A WOMAN is dead after a truck failed to stop at a red light and ploughed into the back of her stationary motorcycle in Melbourne’s outer east.

Falling demand for electricity caused by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic could leave WA's main electricity system at risk of a solar power overload within months, experts have warned.

With the shutdown of an estimated 100 film and TV shoots, many of the sector's 30,000 workers lost their entire income overnight and say they can't access the Government's job assistance schemes.

In what appears to be a lax enforcement by China of UN sanctions, North Korean vessels — some carrying illicit coal shipments — are seen anchored in Chinese waters last year in photos from a UN report.

Uluru in 2020 is a rare sight for Mutitjulu local Verna Wilson, who is taking her kids out to see parts of Kata Tjuta National Park that are typically bustling with tourists.

Historians will look back on this period as an epoch in capitalism, when oil-producing nations were powerful because they were necessary to keep the whole engine running. But the global shift towards renewable energy will change all that, Gareth Hutchens writes.

The Federal Government has been spruiking a renewed focus on Australia's shrinking manufacturing sector in the post-COVID-19 world. But experts say it will be tough to flick the switch on a withering part of the economy.

The Australian Department of Health says it does not endorse any cleaning company in relation to COVID-19 and warns businesses not to use a free online course in their marketing materials.

Experts say going back to the normal gridlock on city transport networks in a post-coronavirus world is not only unappealing — it's unnecessary.

With tourism ground to a halt, industry experts say Cairns will be one of the regions hardest hit by coronavirus, estimating it is on track to lose $500 million in visitor spending by April.

Fancy your home as an "hermetically sealed space ship" this winter, and keeping warm to boot? Here's how you can do both and not pump out more electricity, gas or wood smoke.

The US President warns China that it should face consequences if it was "knowingly responsible" for the coronavirus pandemic, as protests about strict stay-at-home measures spread across America.

The competition and consumer watchdog has launched an inquiry into whether tractor manufacturers are failing farmers who want the right to repair their own machinery.

Workers say the supermarket giant is not providing them with the best possible protection against coronavirus after their complaints were dismissed by the head office.

The think tank predicts between 14 and 26 per cent of the entire Australian workforce will lose their job, if they haven't already, as a result of government shutdowns and physical distancing rules.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says a mandatory code will help "level the playing field" by requiring digital platforms such as Google and Facebook to pay news media businesses for the content they produce.

Light rail was officially launched one year ago in Canberra and, up until the COVID-19 outbreak, was proving more popular than first estimated. The government announced an increase in frequency to help alleviate the peak hour crush earlier this year, but now, the carriages are running empty.

Anxious parents express their relief as kids in the Northern Territory head back into the classroom for term two after homeschooling when the COVID-19 crisis first hit.

Queensland's State Development Minister Cameron Dick is warning the NSW Treasurer to "back off" over a move to lure Virgin Australia from Brisbane to Sydney as part of a possible bailout package for the embattled airline.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton reveals theoretical modelling which suggests 36,000 people could have been killed by coronavirus in Victoria if no physical-distancing measures were put in place.

Australian shares drop as US oil plunges to a 21-year low, Caltex takeover fails due to coronavirus risk, and NAB flags $1.1 billion hit to its earnings.

The funding for services like the RFDS will allow them to evacuate coronavirus patients to larger medical centres and fly in medical workers and equipment for regional respiratory clinics.

A new survey from the ABS shows the extreme effect of coronavirus social-distancing measures on employment, with well over a million workers losing their incomes in the space of a month.

Virgin Australia captain George Kailis has been flying planes for almost 20 years, but fears for himself and co-workers as the company looks likely to enter into voluntary administration.

In an open letter to Virgin employees, Sir Richard Branson calls on the UK Government to help save Virgin Atlantic, while warning against allowing Qantas "a monopoly" should Virgin Australia "disappear".

ACTU secretary Sally McManus tells Hamish Macdonald the Government taps the phones of union chiefs, while economist Gigi Foster causes a stir by saying the coronavirus lockdown may not be worth the cost.

Virgin Australia is expected to announce the airline will go into voluntary administration, with Deloitte tipped to help the company restructure about $5 billion in debt and pay off its creditors.

The benchmark price for US crude plummeted to negative $US35.20 a barrel as traders sought to avoid owning crude with nowhere to store it.

Changes necessary for the Victorian Government to deal with the coronavirus pandemic include plans to hold judge-only trials and giving councils the power to hold meetings online.

Australian shares drop in the wake of US oil prices falling below zero for the first time, underscoring the chaos the COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed on the global economy.

Backpacker workers are losing their jobs and being told to "go home" by local community members amid fears they will spread coronavirus.

Australia's troubled second airline, which saw its cash flow collapse because of tough coronavirus travel restrictions, appoints accounting firm Deloitte to act as administrator after the Federal Government rejected calls to bail it out.

On this day 50 years ago, WA farmer Leonard Casley "stuck his nose up" at the Federal Government and seceded from Australia, forming the micronation the Principality of Hutt River.

The Federal Government has thrown airline Regional Express a funding lifeline to continue servicing airports in regional Australia during the ongoing pandemic.

Farmer John Lever and his wife Lillian say their Koorana Crocodile Farm has just two weeks of food left to feed 3,000 crocodiles, so they're offering an 'adopt a croc' program to raise funds.

What do Barrie Cassidy, Annika Smethurst, Tony Wright and Sean Murphy have in common? They all got their start on country newspapers. And recent mass closures have had a visceral impact on each of them.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a 5.5 per cent slump in jobs in the first week after extensive business shutdowns and social-distancing limits were introduced to contain the virus, new ABS figures show.

Police and paramedics are at the scene of a fatal industrial accident at Truro north of Adelaide, where a man has been killed.

One of Adelaide's most historic music venues, which has hosted some of the world's biggest artists, could be forced to close due to a lack of support amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Regional centres are concerned they could be badly hit by the potential collapse of Virgin Australia, with higher airfares and less competition.

Virgin Australia's potential collapse has left staff scrambling for jobs, as tourism and aviation industries prepare for the threat of major player leaving the market.

The live cattle trade out of northern Australia has its biggest price crash since 2011, with key markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe warns Australia's unemployment rate is likely to hit 10 per cent by June, and even though Australia will recover, the coronavirus emergency "will cast a shadow over our economy for some time to come".

The modelling predicts more than a quarter of a million jobs could be lost in Victoria due to the coronavirus pandemic in what Premier Daniel Andrews says is the perhaps the "biggest economic and employment challenge" in the state's history.

With the world experiencing "the biggest supply and demand disparity in history", benchmark Brent oil futures fall to their lowest level since November 2001.

The debate over nuclear technology is a controversial one, yet many leaders in the field believe it's time for an open and calm discussion about the energy alternative.

Australian shares recoup earlier losses as retailers and banks rise, after initial falls were spurred by oil prices falling to their lowest value in 18 years.

The hit show Tiger King and self-isolation measures boost the world's largest streaming service, which has added millions of new customers so far this year.

Supermarket and grocery store turnover leapt 22 per cent in March on panic buying of toilet paper and food but sales are expected to fall as stockpiling subsides and major retailers, including Myer, extend shutdowns.

Raymond Barbara gave up his job for "the holiday of a lifetime". Instead he ended up with coronavirus, in mourning for his late mother, and thousands of dollars out of pocket.