A South Australian man has been jailed for killing his best friend at a remote camp site during a drunken fight after falling on him and rupturing an internal cyst.

The voices of young country women and their experiences of intimate partner violence are being heard, but wider campaigns to address the crisis may not be.

Pelicans and other waterbirds are dying in the outback and disappearing from waterways, as the effects of drought compound an already-concerning long-term decline in populations.

Ecologists say kangaroos are eating the stomach contents of dead roos and toilet paper in national parks to survive the drought.

A controversial teddy bear fence featuring thousands of teddy bears alongside one of SA's major highways has been destroyed, with many condemning the actions of vandals.

Birdwatchers are spotting crimson and rare orange chats in southern Australia, refugees of the drought in the inland.

The Knights smash the Roosters in Newcastle, and the Titans knock over the Sea Eagles at Brookvale. Follow all the live scores, stats and commentary with our NRL ScoreCentre.

A schoolgirl will bear the scars of a summer flu for life, after contracting the virus in March and spending weeks in intensive care.

The barriers to finding a rental home have become so taxing that some tenants are forced to enlist outside help.

While there is a push to close the gap on education, a NSW hostel for Indigenous boys has a waitlist that could take years to get through.

Former Newcastle Knights player Jarrod Mullen has fronted court in Newcastle facing a series of drugs charges.

Three children tragically died in the fire, which ripped though the Singleton home.

NSW Police say four residents helped rescue a 31-year-old woman and a child from a house fire in Singleton in which three other children died.

Former rugby league star Jarryd Hayne is committed to stand trial on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a woman in the NSW Hunter region.

The Warriors score a late try to clinch a 24-20 victory over a Knights outfit depleted by State of Origin duty and injury in Newcastle.

The former rugby league star pleads not guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual assault against a 26-year-old woman in the NSW Hunter Valley and tells reporters outside court it's been "a very hard time" for his family.

The second-placed Rabbitohs just get home against the Dragons 20-16 after the Tigers hold on in a thriller against the Knights, winning 28-26.

South Sydney misses its chance to jump into the top four, losing to the Bulldogs, after the Storm lost to the Raiders and the Knights broke their drought with a big win over North Queensland.

The drought is dragging on but this Walgett cafe is bucking the trend and expanding and is the shot in the arm this little town needs.

Newcastle Knights coach Nathan Brown to leave the NRL club after four seasons.

A 26-year-old woman is charged with 11 offences after allegedly stabbing members of the public, as well as her daughter, in Salamander Bay near Port Stephens.

The Sharks wrap up a spot in the finals with a 25-8 win over the Tigers as Robbie Farah's career comes to a close, while the Panthers end a disappointing season with a 54-10 thrashing of the Knights.

What would you do if you were told you had 16 months to live? That was the harsh reality for Jill Emberson when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. With the survival rate of the disease half that of the breast cancer survival rate, she's using her last moments to make a change.

A NSW firefighter who hatched a plan to start bushfires "so he could fight them" will serve more time in jail than the man who lit them his younger brother.

The family of volunteer firefighter from New Zealand who was killed in a hit-and-run in the NSW Hunter Valley has issued an emotional plea for someone to come forward.

The NSW Government admits "safety risks" exist at a light rail intersection in Newcastle where a cyclist died earlier this year, while also raising questions about tram projects in Sydney's CBD and Parramatta.

The former Anglican Dean of Newcastle Graeme Lawrence is sentenced to a maximum of eight years over the rape of a 15-year-old boy in 1991.

The NSW Education Department investigates after a video emerges online of a teacher telling her class that if a woman is raped, her clothing should be held partly accountable.

Generations of Australia's prime breeding cows are heading to slaughterhouses as a lack of water and feed sees more producers opt to "cash in and get out".

Leigh Mansfield

With a rapidly ageing population, few Australians have been left untouched from navigating the vast and often complicated aged-care system be it for a parent, partner or themselves.

A food technology company has patented a process it claims can keep 100 per cent natural milk fresh for at least 60 days without additives or preservatives.

Patrick Conaghan

Michael McCormack with Patrick Conaghan

Patrick Conaghan and Scott Morrison

Welcome to fire spotting the job where you get to look into the distance and get paid for it.

Barrington Tops is receiving its first winter dusting as cold conditions hit the east coast of New South Wales.

A treasured piece of rail history has been destroyed in a rural NSW town despite assurances from the national rail body it would be removed with the intent to preserve it.

As the Coronial inquest into William Tyrrell's disappearance had a special sitting in Taree just 40 kilometres from where the toddler was last seen family members have been left frustrated by delays and disappointed by its failure so far to turn up any substantial new leads.

The winds are not giving firefighters any breaks as a fire in the Clarence Valley moves in on properties and blazes near Armidale and Tenterfield remain "absolutely enormous", according to the Rural Fire Service.

The number of homes lost to three fires in northern NSW rises to nine as strong winds continue to hamper the efforts of firefighters to bring them under control.

Farmers along Australia's normally green east coast are reeling from the worst drought they have ever seen and face a tough summer if it doesn't rain in the next few months.

Much-needed support is rolling in for drought-affected farmers hit by a massive bushfire burning in northern New South Wales.

Wazza the koala has left carers astounded after she was collected by a car and endured a 10km trip down a major NSW roadway, only to bolt up a tree afterwards.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a car hit two women in an "horrific" incident in Nambucca Heads on Saturday night, with the mother of one of the women later charged with manslaughter.

Coastal dairy farms are culling their herds because they can not afford to feed them while they and their communities feel the flow-on effect of drought.