Sydney news

One of the first groups of seasonal workers from East Timor settles in to farm life in Kununurra.

With the live cattle trade to Japan temporarily suspended, Wagyu feeder exporter Matt Edwards is hoping for a swift resumption to business as he has a ship due to load next week.

The ACT Government releases a discussion paper with a number of measures to crack down on organised crime groups, including outlaw motorcycle gangs.

One of the largest off-grid solar photovoltaic projects is successfully commissioned at a copper and gold mine in Western Australia.

Australian-led researchers say the discovery of a 700,000-year-old hobbit on the Indonesian island of Flores could shed new light on human evolution.

Specialist anaesthetist Andrew Miller is the new president of the Australian Medical Association's WA branch.

A team of young Perth entrepreneurs races against developers in the US to create the world's first transparent, secure and anonymous electronic voting system.

Central Queensland locals say job creation is the election-deciding issue in the Capricornia electorate, held by the Liberal National Party by the slimmest of margins.

An Adelaide company is being investigated for importing building products from China that illegally contain asbestos, six months after it was revealed asbestos was also detected in electrical substations on the Seaford rail line.

A group of big wave surfers travel to Bicheno on Tasmania's east coast to make the most of an enormous swell brought on by the storm front that has flooded parts of the state.

A man who is believed to have been painting on scaffolding at Challenge Stadium in Perth dies after falling from the roof.

Launceston residents return to their homes after the city's levee banks hold back major flooding during the high tide.

The 2016 Darwin Festival will go ahead after the NT Government replaced the board with an administrator and brought funding forward.

With pre-poll voting for the federal election starting next Tuesday, wheeling and dealing over preferences is in full swing. Today the Greens announced they'll give their preferences to Labor in four inner-city lower house seats in Melbourne, where they're in with a chance. But they're leaving open the option of running open tickets in other seats.

Health officials apologise for not recognising issues earlier at the Rockhampton Base Hospital maternity ward that contributed to the death of a baby and the serious injury of three others last year.

Fisheries and environmental experts have been asked to explore a possible link between 2007 closure of commercial shark fishery off Perth's coast and a growing number of great whites in the wake of deadly shark attacks.

More CCTV cameras are planned for Bunbury CBD but research questions their worth in preventing crime.

Kristina Krstic may not seem like your typical lawn bowler, but she is very much a trail blazer of the sport in WA.

Spiders trying to escape rising floodwaters in northern Tasmania turn treetops white with silk thanks to a phenomenon known as ballooning.

The ACT Supreme Court allows a number of subpoenas to be issued, including to the ACT Opposition Leader, demanding documents related to a secret report into a deal to relocate the Brumbies' headquarters.

A man who died after being prescribed a powerful anti-inflammatory drug by hospital staff was not alerted when he returned an abnormal test result, an inquest in Perth hears.

Police find arm bones and a leg bone in an inner-Brisbane park, a day after council workers found a jawbone.

South Africa agrees to play Test cricket under lights against Australia this summer after initially voicing concerns about the quality of the pink ball.

Methamphetamine abuse in the South West has been described as an epidemic, amid calls for convicted drug offenders to be sent to rehabilitation centres instead of jail.

A man believed to be a painting contractor suffers life-threatening injuries after falling from the roof of Challenge Stadium in the Perth suburb of Mount Claremont.

Significant government failings did not contribute to a 17-year-old's death, despite there being "no doubt that things should have been done better" by her carers, an inquest finds.

A Gold Coast mother who allegedly murdered her newborn son and cleaned up his body and placenta before her other children woke is refused bail.

A man and two boys are reported missing after failing to return from a hunting trip near the town of Halls Creek in the East Kimberley.

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.

Central Queensland farmer and communications advocate Kristy Sparrow says internet access via the new NBN Skymuster satellite has opened new doors for her and the bush.

Residents in Launceston appear to have escaped flooding with an afternoon high tide passing without reports of major damage.

Confused by the long-running dispute involving the Country Fire Authority and the United Firefighters Union in Victoria? Here are the main points.

The weather bureau is working to improve its climate outlook services, which will include more accurate forecasting and a fortnightly weather outlook.

A father who made a two-litre batch of grappa which allegedly killed his son and his two friends thought the group had not added enough water to dilute the brew, the Supreme Court in Toowoomba hears.

Candidates vying for the federal seat of McMillan go head-to-head over the future of power generation, education and public transport at a forum in Warragul.

A group of big wave surfers travel to Bicheno on Tasmania's east coast to make the most of an enormous swell brought on by the storm front that has flooded parts of the state.

The global sugar price continues its bullish run in futures trading, topping 19 US cents a pound for the first time in more than three years.

Volunteer-run conversational English classes help new migrants feel more at home in outback Australia.

A flood-ruined room in a house in Latrobe

Kitchen cooking utensils covered in flood water and mud

FMG chairman Andrew Forrest says the mining industry is not dying or in a 'negative transition', but warns the sector to learn from its over-investment mistakes.

Vicki Couzens invites you to share a yarn around the campfire in Fed Square, and Greg Samu's photographic recreations of historical paintings are on show at the NGV.

Flooded lounge room in a house in Latrobe

House in Latrobe with mudline showing how high the floodwater got

A forthcoming exhibition called MUM brings together a group of contemporary women artists who each explore their personal experiences of motherhood.

Perth is experiencing a severe and early start to cold and flu season this year, and doctors warn it is only going to get worse.

The Labor Party responds to the Federal Government's promise to upgrade the Barton Highway by pledging $76 million.

We're seeking storytellers for an event at Noosa in July.

Rockhampton's mild winter weather attracts some of Australia's best female track cyclists for a gruelling training camp as they prepare for the Rio Olympics.

It is fair to ask Collaroy residents to pay for a seawall to protect their homes, NSW Premier Mike Baird says, after part of the seaside homes were washed into the ocean during huge swell.