Controversial new laws allowing people to amend the gender on their birth certificate without reassignment surgery have come into effect, allowing people like Francene Jacques to be "buried an old woman".

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 77-year-old, who was only five days into his overseas trip, died while on a commercial river trip on the Grand Canyon's Colorado River.

DAILY BRIEFING: A Launceston man who posed as a television producer is jailed for fraud, and heavy rain falls across the state.

Politicians bearing promises have disappointed many miners in Tasmania's wild west in recent times, but increasing demand for metals for electric cars, wind turbines and solar panels is now driving more exploration.

A typical show day for Gary Clarke involves getting up early to wash and blow-dry his Hereford cattle before the crowds arrive. It is dedication like this which has helped the humble Burnie Show reach its 100th year.

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.

New coal mining exploration is getting support from the Tasmanian Government, but some farmers say they are not being adequately informed about potential developments on their land.

Tourists flock to this tulip farm to see the flowers, but it is under the ground where the serious farming is happening.

When Carol Westmore bought a farm near Launceston 15 years ago, she inadvertently embarked on a mammoth heritage-restoration project.

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

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

A Woody Allen romantic's tale where you need to throw out all expectations of realism and go along with the fantasy.

Wildly jump cutting, flashing back and forward in time for no reason other than effect, Burning Man delivers a visceral movie experience that leaves you wondering if it had all run in normal linear order, it would have had much impact at all.

Christopher Nolan's Batman series reaches its cinematic crescendo with a third act that fails to match the middle movement, but serves as a fitting farewell nonetheless.

Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman

This fun and energetic visit to Dracula's castle pays tribute to some great movie monsters while creating some laughs of its own.

University of Adelaide vice-chancellor Peter Rathjen takes indefinite leave less than 24 hours after chancellor Kevin Scarce resigned without public explanation yesterday.

Police investigate two fires in North Adelaide early this morning, including one which spread through the state branch office of the national doctors' union, causing up to $2 million damage.

Time is running out for businesses and home-owners to vacate their land in Adelaide's inner east ahead of demolition works, despite accusations the State Government has effectively blocked landowners from accessing the equity of their own homes.

Footy's back as grassroots rugby league is given the green light to return to the field by July.

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.

Wind farm developments in Victoria will now have to have noise levels checked by an independent auditor, before and after construction.

Thesouth-westVictoriantowns ofTimboonandPortCampbell are18km apart,butthe tragic deaths of three local men within months of each other havefurther tightened the communities bonds.

Apprentice jockey Mikaela Claridge is mourned by the racing community after she dies from injuries suffered in a fall from her horse during an early morning training ride at a Melbourne racetrack.

Oddball might have been the movie star, but Tula the maremma is the real hero of Middle Island's famed penguin protection program, and she's retiring after almost a decade of service.

Maryborough's 'Magna Carta' mangrove tree.

They do apprenticeships, work with tools and are exposed to chemicals, so why aren't hairdressers paid as well as plumbers? The Australian Workers Union wants that to change.

A move by one regional council to permit outdoor funerals is backed by the funeral industry which says they could become commonplace as people move away from church-based ceremonies.

Queensland foreign-owned companies warn a new tax will put regional jobs at risk and challenge the viability of their businesses.

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.

Kay Boisen is being sued by Queensland Health because of an administration error over her long-service leave payment. The union says she could be among hundreds of nurses who've been wrongly paid.

The cashless welfare card trial in Central Queensland is getting mixed reviews, with charities and community organisations saying there are signs of improvement but participants are less enthusiastic.

A Queensland great grandmother recalls the challenges of life on the land as she celebrates a century in the rural town of Biggenden.

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.

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.

That warm, earthy scent when it rains for the first time after an extended dry spell has a name. As Dr Karl explains, there's a whole science behind it.

In an unassuming warehouse in Wollongong lies the only blast-testing machine of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, providing life-saving information about the defence against bomb attacks.