Victorians are gearing up for another Melbourne Cup, the NSW government is optimistic about hitting a 95 per cent vaccination rate and the PM has hit back at French President Emmanuel Macron.

Melbourne Cup Day is back at Flemington this year with up to 10,000 punters allowed back to the track.

Does whipping cause pain to a horse? And does it improve their performance?

Police say the 38-year-old man allegedly attacked a probationary constable about 11.20am at a unit on Punt Road, Gladesville.

It was a day of Shetland ponies and can-can dancers, as Melburnians who weren’t trackside found their own way to mark the Cup or just get out in the beautiful weather.

Call it the Melbourne Cup that could. All it took was a first November Tuesday of unseasonably warm weather and a government green light for a crowd of 10,000 to return to Flemington for The Race that Stops a Nation™.

A jury must decide whether the accused is a wife killer or, in his words, a “coward” who ran away while a mystery attacker beat his wife to death.

Verry Elleegant, the winner of this year’s Cup, bolted down the Flemington straight like a teenager released from lockdown.

Court approves long-delayed plan to tackle increasing damage to unique alpine ecosystems.

A sleep expert has told the District Court it is unlikely Kenneth Grant was sleepwalking when his car fatally ran over a man in 2019.

A 13-year-old girl accused of being an accomplice to a school stabbing by smuggling a 25-centimetre kitchen knife in her bag had texted “that sounds fun” and “that’s so cool” about the plot, according to prosecutors.

As winner Verry Elleegant crossed the finish line, the crowd cheered before breaking into a mass rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”.

Thousands of Victorians are still without power, while mobile and internet services remain down for many as the clean-up from Friday’s strong winds continues.

A shared cycling and walking path branching off into surrounding parks will be a key feature of a 16-kilometre motorway connecting the future Western Sydney airport to the rest of the city.

While world leaders gather for climate talks in Glasgow, a Sydney trial has heard a plan to frack in the Northern Territory would drive Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions up.

There may not have been the same atmosphere as when 100,000 people pack the track, but those in attendance were thrilled to be part of the action.

Damning report admits Queensland’s domestic violence services are not always accessible, are not tailored to consider safety and service responses are inconsistent.

Greenvale residents have been waiting for a local high school for more than 20 years. But its front gates remain locked for foundation principal Mark Natoli, as he prepares for its opening next year.

Sport and Recreation Minister Tony Buti announced Guy Houston’s appointment to the VenuesWest board alongside UWA director Chris Massey.

Melburnians enjoyed their hottest day in more than seven months as crowds flocked to Flemington Racecourse, while the temperature in Mildura soared to 44.7 degrees.

COVID-19 restrictions are being eased in schools from next week, with volunteers allowed back in and music ensembles permitted for instruments played with masks.

The Prime Minister’s use of Aussie slang has no doubt sent the French to their dictionaries.

Transport Minister Rob Stokes will direct the state’s safety investigators to look into the cracking that has grounded the entire inner west tram fleet.

Today on Please Explain, state political editor Alexandra Smith joins Nathanael Cooper to look at what unfolded at the ICAC.

A Perth student who allegedly stabbed her teacher on Monday is accused of plotting with another teenager to kill the woman.

Superintendent Rod Wilde said police were trying to understand how Cleo could have been taken from the family’s tent without anyone realising until the morning.

The man who escaped Broome prison and spent three days on the run has been charged with murder after a woman’s body was discovered in bushland east of Kununurra. 

Queensland’s acting chief health officer Peter Aitken said despite the good news it was not time to relax, as the state pushes to lift jab rates ahead of a looming border dismantling.

Scott Morrison talked about technology at COP26 while other leaders expressed passionate concern about the wellbeing of future generations and people living today.

Fully vaccinated people will be able to have unlimited visitors to their home among eased restrictions brought forward across the state.

As International leaders undertake COP26 in Glasgow this week, The Queen has delivered an emotionally charged and highly political call to arms to world leaders on climate change, invoking her own mortality to send a warning about the need to protect...

Lanz Priestley was known as the leader of the “tent city” in Sydney’s Martin Place in 2017, when he and dozens of other homeless people were evicted from the site.

It is the first time since September the state’s daily coronavirus case tally has dropped below 1000.

West End resident Joshua Daniel Way, 28, was remanded in custody when his case was mentioned in court on Tuesday.

A cocktail of over-the-counter cough medicines and fizzy drinks are being used by young people who are lured by its affordability and a belief it is safer than illegal drugs.

Professor John Yovich was sacked in May after a female staff member approached a member of the organisation’s board and alleged she had received inappropriate text messages from him.

Terms & Conditions: Explain that book giveaway

Critics have labelled them “draconian” and “terrifying”, but the new pandemic laws will benefit Victorians by revealing the reasons behind public health orders.

For Melbourne Cup 2021, it’s all about the owners’ enclosure and who’s standing in it at 3pm.

It may be some time before the Independent Commission Against Corruption releases findings about Gladys Berejiklian and Daryl Maguire.

What’s rarer than rare? Tickets to the owners enclosure at the 2021 Melbourne Cup.

Clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines were largely gender balanced, although researchers have warned a failure to report on whether different side effects were experienced by men and women may limit future work.

Fully vaccinated international travellers now able to skip mandatory hotel quarantine in Sydney and Melbourne, unvaccinated Queenslanders have missed a key target and the leaders of the world’s biggest economies have failed to agree on how to achie...

Scott Morrison cops a very public and unambiguous accusation of dishonesty from the leader of one of the world’s most powerful nations.

Best Cup view is in Sydney, adult polio campaign and sociological merit in Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

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

A report into the country’s universities has found they will struggle if international students have been scared off during pandemic border closures.

Some of the least-vaccinated council areas have reported the largest jumps in first-dose coverage across October as the government launched its last-ditch push, while others remain at risk of being left behind.

Mayoral scent bottles start a trend.

The Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown said the COVID-19 pandemic had hit its function business and weekday trading, and it was “time to say goodbye”.