First-time mayors and councillors who are the subject of minor misconduct complaints will get a three-month amnesty, Queensland's Office of the Independent Assessor says.

The most senior police officer on the Sunshine Coast is warning would-be tourists that breaching the 50km travel limit for a Mother's Day picnic is a bad idea and could cost a $1,334 fine.

The five men suffered upper torso and airway burns in the explosion.

Anyone who isn't eligible for the government-funded flu vaccine has been left waiting for the jab in north-west Queensland.

Rowing machines and online coaching are keeping these teenage rowers motivated amid the coronavirus shutdown, and their coaches say many are even achieving personal best times.

Chinese Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra

Sam Neill says he's in the "cheering-up" business. Acting is his profession, winemaking is his passion and now in times of COVID-19, the 72-year-old is delighting the masses on social media.

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.

Police charge Latrell Mitchell and Josh Addo-Carr with firearms offences after a weekend getaway as the NRL fines the pair and two other players for "putting the game and community at risk".

Police find NRL player Nathan Cleary committed no offence after videos emerged of a group of women at his home, but the five women have been slugged with $1,000 fines.

There's no fuss, no entourage and no star ego, writes producer Vanessa Gorman, on filming with Sam Neill.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has endorsed Bega Valley Shire Mayor Kristy McBain after she nominated for pre-selection to contest the Eden-Monaro by-election.

Sydney arts centre Carriageworks says the coronavirus pandemic has caused an "irreparable loss of income" after six months of events were cancelled or postponed.

Over $340,000 raised by celebrity bushfire relief concert Fire Aid 2020 is being pre-loaded onto EFTPOS cards linked to local businesses, tackling two disasters with one innovative idea.

The beloved sci-fi franchise continues to boldly go from strength to strength with a ripping adventure, first class production and a memorable villain.

Is it possible to remake a classic concept like Star Trek better than the original? Yes, apparently it is.

The popular YA book series may be a hit with readers, but this film adaptation offers few thrills or fresh ideas to the teenage fantasy genre.

Abner Bradley, Alirio Zavarce, Ben Wishart, Damien Turbin, Duncan Luke, Kym Mackenzie, Ryan Rowland, Richard Samai

If you grew up in the early 1970s, you probably have no problem conjuring up a bar or two of 'the Roller Skate song'. It was singer Melanie Safka's biggest hit and it topped the Australian pop charts in 1971.

It's an awful shame that Barking Gecko's latest play Jasper Jones has not got a longer season because many West Australians will feel they have missed out.

After Damien Ryan's energetic and enjoyable Henry V last year, it is pleasing to see that Bell Shakespeare has brought the director back to tackle Shakespeare's most complex and nuanced tragedy, Hamlet. And the marriage is a solid one. To start, casting Josh McConville as the grief-struck prince of Denmark has paid off handsomely. McConville approaches Hamlet's descent into his 'prison' of madness with powerful and dexterous complexity, bringing the contradictions that render the character into a fulsome and multi-faceted presentation of Shakespeare's vision for Hamlet.

The Game of Thrones drama ends today for millions of fans, but in one Aussie household it will live on for this pampered pooch which has its own GoT-inspired iron throne.

With towns across New South Wales at risk of running out of water within months, there are renewed calls for an urgent upgrade of water storage infrastructure.

Five years after her partner was murdered at work, a New South Wales woman says she is shattered by an amnesty for those who broke the laws he was trying to enforce.

Enjoying the sunrise or sunset is a simple pleasure you can do from your home. Tasmanian landscape photographer Nick Monk shares his tips on how to catch the light.

Small businesses are struggling across Australia as the coronavirus outbreak unfolds. But there are ways you can help keep them going — and stick to social isolation guidelines.

Tasmania's Premier has warned the public they face fines of up to $16,800 if they gather in groups larger than 10 people in public or private, from 6:00pm tonight.

Australia's smallest regional airlines say their financial survival can be counted in days rather than weeks, as the coronavirus emergency creates heavy turbulence for the industry.

Tasmania's economy was just picking up as coronavirus restrictions sent thousands of people out of work — but some help is out there.

Owners of a Tasmanian equestrian facility say they may have no other option as business evaporates, leaving it with dwindling resources to feed and keep 46 horses.

Leaders show us their true colours during a crisis, and Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein — only in the job three months and following the popular Will Hodgman — is already giving clues as to how he will fare, writes Emily Baker.

Tasmanian companies keen to keep staff employed are adapting and shifting their business focus by making face shields, hand sanitiser and other products in high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister says north-west Tasmania is a classic example of the need for the Federal Government's coronavirus-tracking app, after he accuses a north-west aged care worker of not telling the truth about their movements and contacts.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made life on the streets more difficult than ever and despite government promises to help, Lionel says he has been "hearing that for a long time and nothing happens".

Ten healthcare workers from the Launceston General Hospital's COVID-19 ward are being tested after their colleague was diagnosed with coronavirus, as the Government reveals cases by municipality.

A group of mothers of Indigenous children is coming together in regional SA to create a cultural safe space and improve mental health in their community.

A three-car crash on one of Adelaide's busiest roads leaves a driver in hospital with critical head injuries, with the manager of a nearby business likening the scene to the aftermath of a tornado.

England coach Eddie Jones walks on the field after England is defeated by South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final at International Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama, Japan, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019.

Former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones says he was barely approached by Rugby Australia to return to Australia and replace outgoing coach Michael Cheika.

A Melbourne mother says she was shocked when her six-year-old began asking questions about a notorious child rapist, after seeing a magazine in the check-out of their local supermarket.

New red light cameras in Victoria generate more than $12 million in extra fines, catching out thousands more speedsters and red-light runners. Ten intersections in Melbourne and Geelong have proved particularly lucrative.

Brisbane woman Layla Chen messaged her WeChat community after she was woken in the night by a loud bang she is one of tens of thousands of Chinese-speaking residents who use social media groups to get help when they fear for their safety.

Victoria's one-stop shop for all things to do with fines has been crippled by serious IT issues. So what's behind the multi-million-dollar problem, and what does it mean for people facing a payment deadline?

Six formerly homeless women bring their stories to the stage in Melbourne in a play they hope will galvanise the community to demand politicians invest more in social housing.

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.

Pastels and bold patterns are in this year, but is racing out? As the industry deals with issues around the treatment of horses, punters continue to embrace the Cup in dazzling style.

A senior Victorian Liberal Party figure admits in court that signs used in May's federal election in Josh Frydenberg and Gladys Liu's electorates were designed to "convey" the appearance of official electoral commission material.

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.