Political campaigning is fast changing in the digital era.  Elections are now being contested with data and algorithms.  Parties see it as a great opportunity. Others see it as a threat to democracy.  And the changes are now playing out in real time in the United States. Barack Obama was often referred to as the first Internet president, but Donald Trump is fast becoming the king of social media. 

Fifteen-year-old Connor Meldrum, who was badly injured in a cliff accident, will undergo surgery to have fitted to his skull a custom-printed polyethylene material that mimics the properties of living bone.

A social welfare advocate says without the Federal Government's support, poorer Tasmanians without housing will be "left behind", dismissing the State Government's latest efforts for short-term accommodation solutions.

The Korean film Parasite, about a lower-class family who con their way into a wealthy household, wins in a year dominated by social issues.

Property experts call on the NSW Government to do more to ensure residents of strata apartments are better protected if their buildings are affected by major structural damage, with owners of the Mascot Towers likely to foot the bill for costly repairs.

A software upgrade to more than 500 Myki ticket machines fixes an issue that has baffled Victorians for years and also caused littering problems and security concerns.

The father of missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez travels to Australia to give an emotional press conference where he promises to bring his son, who has been missing since May 31, home.

A self-described online news service operator who admitted to duping a woman out of $5,000 in Tasmania is wanted on similar allegations in South Australia, a court hears.

A Queensland primary school teacher has shocked his students and jumped into a wrestling ring to live out a lifelong dream.

Book-loving Tasmanians are bucking the trend and turning to libraries in their thousands, less than a year after the state became the first in Australia to abolish fines and processing fees for overdue books.

A chemical used to control pests in agricultural crops and termites in buildings has been blamed for the death of up to 10 million bees in southern New South Wales.

The NSW Treasurer delivers a surplus of around half that expected this time last year, but is forecasting blue skies ahead. He's optimistic despite doubts circulating about the domestic and global economies, Ian Verrender says.

Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch's comments at an Indigenous festival reveal Labor is divided on the Adani mine's recent approval, the State Opposition says.

A new video shows Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch telling a room full of people she has shed tears over the approval of Adani's Carmichael coal mine, while also saying current environmental legislation is flawed.

WA Liberal MPs distance themselves from their new leader's policy direction, including contentious moves to abandon the Western Power sale and steer away from supporting deregulated trading hours, after strong criticism from the business lobby.

Production at a remote Rio Tinto mine site is temporarily suspended when a union investigation raises safety concerns at the operation.

More than 12 tonnes of dead fish have been buried after a council on the New South Wales north coast bowed to public pressure and opened a lagoon.

Amid plans for a five-star hotel for Canberra's centre, some of the city's biggest music success stories plot to save its nightlife, claiming currently unenforced noise limits could kick into effect and threaten venues when the hotel starts hosting guests.

Uyghurs living in Australia are urging the Federal Government to offer them protection after more than 30 countries, including the USA, condemned China over its "horrific campaign of repression" against its Uyghur minority.

One of hundreds of victims of an Adelaide chiropractor who indecently filmed clients, including children, says the man took away her "dignity" and "confidence", but has vowed to move on with her life.

A sixth man wanted over the alleged 2012 shooting murder of Adelaide panelbeater Jason De Ieso is arrested in Queensland, with SA Police saying they will seek to extradite Kyle Pryde from Brisbane.

Hon Leung Chu, who laundered the proceeds of a nationwide prostitution ring from his apartment is spared jail, but could still face deportation.

South Australia's Opposition says it will reverse the State Government's plan to privatise Adelaide's train and tram services if elected in 2022.

A cat is filmed in the Simpson Desert eating a kangaroo carcass over several days, as part of a study into the environmental impact of dead animals.

The driver of a Lamborghini that fatally struck a teenager in Adelaide has a previous conviction for street racing and has been issued with 18 expiation notices since 2002, a court hears.

Yida Benny Xiong failed to put $300,000 from two foreign investors money into the purchase of a plot of land in Adelaide and instead spent the money himself.

Megan Schutt has no time for the same-sex-marriage haters and her bold online personality is ensuring she is grabbing her chance on the national stage ahead of another ground-breaking WBBL campaign.

Yida Benny Xiong ripped off two female foreign investors in excess of $300,000 in a property scam that was used to fund his luxurious lifestyle, an Adelaide court hears.

A serial child sex offender is back behind bars just six weeks after being released, after he breached a supervision order by contacting a child over the internet.

An Adelaide council's proposed plans for the upgrade of a skate park generates curiosity on social media, with an artist impression seemingly resembling part of the male anatomy.

Child predators have the ability to use photos of children taken in public or sourced from social media to create child-like sex dolls which are manufactured overseas, an Adelaide MP warns.

They have wreaked havoc on birds and the local fishing industry, but now locals are coming up with new ideas to control rampaging fur seals in South Australia's Coorong.

The family of Peter Verrall, who died when the boat he was fishing in capsized in rough seas in South Australia, praises his close friend for staying with him "until the end".

More than a dozen Year 12 students from a prestigious Adelaide high school are banned from attending their graduation after tables were burnt and doors were glued shut.

He has been earmarked as a Test batsman in the making, and now Victorian youngster Will Pucovski gets another chance to earn a debut after being named in the Australia A XI to play Pakistan in Perth.

A wanted high-risk offender has been arrested following a crime spree overnight which started when a car was allegedly stolen from an elderly woman yesterday. An Adelaide man says his mother was left shaken by the ordeal.

A crime spree allegedly committed by a high-risk fugitive has prompted the SA Government to "clean up" the laws that govern the supervision of former prisoners.

South Australian police charge the principal of an Adelaide metropolitan school with aggravated indecent assault and possessing child exploitation material.

South Australia's Chief Justice accuses the Attorney-General of undermining the administration of justice by failing to appoint two replacement judges to the Supreme Court.

Joshua Glenn is banned from competitive football for four years by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority after testing positive to a prohibited substance.