Regional local governments say the Western Australian Government's handling of council mergers in Perth is increasing their fears they will be forced into mergers they do not want.

University of Western Australia (UWA) researchers have warned of the potential for "very large extinction rates" among marine life unique to southern WA due to climate change.

What does it take to prepare for a pandemic? Many hospitals around the world are already overwhelmed by patients infected with COVID-19. Australian doctors and nurses are bracing for something most of them have never faced before. In our country hospitals, resources are already stretched: beds are in short supply and there’s a greater proportion of older people. Preparation will, in many cases, be the difference between life and death.
 ABC National Regional Reporter Jess Davis takes us inside the Wimmera Base Hospital in Horsham, Victoria, as the team tries to prepare for the unimaginable.

Rappville residents share stories of survival after a bushfire swept through their small community in northern NSW, with one 82-year-old pensioner hiding in his shed in a bid to escape the inferno.

MORNING BRIEFING: A number of fish have died at a lake near Menindee as the Federal Government announces emergency funds to protect fish, while volunteers work to deliver supplies to farmers who are unwilling to leave their fire-ravaged properties.

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.

By the end of April there has normally been regular fire crew training, inductions, and planning, but social distancing has made that near-impossible.

A survey conducted by the Gladstone Chamber of Commerce finds 35 per cent of respondents fear they won't be solvent by the end of June, due to the coronavirus crisis.

Police say they are concerned for the safety of a man who has gone missing in a well known crocodile habitat in Far North Queensland.

It was once a holiday destination favoured by US presidents and Hollywood starlets, but Port Douglas in Far North Queensland has turned into a ghost town due to coronavirus travel restrictions.

Gold Coast builders have backed calls for urgent industry stimulus measures and say restoring confidence is the key to saving the local construction sector.

ABC North Coast resident arts reviewer, Jeanti St Clair looks at the latest music and theatre to hit the region.

People with Tourette syndrome appeal for compassion as pandemic panic exacerbates their neurological condition, causing their anxieties and tics to worsen.

Bell Shakespeare's performance of The School for Wives provides the perfect upgrade for a timeless story about man's thirst for relationship control.

The Broncos answer a number of their critics by ending a four-match losing streak with a convincing victory over the Sharks, while the Tigers snare a win against the Titans in Tamworth.

Owners of a Tasmanian equestrian facility say they may have no other option as business evaporates, leaving it with dwindling resources to feed and keep 46 horses.

Business owners at Ivanhoe in outback NSW are staring down closure if a plan to shut the jail goes ahead, and say the jail inmates make a huge contribution to the community.

Spectators and football players in northern Victoria call for a change to the culture of violence on the field.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp issues a blunt warning to fans trying to shake his hand as Serie A team Juventus reveals a player tests positive for COVID-19.

Gippsland residents are enjoying conceptual and abstract art from Melbourne and revelling in local artist contributions along the way, in the exhibition Synthetica.

The price of water increases to $980 a megalitre for South Australia, as industry bodies expect prices to reach Millennium Drought levels.

A prominent urban researcher warns that Ballarat is heading towards a "social disaster" unless it can curb urban sprawl.

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.

Katherine Howell

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.

The NSW nurses' union says a staffing crisis at Shellharbour Hospital's mental health unit is putting staff and patient safety at risk.

A gonorrhoea expert says people will be keen to get "out and about" as social restrictions ease, which could worsen an already higher-than-usual number of cases on the Gold Coast.

Chris Buckley spent 76 days in Wuhan during the coronavirus crisis reporting for the New York Times. He now joins an increasingly large group of foreign journalists asked to leave the country he's spent years covering.

The Roosters entrench themselves in the top four with a win over the Bulldogs at the SCG after Manly defeats the Dragons at Brookvale.

Uyghurs living in Australia are urging the Federal Government to offer them protection after more than 30 countries, including the USA, condemned China over its "horrific campaign of repression" against its Uyghur minority.

Adelaide man Malcolm Walker is found safe and well, but police say they will continue to investigate witness reports he was attacked and then forced into a car.

Bill Shorten addresses the Labor caucus after the election defeat, urging the party to continue to think big and progressive.

As parents struggle to support their children learning at home, a survey of 10,000 teachers finds only half of those in the public system think Australia's remote learning arrangements are sufficient.

The lawyer for asthmatic prisoner Mark Rowson tells a court his client should be immediately released from Port Phillip Prison, if authorities cannot mitigate the risk of a coronavirus outbreak in the prison system.

Bunnaloo is a long way from Tinseltown, but Nullaboo Hullabaloo — a children's book based around life in this small NSW town, written by former police officer Fleur Ferris — will be getting the movie studio treatment soon enough.

While statistics suggest workforce participation in the 45–54 age group has been slowly climbing, employment industry experts warn too many mature-aged jobseekers are being shut out.

The family of a man who went missing in Victoria's Latrobe Valley last month say they "fear the worst" and are urging anyone who has seen him to contact police.

More than 3,000 World War II wrecks lie in the Pacific Ocean of which around 300 are oil tankers. There are fears of environmental devastation as they begin to rust and leak oil.

A group of textile artists in Newcastle has thrown down a challenge to artists around Australia to create hand-made flowers to raise funds for ovarian cancer research.

The Eels make a mess of the Broncos in Parramatta after the Storm ran roughshod over the Knights and the Panthers won a close one against the Rabbitohs.

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.

Cronulla grabs a spot in the eight with a win over Souths, Manly takes care of Newcastle at Brookvale and the Bulldogs beat the Panthers in Saturday's NRL.

The search for four men and a woman missing feared dead after a helicopter vanished from radar north of Newcastle will continue after earlier bad weather halted the operation.

While the search continues for five missing people who are feared dead off the NSW coast, one male has been confirmed by the Australian Defence Force as Warrant Officer Gregory Miller.

Michelle is calling for ADVOs to be enforced amid fears she will be killed by her ex-partner.

For residents in the Upper Hunter, keeping an eye on air quality alerts from the Office of Environment and Heritage is a daily ritual.

Australian artworks will feature in a new international art-science exhibition in Venice, which hopes to educate people and raise talk about climate change and deforestation, and possible solutions.