Sydney news

A Lismore City councillor says there are lingering concerns about the reliability and effectiveness of the region's fluoride dosing plants.

Rain at both ends of New South Wales in recent weeks does little to improve the state's dam levels.

A potential solar farm on the Northern Tablelands, in northern New South Wales, has the chance to receive funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, after being selected on a shortlist of 22 projects.

A driver performs an "epic ninja jump" through the window of his moving car as an alleged thief tries to steal it.

A pursuit involving a driver with a missing wheel and no lights came to an end overnight after officers block in the vehicle with patrol cars, Adelaide police say.

A Broken Hill man has avoided jail over what a magistrate described as a "sickening" assault on his partner.

The mother of a young girl who drowned when a central Queensland dam collapsed is suing the manufacturers and operators for almost $1.5 million.

A Darwin-based charity that helps provide food for the poor claims it has been undermined by "dishonest" comments from Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles.

A 21-year-old postal worker charged with stealing mail in Broken Hill told police he sold the items online.

Details of program changes for the new year

A flood watch for the Queanbeyan and Molonglo Rivers has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).

Growers are urged to search for a better deal as an increasing number of grain storage facilities compete for volume.

Former NBA top draft pick Anthony Bennett urges Australian college star Ben Simmons to try and ignore the hype and hope he lands with a strong team.

'What's the Extraneous Matter with sugar'? That's the question being asked as millers, growers and harvesters feel the squeeze of declining productivity.

Tocal Agricultural College has signed a 10-year contract to provide free range eggs.

The Acting Premier Troy Grant says an incident-free music festival that occurred in Dubbo in 2013 provides assurances for an upcoming event.

Investigations are underway after bones were found in bushland on the New South Wales South Coast.

A town in the Mid-Western Region is losing one of its banks as part of changes to the way services are delivered.

Hunter motorcycle rider Toby Price has maintained his overall lead at the Dakar Rally in Argentina, finishing third in the 10th stage.

NSW Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham says the state's environmental watchdog should throw the book at the owners of a Hunter Valley mine, after a dam wall collapsed.

A central west community is vowing to step up pressure on the State Government to abandon a proposed merger of councils in the region.

Hunter greyhound racing officials say they won't rush re-opening local tracks after flood damage.

Bushfires continue to burn through Western Australia with lives and homes under threat in Cockburn, south of Fremantle, and towns in the south-west of the state.

A goanna has been rescued from a bush track south of Newcastle after it was discovered with an arrow protruding from its body.

Plans for a 50 million dollar industrial business park north of Newcastle have been amended.

Orica can now increase its ammonia production at Kooragang Island.

A man has been arrested after a unit fire in inner Sydney led to the discovery of a drug laboratory, police say.

A man is arrested after a unit fire in inner Sydney leads to the alleged discovery of a drug laboratory.

Perth's housing rental market bucks a national trend and records another fall in prices but the slump may be coming to an end, a report suggests.

A bushfire which tore through the West Australian town of Yarloop last week, killing two people and destroying more than 180 homes and other buildings, breaks containment lines.

Jake Lehmann smashes a six off the last ball of the innings to help the Strikers beat the Hobart Hurricanes by six wickets at the Adelaide Oval.

An emergency fire warning is downgraded to an advice alert for The Gurdies on Western Port Bay, south-east of Melbourne.

The owner of a horse stud south-west of Ballarat in Victoria says vets need to be allowed into fire zones as a matter of urgency to avoid prolonged animal suffering.

Director Quentin Tarantino reveals his desire to win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at the Australian premiere of his new film The Hateful Eight.

A sixth member of the Adelaide family involved in a fatal road crash in India has died, suffering a heart attack after he heard his two daughters and three grandchildren were killed in the accident.

Australian veteran Sam Stosur is knocked out of the Sydney International at the quarter-finals stage, losing to outsider Monica Puig 6-4, 6-4, while Bernard Tomic progresses.

As water restrictions come into force in part of Tasmania, TasWater has guaranteed supplies but is looking at contingency measures to ensure no-one runs out.

A severe wind storm packing gusts of 100 kilometres per hour sweeps through Melbourne, causing people to run for shelter.

The Spirit of Tasmania breaks from its moorings in rough weather and crashes into the car bridge at Port Melbourne, leaving passengers stranded on board.

Fremantle's longest serving captain, Matthew Pavlich, will relinquish his role as skipper after leading the club for nearly a decade.

Australian veteran Sam Stosur is knocked out of the Sydney International at the quarter-finals stage, losing to outsider Monica Puig 6-4, 6-4.

The six coatis and the pair of tamarins were brought from Melbourne Zoo, and join "Marvin" and "Kyle", two existing Bolivian squirrel monkeys.

A concrete wall in Bondi Beach is transformed by street artists as part of a worldwide campaign to draw attention to the plight of an oppressed minority group in Iran.

A woman loses her hand in a crocodile attack near a caravan park in the far northern WA town of Wyndham. The woman will be flown to Darwin for emergency treatment, authorities confirm.

Veterinarians are scouring bushfire-ravaged Yarloop in Western Australia in search of burnt and injured wildlife, treating the animals for free.

SANFL clubs in Adelaide have a nervous few weeks ahead as they wait to see how Essendon plans to rebuild its crippled playing roster.

The Spirit of Tasmania breaks from its moorings in rough weather and crashes into the car bridge at Port Melbourne, leaving passengers stranded on board.

An emergency fire warning is downgraded to a watch and act for The Gurdies on Western Port Bay, south-east of Melbourne.

From the outside, Lucy Dacey's backyard shed looks like any other typical garage, but inside it is a life-sized doll house.

An uncontrolled scrub fire is burning in the Western River region of Kangaroo Island, south of Adelaide.