DAILY BRIEFING: Tasmania's Speaker pauses parliament as tensions run high over her bid for a pay rise, and a police officer charged over the strip search of an 11-year-old boy indicates she'll plead guilty.

DAILY BRIEFING: Controversial Speaker Sue Hickey wanted a pay rise when she was Lord Mayor, and the Opposition accuses the Government of sending in a health budget razor.

The heat is on beekeepers to deliver healthy hives for pollination this spring and into the summer.

Spencer Connelly, 11, was supposed to have his third round of skin graft surgery within 90 days. But he's been waiting 15 months as Tasmania's elective surgery waiting list blows out.

Llama Hiking in Tasmania, for therapy, for charity and because llamas are lovely creatures.

The accused Claremont serial killer, Bradley Edwards, has pleaded guilty to attacks on two women in the years leading up to the disappearance of Sarah Spiers.

Authorities downgrade the alert for a fire in Tasmania's Central Highlands which has destroyed more than 100 hectares.

A man who claims he can make it rain is building a following in the Victorian grain belt, where a group of farmers have paid for rainfall between May and October.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

It may be war, but there's just not enough spark in this action rom-com to make it satisfying.

The story and the characters are bad enough to sink a ship, but this cinematic vessel powers on thanks to impressive effects and decent action sequences.

A big, bombastic, alien invasion film at sea by toy manufacturers Hasbro, Battleship is based on the board game Battleship.

It's a beautifully fashioned and, yes, Ealingesque tale of dreamers, madmen, terrorists and foolish but wonderful dreams.

Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor are charming in a romantic/comedy/drama that involves lots of fish.

A magical ride across Middle and Southern America, where giant deserted malls and collapsed motels are a backdrop to this beautifully shot paean to an America lost forever.

A darkly comic Australian film that hits the right note.

Based on a true story and adapted from the stage play, The Sapphires is an over-the-top comedy/musical/drama that'll have you laughing, crying and celebrating the achievement of these four amazing aboriginal women.

This fun, joyful film is filled with great soul music and some delightful performances.

An Adelaide community garden started as a hobby by a group of refugees wanting to grow vegetables from Africa and Asia is now proving so popular its produce is being sought interstate.

Demand for the Chinese medicine 'ejiao' is having humanitarian repercussions in Africa due to donkey poaching.

Emily Bissland explains how she made a hilarious video about an accidental artwork that's been viewed by millions.

From Ireland's heartland to coastal Victoria, Australian convicts brought with them magic and superstition. Their symbols are still being uncovered today.

A group of farm workers claiming they were underpaid are hit with a rent bill in the lead-up to a Federal Court hearing.

David Littleproud will seek a review of rainfall figures as Moyne Shire councillor Colin Ryan says his region doesn't need drought support granted by the Federal Government because his area isn't drought affected.

Ratepayers Victoria has accused high-ranking council employees of silencing staff who tried to raise concerns about alleged fraudulent spending and cover-ups of financial impropriety.

Industry figures say unstable weather, a lack of infrastructure investment and poor international prices are hampering sugar sector confidence as mills open for crushing.

A Sunshine Coast mother witnesses the moment alleged car jacker Dylan Matthew Hammond was shot by police and run over by a caravan after a 200-kilometre pursuit that ended on the Bruce Highway yesterday.

Almost 11,000 people sign an online petition demanding the Director of Public Prosecutions appeal the sentence of a Maryborough man who bashed a two-year-old girl, leaving her with a broken back in 2017, with the Queensland Opposition calling on the Palaszczuk Government to act immediately.

Doctors are shocked by how quickly this season's flu is striking down the young and healthy. Last year, Amanda Nix was doing Tough Mudder, but a few weeks ago she was struck down with the infection, blacking out in an emergency ward as it took hold.

The family of a boy with ADHD that sometimes causes him to "bite, punch" and "kick" is suing Education Queensland for alleged discrimination by teachers who restrained him when he became "disruptive" and "aggressive".

At first glance, the secluded camp looks like a lost city. Through the scrub are caravans, tents, vans and little dorms, where a group of kids are switching off technology and learning about Indigenous culture.

Tourists are warned to check the credentials of whale-watching companies as the Maritime Safety Authority investigates reports a boat operated without a licence.

More than 11,000 scientists around the world have signed a scientific paper declaring a climate emergency, in turn backing protesters across the world demanding and calling on governments worldwide to act.

Two osprey chicks are now live-streaming from their barge-nest in Port Lincoln. They will then be tracked after they fledge in December.

At 662 square metres, a Perth university has created what it believes to be the world's largest periodic table of the elements.

Running is one of the most basic and natural forms of human movement but while almost all of us can run, not everyone is doing it well.

Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who claims he made the world's first "gene-edited" babies by altering human embryos in 2018, is convicted on charges of practising medicine illegally, according to Chinese state media.