As the northern hemisphere sweats through deadly heatwaves, experts warn Australia is unprepared to deal with soaring temperatures.

Emergency services are warning Victorians to brace for a cold snap and wind gusts of up to 130kph in parts of the south-east, while alpine areas may enjoy heavier snowfall.

New analysis of water prices in the southern Murray-Darling Basin finds water prices sitting at levels only previously seen during the Millennium Drought.

Murderer Michael Cardamone, who tortured and callously killed Victorian woman Karen Chetcuti-Verbunt in 2016, has his life jail term upheld by appeal judges who say the "dreadful punishment" is fit for "a dreadful crime".

Authorities discover more than 120 dead native birds, believed to have been poisoned, on a rural property in northern Victoria.

The parents of a teenage girl who died after falling off a horse say riders are subjected to avoidable risks when there is no way to trace an animal's history.

A significant move by the Anglican Church to bless the marriage of two gay priests at a ceremony this week has been postponed due to a legal challenge.

The deadly march of pig-killing African swine fever is continuing, with one quarter of the world's pigs now dead, according to meat and livestock analysts.

Alpine real estate is getting more expensive at Australia's ski resorts, seemingly shrugging off concerns about the impact of climate change on natural snowfall.

Daisy the school dog is the latest staff member at Melrose Primary School, helping students with her calming influence and improving attendance rates.

Ahead of a fierce fire season, a cadet program for volunteer firefighting prompts school students to join their local Rural Fire Service brigade.

The Victorian Government's historic treaty negotiations with the state's Aboriginal communities are one step closer this week, with the election of the First Peoples' Assembly. But the toughest yards to meaningful treaties still lie ahead.

The Northern Territorys first known contract killer may have accidentally died in his prison cell after using drugs, investigators believe.

GRAPHIC WARNING: The Department of Agriculture is investigating the alleged inhumane killing of Australian cattle at the Festival of Sacrifice in Indonesia.

The high-profile host of SBS show Living Black says she was racially profiled by police in the Northern Territory, saying she was treated like a "grog runner" when she entered an Alice Springs bottle shop.

A report says the process for a $12 million grandstand at Darwin Turf Club was "independent and fair", but the Chief Minister wants rules tightened.

As the NT Government releases its new management plan for the Limmen Bight Marine Park, traditional owners are pleading for far greater environmental protections and an end to overfishing in the area.

A rare copy of the nearly 40-year-old documentary Dirt Cheap, which details the early resistance against uranium mining in Kakadu National Park, is rediscovered in Darwin.

Haberdasheries, record stores, comic book halls, model train showrooms, and flag shops have hobby stores gone out of fashion? Ron Strachan has run his flag store for more than 20 years, and discussing his retirement is taboo.

Indigenous athlete Shericka Mahoney only received her running blade in June but has set records for long jump and the 100-metres at a national athletics event.

Michael Gunner says a nine-hour blackout which left thousands of residents across Central Australia without power during the heat of the day on Sunday is "unacceptable" and calls for a review into the region's power supply.

Territorians will not benefit from a government dominated by independent candidates, insists CLP hopeful Tracey Hayes as she starts her challenge against Chief Minister Michael Gunner.

Police say charges for a 14-year-old boy are expected after an aggressive episode lasting five hours in Darwin's northern suburbs.

Resources giant Santos is strengthening its grip on the north Australian gas sector, as it moves to secure billions of dollars worth of exploration and production investments in the Top End.

It was the first jurisdiction in the country to roll out a floor price on alcohol, alongside a raft of other measures, and data shows is it having a significant effect in the Northern Territory.

South Australia's Correctional Services Minister criticises prison officers for using a decoy in an attempt to shield a notorious murderer and rapist from media attention.

An "extremely disturbing" trend of Northern Territory Government workers facing "reprisals" for raising concerns about corruption or improper conduct triggers a call for the region's whistleblower laws to be strengthened.

The Territory Families Department finalised half the number of child-protection investigations it planned to last financial year, but child welfare advocates say the figure is a result of longer-term reforms.

The 91-year-old cattle station pioneer who laid the chain up the rock says he is not expecting visitor numbers to dive now the climb has officially been closed.

Arnhem Land's Malcolm Rosas becomes the first Northern Territory player picked up by an AFL club for next season but he says the remote community of Bulman will always be home.

Professor Thomas Madsen with a dead water python

Emma Sharp had already used up 14 weeks of leave before her newborn son was healthy enough to come home. Now, she's calling on the Commonwealth to allow mums with premature babies to delay when their leave starts.

Four-time Hawthorn premiership player Cyril Rioli kicks the last goal of the game to steer the Tiwi Bombers to a one-point victory in his return to the football field after retiring from the AFL.

One week after the end of the Uluru climb, Parks Australia has flagged the first fee increase at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in more than a decade and tourism operators could be the big losers.

Northern Territory Police send in reinforcements after a woman is shot with a crossbow during a violent outbreak in a remote Arnhem Land community

Edible insects are praised as a sustainable form of snack, but that is not their only drawcard, with some Territorians reporting that they are 'crunchy and full of flavour'.

Cameron Rowland says he can no longer complete his auto electrician training in Tennant Creek because of course cuts.

Telstra admits to selling "phones to customers who ultimately could not afford them", with an executive addressing the Aboriginal Economic Development Forum at the Darwin Convention Centre.

The Supreme Court of Victoria dismisses a bid by union boss John Setka to stop a vote to have him expelled from the Australian Labor Party, with the court ruling it does not have the jurisdiction to decide the matter.

The lithium industry is facing its own war on waste as a farming community asks questions about the storage of tonnes of tailings and its safety.

A former Canberra law lecturer serving time for sexual offences against several students loses his battle with prison authorities, who want him to undertake a course for sex offenders.