Immigration Minister David Coleman overturns a department ruling based on Rajasegaran Manikam's kidney disease diagnosis that would have seen the Manikam family deported to Singapore.

A sick prisoner's push for early release in the midst of the COVID pandemic.

Attorney-General John Quigley intervenes to order woman's release from prison for murdering her partner after her history as a victim of domestic violence came to light, declaring "now is the time for mercy".

This week on DTS, exams in the age of isolation and why students are up in arms about privacy. Plus, the Australian government will compel Google and Facebook to pay local media outlets for content, but exactly what will that look like? And how social media giants are stopping illegal gatherings. Guests: Ariel Bogle, online technology reporter, ABC Science @arielbogle + Seamus Byrne, writer and broadcaster of tech, future, gaming, and digital culture @seamus

Got a metal detector? This outback town is setting up a prospecting lease for tourists who want to try their hand at landing a gold nugget.

One of Australia's most notorious paedophiles has applied for parole, but South Australia is considering whether the former magistrate should be indefinitely detained behind bars.

Serial child sex offender Gary John Tipping was due to be released from prison today, but will remain behind bars after an urgent application was granted by the Supreme Court.

Another Queensland dairy farmer forced to send his herd to the meatworks says it may not have come to that if major supermarkets had passed on milk price increases.

A Queensland dairy farmer says the only way the industry will survive is if people pay $1.50 a litre, with production costs skyrocketing in the drought.

Severe bushfire conditions are expected later in the week as residents describe their terror at having to evacuate when a fast-moving bushfire threatened a township north of Noosa overnight.

From May 15, Territorians will be able to sweat it out at the gym, dine at a restaurants and get their nails done. And from June 5, they can get a tattoo or head to a nightclub.

Research continues to point to blue-green algae toxins as a trigger for neurological diseases, with motor neurone disease under increased investigation.

Western Australian farmers have welcomed the State Government's announcement to relax the controversial laws on land clearing.

The plan to set out bait for large sharks near popular WA beaches has been criticised over concerns it could attract them into swimming areas, but others back the move.

The state Opposition Leader Mark McGowan has labelled as "out of control" fee increases for TAFE courses from next year. The Government flagged the increases months ago but the new fees were only published yesterday. Mr McGowan says the cost of a Diploma of Nursing will rise 390 per cent next year. He says the increases will result in fewer people enrolling and lead to skills shortages.

The Royal Life Saving Society says WA's latest drowning figures, which reveal a 50 per cent increase on the previous year, should serve as a warning ahead of the festive season. A new report shows 31 people drowned in the state in 2012. Children under the age of four were the highest risk group for drowning and near drowning. Older people over the age of 55 were also at risk.

The charity food provider, Foodbank, says there has been a big increase in middle class people seeking help in regional WA this holiday period.

The Denmark Shire is proposing a plan to replace the leases at a popular holiday spot with more traditional ownership rights.

Leaseholders in the Western Australian south coast holiday community of Peaceful Bay have expressed concerns over a proposal to transfer their property leases to more conventional ownership titles.

New draft regulations which pave the way for the start of commercial shale gas fracking have been released in Western Australia.

Driving 50km will be permitted, members of the same household will be able to go for picnics, and shopping for non-essential items like clothes and shoes will be allowed.

Queensland students won't return to school yet, despite calls for Year 11 and 12 classes to resume, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says as some coronavirus restrictions ease on Saturday.

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.

Queensland authorities question if the coastal city could return to its usual way of life too soon, after allowing beaches to open and people to picnic.

Some of Queensland's coronavirus restrictions ease from this morning, allowing you to head outside your homes for "recreation" — but before you grab your blanket and some brie here's a list of what you can and can't do.

Queenslanders hit the waterways and public spaces on the first day of relaxed restrictions, with residents able to picnic or visit national parks for the first time in weeks.

As the global death toll from coronavirus continues to climb, a sizeable minority remains intent on downplaying the seriousness of the threat — with potentially dangerous consequences.

Queensland police shut down three house parties in the 24 hours after some coronavirus restrictions are relaxed and erect fencing at Burleigh Heads where large crowds were dispersed over the weekend.

Removalist John Siaki specialises in helping women in abusive relationships flee to safety and says the demand for his service has increased by 60 per cent since coronavirus restrictions were introduced.

Cairns Regional Council records significant increase in waste created by residents since coronavirus restrictions came into effect in March.

The Templeton family, fourth-generation farmers who almost lost everything to a pest called pythium, turn to extreme cleaning — with the help of a $250,000 washing machine from Italy — and are recognised for their efforts.

Forty experts from the Asia-Pacific will train animal workers to spot virus outbreaks before they even begin, in a new government-funded scheme to reduce the risk of another virus crisis.

On March 31, the Premier enacted stricter social-distancing measures "for our own good" — here's how people in Australia's worst-affected coronavirus state survived, and thrived amid the lockdown.

Coronavirus deaths decrease in New York but rise everywhere else in the country.

A NSW health district has collated its data from recent weeks and it shows a clear picture of how COVID-19 arrived and spread in the west of the state.

Weather conditions start to ease in northern New South Wales where firefighters continue to battle two fires that have burnt through nearly 60,000 hectares of bushland.

A bushfire threatening homes at Drake, near Tenterfield, is downgraded as the threat to houses eases.

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie says it won't "go down well" for the Coalition if she has to beg for the release of the year-old report into whether Tasmanian war hero Teddy Sheean deserves a Victoria Cross.

For the fourth day in a row Tasmania records no new cases of coronavirus and announces it will begin to lift restrictions at aged care homes from next Monday.

Peacocks are popular pets with people eager to host the showy ornamental bird, despite breeders admitting they are not particularly good companions nor protectors.

Amber Brea Rover was suffering from undiagnosed schizophrenia when she stabbed her friend Zoe Fenn in July last year.

A man accused of threatening his former wife before allegedly shooting her in the head has been granted bail because it took more than a decade to charge him.

One of three peregrine falcon chicks that hatched, in front of thousands of online fans, has died in a nest perched high on a Melbourne skyscraper, marking the third year in a row the nest has suffered such a loss.

Copier Jam is a new exhibition at the Childers Art Space. It brings the underground world of self-published zines out of the bedroom and into the light.

Retailers have been at the economic epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, with mass shutdowns in place for the past five weeks.

School principal Michelle Wilson spent a stressful two hours on the phone, convinced she owed $8,000 and could soon be arrested if she didn't pay up. Then she realised the whole thing was an elaborate hoax.

Making good on an election promise, the NSW Government has named its first dairy advocate, who is vowing to highlight the pressures faced by farmers at both ends of the supply chain.

Volunteers for Meals on Wheels say the charity is under threat with branches surviving on bequests as Federal Government funding for the service plateaus.