Life for Busara O'Reilly in her Lismore cafe is a far cry from the day she fled gunfire on a beautiful Thai beach as a toddler, but it is that start to life that has made her take nothing for granted.

Unemployment in one Queensland region soars to more than double the state figure as an expert warns it's the 'calm before the storm'.

Federal funding worth $185 million for Queensland's regional roads is welcomed by some local mayors but other regional leaders are concerned about some trouble spots missing out.

Abortion service providers are left with chartering private flights to regional Queensland, saying infrequent schedules and short-notice cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic make flying commercial untenable.

Anyone who isn't eligible for the government-funded flu vaccine has been left waiting for the jab in north-west Queensland.

Communities in western New South Wales are mourning the suspension of their local newspapers with some saying the publications are the "heart" of the communities.

Youth taking part in the Down The Track initiative can learn how to shear sheep, get a certificate in agriculture and can learn hospitality skills for at least another 12 months.

Australia's colonial banks are given new lives as bank branches close across regional Australia.

Russ French's highly detailed military models have helped secure billion-dollar contracts, with one even landing at the Pentagon. These are no toys.

A lack of detox beds in large regional centres is preventing people from getting rehab, a special commission of inquiry into ice hears.

Regional Express Airlines has warned the folding of its services to some regional and remote communities could effectively shut residents off from the rest of Australia, as the company waits hopefully for vital federal government funding.

There are fears the elderly and people with disabilities will become housebound, meanwhile some drivers in their 60s and 70s find themselves in a Centrelink queue for the first time.

Country kids often hear they need to move to the city after school, but these young entrepreneurs are staying local and marketing their home town to the world.

Rivalry keeps sport interesting. But what happens when one team has dominated the same competition for 40 consecutive years?

Spending a year or two working as a jackaroo on an Australian sheep station was once a rite of passage for many young Englishmen. Mark Evison was one of them before he was killed serving in Afghanistan and others are following in his footsteps.

After a sublime performance by the Vampires, some were saying that the newly constructed Pavilion at Bermagui may be the highest quality music venue between Nowra and Melbourne. The concert, presented by a local community group in a venue built by another local community group, combined a world-class band with an acoustically designed world-class venue.

Two homicides in two months last year rocked Maryborough in regional Victoria, a town whose residents already felt they'd become too accustomed to putting themselves down over the years.

When farmer Alistair Gabb fell into depression his doctor prescribed him medication and referred him to a psychiatrist for 10 free therapy sessions but it was far from enough.

Once the staple of regional travel, motels are facing an increasingly uncertain future as online alternatives bite away at revenue.

In August 1978, someone entered Ballarat's art gallery, grabbed a 92-year-old painting off the wall, and walked out the front door. Now, the once cash-strapped gallery hosts international artists.

Gay and lesbian culture has been long associated with the city, often to the detriment of LGBT people in rural Victoria who felt they could never be accepted.

The dishevelled older man on a city street is no longer accurate as a homeless stereotype with women, youth and regional families falling below the poverty line.

MORNING BRIEFING: Many regional Tasmanian areas are in a population decline, and Hobart scores high on drug waste water testing.

It's the system they have in London and Chicago, it's being trialled in New York, and soon it will allow people in Cairns, Mackay and Townsville to pay for trains and buses with their credit cards and mobile phones.

Youth unemployment has soared as a result of the coronavirus, prompting some young people to start their own businesses to try and claw their way back into the workforce.

The busiest airport in regional Victoria has laid off more than half its workforce and has lost 95 per cent of its revenue — but says it isn't eligible for government programs like the JobKeeper allowance.

After allegations of misconduct and violent behaviour at a South Australian fire station were revealed by the ABC, some staff are now facing fresh claims of a serious conflict of interest as calls for a public inquiry intensify.

Health authorities in Newcastle, NSW, have developed a vaccine safety tracking system, now a world-leader in monitoring the rollout of vaccines in Australia.

People living with disabilities in regional Australia say having their own cars would make a huge difference to their lives but access to a vehicle is simply too expensive.

A power company is remotely turning home air conditioners off in a trial to manage peak electricity demand, but will consumers hand over the remote control?

Thirty per cent of the Shire of Westonia is owned by corporate agricultural companies and locals say they are worried it is ruining the "sense of community" in the shire's small rural towns.

For inmates in a maximum security prison in WA, socialising unwanted dogs is "like a day away" from jail and the effects of the program are being described as "win-win".

With WA moving closer to legalising voluntary assisted dying, the debate is shining a light on the desperate need for better palliative care, particularly in regional areas.

Regional Australians are feeling 'pill shamed' and are avoiding treatment due to the stigma around mental health medication and a lack of confidentiality in small-town pharmacies.

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

From growing agri-tourism to tackling racism, these Trailblazers are taking their big ideas to the country's corridors of power to revolutionise regional Australia.

People living in South Australia's regional areas call for the State Government to help improve liveability.

Regional Express Airlines says a video of what is claimed to be a rusty propeller shaft on one of its planes does not actually show corrosion, with CASA saying it had "no current issues" with the safety of Rex aircraft.

For 17 years Ray Cook, also known as 'Captain Cook', has built a livelihood around helping others to catch a prized snapper but a proposed ban in SA waters could force his business under.

At 73, Dr Graham Fleming could be enjoying a quiet retirement. Instead, he's gearing up to be a struggling regional town's first resident doctor in nearly 18 months.

They are the lifeblood of Australia's smaller regional towns, selling everything from ammunition to bread, but what's it really like behind the counter at a country town's local store?

The only nursing home in Pyramid Hill will close by the end of November, leaving 30 locals out of work.

In regional Victoria, palliative care patients are waiting hours and sometimes days for much-needed medications to help with pain and quality of life.

A new food truck is empowering disadvantaged Gippsland families to choose their own fresh produce and is also allowing for more efficient delivery.

Pusparani Kumaravel has shaved her head after waiting six years for a visa. She feels like it's the only way she can have some control of her life.

A report on the workplace culture at a major hospital in Victoria uncovers limited supervision of junior mental health staff, as well as allegations of bullying and sexual harassment.

Whistleblower doctors in New South Wales say their pleas for a serious inquiry into regional healthcare by the NSW State Government are being ignored since a damning Four Corners expose last month.