Nearly 150 extra police will be out questioning Queenslanders this weekend who are enjoying the first days of easing restrictions, as the state records just one new case of coronavirus.

This holiday hotspot has the potential of having zero active coronavirus cases by early May, but with fine weather and loosening restrictions the situation could prove otherwise.

Nicholas John Crilley is sentenced to life in prison for what prosecutors said was the "sadistic" torture of a woman that left her with broken facial bones and burns to almost half her body.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces a partial resumption of schools from next week for kindergarten, prep, year 1 and high school seniors.

ABC North Coast resident arts reviewer, Jeanti St Clair looks at the latest music and theatre to hit the region.

People are being urged to batten down the hatches as the cold weather hits, including sheep graziers who could lose animals to the potentially deadly chill.

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?

CRIME NIGHT

Nick and Meg escape to Paris in a bid to save their marriage. Will they survive? Geoff Hutchison reviews the latest Roger Michell film, Le Week-end.

It's the production that first debuted on Broadway in 1966, and has been drawing audiences into a false sense of security ever since.

The water watchdog says it is investigating claims that irrigators in the Namoi Valley pumped water out of the river system during a recent embargo.

Indigenous skydiver Marley Nolan-Duncan makes history by jumping out of a plane and into Gamilaraay country, the home of his ancestors.

With many Australians facing the prospect of long-term unemployment, many have found themselves in a situation they never thought they would be in — applying for Centrelink.

Who would have thought weather would be providing the good news a few months ago? The weekend's rainfall is a welcome relief after years of drought and there could be more on the way.

Ian Pearce's resignation is the latest to plague a small east coast council, blaming his speedy exit on age, health concerns and union harassment.

Churches and synagogues across Australia are offering their services online and many are live streaming. Here's a list of the major services around the country this weekend.

All over Australia, non-essential travel is being discouraged. But the rules vary state to state, so let's take a look at exactly how far you're allowed to travel and who you're allowed to visit.

Tasmanian mum Leesa Bouman plans to juggle classes at home with her three kids and a one-year-old by taking it "one day at a time" when virtual term two gets underway on Tuesday. What's it going to look like for parents, teachers and students as the COVID-19 crisis continues?

Sixty years ago it would have been difficult to find a home in Australia without a millet broom. Now, as an industry dies around them, two men are refusing to be brushed aside by the passage of time.

Former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou claims a commanding win over Sydney FC in his long-awaited match-up against an A-League side as Yokohama F Marinos belt the Sky Blues in the Asian Champions League.

Sydney fails to complete a blockbuster deal to secure Joe Daniher from Essendon on the final day of the AFL trade period, while Bradley Hill moves from Fremantle to St Kilda.

Truck drivers are slamming their vehicles into a bridge at an unusually frequent rate, and a third crash in a week has been caught on camera today. A community group fears lives are at risk and better warning systems are desperately needed.

An unbeaten half-century from David Warner sees Australia post a seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at the MCG to clean sweep their three-match T20 series.

Benalla man Joseph McDonald is charged with one count of murder after handing himself into police on Saturday evening.

As part of the NAIDOC Week celebrations in Mackay, locals gathered in Queens Park to take part in a NAIDOC fun day event. While some people were admiring the food and information stalls, and live entertainment, others were asked what NAIDOC Week means to them.

Not much gets in the way of Tami Willey achieving her goals: after all she is a professional basketball player. What fans don't always see is what Tami's life is like off the court, juggling a career, a family and type 1 diabetes.

If you were in the Albury Wodonga area and felt extra cold on Wednesday, you would have been right. The Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed it was the coldest day on record in twenty years.

Bellingen photographer Bruce Jacups' stunning shot of a meteor flying across the night sky wins the Pic of the Week.

The message from volunteers at Toowoomba's largest op shop is that buying second-hand clothes is 'for everybody'.

Colourful artwork, vibrant food and a dazzling array of traditional dress are on display in Cairns as far north Queensland's Indonesian community celebrates Multicultural Week.

The latest tool in weed eradication in New South Wales and possibly Australia has a wet nose, a wagging tail and is called Sally.

The Tweed Valley Banana Festival will crown its 60th queen this year.

Certain sounds called spherics and whistlers, which are electromagnetic waves, recorded in Antarctica by scientists, have been used in a new music piece called 'Aurora Musicalis'.

As heated debate about water policy continues, native fish are continuing to die in the lower Darling River in shrinking residual pools.

Cardinal George Pell could be released from custody, ordered to face a new trial or sent back to prison when the Court of Appeal hands down its ruling next Wednesday. We explain the possible outcomes and what will happen next.

Rob Minshull produces Weekends with Warren and is an avid reader.

Rob Minshull produces Weekends with Warren and is an avid reader.

Rob Minshull produces Weekends with Warren and is an avid reader

Rob Minshull produces Weekends with Warren and is an avid reader

COUNTRY GIRL A memoirby Edna O'Brien

Fire crews have spent more than two weeks extinguishing a coal wash fire burning underground on a property in NSW.

Rugby league player Jack de Belin will stand trial on sexual assault charges in March next year, just two weeks before the start of the 2020 NRL season.

Australia has an extensive list of previously banned books that were once considered "obscene" and a threat to the country's morals and literary standards.

Police evidence presented to Wollongong Local Court reveals allegations of violent physical abuse against a 12-week-old baby.

The ACT Government's decision ends weeks of uncertainty about when the gradual return to "normal" lessons would begin. It comes as Opposition Leader Alistair Coe tells ABC radio that the coronavirus pandemic has ended.

Australia's national cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss relaxing coronavirus social-distancing restrictions, but NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warns nothing will be changed before Mother's Day on Sunday.

Up to five members of the same household will be allowed to visit another household this Sunday as the Queensland Government moves to further ease COVID-19 contact restrictions.

Erika Freingruber was stuck on the floor of her Beaudesert home, south of Brisbane, for up to five days with a broken hip before police rescue her after a tip-off from the state's newly-formed coronavirus Care Army.

National Cabinet will not be looking to rapidly lift wide-ranging restrictions on movement and business all at once when it meets tomorrow to consider Australia's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The peak bodies representing Western Australia's school principals call for a compulsory return to face-to-face classes from week four.