So shocking is the case of 18-year-old Alex Braes, it's prompted a group of clinicians who worked at the regional hospital where he was treated to blow the whistle on what they believe are systemic failures.

A new art exhibition opening in Sydney today brings together some of the nation's leading artists who offer an urgent message about the destruction of the beleaguered Murray-Darling basin.

Once an outback oasis, Copi Hollow is now almost all that's left of the Menindee lakes system, but its future is uncertain.

Officials are hoping for a big turnout at the restart of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in Albany today.

An organisation which has been highly critical of Western Australia's land clearing regulations says the way the issue is approached needs to significantly change.

For generations they have been the champions of rural communities, providing tried and true recipes from the nations favourite cooks. Country Womens Associations across the state have been doing it tough lately.

The Education Minister says the completion of a major upgrade should ensure Denmark High School can continue its strong performance while dealing with a growing school population.

The receivers of the collapsed Rare Coin Company say the return of stock, owned by customers caught up in the company's demise, will not begin until next year.

An investor, who has been left waiting months for the return of rare bank notes he owned through a collapsed Albany dealer, says further delays to that process are distressing.

The Police Commissioner has paid tribute to a senior Walpole policeman as an "outstanding officer" after he won WA's Police Officer of the Year Award.

The Department of Fisheries has released the results of a survey of WA's recreational fishing take, which has found the blue swimmer crab is the most commonly caught species.

The latest survey of the cost of living in regional WA has shown a significant drop in living costs in the state's north. The State Government assesses the cost of 500 goods and services in 27 regional centres as part of the Regional Price Index every second year.

Pledging to quit smoking, lose weight and get fit is pretty popular on New Years' Eve, so why do many people fail?

Local government officials in Mount Barker say they are angered by the "senseless" burglary and vandalism at the town's swimming pool complex.

Clubs WA has hit out at the recommendations in a review of Western Australia's liquor laws released yesterday, claiming its interests have been ignored. The review of the Liquor Control Act released by the State Government makes 141 recommendations, including the introduction of secondary supply laws which make it an offence to supply liquor to a juvenile on an unlicensed premise without parental consent.

A Western Australian Government survey has found the Great Southern has one of the state's lowest rates of people looking to relocate to another region.

Analysts say it makes sense for Grange Resources to examine trying to get its Southdown project, near Albany, off the ground sooner by starting on a smaller scale.

"We'd rather be taken by a grey nurse than a nursing home."

Farmers are gathering in Merredin this weekend to give thanks for what they believe was 'divine intervention' in the last cropping season.

The State Government says it's sent a serious threat to the owners of one of Albany's prime vacant lots, by signing off on a plan that would allow it to reclaim the site. But the Opposition maintains it's a hollow threat.

The Katanning Shire says it still expects to be the first area in Western Australia's Great Southern to have fixed line access to the National Broadband Network (NBN), despite earlier work being carried out in Narrogin.

The chairman of Australia's first parliamentary inquiry into 'fracking' says the investigation is entering a significant new chapter.

A court in WA has heard a Collingwood footballer was motivated by "sheer revenge" when he assaulted a man outside a nightclub on the state's south coast. Marley Williams, 20, is on trial in the District Court charged with causing grievous bodily harm.

Western Australian Wheatbelt nickel producer Western Areas says it will make significant savings after raising the funds to pay off a $110 million bond.

Footballer Marley William's claim he acted in self defence when he punched another man is a "fantasy", the prosecution in his trial says. Mr Williams admits to punching then 29-year-old Matthew Robertson in the face outside the Studio 146 nightclub in the south coastal town of Albany, the Magpies defender's home town. He gave evidence on Wednesday and today, saying Mr Robertson and two other men had previously attacked him inside the club and he feared being 'beaten up' again outside.

Collingwood footballer Marley Williams has been found guilty of grievous bodily harm over a one-punch attack in Albany.

Supporters of wind farms are urging state and federal governments to back the use of the renewable energy source, after an official review of evidence found a lack of support for claims of health effects.

Farmers in some of the driest parts of Western Australia are concerned they will miss out on funds from the Federal Government's drought assistance package because they will not meet the criteria.

Coronavirus is changing the way the entire human race lives. Emergency workers are scrambling together contingency plans, fearing hospitals could soon be overwhelmed. Scientists are racing to invent a faster, cheaper Covid-19 test kit available for us all. Restaurants are reinventing themselves as delivery services, artists are turning to live-streaming to make a living. This week, the entire Background Briefing team investigates how each of us are finding new ways to get by.

What does it take to prepare for a pandemic? Many hospitals around the world are already overwhelmed by patients infected with COVID-19. Australian doctors and nurses are bracing for something most of them have never faced before. In our country hospitals, resources are already stretched: beds are in short supply and there’s a greater proportion of older people. Preparation will, in many cases, be the difference between life and death.
 ABC National Regional Reporter Jess Davis takes us inside the Wimmera Base Hospital in Horsham, Victoria, as the team tries to prepare for the unimaginable.

The coronavirus pandemic is causing pain and suffering the world over, but then there are always those who never let a good crisis go to waste. Some are benefiting from COVID-19 for legitimate reasons: just think of companies that make video conferencing apps, ventilators, or canny investors. But there are also more nefarious players looking to bank a win off the back of coronavirus fear and confusion: scam artists, fraudsters, counterfeiters. This week, Geoff Thompson, Mario Christodoulou, Meghna Bali and Kat Gregory investigate who's winning in these turbulent times and how.

Pat O'Sullivan took over the Hillston Spectator from his dad more than 60 years ago. But now, with his garden calling, the publication could be at risk of folding.

It's hard to imagine a subtropical island struggling with drought, but Norfolk Island has had only 12mm of rain all summer and dams and water tanks are running dry.

Perched 1,600 kilometres east of Brisbane, a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean hosts a landscape resembling a desert scene from the NT.

Cobar's Endeavour mine to cut 130 jobs

As the Cobar Endeavor Mine comes to the end of its lead and zinc reserves, CBH Resources announces it is cutting 130 jobs from the drought-stricken outback town.

When the local RSL in Coonamble in central west New South Wales found itself in debt to the tune of $500,000, it was feared nothing could be done.

The Federal Government has handed Norfolk Island a lifeline to save its tourism industry, but locals have railed against their offering saying it could turn tourists away.

Thousands head to the tiny New South Wales town of Louth for a dusty race weekend amid the ongoing dry.