Sydney news

There were significant failings in the obstetric care provided to three babies who died soon after being born at a rural Victorian hospital, the state's coroner has found.

Activists vow to protest the final day of the Warrnambool May Racing Carnival after the deaths of two horses in two days.

Police on horseback will join crews looking for an elderly man missing in South Australia's far north since Saturday.

Physical, sometimes frantic and often loud, the Drumbeat program is emerging as one of the most promising suicide prevention programs for young Indigenous kids in Australia.

An elderly man dies in an early-morning house fire at Ipswich, west of Brisbane.

Aboriginal communities are calling on the Federal Government to urgently address what they describe as an "epidemic" of Indigenous suicides in remote Australia.

A 21-year-old Sydney woman is arrested while trying to leave the country after almost $5 million was wrongly transferred into her bank account, according to police.

The City of Joondalup in Perth's northern suburbs hopes to have a shark barrier installed at Sorrento Beach before the start of summer, after approving a tender for its construction.

In the quiet surrounds of Tasmania's Huon River, four Australian rowers are plotting their tilt at Olympic gold.

Liberal National Party MP Tim Mander resigns from the Opposition frontbench and will contest the party leadership this Friday at an impromptu meeting called by leader Lawrence Springborg.

Emergency services use crow bars to rescue a teenager who became trapped in rocks while on a high school outing at Geraldton's foreshore.

Seven witnesses give evidence on the first day of a committal hearing into the alleged murder of 11-year-old Zoe Buttigieg, who was found dead in her home in Victoria's north-east last year.

Parramatta Eels legend Brett Kenny says the five club officials at the centre of the salary cap scandal should move on for the good of the team.

A man in distress is pulled from the sea at Glenelg in Adelaide's western suburbs by a passing police officer.

Hundreds of people gather for a candlelight vigil at South Bank in Brisbane to remember those who have lost their lives to domestic violence.

A passing police officer rescues a man in distress from the sea at Glenelg in Adelaide.

The Melbourne Cricket Club releases a $1 billion redevelopment plan, including elevated pedestrian paths from the MCG to Richmond station, saying it will ensure it remains one of the world's top sports precincts.

The former mayor of Hurstville in Sydney's south is found to have been "motivated by personal reasons" when he stood down his general manager.

Social demographer Bernard Salt says attitudes to life in the desert need to substantially change, with Australians' tendency to hug the coast preventing regional development.

Ageing shopfront awnings in Queensland could be at risk of collapse, a safety inspector tells a Gold Coast inquest looking into the death of a man who was killed when a metal awning fell on him.

A tip-off from a US law enforcement agency results in a man from Western Australia's north-west being charged with several child exploitation offences.

The man dubbed the Postcard Bandit lands in WA on a police plane as he faces more jail time after being extradited from Queensland.

Are you one of our regular students for Self Improvement Wednesday? Each week, you get to learn something new - that's our Self Improvement pledge.

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce defends the lack of action on backpacker taxes in the 2016 budget, saying the Government is "negotiating a solution".

In the quiet surrounds of Tasmania's Huon River, four Australian rowers are plotting their tilt at Olympic gold.

Inefficient practices around IV treatment subject patients to unnecessary pain and risk of medical complications. Can ultrasound provide a solution?

Nine-year-old Tuscan Fire is euthanased on the track after being injured at a jumps racing carnival in Victoria's south-west.

Two months after becoming the first playwright to win the Victorian Literary Award, Darwin author Mary Anne Butler is nominated for the Nick Enright Award.

A 61-year-old former Canberra childcare worker who smacked a boy on the back of the head with enough force that he fell over is convicted and fined.

Rugby League Players Association president Clint Newton says the failure of the NRL's salary cap makes the game unattractive to both players and fans.

The NT's Chief Minister wants the Wickham Point Detention Centre to remain open, despite asylum seeker advocates applauding the Federal Government's plan to close the facility by November.

Mixed reviews from Queensland farm lobby groups and rural doctors on this year's federal budget.

The state's first memorial to honour volunteer firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty has been opened in the south-east town of Naracoorte.

A northern Queensland economist says there are few sweeteners in the 2016 federal budget for northern Queensland.

Retiring federal MP Clive Palmer does not rule out standing as a Queensland Senate candidate for the Palmer United Party, saying he needs to discuss his future with his wife.

A devoted brother is on a mission to improve the quality of life for his younger sister, and is hoping public generosity will help him reach his goal.

A psychiatrist considered the Sydney siege to be stable but deadlocked in the hours before Man Haron Monis shot a hostage dead, an inquest hears.

A second nurse tells an inquest into a psychiatric patient's suicide at the Royal Adelaide Hospital that he did not make a comprehensive ward check before the man was found unconscious and rushed to intensive care.

An art therapy program in Bendigo for people with serious mental health issues aims to reduce stigma, with a call for classes to be an ongoing part of therapy.

Small wine producers in South Australia's Riverland welcome the Federal Government's plans to reform the controversial Wine Equalisation Tax, but say the changes were needed a long time ago.

The company that operates the Ranger Uranium Mine in Kakadu says it still preserves the option for further underground operations at the site, despite a push from environmentalists to scrap its Ranger 3 Deeps project.

Jon Faine co-hosts a show devoted to jazz with guitarist John Scofield, Melbourne musician Stephen Magnusson and saxophonist Wilbur Wilde.

The Australian Livestock Exporters' Council says the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture has recommended the country import 250,000 head of Australia cattle over the next four months.

South Australian wine industry welcomes Federal Government funding and but lobbying for further tax reforms.

A truck driver told police he made a "stupid mistake" by taking his eyes off the road at the time of a fatal crash on the Hawkesbury River Bridge in 2014, a Sydney court hears.

One person is critically ill and two others are being treated in hospital after contracting legionnaires' disease in Sydney's CBD.

South Australia's Sports Minister challenges Leicester City to visit Australia and play local champions Adelaide United in a friendly match.

The NRL will consider changing the way extra time is applied in finals games to avoid going straight to golden point in the event of a draw.

The parents of a six-month-old boy who died after being misdiagnosed with gastroenteritis want answers about their son's death, saying his condition was treatable and the death preventable.

From small business owners to families and parents, ABC reporters head across the country to ask how the federal budget will affect the lives of everyday voters.