WA Premier Mark McGowan never needs a second invitation to express his disdain for the Maritime Union of Australia and its leader Christy Cain, but they may just be stuck in a loveless marriage, writes Jacob Kagi.

For the first time in history, the mayor of WA's biggest council will be chosen directly by residents, but the campaign has been marred by allegations of criminal damage, sabotage and online abuse.

Terry "Tuck" Waldron was instrumental in the planning and execution of the $1.6 billion Perth Stadium. Now he is facing another challenge overhauling the iconic but ageing WACA Ground.

What to read, watch and listen to in the month of May to broaden your world.

Coronaviruses are well-studied in animals. What lessons does veterinary medicine have for this pandemic?

Western Australia's s Minister for Agriculture and Food will have an opportunity to sign up to the long-awaited federal farm finance package this week.

The Mayor of Albany has scoffed at reports the city is considering spending millions of dollars on a prime vacant site in the central business district.

Panic immediately set in at the sight of an injured Ellyse Perry limping from the field, but her limited role in the Australian T20 team might mean the side can cope better than expected, writes Geoff Lemon.

The parents of missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez, who disappeared in Byron Bay in May shortly before he was due to fly home, say they are hopeful their son will still be found alive.

Police are investigating the "suspicious" origins of a devastating bushfire, which is believed to have started late Friday and yesterday destroyed 21 homes in northern NSW.

Toowoomba Regional Council's motto is "Rich traditions, bold ambitions" — and it has boldly created a new tradition in choosing its deputy mayor.

As southern parts of Australia look set for a wet winter, the northern part of the NT is grappling with its second poor wet season in as many years.

As beaches reopen on the Gold Coast, mayor Tom Tate has called on the Federal Government to allow the "gradual" return of the city's crippled hospitality industry.

A Mid North Coast school is bucking the state trend planning to have all its students on campus by May 11 and says a previous COVID-19 case has adequately prepared it for any future outbreaks.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has endorsed Bega Valley Shire Mayor Kristy McBain after she nominated for pre-selection to contest the Eden-Monaro by-election.

The Illawarra union movement pays tribute to a Dapto man who has not missed a May Day march in 88 years.

A Sydney school is shut after a student tests positive for COVID-19 but Gladys Berejiklian says all children could be back in classrooms full-time by the end of May.

Water stations reduce heat stress and other effects of drought and extreme weather events on koalas and other animals, new research finds.

Australia's smallest regional airlines say their financial survival can be counted in days rather than weeks, as the coronavirus emergency creates heavy turbulence for the industry.

Researchers in Adelaide are working on turning mushroom waste into items like sunscreen, skincare products and coating for outdoor furniture.

Many parts of Australia have worked hard to attract migrants to help boost the population and ageing workforces, but many like Rosan Bhattarai are now without a source of income because they are on temporary visas and can't get access to the JobKeeper program.

Automated crosswalks, the rebirth of suburbia, electric scooters — there are many quirky and nuanced ways that the coronavirus outbreak could impact on urban life.

Warm oceans are encouraging wet conditions for Australia, with the hint of a negative IOD and even a potential La Nina on the horizon.

Vow and Declare co-owner Bob Leitch said his "emotions flowed over" as a horse part-owned by a novice syndicate from Queensland stormed to Melbourne Cup victory.

Batemans Bay was once an isolated coastal frontier settlement that grew on the back of oyster farming, timber cutting, and as a port servicing nearby goldfields. As the closest coastal town to Canberra it's now dominated by large shopping malls servicing surrounding suburbs of retirees and holiday homes. The architecture of its heritage has been lost, but two of its earliest and most significant buildings remain hidden and unknown behind 1960s shopfront facades. Will they be saved and restored?

Two local leaders who rose to national prominence during the summer bushfires will likely slug it out for the major parties in the Eden Monaro by-election in southern New South Wales.

A man has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of a former regional Victorian mayor near Ballarat in 2017.

A man disqualified from driving and tested positive to methamphetamines has been jailed for at least two years for dangerous driving causing the death of a former regional Victorian mayor near Ballarat in 2017.

The Prime Minister suggests Cardinal George Pell will be stripped of his Order of Australia honour, as Pell plans to take his rejected appeal against his child sex abuse convictions to the High Court.

MORNING BRIEFING: The proposed changes allow councils to apply the rate cap more flexibly and comes as local governments suffer financial hardship from the coronavirus pandemic.

A 92-year-old resident of Newmarch House aged care home in western Sydney dies after contracting coronavirus, as NSW reaches a record high in testing rates.

The WA Attorney-General casts doubt on whether more than $600,000 worth of severance payouts, made to former Health Department employees embroiled in a decades-long corruption scandal, will be recovered.

High-profile Liberal candidate Georgina Downer announces she is returning to Victoria after failing twice to win the South Australian seat of Mayo.

As the south and east remain gripped in a cold snap, it might be hard to believe that Australia just had its fifth warmest April on record.

Police investigating the death of 26-year-old Ellie Price in South Melbourne are calling for help from the public to find Ricardo Barbaro, who they want to speak with about the death.

The Coalition's candidate for the marginal South Australian seat of Mayo moderates her previous position that the minimum wage and penalty rates should be abolished.

A popular roadside attraction featuring about 2,000 teddy bears and other soft toys could secure a reprieve after an intervention from the SA Premier but two local councils remain concerned about the risk it poses to drivers.

A joyride along a NSW beach in a stolen vehicle has ended in irreparable damage to a century-old shipwreck. As police search for the culprits, locals are fuming over the wanton destruction of the iconic relic.

The 6.6 magnitude earthquake that rattled Broome was 100 times more powerful than the one which claimed 13 lives in Newcastle in 1989 but there were no deaths and very little damage.

A sea snake has washed up on a beach near Esperance on WA's southern coast, marking the region's first verified record of the typically tropical creature.

DAILY BRIEFING: Inmates involved in an escape from prison allegedly tried to get out earlier the same morning, and the Tasmanian Mayor defends renting a short-stay property to staff.

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.