Former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith offered explanations over several agreed facts put to him during Wednesday’s proceedings.

The former special forces soldier denied that a private investigator he hired helped to “set up” a police raid on the home of one of his enemies.

Victoria eased restrictions and has declared areas of NSW red zones, Greater Sydney will be subject to new restrictions after it recorded 16 new cases, and the AstraZeneca vaccine will be phased out of Australia’s rollout after October.

The man is the second person to be bitten by a shark in Western Australia this month after a 10-year-old boy was bitten on the foot near Coral Bay last week.

Police believe there are gaps in the law when it comes to “grab and drag” offending, following public outrage about the sentence for man who pulled a nurse into an alleyway.

The new restrictions will affect Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour, effective from 4pm Wednesday for one week.

A Melbourne man who provided medical support to Chechen militants fighting the Assad regime is eligible to apply for parole after almost six years in a Victorian prison.

Frontline healthcare worker Jessica Green is repeatedly reminded it’s important to take a break by employer. She’s finding it difficult when her holiday plans keep being cancelled due to resurgences of COVID-19

A “passionate” Essendon supporter who unleashed a tirade of abuse and threats against Richmond player Dylan Grimes following a contentious 2020 game has been banned from attending similar matches.

The alarm was raised on Wednesday morning after a man in his 20s failed to resurface from a dive.

Police were a highly visible presence at the funeral at Lakemba Mosque amid concerns about gangland conflict and the safety of senior family members.

Restrictions will ease on Thursday night, including changes to rules that will allow more people in homes and significantly increase the number of people allowed at weddings and funerals. However, the indoor mask mandate will remain.

Stephanie Bryan was granted an exemption by the federal government to travel to Australia but is stuck in Sydney in a battle with Queensland Health.

Bondi Junction have reported a drastic drop in foot traffic and plunging sales

A crime scene has been established near the shopping centre after the body was found at a park about midday. 

Retailers at the busy Westfield shopping centre in Sydney’s eastern suburbs have reported a drastic drop in foot traffic and plunge in sales in recent days.

The Andrews government is ripping up plans to duplicate hundreds of metres of train tracks in Melbourne’s north-east, in order to save an endangered butterfly.

Restrictions imposed during the state’s latest lockdown are expected to be loosened again today, with up to 50 people likely to be allowed at outdoor gatherings and workplace limits upped to 75 per cent of staff.

That NSW is allowing businesses to stay open and people to leave their homes should give hope to lockdown-weary Victorians that there may be another way.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said she expected to announce further cases related to the party, which had roughly 30 attendees.

Frederick Schaaf’s barrister Ian McLachlan said his client’s back teeth were already missing and he needed “urgent ... treatment” which Justice Health would not be able to provide.

A rise in the cost of goods and services needed to maintain living standards combined with a drop in the price of items bought with disposable income is putting ordinary working families at a disadvantage.

The Victorian government is finalising plans for the state’s eased restrictions on Wednesday morning.

A Midnight Oil band member writes on a Wednesday night concert that will feature fellow musician Mostafa ‘Moz’ Azimitabar, a refugee Australia detained for eight years.

Police have offered their condolences to the family as human remains found at a landfill site in Wollert last week were formally identified as mother Ju Zhang. 

The Delta COVID-19 variant is spreading in Sydney, prompting fresh restrictions and concern from authorities.

Premier Mark McGowan has urged the NSW government to ‘crush and kill’ the outbreak as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of it spreading to other states.

High rates of Indigenous suicides and the over-representation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care and adults in prison have worsened in the first data released to track the progress of the Closing the Gap agreement.

Today on Please Explain, climate and energy correspondent Mike Foley joins Tory Maguire to discuss UNESCO’s draft decision to downgrade the Great Barrier Reef’s World Heritage status to “in danger.”

The upper house voted on Tuesday to ban property developers from running for councils in legislative amendments tied up with running elections in a pandemic-safe way, in a late night Greens-Labor move.

Of the 10 locally reported cases to 8pm last night, seven cases were announced on Tuesday. A total of 13 locally acquired cases were notified overnight, after the reporting cut-off.

Some of the country’s top infectious diseases scientists are pushing for Australians to fund a vaccine for a person in a developing country after getting their own jab.

The Bernard Collaery bugging case should at the very least be heard in open court, if not, abandoned all together.

The revelations were subject to a non-publication order, but that was revoked after a legal challenge by media outlets.

The police dog, Rambo, was hit by a car while he and his handler were tracking a man who allegedly fled police in Maryborough West on the Bruce Highway about 12.30am on Saturday.

Victoria’s top emergency official said the ADF did not have the right skills to assist with the storm clean-up two days before requesting 120 troops.

Mostly the side effects are non-serious, but some recompense for getting the jab would be welcome.

When it comes to government ads to promote vaccination, informing is not enough. We need high emotion, designed to trigger action.

Terms & Conditions: Disney Villainous competition

The shortage is biting statewide as some schools battle to fill more than 10 vacancies each. At the same time, enrolment numbers for education degrees have fallen by a third - with half of trainees failing to finish their degree.

Liz Millman has finally found a comfortable place to sleep after storms left her Sassafras home without power. She is one of thousands now reckoning with the trauma of what happened to Dandenong Ranges communities on June 9.

Have National Party members who returned Barnaby Joyce to leadership considered how it might look to the general population?

Fewer wait for telephones, the best of intentions, and stopping T.V.“blackout”

Once again Horizon residents are doing what Sydney does best: arguing over money and heading for the courts.

The growing eastern suburbs cluster has prompted New Zealand to pause quarantine-free travel with NSW and for Victoria to declare seven Sydney local government areas “red zones”.

Trivia buffs: test your knowledge with today’s interactive superquiz and target.

But it’s just not cricket.

Barnaby Joyce has been sworn in as deputy prime minister, the NSW government is handing down its budget and Victoria’s travel bubble with New Zealand is on track to resume.

Experts warn outbreaks of more infectious COVID-19 strains could pose a “serious problem” for Victoria’s largely unvaccinated population, as the state faces three months of heavily constrained vaccine supply.

When it comes to COVID-19 in Australia, age is everything. But who is truly put first in our vaccine rollout and why?