Over $340,000 raised by celebrity bushfire relief concert Fire Aid 2020 is being pre-loaded onto EFTPOS cards linked to local businesses, tackling two disasters with one innovative idea.

In musical circles, there's a mythical quality to that name, attached as it is to the father of American protest song, Woody Guthrie.

Ensemble Theatre's nationally touring production of 'Frankenstein' has opened in Wollongong to remind us of a timeless gothic masterpiece.

Six local artists, including four old friends in life and in art practice, have come together with an exhibition well timed for International Women's Day at Lone Goat Gallery in Byron Bay. The theme, Essence of Woman was put to the artists to freely interpret, and the six women have done just that.

The girl is good. Very good.

Meet Payden, who is two weeks old and one of 21,000 babies born into regional NSW towns every year who, on average, have a lower life-expectancy than their counterparts in the city.

Near a small town in northern New South Wales horse blood is being harvested to aid researchers and diagnostics.

A mobile communications tower.

After more than two years without any decent rain, a community in the far north of New South Wales is been given a reprieve.

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

Three years after shutting down and shedding more than 30 local jobs, Binnaway's abattoir is reopening, offering a much-needed boost.

With dams and creeks bone dry in drought-stricken towns, firefighters are being forced to find ways to combat blazes that are almost impossible to extinguish.

Ten years ago Chris Roby sought help from the Salvos for crippling alcoholism; he's now leading a group of men fighting addiction to help their local community's response to bushfires.

Authorities say Tasmania is one of the last remaining jurisdictions in the country not to record any confirmed cases of coronavirus via community transmission. Has the state been spared and will it remain that way?

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.

Once a destination for grey nomads and bus tours, Australia's island state has built its brand into something clean, green and edgy. With 10 per cent of its economy hinging on tourism, Tasmania has a lot to lose.

Allison Davies says when she uploaded a cheerful ditty about wellness on her Instagram page she had no idea it would strike a chord with families worldwide.

One of the latest cases of coronavirus in Tasmania is an employee of a local tour company that hosted two interstate travellers who, after leaving the state, were found to be ill with the disease.

Who would have thought weather would be providing the good news a few months ago? The weekend's rainfall is a welcome relief after years of drought and there could be more on the way.

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.

Tasmanian companies keen to keep staff employed are adapting and shifting their business focus by making face shields, hand sanitiser and other products in high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the global death toll now at more than 100,000, there is an urgent need for a coronavirus vaccine. But will pharmaceutical companies be tempted to put profits before patients?

The chair of Australia's Bushfire Royal Commission says the evidence from those affected by the nation's catastrophic bushfire season will be critical in "applying the lessons learnt so that we can do things better in the future".

An animal cruelty case against Tasmanian shipping identity Les Dick, who has cancer, is adjourned after he agrees not to be involved in livestock transport for five years.

Tasmania records its 10th coronavirus death and its ninth in the hotspot north-west region, with another health worker case announced late Saturday.

On her country mail run Jocelyn Flint delivers letters, boxes of wine, flat pack queen-size beds, asthma puffers and even biscuits for morning tea and she's a welcome sight in Tasmania's coronavirus hotspot.

A student who stabbed a classmate at Renmark High School in South Australia's Riverland is found not guilty on the grounds of mental incompetence.

Peacocks are popular pets with people eager to host the showy ornamental bird, despite breeders admitting they are not particularly good companions nor protectors.

Six regional aged care facilities in South Australia are failing to meet standards, a State Estimates committee hears, with three based in the same region.

A group of mothers of Indigenous children is coming together in regional SA to create a cultural safe space and improve mental health in their community.

The Royal is the most commonly used name for hotels in Australia, but the story behind the popularity of this pub name is a curious mix of colonial communications and aspirational marketing.

Drought-stricken farmers are calling for failing grain trader GrainPro to be wound up in a bid to receive some of the $6 million they are owed.

Sitting proudly on its pedestal, Gundagai's much-loved pooch is back where it belongs after it was recently vandalised in an attack that left the community outraged.

Basin communities share experiences of life under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, in what they say is the 37th review into the water management scheme.

A group of southern New South Wales irrigators have pledged to give millions of litres of their own water to those who need it most, but they need help to deliver it.

South Africa will back its chances of an upset victory in tomorrow night's Rugby World Cup final in Yokohama but it's England title to lose, as Eddie Jones closes in on his crowning glory.

South Africa's Faf de Klerk, center, celebrates their win over Wales during the Rugby World Cup semifinal at International Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama, Japan, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019 and England's Manu Tuilagi (13) celebrates with teammates after scoring a try during the Rugby World Cup semifinal at International Yokohama Stadium between New Zealand and England in Yokohama, Japan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019.

Sacked Wallaby star Israel Folau will return to court on Wednesday as negotiations with Rugby Australia over his unfair dismissal claim remain deadlocked.

Most Australians are vaccinated against the mumps virus, but the highly infectious disease has affected an unknown number of Brumbies players, despite the fact that they were vaccinated in childhood.

Both community and professional sport in Australia is currently banned in Australia.

Australia's passage to the women's football tournament at the Tokyo Olympics was confirmed with an unconvincing second-leg win over Vietnam.

England's elite soccer leagues are suspended until at least April as the chaos stemming from the coronavirus outbreak continues to impact world soccer.

It's early morning and Ernie Poloni is lying in his nursing home bed. Two carers enter his room, unaware that the digital clock on the table holds a hidden camera, writes Anne Connolly

Perth Glory are held to a draw thanks to a controversial extra-time equaliser by Robbie Fowler's Brisbane Roar in the west, as A-League newcomers Western United enjoy a winning debut with a 1-0 win over the Phoenix in Wellington.

Richard Tracey QC is remembered as wise, selfless and admired as the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety is told of the "complete shock" of his sudden death.

Submissions to the aged care royal commission called for better staffing and training in aged care facilities around the country.

More than half of Australian nursing homes are understaffed, with residents having less access to qualified nurses than ever before, the aged care royal commission hears.