Sydney news

Small businesses in Scott Alley, in Melbourne's CBD, say they face financial ruin because of disruptions caused by the Metro Rail Tunnel construction project.

A push is underway for two more public holidays to be added to Western Australia's official calendar, with a key union claiming the state's employees are being "dudded".

The NT is lagging behind other states in terms of solar power uptake, and one Curious Darwinian wants to know why.

Twenty vintage Ferguson tractors travel 2,300 kilometres, following the footsteps of explorers Burke and Wills.

A Queensland man whose passion for dancing on a skateboard earnt him the starring role in a US film clip says he is enjoying the ride.

From one to two to many. Hobart's traditional Carols by Candlelight has splintered into many smaller concerts and people are not happy.

A young Brisbane uni student signs a deal with a music company to use her cover of the Aussie classic Down Under as the theme for a major TV show.

After bushfires on Queensland's Sunshine Coast over the weekend, residents in newly developed housing estates say they fear they could one day be trapped by flames.

Welfare recipients in western Sydney will be subjected to random drug testing from January, if Parliament passes the Coalition's controversial plan for a two-year trial.

The Fremantle Dockers say a fan has offered an apology to Danyle Pearce after racially abusing the midfielder following yesterday's AFL match against Richmond.

A plan which could allow the NRL access to players' bank statements and phone records is a sticking point in pay negotiations, as footballers defend their privacy.

Over the weekend a group of same-sex marriage advocates headed by a young Liberal travelled to regional NSW to get people enrolled to vote before the deadline this Thursday.

A Queensland couple who were listed among 19 of Australia's most wanted criminals in the latest Crime Stoppers campaign are arrested in South Australia.

Seven dingoes and a rat kangaroo are seized from Brighton house. But not the crocs.

Another Melbourne council, the City of Darebin, votes to axe its Australia Day celebrations after an emotional town hall meeting less than a week after a similar decision by Yarra City Council.

One of the country's most prestigious boys schools describes as "exaggerated" a proposed royal commission finding that it was guilty of a "catastrophic failure" in its handling of a child sexual assault allegation.

Same-sex marriage advocates travelled to regional towns over the weekend to encourage people to enrol to vote. Their first stop was Bathurst, a town that's split over whether to vote yes or no.

North Korea has warned Australia it is "suicidal" to conduct military drills with the United States, as a handful of Australian troops began an annual war game with the US and South Korea on Monday.

The Fremantle Dockers investigate the alleged racial abuse of defender Danyle Pearce by a man in a corporate box at Subiaco Oval during yesterday's match against the Tigers.

A memorial service will be held for Australian rugby this week.

The sad but ultimately hopeful story of Chris Yarran's battle with ice addiction cannot help but vindicate critics of the AFL's illicit drugs policy and raise the eye brows of football supporters who analysed every nuance of that 2015 trade period.

Ever since I can remember, Jerry Lewis was there on TV; his films shuffled out of order so that on Saturday afternoon he'd be a skinny 25 year old black and white geek and by Sunday afternoon, he'd be a good looking 30 something, drenched in glorious Technicolor - then mid-week, he'd be guesting on Sonny and Cher, a Brylcreemed elder statesmen in a tux and white socks, playing both his own straight man and patsy.

The Fremantle Dockers are investigating allegations player Danyle Pearce was racially abused after Sunday's game against Richmond.

Nathan Buckley might survive as coach of Collingwood with a contract for another year or two, but if he does survive he is likely to be about the only one.

Albany teenager Lloyd Dunham dies from a meningococcal infection while holidaying in Tasmania, with antibiotics and a vaccine given to people in close contact with him.

Canberra Demons midfielder Jordan Harper has been named in the NEAFL team of the year.

Christian Lealiifano is Ulster-bound as he continues his comeback from leukaemia.

It's the next step for what the former Hockeyroo hopes is a path to the Commonwealth Games.

Mathematically possible. The Raiders are now in the realms of those two dirty words for any finals aspirants.

The paucity of independent monitoring of waste water from coal mines in NSW is leaving communities exposed to decades of pollution, long after mining operations have ceased, Ian Wright, a leading water ecologist, said.

The Wallabies don't usually spend a full week in New Zealand before a Test match. Saturday's result wasn't usual either.

A sign in Melbourne using inflammatory language and discredited statistics shows how hurtful the national debate on same-sex marriage is becoming, Victoria's Human Rights commissioner says.

Two Queenslanders on the list of Australia's most wanted fugitives have been arrested.

WA Premier Mark McGowan says he's confident Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will keep his promise to release funds for the Perth Metronet rail project, as the government submits business cases for the first stage.

AFL commision chairman Richard Goyder says he "hates" pokies, and will seek to wean clubs off them.

The NSW Government announces a raft of measures designed to stem rural crime rates in country New South Wales.

Decisions at work don't get much tougher than choosing whether to help someone die. As politicians consider assisted dying laws, doctors are grappling with their personal and professional beliefs about death and their role in it.

Two tradesmen accused of starting the Carwoola bushfires in February appeared in Queanbeyan Local Court on Monday.

Australians had "little to no knowledge" of the government's efforts to stop tax avoidance.

Thursday night's clash in Brisbane between the Broncos and Parramatta stands to be a spicy affair, with Josh McGuire not changing his aggressive approach as a top-two spot beckons.

Australian coach Darren Lehmann concedes his team faces a challenge in its preparation for the first Test against Bangladesh starting on Sunday in Dhaka after its only tour match was washed out.

Students in NSW will not sit NAPLAN tests online until schools are confident they are ready to move from paper and pen, according to the Education Minister Rob Stokes.

Jarryd Hayne was once a superstar rugby league player. Now he's a verb.

Valerie Browning, a former Armidale nurse, has rallied against materialism, protectionist governments and a lack of foreign aid.

Ann extensive arrest warrant has been issued for a high-risk sex offender who has failed to report to police for a month, amid fears he will offend again.

It's also a deal that's bigger than its entire annual revenue of two years ago.

Angry Coalition MPs are blaming the citizenship fiasco and the marriage survey for another hit in the polls.

Star defender Jake Carlisle will be available for St Kilda's final home and away game against Richmond this weekend, after being cleared by the match review panel for two separate striking incidents, while Port Adelaide will be without Tom Jonas for round 23 and their first final.

The Australian Cricketers Association has welcomed the news that Australia's Test players will have three Sheffield Shield matches to prepare for the first Ashes Test this summer.

The mood is positive as agricultural students compete for glory at the state's largest sheep show and sale.