Australia's island state is known for its rich history and pristine environment it also provides 50 per cent of the raw materials that go into the powerful painkillers at the centre of the United States' opioid crisis.

A tent in his sister-in-law's back yard has been Paul's home for the past year, and despite government plans to build hundreds of affordable homes he is not optimistic of getting a roof over his head.

DAILY BRIEFING: Premier Will Hodgman says it is "improbable" mining exploration licences or leases will be granted to companies looking for coal on agricultural land, and the Hobart City Council is one step closer to drug testing councillors.

DAILY BRIEFING: Protesters fearing an imminent logging operation in Tasmania's Tarkine area are outside a government building in Hobart, as Labor calls for an investigation into how a 17-year-old escaped detainee custody.

DAILY BRIEFING: A Tasmanian architect releases concept plans for an AFL stadium at Mac Point, and Hobart's Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds survives a no-confidence vote during a heated meeting.

A draft report has found a $260 million development of Glenorchy's Wilkinson's Point would great 1,100 jobs and inject millions into Hobart, but it could come at a cost to locals.

A woman resigned from her job after her employer "expressed disgust and made comments" about her facial hair and another was suspended for shaving her hair to support her cancer patient mother, an anti-discrimination report says.

The operators of a fast-food pizza shop in Hobart are fined $104,000 after a court finds they "deliberately" adopted a different payment system for foreign employees that saw the workers earn significantly less than their Australian counterparts.

A Tasmanian great-grandmother-to-be was shocked to discover she was forking out for private health services she didn't ask for and didn't need. But her insurer said it was simply a case of 'buyer beware'.

Friends of a man allegedly murdered on South Australia's Nullarbor Plain on Monday say he had previously worked as an interpreter with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the US Army in Afghanistan, and had "escaped the warzone" in moving to Australia.

A five-member fishing crew is relieved to be back on land after enduring 12 days adrift off South Australia's coast, coming up against personal tragedy, a failed rescue attempt and a shortage of food.

Inmates at four South Australian prisons will be confronted with the faces of cold case murder victims in what authorities hope will be a "conscious jogger" for people to come forward with information.

Regional airports are deemed essential gateways between the city and country, but questions have been raised about how secure they are.

A South Australian MP is calling for an increase in travel subsidies, coverage of services like Airbnb and Uber, and more flexibility for patients to see their own medical specialists under the state's Patient Assisted Transport Scheme (PATS).

The proud railway identity of Cummins is to become history as the farming community prepares to tackle 50 extra trucks on its roads each day.

A Norwegian MP calls for a state-owned Norwegian oil and gas company not to start drilling in the Great Australian Bight, while a scientist says noise from the project could hurt marine life.

SA senator Sarah Hanson-Young says a crude Facebook post shared by a business owned by the Ceduna Mayor is "degrading" to women, but he says his Facebook account was hacked.

Hot temperatures and low rainfall take their toll on South Australian wine grape growers, but many are happy with the quality of the wines in spite of, or perhaps even because of, the tough conditions.

Plans to relaunch a South Australian ferry service hit a snag with the vessel the Aurora V caught up in political turmoil in South America.

The search for two people missing off the coast of South Australia's Eyre Peninsula ends tragically as the bodies of a 35-year-old man and his five-year-old daughter are spotted in waters after they were swept from rocks at Cape Carnot.

It comes as no surprise to researchers that densely-populated beaches in Australia are contaminated with microplastics but what about our remote coastal areas?

Mother's Day can be a painful time for members of the Stolen Generations, but it can also be a source of pride and strength for those who have maintained unbreakable bonds spanning generations.

A series of killings that happened 170 years ago have created deep rifts in South Australias Waterloo Bay and a new cliffside monument is at the centre of the debate.

About 500 locals turn out in Cummins, on SA's Eyre Peninsula, to farewell one of the final trains passing through the town as the region prepares for more trucks on the road.

An 'island-rock' formation in South Australian is believed to have formed billions of years ago and while it is eroding, experts say it is not likely to disappear anytime soon.

South Australia's latest budget locks in money for a new hospital and other key infrastructure projects, but also foreshadows cuts to overall health spending.

Landholders fight for independent review after the controversial Mining bill passes the Lower House.

The vulnerable species breeds year-round in captivity and arid zones but a study of re-introduced populations on the Eyre Peninsula suggests that may not be the case in southern parts of Australia.

Last year, Edie Rayner wrote an open letter addressed to all the doctors of Australia. Like many regional towns, her Kimba does not have a permanent doctor but she's looking to change that.

Champion jockey Kerrin McEvoy's hometown of Streaky Bay is fundraising to install a life-sized bronze statue of their hero on the town's foreshore.

Fishing for snapper in South Australia may be banned until 2023 to allow "decimated" populations to recover. The Government says if urgent steps are not taken, the iconic species could vanish from the state altogether.

A plan to probe the Great Australian Bight for gas and oil using seismic testing is delayed, with the company behind the move confirming its testing will be postponed until next year.

In the mid-19th century two teenagers fled the brutal life of a SA whaling station. With the help of local Indigenous tribes they survived walking more than 500km through remote landscape to finally reach freedom.

South Australia Police are investigating a video that appears to show an off-duty officer badly injuring or killing a wombat by throwing rocks at it, but an Aboriginal elder says it is a local hunting practice.

Volunteer whale spotters believe they've photographed more than 50 whales at South Australia's Sleaford Bay this year, raising questions about how the marine mammals might be affected by a desalination plant proposed for the area.

An app designed to alert South Australians about bushfires is still not ready as total fire bans were issued amid sweltering temperatures. A watch and act message has been issued for a fire burning near Swan Reach in the state's Murraylands region.

The Barossa Valley is recognised for its wine and tourism, but some bird species are beginning to disappear because of habitat fragmentation and noisy miners.

A Victorian water authority bows to pressure and abandons plans to pump more groundwater from an area where it caused major environmental degradation.

Violent standover man Hizir Ferman may have "progressively suffocated" to death when Victorian prison officers used their body weight to pin him to the ground after forcibly removing him from his cell, an inquest has been told.

An expert policy advisor says until governments properly fund crisis accommodation for family violence perpetrators the risk to victims will only escalate.

Parishioners in rural communities are increasingly perform the role of priests, taking funerals and Sunday celebrations into their own hands.

Tanya Day died of traumatic brain injuries after she was arrested for public drunkenness in December, 2017. Lawyers for the Indigenous woman's family are now asking the Victorian coroner to consider whether systemic racism was a factor in her death.

Prison officers and nurses could have done more to prevent the death of underworld figure Hizir Ferman, who suffocated to death inside a Victorian prison after a stand-off with guards, a coroner finds.

With only one in four Australians staying with the same employer for 10 years or more, there is a call for a national portable long service leave scheme in Australia.