Sydney news

A Brisbane lawyer says she has received calls from witnesses to this week's deadly incident at Dreamworld and believes those found responsible could face jail terms and hefty fines.

Police charge a Sydney man for the alleged rape of a woman in Kings Cross, whom he metusing the pseudonym 'The Wolf'on a specialist adult social networking site.

Some of Australia's most prestigious cheese awards are being judged at the moment. Judges must not swallow the cheese they taste, and the assessment follows a rigorous process. AM went behind the scenes to find out how it all unfolds.

A Hunter Valley brewer is hoping the region will look to capitalise on the growth of the craft beer industry.

It's bigger, darker and more expensive than most, but a new apple developed in Western Australia seems to have cracked the market and growers are already eyeing the export market.

Live cattle exporters say their next big market is China, once they overcome the barriers of high cattle prices and quarantine costs.

Until the advent of non-sniffable Low Aromatic Fuel, known as Opal, petrol sniffing devastated Aboriginal communities in Central Australia and the APY Lands. It's ten years since Opal was first introduced in Alice Springs, and those behind the community-led campaign to convince the government and fuel companies to intervene are marking the anniversary today.

As tickets go on sale for February's boxing match between Anthony Mundine and Danny Green, the State Opposition is pushing for the event to be declared as a major event to protect people from ticket scalpers.

The Victorian Government is taking action to force property developerswho illegally tore down the historic Corkman Irish pub in Carlton last weekto restore it.

Australian scientists are preparing for a major global expansion of a program designed to prevent the spread of the dangerous Zika virus. The scheme is based on a bacteria that stops mosquitoes from passing on disease. The British and American governments, along with philanthropists including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will spend $18 million rolling out their work in South America.

A new entertainment and dining venue, modelled on the little-remembered Floating Palais de Danse, will float on the River Torrens for next year's Adelaide Festival.

A Brisbane lawyer says she has received calls from witnesses to this week's deadly incident at Dreamworld and believes those found responsible could face jail terms and hefty fines.

The administrators of embattled steelmaker Arrium say the company may have traded while insolvent.

The Victorian Government is taking action to force property developerswho illegally tore down the historic Corkman Irish pub in Carlton last weekto restore it.

Justin Langer, who dealt with five concussions in his cricket career, voices the other side of the current debate regarding substitutes.

Up to 10 significant diesel spills in Hobart's Derwent Estuary have killed birds and fish in the past year, the Environmental Protection Authority says.

The biennial State of the Climate report finds a rise in temperatures will see states such as South Australia face more extreme fire danger weather and longer fire danger seasons.

The Adelaide City Council budgets $7 million to develop a new parking app and smart parking technology that will help people find available on-street car parks in the CBD.

Dreamworld has hit back at critics, asserting that all ride safety certifications were in place when four people died at the amusement park on Tuesday. The engineer who has conducted safety audits for six years has also defended Dreamworld's safety culture. It comes as lawyers warn anyone found responsible could face jail terms and fines.

The Federal Government rebuffs Victoria's push for a special Medicare subsidy for family violence counselling services saying it is not consistent with the Health Insurance Act.

A Canberra prisoner will spend an extra year in jail after lodging false tax returns alongside other inmates, in an attempted fraud that would have netted him almost $70,000 from behind bars.

Janet Inyika, who led the fight to introduce Opal fuel as petrol sniffing devastated her beloved Aboriginal communities, reflects on her triumphant campaign directed at the Federal Government.

Michelle Payne made all the headlines last year when she became the first female jockey to win a Melbourne Cup. But arguably the best woman jockey over a long period has been Linda Meech.

Australian scientists are preparing for an international expansion of a program, already hailed as a saviour in Townsville, that stops mosquitoes passing on viruses such as dengue and zika.

Traditional owners in Western Australia are worried the collapse of Pluton Resources could trigger a significant environmental incident in the Kimberley.

Elizabeth Coleman runs a Christian rehabilitation centre for child sex offenders and has called on locals in the Tasmanian town of Ellendale to be forgiving as tensions simmer over the facility.

The handback of 37,000 hectares of land in Cape York to the Balnggarr, Muundhi and Magarmagar peoples will help traditional owners create new cultural and economic development opportunities.

Cane growers in Queensland's Burdekin say the Singapore-based conglomerate that owns every mill in the region is attempting to squeeze their livelihood from them.

Crown Casino will vigorously defend a lawsuit which claimed the venue engaged in deceptive and misleading conduct by designing a poker machine that deliberately tricks gamblers to play and lose.

Two Dandenong police constables shoot and injure a 26-year-old man who pointed a gun at them after fleeing a police traffic stop and trying to hijack a car.

After losing everything in the Yarloop bushfire, drummer Howie Johnstone gets the keys to a new home and heads back to the small West Australian town to re-create his castle.

Test hopeful Joe Burns tons up, but fit-again incumbent Shaun Marsh also impresses on day two of the Sheffield Shield.

Appalled by the amount of pollution she saw on a trip to China, dancer Kristina Chan decided to represent what she saw the only way she knew how - through dance.

As investigations continue into the tragic accident at Dreamworld that killed four people, friends of the victims and members of the public have paid emotional tributes.

7.30 reporter Louise Milligan gives an update on today's news the Victorian Police flew to Rome to interview Cardinal George Pell over child sex abuse allegations.

Dairy processor Murray Goulburn is yet to face direct consequences over cuts to milk prices, but class actions and regulator inquiries loom.

The mother of a murdered Victorian toddler is accused of calling her a daughter a "f***ng little cow" before throwing her against a bedhead on the day she died, the Supreme Court hears.

The search for Esperance campers Jeremy and Marama Sim is suspended by WA police, who say there has been no sign of the couple or their vehicle after they were last seen nine days ago.

An announcement of $65 million to seal and upgrade a Kimberley road by WA Premier Colin Barnett has been picked up by the Federal Government 10 weeks later.

Sydney health authorities are investigating whether the death of a child who attended an Artarmon childcare centre is related to a gastroenteritis outbreak.

A man who suspected his former partner of having an affair fatally shot her at close range using a cartridge with her written name on it, a Perth court is told.

Small Business Minister Michael McCormack says he supports Mr Grylls' willingness to put the $5 per tonne iron ore royalty on the table.

Gerda Gamper brought her family to Australia in the 1970s and has now retired to a do-it-yourself stone hut in the hills of Barraba.

An ACT police officer who was behind the wheel during a pursuit that ended in a fatal crash tells the Coroner's Court he felt comfortable chasing a motorist at up to 187kph, as it emerges the Senior Constable was involved in a previous pursuit that ended in a crash.

New South Wales water authorities have received a grilling at a state parliamentary inquiry into the management of waterways across the state.

The search for an Esperance couple who have been missing for nine days after going camping is suspended by WA police who say there has been "no sign of the couple or their vehicle".

A man in his 30s suffers lower body injuries after being shot by police at Dandenong, in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs.

More than 50 years of collective experience behind the wheel of a taxi has given Mount Gambier's Mary and Geoff McDonnell a wealth of golden stories to tell.

Four Keira High students travelled to Dubbo to compete in the NAIDOC Public Speaking and Debating challenge.

From left: Drew Buckley, Riley Mcelhone, Mariantonia Cara, Sam Manns and Liam Filan