Sydney news

Half of Melbourne's high-rise apartments contain non-compliant external cladding, but only two require emergency action, a building authority audit set up after a 2014 apartment fire finds.

A Catholic bishop in regional Victoria is willing to stand in the place of his long-dead predecessor and make it possible for victims of child sex abuse dating back to the 1960s to sue the diocese in a court of law.

Graincorp joins bid to commercialise and float on the stock exchange its WA cooperative competitor CBH Group.

The search for a scuba diver missing in far north Queensland has resumed this morning.

It is calving time for one of Australia's largest buffalo farms, which is expecting to welcome up to 150 baby buffalo this year.

The Governor of Queensland Paul De Jersey visits the Fraser Coast for the first time in his official role as Governor, rekindling old connections.

Two men have been rescued but another is missing after their fishing boat sank in the Whitsundays, in north Queensland, early this morning.

Federal Labor frontbencher Gary Gray, in announcing his retirement, says while generational change will bring "strength and vitality", it is "highly unlikely" Labor will win the next election.

Gas giant AGL has told a community meeting its coal seam gas wells in the Gloucester Basin will be filled with cement, as part of its rehabilitation project.

Mining company Anglo American announces it will sell off metallurgical coal mines in Queensland, including three in the Moranbah area.

The Queen Elizabeth cruise ship is set to arrive in Newcastle for the first time.

West Coast midfielder Chris Masten could miss the first month of the AFL premiership after sustaining a left ankle sprain in the Eagles' intra-club match on Saturday.

More than 100 people turn up to find out more about a proposal to build a low level nuclear waste dump in Central Australia.

A former Catholic Brother who taught at schools in Wagga Wagga and western Sydney is sentenced to more than 20 years imprisonment for assaulting boys.

A southern New South Wales irrigation company tries to get an advance on water from Snowy Hydro to provide farmers with security ahead of the next summer growing season.

A northern Tasmanian mother and daughter who bashed a woman with metal bars have been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of grievous bodily harm and assault.

Former AFL player Joel Wilkinson has been signed by the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, with the team eyeing the athletic 24-year-old to play in the defensive cornerback position.

A world-first study of urinary tract infections finds Australia is still falling behind many other countries when it comes to infections contracted in hospitals.

A 7-Eleven employee who lost his job after complaining about being forced to work more hours than his visa allowed says it is crucial foreign students know their workplace rights.

A seventh person is charged over last month's gruesome double murder at Logan, south of Brisbane.

A controversial boarding house plan on the NSW Central Coast is rejected by the Land and Environment Court.

A six-year-old Melbourne girl uses her experience of spinal muscular atrophy to draw attention to the Royal Children's Hospital annual appeal.

The Hockeyroos have secured a 3-3 draw with Great Britain in Perth, in the third Test of their six-match series.

Plans for an $800 million redevelopment of Manuka Oval and the surrounding area are proposed by the Greater Western Sydney (GWS) AFL Club.

Jan Ruff-O'Herne, 93, was repeatedly raped in a Japanese army brothel. Now, she is campaigning for the Japanese Government to offer apologies and compensation to herself and other "comfort women".

Two men have died in separate incidents in Victoria overnight, including a 53-year-old man shot dead in a house in Landsborough in the state's west.

Consumers long frustrated with rising power prices could soon bypass traditional energy retailers and buy rooftop-solar energy from anyone else on the grid. A Sydney entrepreneur has devised a way for consumers to trade energy. So even if you don't have solar panels, you could still have more control over your electricity bills.

The Bishop of Ballarat, Paul Bird, has moved to make it easier for victims of historic child sex abuse to sue the diocese. The Bishop's stance flies in the face of the Catholic Church's approach during the famous Ellis case, when a sex abuse victim's attempts to sue the Archdiocese of Sydney failed, because the bishop at the time of the abuse was deceased.

Federal Labor frontbencher Gary Gray announces he will retire from Parliament at the next election, making him the third West Australian Labor MP to make such a decision recently.

Federal Labor MP Gary Gray has announced he will not recontest the next federal election, making him the third West Australian Labor MP to make such a decision recently.

Ballarat survivors of sexual abuse plan to travel to Rome to hear Cardinal George Pell give evidence to the royal commission into child sex abuse, as a result of a crowdfunding campaign which exceeded its $55,000 target.

A search involving multiple agencies will resume at first light for a scuba diver reported missing in waters off Mission Beach in far north Queensland.

A woman on trial for the murder of her husband tells a WA court how he made her to perform sexual acts for strangers online in the months leading up to his death.

A Queensland snake catcher captures the "amazing" moment a small-eyed snake downs another snake whole on the floor of a Toowoomba front porch.

A woman who successfully sued her gynaecologist after a surgery at Bacchus Marsh Hospital went wrong 18 years ago has spoken out about her ordeal following revelations of medical negligence at the health service.

Two greyhound trainers charged over the discovery of 55 carcasses in Bundaberg are issued with fines.

A witness at the trial of former New South Wales Labor politician Eddie Obeid says he was surprised to receive a call in 2006 from then ports minister Joe Tripodi regarding leases at Circular Quay.

Synthetic cannabinoids are illegal but they are still easily available over the counter at some shops. And you will be surprised by what they really contain.

The West Australian oyster industry remains protected from an outbreak of Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome (POMS) that is devastating Tasmanian producers.

A teenager dies in hospital following a bus rollover which injured 10 others near Airlie Beach in Queensland's Whitsundays region earlier today.

New South Wales Government Minister Brad Hazzard comes under pressure in Parliament over his dealings with a witness to the car accident that sparked a corruption inquiry into Crown Prosecutor Margaret Cunneen.

Women in Indigenous communities are intentionally committing crimes so they can be locked up to escape their violent partners, a Senate inquiry hears.

The Northern Territory Government holds a 'secretive' ceremony to swear-in its 15th ministry, a move that has seen backbencher Nathan Barrett elevated to the frontbench and Gary Higgins picking up key portfolios.

Stephen Dank says a Cronulla NRL player, who later died from cancer, refused to take part in the peptide program he introduced at the club, the NSW Supreme Court hears.

Melbourne Victory hope to hear their punishment for bringing the game into disrepute as soon as Wednesday morning.

Federal Government backbenchers are warning the Prime Minister and the Treasurer not to make changes to the tax system that might undermine property values. Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison have attacked Labor's plan to wind back the tax breaks for Australians who invest in property. But at the same time, they've confused the message by making it clear the Government is considering changes to negative gearing itself.

A new smartphone application to help cotton farmers identify and protect bird populations on their properties has been launched in the Southern Queensland town of Goondiwindi.

Former Essendon coach James Hird took legal action against the AFL and the Australian Sports Anti-doping Authority because he feared he would lose his job, the Victorian Supreme Court is told.

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten gives qualified support for the establishment of a high-level nuclear waste dump in South Australia, if the economics and environmental safeguards stack up.

Residents at a property in Bellerive in southern Tasmania have a lucky escape after a truck rolls down a hill and into a bedroom in their house.