A 36-year-old man is arrested and charged for illegally taking and selling 12 tonnes of golden perch from the Darling River over a 20-month period.

Locals at the heart of a devastating fish kill say politicians lack the vision or intent to overcome water management deficiencies, as the ABC visits towns from Goolwa to Menindee to find out who, if anyone, is in control of the Murray-Darling Basin.

Amid the mass fish kills and the ongoing drought, residents of Menindee in outback NSW hope a festival will be the first of many positives that draw tourists back to the region.

A commercial fisher has been fined $15,000 and had his boat confiscated after pleading guilty to seven charges of illegal fishing in the Darling River.

Menindee residents say the New South Wales Government is moving too slowly to prevent the loss of important native fish breeding stock in the Darling River, as authorities warn of further large-scale fish kills in to summer.

The City of Albany says it will be just a few hundred thousand dollars out of pocket from investments in failed US investment bank Lehman Brothers, after the latest settlement agreement.

Albany local John Chandler sees the world from a very different vantage point, with a device that is the source of a lot of controversy.

The Royal Life Saving Society says WA's latest drowning figures, which reveal a 50 per cent increase on the previous year, should serve as a warning ahead of the festive season. A new report shows 31 people drowned in the state in 2012. Children under the age of four were the highest risk group for drowning and near drowning. Older people over the age of 55 were also at risk.

Thieves have caused significant damage to a shopping centre while trying to steal an automatic teller machine in Albany.

Demand on accommodation pushes tourists out from hotspots

"We'd rather be taken by a grey nurse than a nursing home."

The State Government says it has sent a serious warning to the owners of one of Albany's prime vacant lots, by signing off on a plan that would allow it to forcibly reclaim the site.

How much training would you expect a soldier to receive before being sent to the frontline in the theatre of war?

An illness is rarely something that saves a life, but in the case of Tom Sharp, that is what is likely to have happened.

The coronavirus pandemic is causing pain and suffering the world over, but then there are always those who never let a good crisis go to waste. Some are benefiting from COVID-19 for legitimate reasons: just think of companies that make video conferencing apps, ventilators, or canny investors. But there are also more nefarious players looking to bank a win off the back of coronavirus fear and confusion: scam artists, fraudsters, counterfeiters. This week, Geoff Thompson, Mario Christodoulou, Meghna Bali and Kat Gregory investigate who's winning in these turbulent times and how.

The names of towns, roads and localities of central and western NSW are a treasure trove of toponymy, or the study of name origins, but their meanings also provide powerful connection for people and the places they call home.

Lucy Moss's boutique in Coonamble is bursting with colour, and her latest venture offers various shades of relief for drought-affected farmers.

Award-winning journalist Allan Clarke returns to his home town with his storytelling skills to help local youth capture the stories of their elders.

Uncle Dick and Aunty Ruth Carney share how they built their own 'piece of heaven'.

The New South Wales Government is funding an aerial survey for water in the state's central west.

The UN Security Council plans to call for a 90-day 'humanitarian pause' in conflicts worldwide as part of the ongoing struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic. It's hoped that in some of the world's worst conflict zones, this could lay the groundwork for longer term peace agreements.

With hundreds of free activities and workshops, this curated project is a chance to learn new skills, battle boredom, and connect with like-minded people.

Cameron Bancroft survived a one-year ban for ball tampering, but has since gone from the lofty heights of a Test at Lord's to suburban cricket after being dropped from the WA state team, writes Ben Cameron.

Whether Australia or India wins the final, this T20 World Cup almost promised too much but has delivered even more. If fans #FillTheG on Sunday it will give this tournament the conclusion it deserves, writes Richard Hinds.

Once the subject of "satanic panic" and seen as the epitome of nerd-dom, roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons finally hits the mainstream and is bigger than ever.

Four children who took a family member's car from Gracemere near Rockhampton on Saturday night have been found safe in Grafton in northern NSW.

A Brisbane multi-millionaire who donated $300,000 to a charity associated with a group later found in court to be an "exploitative cult" says he gave the money freely as a reward for treating his chronic pain.

A student critical of the University of Queensland's ties to Chinese Government organisations says he is facing expulsion over his activism, but authorities say it's a matter of policy.

Driving 50km will be permitted, members of the same household will be able to go for picnics, and shopping for non-essential items like clothes and shoes will be allowed.

Queensland continues to tackle the coronavirus pandemic head on with no new cases announced today, but the impact on the state's bottom line is not so healthy, with the Treasurer revealing a $4 billion hit to revenue.

Just as Australia was about to confirm its first case of coronavirus in Australia in January, Sunshine Coast health figures were given a grim briefing.

Federal funding worth $185 million for Queensland's regional roads is welcomed by some local mayors but other regional leaders are concerned about some trouble spots missing out.

Mount Isa's Nev Power said fixing windmills and tractors prepared him to chair the COVID-19 Coordination Commission.

A Queensland family has bought a large cattle station on the Northern Territory/Queensland border from a Chinese billionaire for $53 million.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces a partial resumption of schools from next week for kindergarten, prep, year 1 and high school seniors.

A scientific research vessel off the Queensland coast is surveying the "very unexplored" depths of Australia's largest marine park without a single scientist on board.

Firefighters have praised the "gutsy" efforts of police who helped them rescue an 18-month-old boy from a burning house in Rockhampton last night.

Genre jumping jive with a deep acoustic/roots heart

Jazzworx! Music Institute, plus special guest vocalist Melissa Western.

Metadata has not provided any evidence the allegedly falsified annual report was downloaded from the City of Sydney website by anyone in Energy Minister Angus Taylor's office, NSW police confirm.

A 79-year-old "miracle man" blows kisses to the medical team at Dubbo Base Hospital and fights back tears as he heads home after making a full recovery from coronavirus.

Coronavirus survivor, Jayson O'Brien has thanked medical staff at Western New South Wales Local Health District for saving his life.

Communities in western New South Wales are mourning the suspension of their local newspapers with some saying the publications are the "heart" of the communities.

The Holmes family will continue staying home even after COVID-19 lockdown rules are relaxed — with good reason.

MORNING BRIEFING: People in NSW are warned they should still practice social-distancing as coronavirus restrictions are eased from today, while two men are shot in Merrylands in what is believed to be a targeted attack.

A 76-year-old woman died in Nepean hospital yesterday after contracting the virus.

Jim Hamilton from Lake Macquarie was a passenger aboard the Ruby Princess, now the subject of a special commission of inquiry led by Brett Walker SC. A NSW Health epidemiologist Kelly-Anne Ressler agreed it was unsatisfactory that more people on the ship were tested for influenza than for COVID-19.