The National Portrait Gallery acquires a rare painting of colonial life by a 19th-century mother of six who enjoyed recreational art.

Tiny houses are all the rage at the moment for people looking for compact, affordable accommodation but it's not the first time Australians have thought small.

A specialist family drug court is set up for the first time in regional Victoria in a bid to address a horrific trend in parental drug abuse.

South Sydney leaves it late to beat the Cowboys in Townsville, after the Roosters crush the Knights at the SCG and the Raiders get up against Wests Tigers.

Cronulla snaps a five-match losing streak with a 16-14 win over an injury-hit North Queensland to remain in the hunt for the NRL finals.

Prominent French journalist Hugo Clement says his arrest in north Queensland this week will now feature heavily in the documentary he is filming, with the incident sparking a strong international reaction.

An agreement with a Chinese company to develop an export processing facility for north Queensland and Northern Territory beef has been signed with a local council.

As the NRL finals begin to appear on the horizon, the Wests Tigers jump inside the top eight after scoring five tries to one in their convincing 28-4 win over a disappointing North Queensland Cowboys outfit at Leichhardt Oval.

The Broncos beat the Cowboys 18-14 thanks to a last-minute Jake Turpin try, but don't let the scoreline fool you, this was not one of those classic Queensland derbies.

Indonesian 'mumpreneurs' are cashing-in on an appetite for purchasing cheap beef online, threatening Australia's live cattle trade.

The North Queensland Cowboys has ended the Canterbury Bulldogs' finals hopes with a 15-8 victory in the final NRL match at Townsville Stadium.

For the first time, the long-term outlook for the Great Barrier Reef is downgraded to "very poor", with the impacts of climate change, including coral bleaching and record-breaking warm water, deteriorating its overall health.

There are fewer than 1,000 black-throated finches in the wild, but one north Queensland primary school has bred 120 as part of a science class.

Minor premiers Melbourne finish on a high as they beat the Cowboys at AAMI Park, after the Eels down Manly to claim fifth.

Fire-weary residents in Queensland's Scenic Rim are being told they need to prepare to leave again, as the Sarabah bushfire rears up for a second time. It's one of 55 fires burning across the state.

The father of an 11-year-old Townsville girl, who was tasered by police, after allegedly stabbing a teacher, apologises saying he has "no idea" what was going through his daughter's mind.

A team of citizen scientists join in the effort to restore the balance in inshore reefs and save threatened corals by clearing them of choking algae and seeding them with coral larvae.

Darwin newlyweds Jack and Amy Mildwaters set to put their 'wedding car' through its paces at this year's Finke Desert Race.

One of the world's most dangerous desert tracks claims a victim, with five-time champion Toby Price bowing out due to mechanical problems paving the way for a hometown hero to take the gold.

Prosecutor Stephen Robson says he does not accept the version of events given to police by Mr Deighton that he went to answer the door while changing baby Michael, returned to find him falling from the change table and then caught him.

Discoveries of rare animals are sparking mini tourism booms in remote Australia, but they're also causing some headaches for Aboriginal rangers and their conservation efforts.

The Saints have given interim coach Brett Ratten a winning start by beating the Western Bulldogs at Docklands after the Hawks upset the Cats at the MCG and West Coast beat Melbourne in Alice Springs.

Software developed with the help of Alice Spring medical staff and Indigenous people from remote communities is set to break down the language barrier and ease the stress of patients undergoing dialysis treatment.

A fatal crash following a police pursuit near a community north-east of Alice Springs is being treated as a death in custody, with police declining to say what prompted them to chase the 42-year-old man.

The records of children and teachers have been left vulnerable to cyber security attacks due to an oversight from the Northern Territory Government, a report from the auditor general's Office has revealed.

The custody notification system, designed to help prevent Aboriginal deaths in custody, has been rolled out in the Northern Territory but there are concerns the people most at risk of harm have been excluded from its operation.

The 41-year-old man from a remote Central Australian community was found guilty of two counts of "sexual intercourse without consent" for a sustained assault in which he raped and punched his aunt and then brandished a shovel at her as she tried to flee.

A young mother's fight for justice has finally resulted in a sentence, several years after the death of her baby boy when she was 16 years old.

An inquest into the deaths of Linden Kunoth and Jordan Allen, who died by suicide, finds that neither man should have been granted leave from the Alice Springs mental health ward.

If tourists could see Mutitjulu, most would be shocked by the level of abject poverty at Australia's famous natural wonder.

The family of brutally murdered woman Karen Chetcuti, whose killer was a rapist on parole, is suing the Victorian Government for her wrongful death.

A hailstorm blankets Gippsland beaches in white as a cold front sweeps across Victoria, downing trees and causing flash flooding as it dumps 50 millimetres of rain west of Melbourne.

Conservationists are hoping new, tiny satellite tracking tech can show where these critically endangered birds hide each and every year.

Two teenagers accused of killing a man in north-east Victoria admit they "bashed" him because he offered to pay one of their girlfriends for sex, a court hears.

Consumers turn to goat meat as an alternative, but tough seasonal conditions, wild dogs, and destocking, see producers struggling to keep up with demand.

As the northern hemisphere sweats through deadly heatwaves, experts warn Australia is unprepared to deal with soaring temperatures.

Emergency services are warning Victorians to brace for a cold snap and wind gusts of up to 130kph in parts of the south-east, while alpine areas may enjoy heavier snowfall.

Heavy snow, freezing temperatures and "treacherous driving conditions" close access to a popular snow resort as Victoria shivers through its third day of an extreme cold snap that's blanketing towns in snow.

Voting opens for Victorian Aboriginal communities to elect the people who will help make the rules for what are expected to be the first treaty negotiations in Australia.

Equestrian sports are set for a major safety overhaul following an inquest into the deaths of two teenagers who died while taking part in separate eventing competitions three years ago.

Victoria should brace itself for extreme weather over the next few days, with the bureau forecasting damaging winds, flooding rains and snow before conditions clear up for Melbourne Cup day.

The Victorian Government's historic treaty negotiations with the state's Aboriginal communities are one step closer this week, with the election of the First Peoples' Assembly. But the toughest yards to meaningful treaties still lie ahead.

The Northern Territorys first known contract killer may have accidentally died in his prison cell after using drugs, investigators believe.

In their ruling, the three Court of Appeals judges say a couple who were inside the home had not done anything to "revoke or negate" the implied right for police to walk up their footpath and approach the door.

Wielding an oversized wooden spoon, this popular Darwin laksa restaurateur, prepared for battle over a median strip, has taken to social media with a comical protest video.