Sydney news

Former AFL footballer Ben Cousins is admitted to hospital in Perth after being involved in a traffic crash.

Sea crawling robots designed to kill predatory sea urchins could be lifeline for critical kelp forests.

A Queensland worm farmer believes she has invested the world's first commercially-produced solar powered compost machine.

ICC chief executive Dave Richardson labels South Africa captain Faf du Plessis' ball tampering in the second Test against Australia "pretty obvious".

Friends and family pay tribute to a teenager who died during a "thunderstorm asthma" emergency in Melbourne, and was just days away from graduating high school.

The troubled Richmond defender is released from his contract with the club so he can deal with his with mental health issues.

An isolated storm that ripped through a handful of farms in the Kimberley's Ord Irrigation Scheme has put a serious dent into WA's papaya supply.

Alarmed by stories of patients self-diagnosing their illnesses and "scaring themselves silly in the middle of the night", a group of Queensland health professionals embarks on the Words for Wellbeing project.

One of Victoria's oldest abattoirs, Riverside Meats Abattoir, is sanctioned and four staff sacked over poor animal welfare, after secret video reveals mistreatment of animals.

A mining industry veteran tells a Queensland inquiry investigating the re-emergence of the potentially deadly black lung disease the fear of not being able to breathe, and of losing his job, causes him great stress.

Nurses at The Canberra Hospital have been administering powerful anaesthetic drugs during endoscopies for more than a decade without the supervision of an anaesthetist, in contravention of industry guidelines.

Ever wanted to create an ambitious Lego megastructure or artwork, but didn't know where to start? Certified Lego professional Ryan McNaught has some tips to help you out.

A large Canberra building company goes into voluntary administration, leaving clients and subcontractors in limbo.

Two women have their breasts removed unnecessarily after being misdiagnosed with cancer by the same pathologist at the Royal Darwin Hospital.

The "derelict" water fountains outside Parliament House in Perth look like an "old Roman ruin" and should be replaced by office space, according to Upper House President Barry House.

As Crowded House prepare to take to the stage again 20 years after their farewell concert, founding members Neil Finn and Nick Seymour discuss the songs they like and don't like playing, forgetting the words and still getting nervous.

Revelations the Kimberley town of Broome is being reconsidered for inclusion on Western Australia's Aboriginal heritage register takes local residents by surprise after the original application was knocked back two years ago.

The Northern Territory Government is assuring Territorians they can have faith in the health system after the ABC's revelation two women had their breasts unnecessarily removed after being misdiagnosed with cancer at the Royal Darwin Hospital.

A Sri Lankan-born doctor who killed her husband after years of abuse is appealing to the Immigration Minister to allow her to stay in Australia after serving her sentence.

The Northern Territory ombudsman asks police for a briefing after a 12-year-old boy was tasered, as the Chief Minister describes the use of the stun gun as "not ideal at all".

Western Australia's 39th Parliament concludes its business, as politicians and the public prepare for the March state election.

The mother of an Alice Springs woman allegedly killed by her partner saw blood on the curtains and her daughter lying on the ground, the Supreme Court in Darwin hears

An Aboriginal-run organisation that provides frontline community services, such as assisting the homeless and returning impoverished, stranded people to their communities, rallies outside the Northern Territory Parliament.

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has been fined 100 per cent of his match fee but will be free to play the third Test against Australia in Adelaide following an ICC hearing.

Faf du Plessis copped a fine from the ICC while still being allowed to play, but how does his punishment look when weighed against past cases?

This week Crowded House return to the Sydney Opera House to mark the 20-year anniversary of their farewell concert, 30 years since the formation of the band, and their induction this week into the ARIA hall of fame. Neil Finn and Nick Seymour sat down with 7.30.

Tens of thousands of Western Australians who rely on Telstra's 2G network are urged to upgrade ahead of the national shutdown.

Riverland irrigator Ben Haslett says the proper management of the Murray-Darling Basin system and the long term health of the River Murray are vital to South Australia's food producers.

After years in development, milk from Western Australia's first commercial size camel dairy hits the market, and at more than $20 a litre some are labelling it "white gold".

West Australian police launch a murder investigation after the victim of a stabbing in Perth's south dies in hospital.

The only doctor working in one of Victoria's most remote towns is calling on the State and Federal Governments to do more to help relieve doctor shortages in the rural areas.

Aboriginal traditional owners indicate they want to create a buffer zone where there will be no mining, oil, gas, irrigation or dams in the Kimberley's Fitzroy River catchment.

Former residents of a church-run home for Indigenous Stolen Generation children in Darwin move a step closer to becoming the first group to gain compensation from the Federal Government.

A whistleblower has filmed more than 170 hours of vision inside Riverside Meats Abattoir in Echuca, showing workers mistreating animals. Victoria's Chief Vet says it's the worst case he's seen in his career.

The Defence Department has failed to slow down legal proceedings against it over contaminated groundwater near one of its New South Wales bases, just north of Newcastle. Residents near the RAAF base at Williamtown have launched a class action to seek compensation for their declining property values.

The troubled Richmond defender is released from his contract with the club so he can deal with his with mental health issues.

Jurors in the trial of a Canberra woman charged with killing her mother become distressed viewing graphic images of the crime scene.

A western Sydney man charged with supplying the gun used to shoot police accountant Curtis Cheng outside the Parramatta police headquarters pleads guilty to four counts of refusing to answer questions at the NSW Crime Commission.

A year after bushfires pushed a critically-endangered parrot close to extinction, things are sounding promising in the remote Cape Arid National Park.

Parents and education experts say Australia's education system is failing gifted children and is in need of urgent change to help kids like six-year-old Ras Monroe, who is this year studying year 12 chemistry and physics at a school in Brisbane.

Shane Warne, Michael Slater and Kevin Pietersen escape being fined by Tasmanian police after they appeared in a Facebook video not wearing seatbelts while riding in a car.

The WA Premier's deputy chief of staff and a former senior employee of ex-treasurer Troy Buswell have formally apologised after being found in contempt of state Parliament over Mr Buswell's car crashes.

An ambitious plan is underway to fly thousands of live krill from Antarctica to Hobart as part of the Australian Antarctic Division's latest research project with a focus on climate change.

An Adelaide man faces a bedside hearing and is remanded in custody after being found on the side of the road next to a dead man in the city's inner north.

An Australian teenager, being held in Bali on suspicion of possessing a small amount of drugs, faces severe penalties if he is charged and convicted of a drugs offence.

DNA technology and virtual fences are just some of the ideas and technologies being showcased at this week's AgFutures conference in Brisbane.

Water fluoridation has become a state election topic in the Kimberley, with both major candidates opposing the introduction of flouride to Kununurra's drinking water.

Evidence heard at the murder trial of Garry Dubois may leave open the possibility that Barbara McCulkin and her two daughters were killed by their estranged husband and father, Billy, a lawyer says.

A Chinese entertainment company which operates six theme parks in China is in talks to enter the already crowded Gold Coast market.

Mothers of children born with Down syndrome say they were put under repeated pressure to terminate their pregnancy and given only worst case scenarios for their baby's chances of a meaningful life.