A Melbourne man on trial for planning terrorist acts allegedly told others he wanted to "go around cutting throats in the city centre", a court is told.

A senior manager of a Melbourne aged care home initially refused to act on video footage of elder abuse for a month due to the Christmas break, the aged care royal commission hears.

The NRL is accused of treating players like "products" rather than people over its decision to ban New Zealand prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona for three Tests despite acknowledging he was provoked.

At the launch of a fellowship named after murdered exchange student Aiia Maasarwe, her father Saeed has reflected on his daughter, and asked people to remember the positive things about her.

Hakeem al-Araibi's story is testament to the adage "the power of one". This is how former Socceroos captain Craig Foster led a global campaign to free the fellow footballer who was wrongfully imprisoned overseas and exposed bureaucratic slip-ups that landed him there.

Senior Victorian police defend their tactics, including the pushing of a journalist and the use of pepper spray, during protests outside a mining conference, saying officers are ready to respond the same way tomorrow.

Each Thursday in a back-alley warehouse, a group of volunteers come together to meticulously clean, repair and catalogue artefacts collected from the remnants of a Chinese temple that once stood proud in the Cairns CBD.

For more than 30 years over 45,000 refugees have lived behind barbed wire in an overcrowded camp near Thailand's border with Myanmar. Dr Patty Salisbury, a county doctor from the NSW town of Bega, has been just returned from a year in the Mae La Refugee Camp.

When John Spunner bought his first rusted horse-led dray 35 years ago, he didn't know he was beginning what would become a hobby, or what could be called an obsession.

A candlelight vigil has been held in central Newcastle aiming to raise awareness of the plight of refugees around the world.

Not every state and territory has put into law the code of conduct, which aims to provide rental waivers and deferrals for commercial tenants.

South Australia'sdecisiontoaxe its banongeneticallymodified cropscouldopen the doors for the cotton industry many locals have traditionally opposed.

An effigy of Federal Water Minister David Littleproud, dumped into the Murray River at a protest over the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is continuing to float towards South Australia.

Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg from the University of Queensland, a world-renowned marine scientist and contributor to IPCC assessments, talks about the likely loss of the Great Barrier Reef. How does a determined, optimistic researcher keep going amid the upsets? 

It felt as if the winds of change were blowing through the Catholic Church after the royal commission. But a new defence has rejected some of its key findings in relation to one of its most notorious paedophile priests, writes Louise Milligan.

A Ballarat magistrate dismisses an assault charge against a police sergeant, agreeing his use of force was "reasonable" during an altercation in which he punched his neighbour in the face.

Trading at around $2,500 per kilogram, more growers are entering the truffle industry as demand for the unique fungi remains high.

Lawyers warn child sexual abuse victims to be mindful of legal reforms before signing away their right to sue, as redress scheme marks its first anniversary.

Every night Allanah Morel packs her daughter's school bag ahead of time because she knows that by the next morning she could be in too much pain to get out of bed.

The Lions miss out on the AFL minor premiership to the Cats following their loss to the third-placed Tigers, the Bulldogs earn a return to finals action, while the Power defeat the Dockers to end their season on a winning note.

The wife of former AFL star Danny Frawley reveals her husband had removed himself from treatment and medication for his depression about eight months before his death last week.

Hannu Rajaniemi

Rob Minshull produces Weekend with Warren and is an avid reader.

A classic of the genre that only lightly shows its age, this novel is more an essay in speculative Anthropology than Science fiction per se.

Patti Miller

The Storm hold on in a tight encounter against the Dragons to win 16-14 in Wollongong, as both sides struggle to cover for their missing State of Origin stars.

Fine-dining chefs Tom Chiumento and Simon Evans usually serve seven-course degustations, but recently they've been using their talents to provide quality meals from food destined for the bin.

Rugby league player Jack de Belin will stand trial on sexual assault charges in March next year, just two weeks before the start of the 2020 NRL season.

A man who had a container of railway detonators in his bag on a train on the New South Wales south coast pleads guilty to possessing an explosive device in public.

University researcher Katie Gaskin has completed a detailed study into breast anatomy that could bring far-reaching benefits for fields like cancer treatment, cosmetic surgery, and even bra design.

A former Special Forces soldier says it's time for the ADF to "modernise" its internal legal system and start footing the bills for members who want to use civilian lawyers.

They've battled gale-force winds, cold winter nights, and drunks serenading them with Billy Joel classics at three in the morning. But two young medicos are determined to keep sleeping out in their scrubs to draw attention to the detention of asylum seekers.

Australia's national cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss relaxing coronavirus social-distancing restrictions, but NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warns nothing will be changed before Mother's Day on Sunday.

The Federal Government will name and shame organisations which do not sign up to the National Redress Scheme for victims of child abuse, but a parliamentary committee wants it to go much further.

Nineteen people are facing charges after firewood worth $1 million was allegedly harvested as part of what police are calling a "large-scale wood theft" operation in southern Tasmania.

The NSW Police watchdog finds the strip searches of four teenagers at two separate music festivals were unlawful, but stops short of findings of misconduct against the officers involved.

A defamation lawsuit launched by one of Australia's most decorated soldiers could be delayed until next year because of coronavirus and a decision by the Attorney-General to invoke special secrecy laws to protect sensitive military information.

Theatres and art galleries around the country are on high alert after the NSW Government decision to withhold an annual grant from Australia's biggest multi-arts venue, Carriageworks, forcing it to appoint administrators.

Queen Elizabeth has led tributes to veterans of World War Two, recalling the "never give up, never despair" message of Victory in Europe Day 75 years ago, as coronavirus dampened VE Day commemorations.

South Australia's Mayura Station spends $92,000 securing elite Wagyu genetics for breeding stock.

A boy who stole from a pizza delivery driver and caused $6,000 damage to a vehicle at a construction site was being given cannabis by his family at the time, a court has heard.

A group of scientists is pushing for Exmouth Gulf, next to Ningaloo Reef in remote Western Australia, to be protected from industry saying its biodiversity is of global significance.

A tiny rainbow-hued lizard which all but disappeared from the wild 10 years ago has been given the run of a brand new home, its very own tropical island off the WA coast, to bring its population back from the brink.

A tale of two media environments: in the US, journalistic freedom is increasingly under threat from demonising rhetoric and the violent personal targeting of reporters; while in Ethiopia, the country’s new leader has opened the gate to press freedom. What can we learn from both experiences?

The United Nations Secretariat is now one-year into a significant reform program aimed at making the organisation fit for purpose in the 21st Century. It’s being driven by Secretary General Antonio Guterres. In this program we look at what that package entails and what it might achieve. And we also examine the powerful role of the UN Security Council. Many believe it no longer reflects the realities of world power. So, can it be reformed?