcastle Jets supporters group has thrown its weight behind an agreement reached with Football Federation Australia regarding a controversial bans appeal policy.

The Hunter's thoroughbred industry has brushed off threats on social media against horses in the wake of a recommended rejection of a large mine project.

Air safety officials are investigating a plane crash landing in the Upper Hunter, after a mid-air engine failure.

Ten years after the Cronulla Riots, an anti-Islamic group is planning to hold a rally to commemorate the event. But police and the Sutherland Shire Council are trying to block the rally on the grounds it will stir up racial hatred and possibly cause another riot.

A man is stabbed to death and a second man is arrested in Sydney's inner west.

A colourful but highly poisonous sea slug found at Port Stephens is being celebrated as a future marker of climate change.

The Great Lakes Council says it has no objection to an Aboriginal Land Claim on nearly 90 hectares of land at Hawks Nest.

Australian authorities are yet to formally request the extradition of a teenage computer hacking suspect, more than a fortnight after he boasted about fleeing to Europe while under police surveillance.

A 15-year-old boy arrested in counter-terrorism raids in Sydney on Thursday had been under surveillance for more than a year and had been convicted on firearms charges, a court has heard.

Cricket Australia is satisfied with the day one Test crowd of 5,927, which turned out to see Australia take on West Indies at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

Some traditional Chinese medicines are laced with pharmaceuticals, heavy metals and even endangered animals, new research reveals.

Homes are damaged and trees and powerlines are brought down in Logan, south of Brisbane, following severe thunderstorms that tore across south-east Queensland this afternoon.

Thousands of Star Wars fans have flocked to the Sydney Opera House, welcoming the galaxy's favourite smuggler Harrison Ford.

West Indies already has its back to the wall after day one of the opening Test against Australia in Hobart, writes Geoff Lemon.

A general manager of TIO personally delivers an acceptance letter to Northern Territory firefighter Jock McLeod whose workers' compensation claim for bladder cancer was rejected.

Rocks thrown over fence narrowly miss toddlers at Collie town pool.

Veteran actor Harrison Ford meets excited fans at a Star Wars: The Force Awakens promotional event at the Sydney Opera House and confirms he will start filming a Blade Runner sequel next year.

A 15-year-old boy, who was among a group of five people charged by counter-terrorism police following raids in Sydney today, has been known to police for several years.

Sydney FC has been dealt a challenging 2016 Asian Champions League assignment, drawn against reigning champions Guangzhou Evergrande.