A Queensland man who was sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing a German backpacker in inner-Brisbane has his murder conviction set aside and a retrial ordered.

NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant has declared Lithgow to be a COVID-19 hotspot after an untraceable case emerged over the weekend.

MORNING BRIEFING: An aged care operator at the centre of Australia's second biggest coronavirus cluster has requested a worker be stood down after alleged breaches of infection control.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has announced he will seek Liberal pre-selection for the Eden-Monaro by-election

There's nothing up here in Louis Leterrier's magician heist flick. Like a magic trick it looks good, but is all smoke and mirrors.

A self-described experienced horse breaker has been fined and sentenced to a community correction order for a "silly decision" to use a lasso to strangle a brumby.

With little else to do and undeniably glorious weather in some parts of the country, Australians are heading outdoors in notably large numbers. But will our healthy new habits stick once COVID-19 is gone?

Aussie expat Morgan Ray usually attends an Anzac Day ceremony on the banks of the Chicago River, but lockdowns have made that impossible this year. He's not alone in feeling alone this year.

Experts say there's no evidence the weather has an impact on the spread of coronavirus — but with restrictions lifting, what you do when it's hot or cold outside might.

People working from home during COVID-19 restrictions have ditched the slacks for the humble track pants.

As the drought continues grazing families are confronted with decisions about whether to sell their stock and land. Some are taking a risk on buying a second property, carting livestock and young children hundreds of kilometres to keep their businesses alive.

The Supreme Court of Victoria releases CCTV vision of the men convicted over the Federation Square terror plot, showing one carrying a large machete and two others buying chemicals and other items to make explosives to be used in the planned attack.

CCTV released by the Supreme Court showed Abdullah Chaarani carrying a large machete up the driveway at his home.

Ciaron Maher and David Eustace are looking to turn their unorthodox training partnership into big success at Melbourne's Spring Carnival.

A small portable ultrasound machine connected to a mobile phone is set to make the stethoscope obsolete, according to a professor at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. It's faster, safer and more accurate.

Japanese Caulfield Cup winner Mer De Glace is the new favourite for Tuesday's Melbourne Cup after the barrier draw is completed at Flemington.

As thousands gathered across the country for the Light the Dark vigils in support of Syrian asylum seekers, more than 100 people gathered in the small town of Castlemaine in central Victoria.

South Australia'sdecisiontoaxe its banongeneticallymodified cropscouldopen the doors for the cotton industry many locals have traditionally opposed.

Disgraced Cardinal George Pell will not seek a reduced sentence if the Court of Appeal upholds his conviction for sexually abusing two Melbourne choirboys in the 1990s.

George Pell's lawyers lodge an application seeking leave to appeal the jailed 78-year-old's child sexual abuse convictions in the High Court of Australia.

G. Willow Wilson

Police seize more than $140 million worth of cocaine stashed in the arm of an excavator that was destined for a business in a small NSW town.

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.

Recently, there's been a surge in withdrawals, with people scared of selling in an unstable market as a recession looms and job losses hit. Agents like Rufina have never seen anything like it.

Bright, bold and ethereal — the sight of May's supermoon rising behind world landmarks will take your breath away.

Convicted killer Wendie-Sue Dent will ask South Australia's highest court to acquit her of murder after a jury found she poisoned her partner with a lethal dose of prescription medication to inherit his $300,000 estate.

Although anecdotal evidence and media reports suggest COVID-19 has prompted a spike in racism, there is very little data available that can provide a more detailed picture of what is happening, writes Chin Tan.

Some aged care homes will allow staggered visits over the Mother's Day weekend to abide by social distancing requirements.

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.

The Queensland Supreme Court will decide whether to allow a widow to use her dead husband's sperm to give her young son a sibling, as they were planning to do so before he died.

Chinese interest returns to the Ballarat goldfields, which may provide job security for more than 200 people in the town, but there is concern about how new royalties will affect businesses.

The Federal Government is ordered to pay $206,000 in legal fees for a two-year-old Tamil girl who has been embroiled in a high-profile legal battle to stay in Australia with her family.

Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter says he has sought final advice from his department on the release of unpublished documents relating to Cardinal George Pell's handling of child sexual abuse complaints.

Researchers have identified all the immune reactive proteins, then mapped and identified the parts causing chronic wheat ailments, giving growers a path to develop new lines.

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.

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.

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos announces that Epping's Meadowglen Primary School will be closed for three days as the state confirms 13 new coronavirus cases.

Two more Victorian police officers are suspended over the leak of unauthorised photos of former AFL coach and player Dean Laidley in a police station, as the state's corruption watchdog says it will oversee the investigation into the leak.

The Victorian Government launches a new campaign against family violence, as St Vincent's Hospital records a doubling of family violence victims presenting to its emergency department during the coronavirus pandemic.

Another "quite fat" king penguin is spotted on the Tasmanian mainland, with one wildlife officer calling the sighting especially rare "unless you're on a tourist ship going to Antarctica", although no cause for concern.

A woman who says she has only been a fan of the iconic rock band Queen for about a year sets the Guinness World Record for clocking up approximately 240 hours, or 10 consecutive days, watching Bohemian Rhapsody in cinemas.

The nurses' union says a law requiring remote health workers to be accompanied when going on unscheduled or after-hours callouts is being undermined by the State Government.

A contentious ecotourism project on Kangaroo Island has been approved and could lead the way for similar projects that will open up South Australian national parks currently "under lock and key".

Birdwatchers are spotting crimson and rare orange chats in southern Australia, refugees of the drought in the inland.