The native desert rice flower plant that appeared on New South Wales properties after widespread rainfall has caused death and serious illness in cattle

A Sydney school is shut after a student tests positive for COVID-19 but Gladys Berejiklian says all children could be back in classrooms full-time by the end of May.

Renters in Tasmania could be safe from eviction until at least September under emergency laws to shield them during the coronavirus crisis — with New South Wales tenancy advocates welcoming the development and calling on "all governments" to follow suit.

Nigel Lazenby always dreamed of owning a house with river frontage, but that turned into a nightmare when a landslip wrecked his and other homes along the Tamar River in 2016. Now, Nigel is one of a group of owners who just want "fair" compensation.

Step inside one of the beautiful open gardens on show during the Renmark Rose Festival. Artemis and Harry Ppiros are Greek immigrants who kept their green thumbs busy after retiring from their Riverland fruit block.

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

The hardy desert rose is rising in popularity, with nurseries unable to keep up with demand, as green thumbs seek drought-tolerant colour in the dry outback.

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.

Some koalas may be pickier eaters than others due to the mix of microbes in their lower gastrointestinal tract, but faecal transplants could help them diversify their diet, a new study suggests.

Lorelei and Peter Murko, and other members of their family, have taken an incredible journey together because of problems they have faced with their kidneys.

A wire fence stood between Annette Keighley and her 87-year-old mother during her first visit since Newmarch House went into lockdown due to a coronavirus outbreak mid-April.

Coronavirus has crippled the global tourism industry and in Thailand that means it includes elephants. As a result of the pandemic many elephants are heading back to their natural habitats.

A council on Sydney's southern outskirts calls for changes to bushfire evacuation planning after thousands of people were left like "sitting ducks" in a 15-kilometre traffic jam, as a major blaze threatened the area.

It will be up to the state and territory governments to decide when cafes and restaurants reopen across the country. Here's how the situation is looking in your state.

The recurring political debate about immigration tends to ignore the demand and employment that new communities create, writes Daniel Ziffer.

A West Australian MP says he will push for major iron ore industry players to buy up residential properties in Port Hedland, amid a long-running dispute over dust pollution levels in the Pilbara town.

Netflix dominates online TV streaming, but for how long? Also, Cory Doctorow on how more government regulation could inadvertently make the tech giants even stronger.

People undergoing genetic testing will have more certainty about whether the variants in their genes risk causing cancer or are completely harmless, after a new international study.

The lawyer for medicinal cannabis advocate Jenny Hallam asks for his client to avoid conviction, saying she needs to travel to the United States as part of her new job at a New South Wales cannabis farm.

A South Australian real estate agent made notorious by Today Tonight is banned from practising and fined $7,500 for labelling a tenant a "Centrelink dweller" and tribunal members "incompetent".

A tiny wasp enlisted to save Christmas Island's famous red crabs from extinction is showing promising results in the battle against the crustaceans' crazy ant foes.

Toilet paper is the butt of jokes in Australia but it has become currency for a desperate Far North Queensland cafe with dwindling supplies.

Two Labor MPs are still waiting to get offices within their electorates more than a year after the state election, with one labelling the delay as a "clamp down on democracy".

Mining giants Rio Tinto, BHP and Glencore have listed several of their tailings dams across Australia as being at "high" or "extreme" risk to public safety if they fail.

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

MORNING BRIEFING: NSW Sports Minister John Sidoti says claims he misused his position in a conflict of interest are 'gross misrepresentations', while Deputy Premier John Barilaro urges governments to take climate change seriously.

From electronic pet trackers, paying cyclists to commute to work and driverless cars, Hobart City Council is floating some innovations to make it a smarter city. And, strangely, that could also mean Wi-Fi free zones.

DAILY BRIEFING: Injured formula 3 driver Alex Peroni will return to Hobart in the next few days as questions are raised about why he was allowed to walk from a crash scene in Italy instead of being taken off by stretcher.

Almost half a century on, John is setting out to write a memoir about the incident and the events that followed. The process meant revisiting the event and the questions that have been left unanswered.

More and more Australians are facing the prospect of random drug testing in their places of work. What does it involve, how reliable is it, and can you say no?

DAILY BRIEFING: A motorist is fined $963 and has had his car clamped for 28 days after allegedly being caught driving 172 kilometres per hour, and the University of Tasmania engages a "reputation protection" consultancy group.

For Kobe Dare, the revived Tasmanian Aboriginal language of palawa kani is "one of the strongest there is". He's learning to speak it, then going home to teach his parents.

Isabella Corbin can remember sitting on her dad's lap in the cockpit of his helicopter when she was just a baby. Two years after his death, she's determined to keep his legacy alive.

The shrinking town of Poochera is pinning its hopes of survival on a big statue and a prehistoric ant, and locals say their plan may just be enough to save their home from dying out completely.

The head of the Australian Law Society says comments by Alice Springs Judge Greg Borchers were "racist because they are disparaging, discriminatory and offensive, insulting and humiliating to Indigenous Australians based solely on their race".

The Northern Territory's citrus industry takes a leap forward, with thousands of lemon trees planted on iconic cattle property Tipperary Station.

A program supporting the homeless with a mentor once they're housed is being hailed as a way to reduce the number of people sleeping rough.

Manal Aqrawe is a doctor with more than 20 years of experience, but she can't get a job in Australia even outside medicine. Her story is sobering, but far from isolated.

Health Minister Greg Hunt says he has "serious concerns" and demands to see the "evidence" the ACT considered before deciding to legalise cannabis in Canberra from next year.

They travelled across the world in the 1950s and '60s to build a new life cutting cane in the steamy paddocks of north Queensland. Now Basques return to learn the story of their ancestors.

The Lions' resurgence continues as they edge out North and Freo pip the Swans after the Tigers beat the Power, the Giants thump the Pies and the Blues get the better of the Suns.

Fire ants are spreading into new areas across south-east Queensland according to a Biosecurity Queensland insider who says the war to eradicate the potential killers is all but lost, a claim vehemently denied by the man tasked with stopping the spread.

Hawthorn keeps its finals hopes alive by beating premiers West Coast, Geelong remains a chance of claiming the minor premiership, while the Giants, Swans and Kangaroos enjoy victories.