Sydney news

Its long history, clear water and salty air have made the Torres Strait an elusive paradise, but Thursday Island needs jobs to keep locals at home.

Council and State Emergency Service workers clean up this morning after wild storms cause havoc in south-east Queensland, with Brisbane and Ipswich the hardest hit.

Jack Maughn may have grown up with the glorious grain fields of the Eyre Peninsula, but it is geology and rocks, not wheat and barley, which captures his imagination.

A concerted team batting effort by Pakistan, capped by Asad Shafiq's defiant century, has left open the possibility of history being made on day five of the first Test against Australia at the Gabba.

Pakistan's players have made themselves the story of the first Test against Australia with their resistance on day four at the Gabba, writes Geoff Lemon.

Patients at South Australia's Bordertown Hospital are jingling bells to call a nurse because of a technical fault.

South Australia will bring wastewater drug testing to country areas under a strategy to tackle tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs.

A wet winter that left bees grounded results in South Australia's cherry season running about three weeks late and a smaller crop than last year, pushing prices up.

Over 44 years the Unity Hall Jazz Band has played for a range of audiences at the same Sydney venue. But while the crowds have changed, the music has not.

Conjoined twin calves, expected to be the first Speckle Park bred on the south coast of WA, have been born near Albany.

The Government relaxes the rules around the use of gun silencers after some of its contractors were using them illegally during a kangaroo cull.

Senior Palaszczuk Government staffer Stephen Gay, who had been intending to seek ALP preselection for the Brisbane seat of Mansfield, quits after failing to provide a breath specimen to police.

A Sydney woman grants a little boy his Christmas wish by turning her family home into the North Pole using more than 100,000 lights, having announced the end to the spectacular annual display two years ago.

Hundreds of protesters from South Australia's Middle Eastern and African communities gather to call for Australia to take more refugees from Syria.

Australia requires two wickets to win the first Test after Asad Shafiq guides Pakistan to within 108 runs of its target on day four.

Australia's bowling coach curses an extended final session on day four at the Gabba and rues the lack of an all-rounder in the line-up.

Australia needs just two wickets to win the first Test on day five, but Asad Shafiq's century has helped guide Pakistan into a surprisingly solid position. Look back on how day four unfolded in our live blog.

A senior Palaszczuk government staffer and political hopeful quits after being caught drink-driving.

Brisbane Roar leapfrog Melbourne City to sit in third and on equal points with second-placed Melbourne Victory after defeating the Central Coast Mariners 2-1.

A severe thunderstorm causes damage, blackouts and interrupts Test cricket in south-east Queensland this afternoon, with wind gusts of more than 100 kilometres per hour in some areas.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson announces 36 candidates who will stand at the next Queensland election, saying there are plans to announce more soon.

Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett says he does not want people imprisoned for unpaid fines, but has stopped short of committing to the state coroner's recommendation for legislative change to rule out detention for fine defaulters.

Hundreds of protestors from South Australia's Middle Eastern and African communities gather to call for Australia to take more refugees from Syria.

Police release fresh CCTV images as fears grow for the welfare of missing Perth man Timothy Moran, whose father's body was found in Bullsbrook yesterday, the ABC understands.

13-year-old Yosef who is from Ethiopia and lives with his family in a housing commission flat in Melbourne says he has "a big feeling" after receiving toys and books from The Smith Family charity as part of an annual Christmas drive.

Pakistan reaches 2-131 in its run chase against Australia on day four at the Gabba, with tea called early because of inclement weather. Follow our live blog.

Damaging winds and large hailstones are predicted to hit south-east Queensland this afternoon, as severe thunderstorms move north-east across the region, the weather bureau says.

Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett says he does not want people imprisoned for unpaid fines, but has stopped short of committing to the state coroner's recommendation for legislative change to rule out detention for fine defaulters.

The first inmates have moved into WA's new women's jail, where the private operators are being offered cash incentives by the Government to ensure prisoners are rehabilitated and do not reoffend.

The first inmates move into WA's new women's jail, where the private operators are being offered cash incentives by the Government to ensure prisoners are rehabilitated and do not reoffend.

Federal and Victorian industry ministers will fly to Alcoa's global headquarters in New York this week to try to keep the company's Portland smelter open and save jobs.

Police release fresh images of missing Perth man Timothy Moran, as fears mount for his safety.

Details are released for a $3 billion resort development at The Spit on Queensland's Gold Coastbut any development would still be years away, as it needs approval from the State Government.

With hundreds of people sleeping rough in Perth, charities are hard at work packaging up donated goods to help make their holiday season a little easier.

Emergency services rescue four people from a sinking boat off the coast of Burnie in north-west Tasmania.

Eight Chinese nationals accused of trying to smuggle drugs into Australia appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court after their boat was intercepted in international waters.

Besart Berisha says he "smashed" up the Victory change room in frustration before emerging to score the winner in the A-League Melbourne derby.

About one in five South Australian children will not get the full dental treatment they need after Commonwealth cuts to the public dental scheme, the State Government warns.

A 15-month-old girl is dead and four people are injured after a two-car collision on Phillip Island, south of Melbourne.

Central Queensland farmers are experimenting with drones to muster their stock, in the hope they will one day reduce costsas well as their workload.

Victorian paramedics will wear body cameras in a trial safety program after 5,000 cases of violence and aggression towards ambulance officers in a single year, 13 cases are reported each day.

The rapid growth of the Big Bash League has taken many by surprise and raised questions about how big it can become, as its sixth season prepares to get underway.

A new helipad is to be built at Royal Perth Hospital, after concerns were raised over the current facility's capacity to handle new, heavier emergency helicopters.

A driver has died in a head-on crash on the Midland Highway in Tasmania's north, which is expected to be closed for several hours at Evandale.

Former ACT chief minister Jon Stanhope says it is time to consider privatising the Alexander Machonochie Centre, as it has failed to become a "human rights jail" as originally intended.

Three men are dead after their car slammed into trees at high speed near Bundaberg in southern Queensland, having been at the pub before the crash.

A driver has died in a head-on crash on the Midland Highway in Tasmania's north, which is expected to be closed for several hours at Evandale.