Graham Morrison, 55, is given a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence after hitting a family car on the Newell Highway near the end of an 11-hour trip.

MORNING BRIEFING: Firefighters say it could take weeks, potentially months, to contain about five fires burning around Armidale and Tenterfield, while a woman is injured and a firearm stolen during a break and enter in Orana.

Parched parts of NSW received a welcome dump of rain over the weekend.

Queensland mother Nina Hensley says the jumping castle has helped her daughter with Angelman syndrome cope with coronavirus restrictions.

The Government's stimulus packages have been set up to get people through the COVID-19 pandemic, but how will unemployed Australians fare as we come out the other side?

Gold Coasters are warned that eased restrictions on travel in Queensland may not apply in NSW, with stiff fines for non-essential travel south of the border a possibility.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Melbourne City beats Western United 2-1 in the season's second Victorian derby, while Perth Glory enjoy a win over Phoenix by the same scoreline in Wellington.

The Swell Sculpture Festival is on again and Currumbin Beach is coming alive with colour, movement and thought-provoking works of art.

Treasury forecasting an 85 per cent plunge in net arrivals next financial year if border restrictions continue beyond Christmas.

The Prime Minister is laying the groundwork for Australia to re-open for business and wants what he calls a "COVID-19 safe economy" by July.

Many people venture to South West Victoria for the surf.

Research into a mysterious substance that makes up 85 per cent of the universe, along with good old-fashioned gold and a new hydroponic farm, are driving a jobs boom in the small Victorian town of Stawell, but there's a problem.

A jury hears of the moment the woman accused of causing a crash that killed four people in western Victoria realised the deceased were "probably grandmothers" as well.

Katherine Howell

Chloe Maxwell

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Three remote Western Australian Indigenous communities say they have been disadvantaged because their homes lie within national park and reserve areas and they want out.

American college basketballers are increasingly turning to opportunities to play in regional Australian towns, but in Kalgoorlie they have long been a part of the town's rich basketball culture.

In Australia, Muslims from different backgrounds are preparing for a fasting month of loneliness without social gatherings.

Coronavirus sees many housebound Australians revisit instruments they haven't played since they were kids — rediscovering the trials and tribulations of learning along the way.

Joining Raf is Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Alison McMilan, discussing Australia's success in handling the coronavirus pandemic and how we can maintain progress in the future.

Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor is farewelled as a dedicated "hero" who will always be remembered for making a "huge difference to the community", as Victoria Police officers observe a minute of silence for their colleague.

Victorians will never forget the sacrifice made by the four police officers killed in the Eastern Freeway crash, Police Minister Lisa Neville says, as Constable Glen Humphris and Senior Constable Kevin King are laid to rest.

The funeral for Josh Prestney today was small but full of grief as family and friends farewelled the young constable who was called a hero.

The Coalition has promised to fix 1,600km of SA's dog fence if it returns to government, an announcement warmly received after almost 20,000 sheep were lost to wild dogs last year.

In a backyard shed, artist Kerrie Taylor makes jewellery out of cutlery.

Journalist Andrew McGarry covered the trial of one of Australia's most notorious serial killings. Two decades since police made the gruesome discovery in a disused bank vault, he looks at the similarities between the actions of ringleader, John Bunting, and George Orwell's novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Horse sanctuaries close and horse owners are forced to consider putting their horses down amid an "unprecedented shortage of hay".