The Victorian government is implementing a seven-day lockdown after the emergence of unexpected mystery cases of COVID-19 in Melbourne's west over the past few days.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announces the state will go back into lockdown from 8:00pm tonight, emphasising "we only get one chance to act fast". Follow live.

Gladys Berejiklian announces a snap lockdown for the Hunter and Upper Hunter as Sydney's COVID-19 outbreak spreads north and the state records 262 new infections and five deaths.

Australia's hopes of a first medal in Olympic football are hanging on by a thread as the US build a 3-1 lead in their showdown. Follow live.

The Boomers will view their Tokyo campaign as a blown opportunity at winning gold, after losing to Team USA in the semi-finals, writes Russell Jackson.

Keegan Palmer wins the men's park skateboard final to deliver Australia its 17th gold, while Melissa Wu collects her first Games medal in her fourth Olympics appearance.

Twenty-four hours after winning their semi-final, Australia's beach volleyball team of Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar will be playing the USA for a gold medal.

Hillsong leader Brian Houston is charged over the concealment of alleged child sex offences by his father in the 1970s.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration says the woman died on Wednesday from a confirmed case of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome.

Australia has succeeded in stopping the Great Barrier Reef being immediately listed as "in danger", but the federal government is under mounting pressure to demonstrate how it's tackling climate change.

Indigenous children in crisis "can't wait" for the nation to close the gap, Aboriginal organisations have warned, as the federal government details its plan to address rising inequality in communities.

The head of the NT's Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation welcomes the Commonwealth's new $378m redress scheme for people forcibly removed from their families as children.

The government agrees to write new laws that would allow Australia to impose financial sanctions and travel bans against countries that commit human rights abuses.

Bill Papas, the man accused of defrauding several banks out of $400 million, says he has been suffering from "extreme anxiety and panic attacks" since being sued by Westpac.

Australia won five Olympic medals in the women's triathlon from 2000 to 2012, but our performance in Tokyo leaves one former champion angry enough to call for an overhaul.

A South Australian man caught up in a COVID-19 quarantine ordeal has been reunited with his terminally ill mother, saying he "got to hold her hand" and "give her a kiss" while in full PPE.

Tasmania records its first coronavirus case in months after a traveller from Sydney flew into Launceston without a valid pass to enter the state. The 31-year-old man was taken into quarantine.

Queensland records 16 new community cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, all linked to the current Delta outbreak in the state's south-east, Deputy Premier Steven Miles says.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the government is assessing a 'no jab, no work' policy, allowing employees to return to work if they have been vaccinated, but not all industries see it as a realistic solution.

In Colleen's line of work, doctors need to watch their backs. Her home is under 24-hour surveillance and even her child's identity is kept secret.

A COVID-19 "vaccine passport" is coming, and rules about access to businesses, masks wearing and even public transport could all be very different for people depending on whether they are vaccinated or not. Here's what you need to know. ...

Residents in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley will face the same restrictions as Greater Sydney when they enter a period of lockdown tonight that will last until August 12.

Australia's finance sector is tapping into the Islamic market, with one of the country's biggest lenders today launching a Sharia compliant loan and smaller institutions vying to become the first bank for the nation's Muslim population. ...

The new high-tech cameras were turned on last Monday, busting hundreds of motorists on their phones or not wearing seatbelts. Despite flouting the law, they'll get a reprieve for now.

A senior Indonesian military official announces the health test requirements for female cadets will no longer be different to those of their male counterparts