Sydney news

The Kiwis sent a strong message by axing Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor after they were caught up in cocaine allegations, and Australian footballers should take note, writes ABC sports reporter Jen Browning.

A Victorian former ward of the state is among a team of researchers trying to change the way child protection records are compiled and accessed.

Chef and Melbourne Victory's number one ticket holder George Calombaris apologises for getting involved in an altercation at the A-League grand final in Sydney on Sunday night.

Police say four children aged between 11 and 14 who led police on a high-speed night-time pursuit through Port Hedland should have been at home in bed.

Reigning NRL champions Cronulla Sharks face their second drugs scandal in 72 hours, as rising star Jesse Savage is charged with possession of an illicit substance.

Budget 2017 will be as much about cleaning up unpopular past budgets of Joe Hockey and Tony Abbot as it will be about setting out the political and economic priorities of the Turnbull government.

A Muslim woman who refused to stand for a judge in a Sydney court has become the first person to be charged under the state's new "disrespectful behaviour" laws.

Former Collingwood captain and media pioneer Lou Richards changed our "whole understanding of how big football could be", Eddie McGuire says, encouraging AFL players to lay a wreath for "Louie the Lip".

Sydney Roosters veteran Shaun Kenny-Dowall is stood down indefinitely by his NRL club after last week being charged with drug possession.

In a sort of modern barn-raising project using volunteer labour, a hempcrete house is being constructed in regional NSW to provide an accessible and clean-air environment for triplets with muscular dystrophy.

The party continues for Sydney FC, as the Sky Blues show off the A-League trophy to fans in Pitt Street mall.

A taxi company in regional Western Australia makes a pre-emptive move against Uber-led industry disruption by adopting the on-demand business model.

A senior manager at Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Foundation has signed up for the Government's cashless welfare card in a bid to build trust with trial participants.

WA Nationals Leader Mia Davies says Labor has moved to sack the chief executives and staff of WA's nine regional development commissions and re-centralise the department in Perth.

Collingwood football legend Lou Richards, described as a pioneer and superstar of the game who went on to become a trail-blazing media personality, dies at the age of 94.

There will be two by-elections in the Port Macquarie Hastings Local Government area on the state's mid north coast, after the resignation of Mayor Peter Besseling.

A former chief magistrate of the Northern Territory criticises the widespread lack of expertise in the youth justice system in the state, in evidence to the royal commission into youth detention.

The growth of women's football in regional Western Australia is being hampered by a lack of suitable change rooms for players.

High cattle prices force NT customers to look for cheaper cuts of beef or alternative meats, according to meat wholesaler.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti says $2.3 million was wasted by the previous government on upgrading a busy northern suburbs intersection, as a new $50 million overpass will make it redundant.

A mining wastewater dam collapse that sent an "avalanche" of coal reject and slurry into Blue Mountains National Park was a "disaster waiting to happen", the environment court hears.

It's hoped a donation from Hunter Valley winemakers Brian and Fay McGuigan for a 10-year fellowship at the Hunter Medical Research Institute will improve treatment for those diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

WA Labor Senator Pat Dodson says he opposes the wider rollout of the cashless welfare card.

Dougall Ethell, from the Minderoo Foundation, has volunteered to trial the cashless welfare card.

Staff at Goulburn Correctional Centre prevent 16 mobile phones from being smuggled into the prison.

Tasmania's Police Commissioner agrees to review a four-decades old investigation into bribery allegations surrounding the resignation of the former deputy premier Kevin Lyons, which triggered the fall of the government in 1972.

The harvester in action on the plantation in northern Tasmania

The harvested logs being stacked ready for collection

The Hall family near a current work site in north east Tasmania

Logging in Tasmania has been a highly controversial issue for a number of years, and the Hall family from the north-east of the state have seen the good and the bad.

Ken Hall leaning on some timber near Scottsdale

A section of plantation forest near Scottsdale in north east Tasmania

Politicians' children will no longer be allowed to fly business class to visit their parents in Canberra at the taxpayers' expense.

Jesse Bromwich and Kevin Proctor will not be considered for this year's World Cup due to their involvement in an alleged incident involving illicit drugs last weekend, New Zealand Rugby League announces.

A Queensland council investigating four dog attacks since Friday says, while the number of attacks is on par with previous years, the severity of the attacks is escalating.

Allison Baden-Clay's three daughters will share an $800,000-plus payout from the Brisbane mother's two life insurance policies, marking an official end to litigation involving the long-running murder case.

Films made by people living with disabilities will be screened at the Sydney Film Festival this year, in a bid to break down stigmas and stop discrimination.

A former president of the Nomads outlaw motorcycle gang in South Australia is sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 16 years, while seven other former members are jailed on a range of charges.

One of Adelaide's main beaches reopens after a pollution scare caused by the release of unchlorinated water from a wastewater treatment plant.

A man affected by drugs when his car crashed into oncoming traffic, killing a woman in central west New South Wales, has been jailed for at least three years.

The West Australian Government's claims that 6,000 jobs will flow from a $2.3-billion infrastructure deal with the Commonwealth are dismissed by Opposition Leader Mike Nahan.

A $100-million fund for manufacturers to diversify and expand their businesses as automotive producers leave Australia will be part of tomorrow's federal budget, but South Australia's Manufacturing and Automotive Transformation Minister has described the funding boost as "a dud".

As a young postal clerk John Riddett used to speak to his mates in morse code and now he's using his spare time to introduce it to a new generation.

Linda Shum is an Australian woman who has become an unlikely saviour for kids abandoned under China's one-child policy. And amid the stories of heartache there are also surprising tales of survival and hope.

Tasmanian police charge a NSW man allegedly found with $500,000 worth of the drug ice in his underwear after arriving at Hobart airport.

Devastated workers for Australia's largest dairy processor call on both the Victorian and federal governments to help protect the future of their jobs, with the union saying they feel they have been lied to by the company.

A command centre will direct the operation, an ambulance fleet will move patients through the CBD, and some medical equipment will need to be transported with patients as the Royal Adelaide Hospital shifts to its new site in early September.

Salt farmers spice it up with gourmet salt flavours and colours.

The Victorian Government says it will become harder for people accused of serious crimes to be released on bail as part of a shake-up of the system following Melbourne's Bourke Street rampage.

The Court of Appeal criticises prosecutors over their handling of a case involving allegedly fake art by late painter Brett Whiteleybut the judges decline to make a ruling on whether or not the paintings are genuine.