A growing number of human rights academics and activists are worried that our notions of welfare in the democratic west are changing – and not for the better. They’re concerned that the tools of the digital era are being used to create a new form of welfare state directed against the poor and the disadvantaged, not in their interests.

The hope of nuclear fusion is the dream of a fossil-fuel free future - of limitless baseload power. Enthusiasts say fusion offers all the benefits of nuclear energy without the dangers. In theory and in practice fusion energy is already a reality, but getting the economics right is proving much more difficult than imagined.

Many Australians are dissatisfied with the narrow economic focus of politics, research by the University of Melbourne’s ANDI Project confirms. They want the progress of their society to be measured by a much broader range of factors, like health, environmental standards and youth wellbeing. They’re not alone. Across the globe there’s a growing movement to move “beyond GDP”, to start planning for the future based on wider models of societal progress.

MIT research scientist, Andrew McAfee, argues we need to rethink our assumptions about capitalism and the environment.   Economic growth, he says, has been gradually decoupling from resource consumption. So, if capitalism survives this current crisis, we may need to adapt our understanding of the way it all works.  We also hear from Annmaree O’Keeffe, from the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Islands Program, about the value of Australia’s international public broadcasting effort now that the Pacific is once again an Australian geopolitical focus.

Railton is full of topiary with hedges cleverly clipped into animals, words and objects but there are hopes it can reinvent itself and boost its economy like the north-east town of Derby on the back of newly-opened mountain bike tracks.

The Giants move up to second, denying the Kangaroos a third-straight win under caretaker coach Rhyce Shaw with a victory in Hobart.

Property experts call on the NSW Government to do more to ensure residents of strata apartments are better protected if their buildings are affected by major structural damage, with owners of the Mascot Towers likely to foot the bill for costly repairs.

MORNING BRIEFING: The father of missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez will front the media today as homicide detectives travel to Byron Bay to assist in the investigation, while some of the residents of Mascot Towers will be permitted to return to their homes to pick up belongings.

The AFL's supporter crackdown is being felt by those in the stands, but without confirmation one way or another from the AFL, the supporters are filling the void with questions of their own.

Mascot Towers building management tells residents who were evacuated on Friday night after cracks were found in the Sydney apartment building to seek help from the Salvation Army if they are facing financial hardship.

A proposed $2 billion Indigenous-led coal-fired power station in Collinsville in North Queensland developed by Brisbane-based Indigenous company Shine Energy and headed by traditional Biri man Ashley Dodd is set to revive one of the country's oldest coal towns.

Harry Bowman has been the face of the Top End's crocodile cruises for more than 30 years, but the time has come for him to say farewell to his toothless old mate Brutus the giant saltwater croc.

Plans to carve up the Marrickville Golf Club in Sydney's inner west to create more green space spark "aggressive" debate, as the local council turns to residents to make a final decision.

The Health Department confirms a massive spike in the number of influenza cases in Western Australia this year, with 3,000 extra notifications and 14 deaths in the past week alone.

Hawthorn captain Ben Stratton is suspended for two weeks by the AFL tribunal, one week each for repeatedly pinching Essendon's Orazio Fantasia and stomping on the foot of Shaun McKernan.

A female footballer who played in a men's South Australian country league has her suspension reduced to four weeks by an independent tribunal.

Canberra Grammar students discover the unexpected benefits of rebuilding damaged classrooms in Nepal, as they form special bonds with school hosts in the heart of the Himalayas.

There is a "crisis of confidence" in the NSW building industry following the second emergency evacuation of an apartment block in Sydney in six months, the Insurance Council of Australia and Federal Government warns.

The Tasmanian dream of re-entering the National Basketball League could be about to become a reality after revelations NBL owner Larry Kestelman plans to purchase the Derwent Entertainment Centre.

Police and State Emergency Service volunteers are scouring the park where Shaun Thomas Russell, 36 was killed in Adelaide's southern suburbs.

An arrest warrant is issued for a man and a woman wanted in connection with the fatal bashing of Hackham West man Shaun Russell, whose body was found in a park south of Adelaide.

A man and a woman are arrested in Adelaide's north and will face charges over the alleged murder of Hackham West man Shaun Russell, who was allegedly beaten before he died.

A man and a woman charged with the murder of a man in a park in Adelaide's southern suburbs will remain behind bars until July, after a magistrate granted an adjournment to allow DNA evidence to be analysed.

Police investigating the stabbing of a 40-year-old man, who was found lying on the road at Hackham West overnight, uncover a drug lab believed to be used for growing magic mushrooms.

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.

A woman is allegedly hit in the head with a rock and sexually assaulted in a northern suburb of Adelaide this morning, police say.

An Orwell enthusiast recently thought he had a signed first edition copy of Nineteen Eighty-Four, but he now thinks he was probably the victim of an accidental hoax.

St Kilda's pursuit of Fremantle's Bradley Hill is set to go down to the last day of the AFL trade period, but Dougal Howard and Paddy Ryder are on their way to the Saints from Port Adelaide.

A power outage in Adelaide has resurfaced hours after it had been resolved, impacting businesses and customers in the busiest section of the Adelaide CBD. The cause is still being investigated by authorities.

The driver of a Lamborghini that fatally struck a teenager in Adelaide has a previous conviction for street racing and has been issued with 18 expiation notices since 2002, a court hears.

CCTV footage captures the moment a pedestrian is struck by a car, with the alleged driver facing charges of assault and four counts of endangering life.

Almost a decade ago, Charles Brice was thrown from a motorbike in a trail-riding accident, and spent more than a year in rehab. This week, he completed a 300-kilometre road trip from the crash site.

A recently released rapist and murderer was among a "conga line" of people who offered to testify for the prosecution in another long-running murder case, a court hears.

David Warner belts a ton to power Australia to its fourth-highest Twenty20 score of 2-233, which proves to be more than enough as Sri Lanka falls 134 runs short in the first match of the men's team's international summer.

Riverland growers assess the damage to crops after a sudden hailstorm cut through the region late last night, wiping out crops in minutes.

Police are investigating whether there are links between a neighbourhood fight and damage caused to more than 50 cars in two streets in Adelaide's inner-south.

The Shadow Treasurer is now in a contest with fellow frontbencher Anthony Albanese.