A review of WA's cattle stations finds at least a dozen are at risk of animal welfare issues in coming months because of a lack of food and water.

The Australian kelpie's origins have long been shrouded in mystery, but new genetics research has found some vital answers to the iconic working dog's ancestry.

Keeping Aboriginal people 'on country' in their later years has far-reaching community benefits, but poor resources often make that impossible. In WA's remote north, however, that is starting to change.

A strong cold front is expected to bring damaging wind gusts, heavy rain, thunderstorms and possible flash flooding to south-west WA, with up to 40 millimetres of rainfall set to be dumped on Perth.

This online community is reaching out to asylum seekers, providing friendship and support.

A Federal Government investigation has found no evidence a whistleblower onboard the livestock carrier Awassi Express fabricated conditions on the boat by switching off fans and ventilation.

A shortage of volunteers and funding has triggered serious concerns for animal welfare in far-north Western Australia, with cats, dogs, puppies and kittens "very much at risk" of being euthanased.

The school holidays are about to get ugly with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting thunderstorms and some wild weather for Friday, the second last day of the Perth Royal Show.

A trampoline lands on the roof of a Hobart home, piercing a bedroom ceiling, as strong winds of up to 155 kilometres per hour wreak havoc in southern Tasmania overnight.

DAILY BRIEFING: The father of Graham Enniss, who escaped from Hobart's Risdon Prison this morning, urges his son to hand himself in, as police caution the public to stay away from the man.

Ann Denham has outlived everyone in her life, but a friendship with her younger neighbour has brought her many joys including a ride in a helicopter and a race car.

DAILY BRIEFING: Inmates involved in an escape from prison allegedly tried to get out earlier the same morning, and the Tasmanian Mayor defends renting a short-stay property to staff.

Three-year-old Chase has come ahead in leaps and bounds in this past year, his family credits a program giving kids like him free access to early learning.

DAILY BRIEFING: The majority shareholders of Hobart Airport have sold a 70 per cent stake in the facility, and concerns surround the rejection of the Constitution Dock extension.

DAILY BRIEFING: An elderly female driver has a fright after her car swerves off a road and over a cliff, and the Tasmanian Government holds off formally asking the Commonwealth to help pay for firefighting in the Wilderness World Heritage Area last summer.

Tensions are rising within the Tasmanian Liberal party as some look to drop veteran Eric Abetz from the top spot on the Senate ticket in favour of his apprentice, Jonathon Duniam.

Betty Pilgrim is 71, but she's studying law online and just got back from two months of backpacking in Europe. She's hoping if she can stay active, it will help stave off dementia.

A public servant improperly awarded, or attempted to influence, millions of dollars' worth of government contracts for the benefit of a close friend, an inquiry finds.

DAILY BRIEFING: A fire that started north of Bothwell two days ago has been upgraded to emergency level, with firefighters pulling out because it is too dangerous.

Scientists at the University of Tasmania find vaping is just as harmful to human health as cigarettes and even has the potential to cause lung cancer. But some say any alternative to smoking is worth the risk.

A former Tasmanian cricketer and Liberal member of Parliament struggled to inflate his life jacket while panicking in the water before he drowned, an investigation into the fishing trip tragedy finds.

DAILY BRIEFING: TasWater has issued a temporary boil water alert after E.coli bacteria was found after routine testing.

DAILY BRIEFING: TasWater has lifted a boil water alert that was put in place on Monday for Lauderdale, Acton Park, Roches Beach and Seven Mile Beach, but investigations into how the drinking supply became infected with E. coli are still underway.

Friends of a man allegedly murdered on South Australia's Nullarbor Plain on Monday say he had previously worked as an interpreter with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the US Army in Afghanistan, and had "escaped the warzone" in moving to Australia.

Some members of South Australia's Aboriginal community have lost 23 members of their family in the past two years and they are desperate for help in dealing with grief.

Australian woolgrowers are set to benefit from the suspension of wool exports from South Africa to China due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

The District Council of Coober Pedy spends $60,000 investigating complaints before the complainant himself is elected to council.

Mother's Day can be a painful time for members of the Stolen Generations, but it can also be a source of pride and strength for those who have maintained unbreakable bonds spanning generations.

During times of plenty dingoes consume a smaller variety of prey, but when the water dries up they become less picky and will eat anything nearby, new research finds.

The vulnerable species breeds year-round in captivity and arid zones but a study of re-introduced populations on the Eyre Peninsula suggests that may not be the case in southern parts of Australia.

A plan to probe the Great Australian Bight for gas and oil using seismic testing is delayed, with the company behind the move confirming its testing will be postponed until next year.

South Australia's Emergency Services Minister says the Country Fire Service's new chief officer has "experience right across the world", as volunteers criticise their new head for his lack of experience of catastrophic fire conditions.

Thousands of scientists and soldiers once lived at the Maralinga nuclear site, but now it's home to just three people who are in love with the country.

An app designed to alert South Australians about bushfires is still not ready as total fire bans were issued amid sweltering temperatures. A watch and act message has been issued for a fire burning near Swan Reach in the state's Murraylands region.

A new report by La Trobe University finds 80 per cent of teachers have experienced some form of student or parent bullying or harassment over the past nine to 12 months.

The Holland family have hosted thousands of dinner parties in a bus parked in the driveways of complete strangers. It is their way of keeping one foot in urban life while living off the grid.

Families of loved ones who live with epilepsy are now relying on trained dogs to detect their seizures, and one mother says their dog saved her son's life on multiple occasions.

At first he thought it was just a rusty bullet case, but further inspection showed it to be worth much, much more.

Balancing the scales of justice is an onerous responsibility for legal professionals when the freedom, futures, families, and finances of their clients are on the line.

A local council warns Victoria's "culture of recycling" is at risk as the state's waste crisis deepens and an estimated 780 rubbish trucks' worth of recyclable material is sent to landfill in a week.

A protest by Victorian oil and gas workers over pay and conditions at Esso's offshore operations has come to an end more than 700 days after workers first set up a picket line at the company's Longford gas plant.

Bung Yarnda, also known as Lake Tyers, has a rich Indigenous history as a fishing and camping place for Gunai clans in east Victoria. Now a thriving coastal town, the area faces the pressures of population growth.

Rain has been so heavy in parts of Gippsland that it has caused landslides, severely limiting some residents' mobility. Meanwhile, the other half of the region continues to battle through the drought.

Landslip