With tourism ground to a halt, industry experts say Cairns will be one of the regions hardest hit by coronavirus, estimating it is on track to lose $500 million in visitor spending by April.

Fancy your home as an "hermetically sealed space ship" this winter, and keeping warm to boot? Here's how you can do both and not pump out more electricity, gas or wood smoke.

The US President warns China that it should face consequences if it was "knowingly responsible" for the coronavirus pandemic, as protests about strict stay-at-home measures spread across America.

The competition and consumer watchdog has launched an inquiry into whether tractor manufacturers are failing farmers who want the right to repair their own machinery.

Workers say the supermarket giant is not providing them with the best possible protection against coronavirus after their complaints were dismissed by the head office.

The think tank predicts between 14 and 26 per cent of the entire Australian workforce will lose their job, if they haven't already, as a result of government shutdowns and physical distancing rules.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says a mandatory code will help "level the playing field" by requiring digital platforms such as Google and Facebook to pay news media businesses for the content they produce.

Light rail was officially launched one year ago in Canberra and, up until the COVID-19 outbreak, was proving more popular than first estimated. The government announced an increase in frequency to help alleviate the peak hour crush earlier this year, but now, the carriages are running empty.

Anxious parents express their relief as kids in the Northern Territory head back into the classroom for term two after homeschooling when the COVID-19 crisis first hit.

Queensland's State Development Minister Cameron Dick is warning the NSW Treasurer to "back off" over a move to lure Virgin Australia from Brisbane to Sydney as part of a possible bailout package for the embattled airline.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton reveals theoretical modelling which suggests 36,000 people could have been killed by coronavirus in Victoria if no physical-distancing measures were put in place.

Australian shares drop as US oil plunges to a 21-year low, Caltex takeover fails due to coronavirus risk, and NAB flags $1.1 billion hit to its earnings.

The funding for services like the RFDS will allow them to evacuate coronavirus patients to larger medical centres and fly in medical workers and equipment for regional respiratory clinics.

A new survey from the ABS shows the extreme effect of coronavirus social-distancing measures on employment, with well over a million workers losing their incomes in the space of a month.

Virgin Australia captain George Kailis has been flying planes for almost 20 years, but fears for himself and co-workers as the company looks likely to enter into voluntary administration.

In an open letter to Virgin employees, Sir Richard Branson calls on the UK Government to help save Virgin Atlantic, while warning against allowing Qantas "a monopoly" should Virgin Australia "disappear".

ACTU secretary Sally McManus tells Hamish Macdonald the Government taps the phones of union chiefs, while economist Gigi Foster causes a stir by saying the coronavirus lockdown may not be worth the cost.

Virgin Australia is expected to announce the airline will go into voluntary administration, with Deloitte tipped to help the company restructure about $5 billion in debt and pay off its creditors.

The benchmark price for US crude plummeted to negative $US35.20 a barrel as traders sought to avoid owning crude with nowhere to store it.

Changes necessary for the Victorian Government to deal with the coronavirus pandemic include plans to hold judge-only trials and giving councils the power to hold meetings online.

Australian shares drop in the wake of US oil prices falling below zero for the first time, underscoring the chaos the COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed on the global economy.

Backpacker workers are losing their jobs and being told to "go home" by local community members amid fears they will spread coronavirus.

Australia's troubled second airline, which saw its cash flow collapse because of tough coronavirus travel restrictions, appoints accounting firm Deloitte to act as administrator after the Federal Government rejected calls to bail it out.

On this day 50 years ago, WA farmer Leonard Casley "stuck his nose up" at the Federal Government and seceded from Australia, forming the micronation the Principality of Hutt River.

The Federal Government has thrown airline Regional Express a funding lifeline to continue servicing airports in regional Australia during the ongoing pandemic.

Farmer John Lever and his wife Lillian say their Koorana Crocodile Farm has just two weeks of food left to feed 3,000 crocodiles, so they're offering an 'adopt a croc' program to raise funds.

What do Barrie Cassidy, Annika Smethurst, Tony Wright and Sean Murphy have in common? They all got their start on country newspapers. And recent mass closures have had a visceral impact on each of them.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a 5.5 per cent slump in jobs in the first week after extensive business shutdowns and social-distancing limits were introduced to contain the virus, new ABS figures show.

Police and paramedics are at the scene of a fatal industrial accident at Truro north of Adelaide, where a man has been killed.

One of Adelaide's most historic music venues, which has hosted some of the world's biggest artists, could be forced to close due to a lack of support amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Regional centres are concerned they could be badly hit by the potential collapse of Virgin Australia, with higher airfares and less competition.

Virgin Australia's potential collapse has left staff scrambling for jobs, as tourism and aviation industries prepare for the threat of major player leaving the market.

The live cattle trade out of northern Australia has its biggest price crash since 2011, with key markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe warns Australia's unemployment rate is likely to hit 10 per cent by June, and even though Australia will recover, the coronavirus emergency "will cast a shadow over our economy for some time to come".

The modelling predicts more than a quarter of a million jobs could be lost in Victoria due to the coronavirus pandemic in what Premier Daniel Andrews says is the perhaps the "biggest economic and employment challenge" in the state's history.

Health professionals are incensed by dramatic price increases for face masks and other protective equipment by one of Australia's largest medical supply companies.

With the world experiencing "the biggest supply and demand disparity in history", benchmark Brent oil futures fall to their lowest level since November 2001.

The debate over nuclear technology is a controversial one, yet many leaders in the field believe it's time for an open and calm discussion about the energy alternative.

Australian shares recoup earlier losses as retailers and banks rise, after initial falls were spurred by oil prices falling to their lowest value in 18 years.

The hit show Tiger King and self-isolation measures boost the world's largest streaming service, which has added millions of new customers so far this year.

Supermarket and grocery store turnover leapt 22 per cent in March on panic buying of toilet paper and food but sales are expected to fall as stockpiling subsides and major retailers, including Myer, extend shutdowns.

Raymond Barbara gave up his job for "the holiday of a lifetime". Instead he ended up with coronavirus, in mourning for his late mother, and thousands of dollars out of pocket.

Australia will buy fuel from the US at historic low prices to bolster its national stockpile, after criticisms that the Government only holds about 30 days' worth of fuel in domestic storage, far below the 90-day minimum.

The senior doctor on board the Ruby Princess tells an inquiry she is surprised passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney last month despite some displaying COVID-19 symptoms.

The tourism industry warns if Virgin Australia collapses it could deliver a knockout blow to many WA businesses who were already on their knees as a result of coronavirus.

As Australians stay at home, and with many bricks and mortar stores closed, more of us are shopping online, placing a huge strain on the postal service.

Researchers melt an ice core taken from Antarctica 10 years ago and find dozens of microplastic particles, including polyethylene used to make plastic bags.

At a time when the economy is suffering the ACCC is calling on the petrol retailers to pass on the full benefit of the falling oil price to motorists.

Property owners are calling for pet-friendly tenancy laws to be scrapped before they are even enacted in the Northern Territory, as the Parliament prepares to vote on protections for renters during the pandemic.

Townsville's housing market had been recovering after years of turmoil — now coronavirus is scaring off up to 70 per cent of potential buyers.