Sydney news

There was elation and relief as the Socceroos did it the hard way to reach a fourth-consecutive FIFA World Cup. But there are still plenty of questions floating over the side ahead of the December draw.

A roadshow through regional New South Wales is giving remote and regional families access to on-the-ground support for children's emotional and physical wellbeing.

Nearly 50 years since he rescued 40 men under fire in a bloody Vietnam battle, Australia's oldest living VC recipient is returning to the battlefield to search for the body of a fallen comrade.

Meet the man making it possible for deaf people to know what's happening during emergency weather events.

Speed limits for drivers passing emergency services vehicles parked on the side of the road should be increased to avoid rear-end collisions, according to South Australian police.

Huge boulders dating back to a time when the east coast of Australia was at Broken Hill capture the attention of locals and visitors alike near Bathurst.

An education charity says placing volunteers at disadvantaged schools for two hours per week boosts academic performance and student confidence.

Not sure what's on offer in this Queensland election? We've made it easy with a list of the biggest campaign promises offered up by the major parties so far.

Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan says Australia harbours ambitions greater than just taking part at the World Cup. Having done things the hard way, they want to become a dominant force in world football.

Archaeological research in Western Australia reveals how human occupation and migration occurred 40,000 years ago and sheds light on the extinction of its megafauna.

An Indigenous elder in WA wants a nude photo trend in the Stirling Range National Park to end and would prefer if tourists stopped climbing peaks in the park altogether.

There is a national focus on engaging girls in maths and science, but the underperformance of boys in literacy attracts little attention. One boys' school in Sydney is trying to turn things around and has taken up the challenge to foster a love of literature.

The mayor of one of Australia's biggest local governments lobbied his own council to support a massive development by one of his key campaign donors, documents obtained by the ABC suggest.

Look back on the Socceroos' 3-1 win over Honduras in the second leg of the intercontinental play-off as they qualified for the World Cup, as seen through the camera's lens.

Blockchains and cryptocurrencies are no longer the exclusive domain of tech enthusiasts with agricultural traders and producers getting on board to reduce food fraud and be closer to the consumer.

With other talents around him making claim to being the future of Australian football, Mile Jedinak re-seizes the initiative to become the Socceroos' go-to guy in booking a spot for the 2018 World Cup.

Four years on from taking over, Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou has delivered World Cup qualification and Asian Cup glory, all the while doing things stubbornly and unmistakably his way, writes Dean Bilton.

Australia qualifies for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, beating Honduras 3-1 in Sydney thanks to the magical boot of Mile Jedinak.

Australia qualifies for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, beating Honduras 3-1 in Sydney thanks to the magical boot of Mile Jedinak.

Captain fantastic Mile Jedinak slots home a hat-trick to qualify Australia for the World Cup as the Socceroos beat Honduras 3-1 in Sydney. Look back at how all the action unfolded.

Fans are left disappointed and missing in action for the kick-off of the Socceroos v Honduras match in Sydney tonight due to lengthy train delays.

Former Victorian cabinet minister Jane Garrett fails in her bid to move to Victoria's Upper House, after the Labor Party's left action backed union boss Ingrid Stitt, leaving some in the party saying she had been treated "appallingly".

The ACT records the highest yes vote and participation rate in the same-sex marriage postal survey, prompting dancing in the streets and road closures for an eruption of partying.

Australian Rugby Union decided to axe the Western Force from the Super Ruby competition well before it looked into the finances of the Perth-based club and the Melbourne Rebels, a Senate inquiry finds.

Opener Matthew Renshaw returns to the nets to find some much-needed form, as several of Australia's Test aspirants continue to press their claims ahead of the opening Ashes clash.

The lawyer for a student accused of supporting Islamic State compares his client to someone with an "interest" in the Adelaide Crows, denying she is a member of the terrorist group.

It's a tale of two Sydneys: the east voted Yes and the west voted No. And there's no doubt we'll come under attack, writes Dallas Rogers.

More than 30 kilograms of illicit drugs and $800,000 in cash is seized after raids across the city targeting prestige suburbs including City Beach and Applecross.

On a visit to Australia, the director of the Netherlands' Rijksmuseum, Taco Dibbits, reflects on the complete transformation of a national institution.

Victoria votes 65 per cent to 35 per cent in favour of same-sex marriage, with residents of the inner city seat of Melbourne, who elected Adam Bandt to the Lower House, leading the charge.

Australia's most populated state is also the most divided in the nation when it comes to the same-sex marriage postal survey results, with 42 per cent of respondents in NSW voting No. The ABC's election analyst Antony Green explains why.

Blockchains and cryptocurrencies are no longer the exclusive domain of tech enthusiasts.

A woman is fined $3,000 for animal cruelty for failing to care for a sick foal, telling an Ipswich court she "knew nothing about horses" and "didn't like vets".

Former soldier Nicholas Baxter did not cause the death of his six-week-old son, his lawyers tells a Townsville court, despite the boy suffering multiple rib fractures and head injuries.

West Australians have overwhelmingly voted in favour of same-sex marriage, returning the second highest Yes vote of any state in results of the national postal survey.

For five-year-old Zara Page-Alessi-Goss, the national marriage postal survey wasn't about politicsit was about her mums.

Sixty-one per cent of Territorians voted Yes, but the NT had the lowest participation rate in Australia, with less than half of 20 to 24-year-olds casting their vote in the same-sex marriage survey.

A man who entered the secretive US intelligence facility Pine Gap says he has no regrets about defending himself and does not believe he will be sent to jail for his crime.

A four-year-old boy dies after suffering horrific burns during a fire at Dalby, which left the boy, his brother and their father with serious injuries overnight.

A man convicted of murdering Adelaide schoolgirl Louise Bell argues on appeal that his conviction should be overturned because forensic evidence cannot prove how his DNA got on her pyjama top.

An Adelaide nursing service was dismissive of a disabled woman's pleas for help the day before her death, the SA coroner finds, prompting the victim's sister to call for change.

Worksafe is investigating the death of a 27-year-old man who died after being stung by bees at a property, believed to be the upmarket Royal Mail Hotel, at Dunkeld in western Victoria.

A beauty contest held as part of the World Rally Championship in Coffs Harbour is slammed as objectifying women, with Tracey Spicer saying a bikini contest is a "bloody big miss".

Two new youth detention centres would be built in Queensland under an LNP government, as the Opposition Leader again pushes his party's law and order credentials.

The Weatherill Government abandons its controversial levy on the five major banks, declaring it will not pursue the budget measure and will not take it to the South Australian election in March.

NSW Police believe a dispute over a $200 parking fine is behind a deliberate arson attack that destroyed the Liverpool City Council chambers seven years ago.

South Australians overwhelmingly vote in support of same-sex marriage, with all the state's federal electorates returning a Yes vote of more than 50 per cent.

West Australians have overwhelmingly voted in favour of same-sex marriage, returning the second highest Yes vote of any state in results of the national postal survey.

Former AFL player Jake King indicates he will fight extortion charges relating to an alleged dispute between one of his ex-team mates, Ty Vickery, and Vickery's business partner.

The ACT records the highest Yes vote and participation rate in the same-sex marriage postal survey compared to any other state or territory, as hundreds of Canberrans party in the city centre.