A monitoring program to survey bleaching is underway at Lord Howe Island Marine Park with researchers performing underwater assessments and aerial mapping.

DAILY BRIEFING: Treasury modelling warns of net debt of more than $4 billion by 2033-34, and a plan to accommodate a bumper Sydney-to-Hobart fleet this year at Constitution Dock hits a snag.

Finding the seal that is tangled in fishing line is the easy part for the Marine Response Unit, but helping the animal while staying safe from the rest of its colony is much more difficult.

The departure of some of north Queensland's best and brightest students is worrying the region's leaders and prompting them to devise a retention solution.

A tour guide, who says he has "never seen anything like this before", thought there had been a massive oil slick when he first saw the thick black water flowing out past a tourist hot spot in the Northern Territory.

As the NT Government releases its new management plan for the Limmen Bight Marine Park, traditional owners are pleading for far greater environmental protections and an end to overfishing in the area.

In the turbid waters of the Wessel Marine Park in the Gulf of Carpentaria, an underwater garden of sponges, corals and creatures is revealed.

The Australian head of the US Marines in the NT says the current figure of 2,500 troops rotating through the region could be "exceeded in certain years", but a continued focus on the figures is "missing the point".

A luxury superyacht has crashed while attempting to moor at a Cairns marina, narrowly avoiding a potential disaster on the busy tourist strip.

Marine scientists are calling for new speed limits in waters off the Gold Coast in response to an increasing number of humpback whales calving in the area.

Underwater statues and submerged hotels are some of the latest attractions on the Great Barrier Reef, concerning an old-school dive operator.

Drum lines used to kill sharks in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park will be removed after the Queensland Government lost a challenge in the Federal Court to continue its culling program in the protectedarea.

Defending champions Sydney FC get their title defence off to a perfect start a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory, while the Newcastle Jets demolish Central Coast Mariners 5-1.

Sunday proves to be a day of A-League score draws as the Mariners hold Victory to a 1-1 draw after the Jets and Wanderers battle it out for the same scoreline.

The Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners are still waiting for their first A-League wins this season after playing out an unremarkable 0-0 draw.

The Central Coast Mariners get their first win of the season and hand Sydney FC their first loss, to get round six underway in Gosford on Friday night.

Adelaide United travels to Gosford to meet Central Coast Mariners as it looks to break a three-match losing streak in the A-League. Follow all the live scores, stats and commentary.

Sydney FC go back on top of the ladder with a 3-1 win over Brisbane, after the Mariners surprise the Phoenix in Wellington.

The Video Assistant Referee has again been a focal point as the Western Sydney Wanderers recorded a 2-0 win over nine-man Central Coast Mariners.

Angry Mariners coach Paul Okon pledges to appeal against red cards handed to Wout Brama and Jake McGing from Saturday night's controversial loss, as the Video Assistant Referee yet again comes under the spotlight.

Neither side really looked like scoring in a dour New Year's Eve contest leaving the Wellington Phoenix last and the Central Coast Mariners in eighth.

Melbourne Victory miss out on the maximum points after a 1-1 draw with Central Coast Mariners in their A-League encounter in Geelong.

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama faces a nervous wait for the A-League match review panel to ponder his horrible tackle which left Brisbane Roar forward Corey Gameiro in tears.

The former superstar sprinter is set to undertake a trial with the Mariners ahead of a possible shock A-League move.

Football loves a sugar hit and the tabloid frenzy created by images of Usain Bolt in a Mariners shirt had the capacity to give the entire A-League Type 2 diabetes. But the FFA was right not to fund his Central Coast trial, Richard Hinds writes.

Usain Bolt has taken part in his first training session with the Central Coast Mariners, in a trial period seeking an A-League contract.

The eight-time Olympic gold medallist did not set the world alight at his first training session, but will be given all the time he needs to prove himself from Mariners coach Mike Mulvey.

The union between a struggling football club and one of the world's greatest Olympic athletes comes from way outside the box, but each party brings to the table what the other desperately desires, writes Tracey Holmes.

It was plain to see Usain Bolt's second training session with the Central Coast Mariners was gruelling and that he was giving it his all but believe it or not, coach Mike Mulvey is asking him for more speed.

The former fastest-man-in-the-world makes his professional football debut for the Central Coast, but in 19 minutes he wasn't able to make much of an impact.

A Berejiklian Government MP has revolted against his own party's policy, backing his "local fishing community" over his Government's plan to introduce 25 new marine park sites across the state.

The fishing industry and enthusiasts are warning a NSW Government's plan to designate the Hawkesbury Shelf marine area a marine park could destroy their livelihoods and lifestyles.

Usain Bolt has turned down a two-year deal to play in Europe, but that won't make Mike Mulvey and the Central Coast Mariners rush into offering the eight-time Olympic champion a deal.

Usain Bolt's time with the Central Coast Mariners could soon be coming to an end, with the A-League club revealing any potential deal will need to include "financial contribution" from a third party.

Usain Bolt leaves the Central Coast Mariners after a trial, with the A-League club and Olympic sprint legend unable to come to a deal that would have extended the sporting experiment.

Perth Glory ends 2018 three points clear at the A-League summit after beating the Mariners 4-1 following a 40-minute mid-match delay over snapped goalposts.

The Central Coast Mariners have won one game from 21 starts and sacked their coach. The days of Usain Bolt's ill-fated trial with the team seem a lifetime ago, but are we still seeing the effects?

Alen Stajcic vows to leave the baggage from his controversial Matildas axing at the door, as he takes on the role of caretaker coach at A-League strugglers Central Coast Mariners.

He dominated the world on the track and now Usain Bolt is determined to prove his worth on the football field as he begins life with the A-League's Central Coast Mariners.

The Melbourne derby ends in a scoreless draw as the Victory host City at Docklands in the opening round of the A-League, while the Wanderers celebrate a 2-1 triumph over the Mariners at their new home ground.

(United States Fifth Circuit) - In an amended opinion, held that Louisiana statutes requiring certain erotic dancers at nightclubs to be 21 years of age or older was not unconstitutionally overbroad or vague. Vacated a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the statutes.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - Reversed and remanded. An ambiguous record regarding a state law conviction does not constitute a predicate offense that would bar eligibility for a cancellation of removal, overruling Young v. Holder, where Petitioner argued previous conviction for conspiracy to commit a felony did not reference a specific controlled substance.

(United States Federal Circuit) - In an action alleging that the government misappropriated plaintiff's trade secrets, the Fifth Circuit's decision vacating the district court’s judgment for plaintiff and remanding the case for transfer of the case to the Claims Court under 28 U.S.C. section 1631, is affirmed, where: 1) the Fifth Circuit ruling that the case must be transferred to the Claims Court is law of the case; and 2) the Claims Court has jurisdiction over plaintiff's suit because although plaintiff brought the action under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which now must give way, plaintiff is within the class of those authorized to recover upon proof of breach of contract, injury, and amount of damages, as well as a Fifth Amendment taking.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - Held that an order issued by an arbitrator in the Philippines was not an arbitral award entitled to enforcement under a United Nations convention on recognition of foreign arbitral awards, based on the particular circumstances here. Reversed and remanded, in this case involving a fishing vessel crew member's personal injury claim.

(California Court of Appeal) - Held that an insurance company owed a duty to defend a general contractor who was being sued by homeowners over alleged roofing defects. The case involved a commercial general liability insurance policy issued to a roofing subcontractor. Reversed the decision below.

(United States Second Circuit) - Affirmed that a maritime lien had been extinguished by laches in a case where a Cypriot fuel supplier sought to enforce its lien against a Maltese company's vessel. In affirming the lower court's finding that the lien was barred by laches, the Second Circuit also recognized that federal courts have jurisdiction to declare a maritime lien unenforceable, even where the vessel is not present in the district, so long as its owner consents to adjudication of rights in the lien and the court also found no need for abstention on the basis of international comity, even though an in-rem proceeding was pending in Panama regarding the same lien.

(United States Seventh Circuit) - In plaintiff's suit against its insurer, arising from an underlying suit against the plaintiff over its marketing of Christmas lights for copying packaging design and for using false and deceptive language, district court's judgment is affirmed where: 1) the insurer had, but did not breach, a duty to defend; 2) the district court properly declined to require the insurer to reimburse plaintiff's contract indemnitee's expenses; but 3) the case is remanded to resolve whether the insurer owes prejudgment interest on litigation expenses and reimbursement for the settlement expenses in the underlying suit.

(California Court of Appeal) - Held that the California Coastal Commission did not act contrary to law in refusing to certify the San Diego Unified Port District's proposed master plan amendment authorizing a hotel development project, in a reversal of the trial court.