A prominent businessman on Western Australia's south coast has been sentenced to eight years and six months in jail for attempting to hire a hitman to murder his estranged daughter-in-law. Brian Vincent Attwell paid $10,000 to an undercover police officer who had posed as a hitman in September last year. The court heard the 74-year-old was angry over legal action after his son's divorce and he was motivated by "sheer hatred" of Michelle Attwell. The trial was played recordings of the businessman saying his daughter-in-law had cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he wanted her "strangled and buried".

Agricultural lobby group WA Farmers has urged the Federal Government not to forget struggling growers in parts of Western Australia, in talks over a drought assistance package.

Lawyers representing a West Australian farmer who is suing his neighbour over genetically modified canola which allegedly contaminated his property, say the court case will hinge on the principle of negligence. The landmark case has been taken by Kojonup organic farmer Steve Marsh. They say the neighbour Michael Baxter had a duty to contain his own crop of GM canola.

The City of Albany has denied there has been delays in upgrades to the city's Anzac precinct.

University of Western Australia (UWA) researchers have warned of the potential for "very large extinction rates" among marine life unique to southern WA due to climate change.

A study shows the mining boom has generated up to 65 per cent more wealth for the top 20 per cent of West Australian households. But the research by Curtin University shows not all areas have reaped the rewards. It analysed the effects of the boom from 2003/04 to its peak in 2009/10 and found while those with higher incomes benefited substantially, other residents also benefited due to increased employment opportunities.

Australia is Women's T20 World Cup champion again after thumping India by 85 runs in front of a whopping 86,174 people at the MCG.

It was predictably branded as "politically correct". Yet rather than a legitimate beef with the promotional video, you wonder if the real objection was that it did not fit the needs of those yearning for the past, writes Richard Hinds.

Flames fanned by strong winds caused extensive damage to the resort site, destroying the heritage-listed wooden lodge building that had stood since the 1930s.

Police praise bystanders who rushed to help two men involved in a hang-gliding incident that killed the 67-year-old instructor, from Byron Bay, and left his Irish passenger critically injured.

The SA Government is proposing new incentives for landholders to kill wild dogs on their properties, as well as allowing aerial baiting, but an ecologist says the new policy will inevitably target native dingoes.

Removalist John Siaki specialises in helping women in abusive relationships flee to safety and says the demand for his service has increased by 60 per cent since coronavirus restrictions were introduced.

As the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess continues, a Sunshine Coast couple describe their final day aboard.

Cairns Regional Council records significant increase in waste created by residents since coronavirus restrictions came into effect in March.

ABC North Coast resident arts reviewer, Jeanti St Clair looks at the latest music and theatre to hit the region.

A Supreme Court Justice says allegations made by Robert Xie's legal team that a "dishonest" witness "covered up material" are among the most serious he's heard, as the former surgeon prepares to appeal his five murder convictions.

Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock labels Coffs Harbour's Cultural and Civic Space plan "foolish and rash", threatening to change laws to stop it.

The Illawarra union movement pays tribute to a Dapto man who has not missed a May Day march in 88 years.

Health authorities in NSW carried out more than 8,800 tests yesterday, and they're delighted that only five came back positive.

The New Zealand Warriors will fly into Tamworth tomorrow, in an exemption from current travel rules.

A NSW Health official breaks down in tears while apologising for the government department's failures in dealing with the Ruby Princess coronavirus outbreak, an inquiry hears.

Scores of crew members on the Ruby Princess celebrated with a party on the day it docked in Sydney unaware of the public health disaster that was about to happen.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Dr Kerry Chant provided an updated on coronavirus for May 6. NSW has confirmed nine new cases of COVID-19 overnight.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the questioning of a NSW Health worker who broke down in tears at the Ruby Princess inquiry was "out of line" and she was only doing her best.

Jim Hamilton from Lake Macquarie was a passenger aboard the Ruby Princess, now the subject of a special commission of inquiry led by Brett Walker SC. A NSW Health epidemiologist Kelly-Anne Ressler agreed it was unsatisfactory that more people on the ship were tested for influenza than for COVID-19.

Jim Hamilton, 68, a passenger on Ruby Princess, says a stint in intensive care with COVID-19 has left him musing about "the meaning of life and everything".

Epidemiologist Kelly-Anne Ressler Ressler says her colleagues at NSW Health "were working very hard" and that if they could have their time over to deal with the Ruby Princess's arrival again "it would be very different" during evidence at the special commission of inquiry on May 6, 2020.

It is not common place for students to be greeted at their school gate by their principal wearing fancy dress, but this is exactly what one school leader is doing each day to put his school community at ease and have a laugh.

Steven Spielberg's historical drama is a fascinating political study that's both measured and thoughtful, with an electrifying performance from Daniel Day-Lewis.

Spielberg has never been so restrained with his camera, with the aid of deep blue grey cinematography by Janusz Kaminski that adds a daguerreotype historicity to the images as well as creating a kind of visual memento mori to go with this sombre work.

This comedy about battling magicians may not be incredible or magicial, but its grab bag of stupid jokes is enough to create some decent chuckles.

There are now 22 people in Tasmania who have tested positive for coronavirus, with five people being diagnosed today, the director of public health says.

Tasmania records six new cases of coronavirus, with four of those infected being passengers who returned to the state after disembarking the Ruby Princess cruise ship.

No new cases are identified on the day Tasmania records its second coronavirus death, an elderly man in southern Tasmania who was a passenger on the Ruby Princess cruise ship.

The Tasmanian hospital where two staff members have tested positive to coronavirus will remain open, authorities say, assuring the public they can be "confident about the care they receive".

The Tasmanian man was trying to get home in a yacht when he hit rocks near Portsea on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.

The Ruby Princess leaves Australian waters today over a month after docking in Sydney. About one in 10 cases of coronavirus in Australia is linked to the cruise ship.

Australia's Chief Medical Officer says a coronavirus cluster in Tasmania's north-west was likely sparked by a passenger from the Ruby Princess cruise ship, as the state marks 24 hours without a new case being found.

Aussie expat Morgan Ray usually attends an Anzac Day ceremony on the banks of the Chicago River, but lockdowns have made that impossible this year. He's not alone in feeling alone this year.

An investigation into a coronavirus cluster in north-west Tasmania finds some staff worked in local hospitals for several days while experiencing symptoms, but the Premier stresses no-one is to blame.

A Catholic college principal tells parents children missing their friends and parents needing time are not valid reasons to send children to school, as Tasmania records its third consecutive day without new coronavirus cases.

A student who stabbed a classmate at Renmark High School in South Australia's Riverland is found not guilty on the grounds of mental incompetence.

Peacocks are popular pets with people eager to host the showy ornamental bird, despite breeders admitting they are not particularly good companions nor protectors.

Fishing businesses report an increasing demand for carp as a "premium" food product, but fear the looming herpes virus release could kill the industry before it even takes off.

The first corroboree at a New South Wales city in more than 150 years has united generations while acknowledging deep concerns about climate change and drought.

Despite 18 places on the table and 55 points standing between Liverpool and Watford, the lowly Hornets sting the Reds for a first Premier League loss of the season.

Extinction Rebellion protesters say they will take on board concerns that their demonstrations are disproportionately affecting people with disabilities, as police use power tools to separate activists in Melbourne and Brisbane.

During an emotional monologue, the veteran broadcaster thanks his audience for sharing their stories with him over his 30-year career radio career.