Sydney news

One year on from the Sampson Flat bushfires that destroyed 12,500 hectares, 27 homes and multiple buildings, how is the local community recovering?

Shaun Tait says age is no barrier in response to calls for his inclusion in Australia's Twenty20 World Cup side after taking 3 for 16 in the Big Bash League.

Hip hop culture has conquered the world, from South Bronx ghettoes where it was born to tiny desert communities in Western Australia. Some of Australia's most successful Indigenous hip hop artists are leading a boot camp for 12 to 16-year-olds in Sydney in a week's time.

Police discover the body of a surfer who went missing off Main Beach on the Gold Coast on New Year's Eve.

Two 11-year-old boys from Adelaide's northern suburbs die after being pulled from Glenelg Beach.

Adelaide United continues its recent revival, securing a 0-0 draw against the high-flying Wanderers in Parramatta.

A sensational late three-wicket over has helped deliver the Hobart Hurricanes an 11-run win over Sydney Thunder in the BBL.

The first baby is born in the Northern Territory for 2016 could barely wait to see the world, making his entrance just 15 minutes into the New Year.

Queensland's New Year's Eve revellers are praised by police for their behaviour with only 536 arrests across the state, 100 fewer than the year prior.

The new year in Perth is marred by several major fires, with one forcing authorities to evacuate a caravan park in Midland and two others gutting suburban family homes

Police are on alert for a large-scale, unauthorised party at Gordons Bay - a protected marine reserve in Sydney's east.

Three men are charged over an escape from a prison farm in central Queensland.

An Adelaide man who was enjoying New Year's Eve with a friend's family says he is devastated after getting a call to tell him his house was on fire.

Authorities say there is no longer any immediate danger from a bushfire near Rockingham south of Perth after the blaze, started by firecrackers or flares, is brought under control.

A bushfire that destroyed six buildings on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula prompts a call for greater management of roadside vegetation.

Victoria Police say they are pleased with the behaviour of about 500,000 people who crammed into Melbourne's city streets for New Year's Eve celebrations.

A Sydney teenager strikes the first coin for the new year at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra for the fourth year in a row.

New Year's Eve in South Australia is marred by arrests for drink, drugs and disorderly behaviour, and a stabbing at Burton, leaving one man in hospital.

Witnesses describe hearing "a huge crash" when two boats collide in Sydney Harbour near Cockatoo Island this morning.

A 37-year-old man dies after an alleged hit-and-run in Darwin on New Year's Eve, taking the Northern Territory's road toll for 2015 to 49.

Peter Siddle chooses not to train in optional net session with Australia at the SCG, as he continues to battle an ankle injury ahead of the third Test.

The last of the Sydney to Hobart yachts to make the gruelling trip across Bass Strait crosses the finish line early.

Central Hunter police are appealing for public help as they investigate a crash near Maitland that has left a motorcyclist seriously injured.

A man is arrested for setting a car on fire and 15 under-age drinkers are taken into protective custody during New Year's Eve celebrations in Canberra.

A new food co-op for the Dunalley district in Tasmania kicks off in the new year.

The US sport of ranch sorting finds its way to Australian pony clubs.

Secret Northern Territory cabinet records from 1985 are released to the public but the government's discussions around that year's Uluru handback are suppressed.

Queensland cabinet documents from 1985 show how a decision in the final years of the Bjelke-Petersen ministry led to the historic Mabo decision in the High Court.

Adelaide's Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson, who is facing a charge of concealing child sexual abuse, announces he will return to his post this month.

Agricultural exporters have welcomed 2016 with the third round of tariff cuts, negotiated under the free trade agreement with Korea, coming into force.

A section of the Great Ocean Road closed due to fires that destroyed dozens of homes is to reopen within days after cooler conditions allowed Victorian fire authorities to control blazes across the state.

The former managing director of the ABC, Brian Johns, dies at the age of 79 after battling cancer.