The Delta variant is so contagious, the argument goes, that it pushes herd immunity out of reach.

Employers will be able to ask their workers if they have been vaccinated under federal guidance.

Former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns is severely ill in an Australian hospital after suffering a major medical event in Canberra last week.

Residents who live in and around Byron Bay are in lockdown, Victoria’s restrictions have eased for the regions and all eyes are on the Queensland-NSW border.

The star midfielder is battling Achilles tendonitis, a condition he has nursed through the season but worsened while he was unable to train.

The northern NSW holiday town, famous for its laid back, good-vibes-only attitude, was vibrating on a very different wavelength on Tuesday. People are furious.

“We know what must be done to limit global warming - consign coal to history and shift to clean energy sources,” said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Melbourne’s lockdown is set to be extended beyond Thursday, with just five of Tuesday’s 20 new coronavirus cases having been in quarantine during their infectious periods.

NBN Co CEO Stephen Rue has defended the company’s decision to pay executives millions of dollars in bonuses, amid claims from Labor opposition that the payouts were tied to lowball targets.

Trainer Graeme Murray is adamant there is more to Nicci’s Song than her speed but that’s the asset likely to serve her well on metro debut at Newcastle.

Sydney’s midweekers head north on Wednesday with a seven-race program scheduled in the Hunter.

The government has already committed to an aspirational target of zero emissions over the next 30 years but Mr McGowan said the need for legislation would be looked into.

A Chinese state-owned financier bankrupted an Australian company by misdirecting payments as a deliberate attempt to take ownership, Parliament has heard.

Josh Kelly has recommitted to Greater Wester Sydney on a whopping eight-year contract.

Sydney is set to enjoy a string of mild and sunny days in a slight reprieve for people stuck at home as the city’s lockdown continues for the seventh week.

Hundreds of people waited for hours or were turned away from COVID-19 vaccination clinics in south-west and western Sydney this week.

A masseur who raped and sexually assaulted a woman who visited his home for a massage has been jailed for more than five years for crimes a judge described as grave and opportunistic.

A severe weather warning for damaging winds is in place for a large part of the state, but one forecaster predicts it will result in downed branches rather than felled trees.

The Liberal and National parties have backed a Labor motion to condemn Nationals MP George Christensen for his anti-lockdown and anti-mask views.

Matt Canavan concedes nuclear power is not currently commercially attractive but says Australia’s moratorium should be lifted so the technology can be developed.

Hawthorn star Jack Gunston has undergone another round of back surgery against a backdrop of industry speculation about whether he will be at the Hawks next season.

Loughrey will be the cathedral’s first Aboriginal canon, as well as its artist in residence – and he’s transforming the way people enter the building.

The initiatives form part of a $35.6 million strategy and international recruitment campaign that will see the government bring in overseas workers and lure experienced workers back. 

Businesses and residents said they were surprised to be granted freedom so soon, and admitted to some nervousness that restrictions could be imposed again just as quickly.

For 457 days the tiny sultanate on Borneo went without a case of the virus but now that streak is over, it is trying “to put the cat back in the bag”.

After a 2.5km journey, one of two tunnel borers has broken through to the cavern that will become Cross River Rail’s new Roma Street station.

Queensland business and tourism groups have welcomed extra state COVID-19 support but warn that it’s unlikely to meet needs, particularly in the hard-hit far north.

The star centre hasn’t played for the Wallabies since the 2019 World Cup, but will link with the squad before the third Bledisloe Cup Test.

The AFL and state governments have been working together behind the scenes to shape the fixture for round 22, the penultimate round of the season, with a picture emerging of how the weekends’ matches could take place. 

Hundreds of thousands of households are financially worse off during the latest coronavirus lockdowns than they were last year as consumer and business confidence plummets.

The weight of money moving towards environmentally friendly investments has arguably been more impactful than any one government’s policy on cutting emissions.

Some champagne producers warned that harvest potential has been slashed in half by late frosts and heavy floods.

The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission will be asked to examine claims of victimisation that were revealed in a survey run by the SES volunteers’ association.

Challenger’s outgoing chief executive Richard Howes says the key to surviving COVID-19 volatility is ensuring portfolios are defensively positioned by investing in government buildings and neighbourhood shopping centres.

Paramedics have assessed 19 children and four adults after a car reportedly rolled into a school bus about 3pm on Tuesday, causing long delays. 

Authorities have expressed concern over the number of cases emerging from a shopping centre in Melbourne’s northwest as testing is ramped up in the Geelong area.

The selection committee who decided not to hire Craig Bellamy 20 years ago have made public their reasons for the first time.

The ICC has confirmed its intention to mount a formal bid for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, with a bid model that will call for men’s and women’s Twenty20 tournaments.

The head of the national body for powerlifters has temporarily stood down after it was revealed he is suing a student athlete who accused him of sexual harassment at Melbourne University’s weightlifting club.

The trainee program at Westmead Hospital will end next month after the governing body gave it a D-grading, the lowest possible level.

Firefighters across Europe have rushed to help Greece as the Prime Minister is forced to apologise for “any weaknesses” in the emergency response.

Marc Murphy will retire this weekend after becoming only the sixth Blue to 300 matches but the former skipper too often found himself in a team - and club - searching for success.

Lockdown is wreaking havoc on local and junior Victorian football competitions, with one league being pressured to put on a finals series by parents “who want to live through their kids”.

The Minerals Council of Australia has sought to hose down activist claims that its lobbying is out of step with the Paris climate agreement’s goals.

The serial sledger has been dropped by the Sharks after his last two performances were noteworthy more for what he said than what he did.

Splendour XR, the recent virtual reality Australian music festival, could prove a permanent addition to our post-pandemic festival scene.

The crocodile that attacked two Australian soldiers off the east coast of Cape York in far north Queensland has been euthanised.

Fremantle Dockers great Stephen Hill has retired after an injury-plagued year.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says Premier Gladys Berejiklian was trying to provide hope when she spoke about easing restrictions at 50 per cent vaccination.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors