At a conservative estimate, people around the world are consuming a credit card's-worth of microplastic every week, according to a new study.

The 18-year-old mother of a newborn baby boy whose body was found in a backyard on Tuesday has been found in Penrith and taken to hospital.

A State Government-commissioned review finds the risk of a NSW coal ash dam wall collapsing in an earthquake is "reasonable", but more work is needed to determine the level of risk.

If you suffer from trypophobia, or an aversion to the sight of clusters of small holes, you might want to take a deep breath before laying your eyes on a Suriname toad.

Musician and mother Rose Wilson has created a mum's choir where children are welcome too. It's proving popular, as mums enjoy connecting and singing with others without having to worry about childcare.

Snakes have been known to wrap their jaws around crocodiles, kangaroos and goats so why would one give up on a bird?

A coastal paradise town becomes a safe haven for refugees, despite being outside of a government-supported resettlement zone.

A plea made by a group of patchworkers to help find their stolen quilts has been heard internationally.

A review of WA's cattle stations finds at least a dozen are at risk of animal welfare issues in coming months because of a lack of food and water.

The Australian kelpie's origins have long been shrouded in mystery, but new genetics research has found some vital answers to the iconic working dog's ancestry.

A Federal Government investigation has found no evidence a whistleblower onboard the livestock carrier Awassi Express fabricated conditions on the boat by switching off fans and ventilation.

Before moving to Tasmania, Malak Abdou was a veterinarian in Egypt. Now working on a farm, he's one of the lucky ones.

Betty Pilgrim is 71, but she's studying law online and just got back from two months of backpacking in Europe. She's hoping if she can stay active, it will help stave off dementia.

A public servant improperly awarded, or attempted to influence, millions of dollars' worth of government contracts for the benefit of a close friend, an inquiry finds.

DAILY BRIEFING: Almost 30 tourism operators have received breach notices for missing parks passes, and a Tasmanian Senator acknowledges "shocking" aged care findings.

Scientists at the University of Tasmania find vaping is just as harmful to human health as cigarettes and even has the potential to cause lung cancer. But some say any alternative to smoking is worth the risk.

A former Tasmanian cricketer and Liberal member of Parliament struggled to inflate his life jacket while panicking in the water before he drowned, an investigation into the fishing trip tragedy finds.

A vulnerable malleefowl chick is the first to be discovered in a South Australian wildlife refuge and comes after the last cats and foxes were removed from the exclosure.

Some members of South Australia's Aboriginal community have lost 23 members of their family in the past two years and they are desperate for help in dealing with grief.

Mother's Day can be a painful time for members of the Stolen Generations, but it can also be a source of pride and strength for those who have maintained unbreakable bonds spanning generations.

During times of plenty dingoes consume a smaller variety of prey, but when the water dries up they become less picky and will eat anything nearby, new research finds.

The vulnerable species breeds year-round in captivity and arid zones but a study of re-introduced populations on the Eyre Peninsula suggests that may not be the case in southern parts of Australia.

New South Wales specialist police dog Tilly has arrived in South Australia to help investigators find the remains of missing Manna Hill mother Tanja Ebert and Adelaide teenager Scott Redman.

A new report by La Trobe University finds 80 per cent of teachers have experienced some form of student or parent bullying or harassment over the past nine to 12 months.

Tanya Day died of traumatic brain injuries after she was arrested for public drunkenness in December, 2017. Lawyers for the Indigenous woman's family are now asking the Victorian coroner to consider whether systemic racism was a factor in her death.

At first he thought it was just a rusty bullet case, but further inspection showed it to be worth much, much more.

Balancing the scales of justice is an onerous responsibility for legal professionals when the freedom, futures, families, and finances of their clients are on the line.

A report on the workplace culture at a major hospital in Victoria uncovers limited supervision of junior mental health staff, as well as allegations of bullying and sexual harassment.

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.

It was one of Australia's worst maritime disasters and now, half a century later, the families of those who were lost have gathered to remember them and honour their bravery.

Houses intended to keep eligible Queensland teenagers out of the youth detention system are not cost-effective and may not have the desired results, a damning report finds.

The Federal Government's overhaul of billions of dollars in spending on Indigenous disadvantage is still only in the "early stages" of evaluation, five years after a funding shake-up that was found to be rushed and flawed.

A journey into Australia's arid heart by camel train has retraced a remarkable archaeological discovery.

The future of one of outback Australia's tourist drawcards, the National Transport Hall of Fame, is in doubt after an independent audit found financial irregularities by management.

Despite two recent inquests into the failure to identify sepsis at Northern Territory hospitals, Joanne Craig was left to deteriorate without the antibiotics that could have saved her life.

Paula Thornton journeyed through 20 countries in 14 months, and where some may consider relying on hand gestures rude or disrespectful of culture and language, for Ms Thornton this is her everyday.

Young people in the Top End are returning 'in droves' after tasting life elsewhere and they think they are onto a good thing, a national survey finds.

Researchers from five Indigenous language groups have spent days scouring 19th-century archives for traces of lost words, as a new study suggests more than half of all living languages worldwide are endangered.

Several hundred online enthusiasts generate thousands of leads for investigators after a single day of competitive 'ethical hacking' across Australia.

A week ahead of the first hearings of the Disability Royal Commission in Townsville, a new survey of families of children with disability finds nearly no progress has been made on improving access to inclusive education.

When Sue Owen's hair fell out, she honed her skills in tying head scarves and "funking up" turbans. She now makes sure other patients "look fabulous".

Rape victims are being made to wait for hours in the clothes they were assaulted in before being examined, or sometimes not examined at all, a damning auditor-general report reveals, highlighting the lack of qualified staff.

Researchers find a common disease in honey bees can be transmitted to native bees through flowers, causing them to die about three times the rate of the normal mortality.

Three people killed in a "freak" skydiving accident in Far North Queensland died in mid-air when a solo sports jumper's parachute opened prematurely and caused them to collide, a coroner finds.

A Queensland miner has created a popular roadside stop with hundreds of travellers pulling over to take a photo with his now-famous family of Minions.

A Queensland crocodile farmer has found a surgical plate "complete with six stainless steel screws" inside a dead crocodile, months after the sick animal stopped eating.

An orthopaedic surgeon has identified the plate found in the corpse of 4.7-metre crocodile 'MJ' as a bone plate used to heal fractures in humans.