MORNING BRIEFING: A NSW police officer is left with bite marks after an attack by a man who also swallowed a balloon, while divers resume their search for a car that crashed into the Hawkesbury River last night.

Acting detective Eric Walsh sought advice from police colleagues on ways to silence online criticism of Universal Medicine, a group found by a jury to be a "dangerous cult", the ABC can reveal.

Police say a pipe bomb found in Mullumbimby on the NSW far north coast has been rendered safe and has been taken away for forensic examination.

A 16-year-old girl tells an inquiry she can no longer trust police after she was subjected to a strip search at the Splendour in the Grass music festival when a sniffer dog falsely detected drugs on her.

The Vietnam vet, master of ceremonies at Currumbin's Elephant Rock dawn service for 25 years, says this year's Anzac Day cancellations prove we sometimes don't know what we've got till it's gone.

One of the only full Anzac Day services to be held in Queensland will honour the service of local soldiers through a series of videos filmed during isolation.

Queensland's Chief Health Officer refuses to budge on a decision criticised as "bureaucratic overreach" after an Anzac Day flyover is banned due to coronavirus restrictions, with the state recording another two cases.

A veteran discovers 72 unmarked war graves at a cemetery west of Brisbane, working tirelessly to identify the lost servicemen who died in a mental asylum with most having no next of kin, to get plaques placed on their final resting place.

Queensland students won't return to school yet, despite calls for Year 11 and 12 classes to resume, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says as some coronavirus restrictions ease on Saturday.

Queensland Opposition MP Trevor Watts quits his position as shadow police minister after being fined for attending a function on Sunday that breached coronavirus rules on public gatherings.

Nearly 150 extra police will be out questioning Queenslanders this weekend who are enjoying the first days of easing restrictions, as the state records just one new case of coronavirus.

Federal LNP MP Andrew Laming has told parents to leave their children unsupervised at schools, and call the police if the principal refuses to accept them.

Queensland's first digital driver's licences have been rolled out on the Fraser Coast and developers and cyber experts agree, the technology gives users more protection against identity theft.

Queensland police shut down three house parties in the 24 hours after some coronavirus restrictions are relaxed and erect fencing at Burleigh Heads where large crowds were dispersed over the weekend.

SA Police reveal details about the suspected murder of Michael Purse, who they say may have been lured to a property in Kilburn and murdered.

Service upgrades rolling out this week aim to plug a hole in Telstra's network for regional, remote, and rural customers who do not receive emergency service alerts.

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

The 80-year-old from Beaudesert broke her hip and was unable to move for more than four days.

The Lamplights

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.

NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant has declared Lithgow to be a COVID-19 hotspot after an untraceable case emerged over the weekend.

As bushfire victims work to rebuild their lives after the devastating Australian summer, a group of quilters is stitching together beautiful handmade squares from around the world to offer a gift that is like a "nice warm hug".

Police search for woman missing from Mooball in northern New South Wales.

The Eastern Creek man was arrested on alleged abuse charges of adults and children at a disability care home

When police launched a youth outreach program in Dubbo six months ago, they would have been happy to see charge rates drop by 10 per cent. But Project Walwaay has wildly exceeded expectations.

Police have called for fresh details about a woman who was found murdered in the state's north west in January.

Youth taking part in the Down The Track initiative can learn how to shear sheep, get a certificate in agriculture and can learn hospitality skills for at least another 12 months.

Australian consumers are slowly opening up to the idea of eating a different kind of poultry the black-skinned chicken.

Swimming in icy water is not something everyone aspires to do but it should be, according to an outdoor swimming enthusiast.

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.

A lack of detox beds in large regional centres is preventing people from getting rehab, a special commission of inquiry into ice hears.

An emergency warning is downgraded in northern NSW after an "unpredictable and fast-moving" grass fire had threatened homes, with embers to blowing up to 4 kilometres ahead of the fire front.

The remains of a 77-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman are found on a property destroyed in the bushfires which ripped through northern NSW earlier this week.

A man is charged with two counts of murder after a woman and a young boy are found dead in a Tamworth house fire that police believe was deliberately lit. Two other people are in hospital with burns.

Two men are arrested over the disappearance and suspected murder of a New South Wales man who has been missing for almost a decade.

Tasmania confirms eight more cases of coronavirus, bringing the state's tally to 36, as another college ends classroom teaching, citing "mixed and uncertain medical health advice within the community and from various public health authorities".

Beauty services are closed, but hairdressers will still operate. Personal training can go ahead, but with no more than 10 people, outdoors, and observing physical distancing rules. You may be confused about the latest announcement on social gatherings. Let us explain.

A Tasmanian man who allegedly left his home without a lawful reason and told police he had coronavirus when he was pulled over is charged with failing to comply with a public health direction.

If an animal is declared extinct more than 80 years ago, most people would assume it no longer exists — but Neil Waters is not one of those people. Now, documentary filmmakers are interested in his quest.

If there is anything good to come out of the coronavirus pandemic, it could be that rural Australians end up better connected to essential and recreational services than ever before.

Six new cases of coronavirus confirmed in the last 24 hours has pushed Tasmania's COVID-19 tally to 80, as police warn the public they will on patrol to ensure strict measures are followed.

A coronavirus outbreak at Burnie's hospital has prompted a plea for Tasmania's north-west residents to do the right thing over the Easter break, as a drive-through testing station opens in Hobart.

Tasmania records another four cases of coronavirus, all in the state's north-west hotspot, after Premier Peter Gutwein warned of a statewide Easter police "blitz" and an "effective lockdown" in the north-west.

With helicopters in the air, police patrols of holiday destinations and numberplate scanning, leaders around the country warn there will be no tolerance for breaches of the strict self-isolation measures.

Churches and synagogues across Australia are offering their services online and many are live streaming. Here's a list of the major services around the country this weekend.