Controversial cartoonist Michael Leunig is accused of unfairly judging mothers in a cartoon that suggests some love their phones and Instagram more than their children.

Victoria's new deal with Beijing has angered some in the Morrison Government who worry about Chinese influence in Australia, but Premier Daniel Andrews says it will boost the state's economy and jobs.

The artist sister of cartoonist Michael Leunig says she does not believe her brother understands how hard mothers work and that many are also juggling careers, after his controversial cartoon appeared to critique heavy use of social media by mothers.

Usually by this time of year, there'd be 40,000 mutton birds on south-west Victoria's Griffiths Island. So far, fewer than 100 of the birds have arrived from their 15,000km journey from the northern hemisphere.

Much-loved actor Anne Phelan, who featured in Australian TV programs including Bellbird and Prisoner, dies at the age of 71. The acclaimed actor was described as "simply one of the best humans".

A judge describes the attack on 21-year-old Aiia Maasarwe as "unsophisticated and opportunistic" in sentencing her killer to 36 years' prison, with a non-parole period of 30, as the victim's father and sister watch on in court.

Senior Victorian police defend their tactics, including the pushing of a journalist and the use of pepper spray, during protests outside a mining conference, saying officers are ready to respond the same way tomorrow.

It's the size of a tea bag and plays dead if you manage to catch it but this little crayfish is starting to get noticed.

A senior police officer tells the royal commission Nicola Gobbo agreed to make a statement against Paul Dale in the murders of Terence and Christine Hodson because she did not want it to look like she was involved in the murder.

Another international raider grabs the last automatic spot in the Melbourne Cup, with the Joseph O'Brien-trained Downdraft earning his spot with a win in the Hotham Handicap on Derby Day.

Are you feeling torn about celebrating the Melbourne Cup today? We asked our ABC Messenger audience how they felt about the race that stops the nation and what they loved (and hated) about it.

In the closest of finishes, jockey Craig Williams rides the winner but an upheld protest sees a change to the final placings in the race that stops a nation. Look back on how it unfolded at Flemington Racecourse.

The 2019 Melbourne Cup has been won by Australian-owned, trained and bred horse Vow And Declare in a dramatic finish at Flemington, but last-placed Rostropovich is taken to Werribee with a pelvis injury.

As Vow and Declare stormed to his thrilling Melbourne Cup victory, a group of novice part-owners in the Queensland town of Gympie were celebrating a dream come true.

The long-term boyfriend of a Dutch woman who died in Melbourne last year after a hit-and-run tells her killer's court hearing that he feels completely alone and mourns the children they would have had.

The Australian Electoral Commission's solicitor tells a court it's "hard to imagine any adult citizen being so naive and gullible" to be influenced by Chinese-language signs telling people to vote Liberal, simply because they used AEC colours.

Every fortnight, dozens on Indigenous students of all ages arrive at Noorla Heritage Resort in Ingham in north Queensland. They spend the week running the resort and working towards qualifications in small business, hospitality, management and tourism.

Around two dozen Koorie art unit students have compiled their own art exhibition in Bairnsdale and have been reaping the awards from their hard work.

Throughout Kalgoorlie-Boulder during NAIDOC week, people came together in an effort to build better understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal history and culture.

Comic superheroes and villainous characters put their differences aside over the weekend, uniting for far north Queensland's first ever pop culture and comic convention, Tropicon.

An array of Pacific Island communities converged on the Mackay Botanical Gardens last weekend to take part in the region's first Pasifika Festival. The event highlighted Mackay's diverse cultures by showcasing traditional artwork, food and performances.

Welding splatter as barnacles and human hearts made of steel; inside the world of blacksmith art

Quambone, Gulargambone and Armatree residents witnessed a rare event on Saturday when a tornado blasted its way through the area.

Gippsland residents are enjoying conceptual and abstract art from Melbourne and revelling in local artist contributions along the way, in the exhibition Synthetica.

Not much gets in the way of Tami Willey achieving her goals: after all she is a professional basketball player. What fans don't always see is what Tami's life is like off the court, juggling a career, a family and type 1 diabetes.

After a trip to Venice, West Gippsland artist Anita George was inspired to turn off her computer and write and draw with brush, pen and paper once again. Her passion has resulted in the exhibition Ink Talks, dissecting words, language and intent.

A Mid West conservation and land management program is skilling up prisoners in Greenough and reducing the rate of re-offending.

One year ago, Jai Balmer was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. With help from Make-A-Wish Australia, Jai's dream of becoming an aviation photographer is more determined than ever.

Wine flowed and cuisine was sampled at Queens Park when close to 30,000 people attended Mackay's Wine and Food Day. The annual event has been ongoing in Mackay for the past 28 years and this year event manager said it attracted bigger numbers than ever before.

The idea was simple; find a spot in Australia with some of the best weather in the world, move there, and start brewing German beer.

Splendour in the Grass was unofficially rebranded 'Splendour in the Mud' this year as thousands of music lovers donned gumboots for the festival in the Byron Shire's Yelgun.

It was bitterly cold at Anzac Cove on the 25th April. In order to attend the Dawn Service marking 100 years since the landing at Gallipoli, Jeff Peirce went 34 hours without sleep.

Only a couple of weeks remain of minor round football. Find out who won what around Eyre Peninsula at the weekend.

Each Thursday in a back-alley warehouse, a group of volunteers come together to meticulously clean, repair and catalogue artefacts collected from the remnants of a Chinese temple that once stood proud in the Cairns CBD.

Celebrities like Pink and touring shows like Cirque du Soleil are motivating people to take up the art of aerial acrobatics. Kayleigh McMullen has opened up her own school in Coolum on the Sunshine Coast and says it is attracting people of all ages.

From the outside, the Mackay Senior Citizen's Hall may not look like an overly exciting place. Step inside on a Wednesday night and the flashing lights, twirling bodies and loud music might just prove that wrong. For the past two decades, people of all ages have gathered to learn a thing or two about rock and roll dancing.

Once a lavish home to a mining magnate in the 19th century then a covert map-making location during WWII, Bendigo's Fortuna Villa is filled with tales. Six people who have a long association with its history talk of the mysteries and celebrations surrounding the place.

Sale College science students swapped the indoors for the outdoors to take part in the Bug Blitz program and create an art installation for Lake Guyatt.

Landscape, memory and Monet

Being a mum for the first time can be scary and overwhelming, but local mums and bubs groups can help ease the process. And being an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mother, getting culturally sensitive support is even more important, which is why Orbost's Koori mums and bubs program has been growing in popularity since it started in 2008.

The sound of chatter and wind instruments being blown at different times fills the room at the Launceston College music centre as the band members warm up for rehearsals.

In the early hours of Friday morning when most people were waking and getting ready for work or school, 200 military personnel in north Queensland were close to finishing 24 hours of hard work.

A Toowoomba artist says art has a valuable part to play in helping understand scientific concepts.

On a soft, misty morning, all was quiet and still on the swamp except for a piercing whistle and splashing of water.

More than 40 years after the conclusion of the Vietnam War many of those who served still bear physical and psychological scars as a result of the conflict. On Vietnam Veterans' Day members of the far north Queensland community paused to pay tribute to those who fought in the name of their country.

A 7-year stint in the Navy wasn't enough to stop a Kalgoorlie-Boulder race horse trainer following in the family trade. Paddy Birmingham doesn't mind the early mornings when he gets to see his horses cross the line.