Real estate agents say COVID-19 could be a rare opportunity for first home buyers to enter the property market, as the pandemic causes a much softer blow to the industry than expected.

National Cabinet has released a 3-stage plant to reopen Australia, although it's up to states and territories to decide when restrictions will ease.

Stage three of National Cabinet's plan for lifting restrictions includes allowing interstate travel, but Scott Morrison says that's still some time away.

Labor argues fresh details of emails between the offices of Scott Morrison and now-former cabinet minister Bridget McKenzie show the Prime Minister had personal involvement in approving a list of successful clubs under the much maligned community sports grants scheme.

WA Premier Mark McGowan is set to outline the state's roadmap for easing coronavirus-related restrictions.

As the National Horse Traceability Scheme awaits an official launch, experts say horse welfare is falling short while volunteers take the lead.

The deputy prime minister says he understands why Adani sought the names of government scientists who reviewed a crucial plan for its Queensland coal mine.

Adani sought the names of government scientists who reviewed a crucial plan for its Queensland coal mine.

Human activities have destroyed more than 7.7 million hectares of threatened species habitat.

Climate change concerns raised by former fire chiefs during the NSW bushfire crisis were dismissed as "unpalatable" by the responsible minister David Elliott.

NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean says Australia must stop making climate change a matter of religion and instead make it a matter of science as unprecedented bushfires burn across the state.

Social media experts have warned of a "disinformation campaign" aimed at creating a false narrative of arson being solely responsible for the Australian bushfire emergency.

The United Nations is warning hotter temperatures will influence extreme weather conditions this year and into the future.

A new study has found the oil and gas industry has had a far worse impact on the climate than previously believed.

New satellite photos from NASA's Earth Observatory show ice on the cap of Eagle Island has almost disappeared after less than 10 days of extreme heat.

As a new year of tertiary education gets underway and Australia recovers from a summer of bushfires, Australian universities have told SBS News there has been increasing interest in their environment courses. Here, three students share their motivations.

New research show that Beijing’s engineers appear to have directly caused the record low levels of water in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

STRUGGLING parents say they don’t know how they will scrape together enough cash to pay for school uniforms, shoes and fees after being stripped of the Schoolkids Bonus.

LEONARD French, the Australian artist who designed the stained glass ceiling for the National Gallery of Victoria’s Great Hall, has died aged 88.

The Federal Government has been spruiking a renewed focus on Australia's shrinking manufacturing sector in the post-COVID-19 world. But experts say it will be tough to flick the switch on a withering part of the economy.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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 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.

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.

While the price of petrol falls to the lowest point in a generation in Brisbane, service stations are charging 30 per cent more in north Queensland and 75 per cent more in Mt Isa, with a federal MP raising accusations of collusion.

Since the 1970s, the Degenhardts dreamed of retiring to Gerroa. Their dream became a reality — but retirement got tougher this month when they were told their supposedly guaranteed monthly income would not be paid until July due to coronavirus.

The Australian share market ends higher, despite Wall Street giving up most of its gains after leaked test results of a potential COVID-19 treatment prove disappointing.

The Victorian Government announces a proposal for a 101-storey building is one of four to be approved amid moves to fast-track development in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Australian business are presented with a new set of rules on how to manage workplaces during the coronavirus pandemic, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he would "love to see a return to work across the board".

Renters in the NT will be protected from eviction for up to four months after more coronavirus emergency legislation passes parliament. But the Opposition and independents say Labor is avoiding scrutiny of its measures, following the suspension of Question Time.

In an extremely unusual move, National Australia Bank reports its results to the stock exchange almost a fortnight early as it seeks an extra $3.5 billion of investment from shareholders.

Rod Peters is a real-life Darryl Kerrigan from movie The Castle — he has even extended his house to include uninterrupted views of the runway. And the noise? No problem at all.

An easing of coronavirus restrictions means non-essential shopping has the green light from this weekend, but that doesn't mean all the stores are ready to throw open their doors immediately.

A union for call centre workers in the Philippines claims staff have been sleeping in the office in potentially unsafe conditions to help Telstra and Optus customers, despite the risk of the coronavirus.

Banyan Constructions collapsed earlier this year, and a report from liquidators has now revealed that the $22 million owed to creditors — mostly small, local businesses — will not be paid back.

Real estate agents are resorting to discounting to try to secure tenants as COVID–19 hits the apartment rental market.

Videos of unidentified flying objects have been officially released by the Department of Defense after unauthorised distribution in 2007 and 2017.

The small town in the middle of Australia is hosting a collection of very expensive aircraft, including double-decker Airbus A380s. Why are they being stored here?