Police release a heart-warming video of the moment officers rescued four-year-old Cleo Smith, who had been missing for 18 days.

Police post a photo of a smiling Cleo Smith in hospital as the officer who found her in a house in Carnarvon recounts the incredible story of her rescue. 

WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson describes the "enormous operation" to find four-year-old Cleo Smith and says officers "dared to hope". Follow live.

A criminology expert says old-fashioned police work and a million-dollar reward helped find Cleo Smith, whose 18-day disappearance broke "all the rules" of a typical child abduction case.

The house where missing four-year-old Cleo Smith was found is unremarkable in every way, yet today it is the centre of one of the biggest police investigations in West Australian history.

Celebrations are in full swing in Carnarvon as locals breathe a collective sigh of relief over the safe return of Cleo Smith, who was found alive this morning after vanishing from the Blowholes campgrounds more than two weeks ago.

WA Police find missing four-year-old girl Cleo Smith in a locked house in Carnarvon, and say a 36-year-old man with "no family connection" is in custody and being questioned by detectives.

The Prime Minister may have felt justifiably injured after being branded a liar on the world stage, but this was the time for a cool head, not a hot one, writes Andrew Probyn.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he will not apologise to France after President Emmanuel Macron accused the PM of lies and deceit over a cancelled submarine deal.

Eddie Holmes has become a world authority on viral evolution, despite being taught by a biology teacher who was a creationist. He's also managed to find himself repeatedly and coincidentally at the centre of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Prosecutors ditch a long-running criminal case against ANZ and one of its senior executives after the Federal Court describes the matter as a "complete shemozzle" and "fairly pointless".

Western Australia is slightly easing its tough border restrictions with New South Wales from midnight on Saturday. Follow live.

Lieutenant Colonel Eileen Hall, who's been honoured at a ceremony attended by the top brass at her home country in far north Queensland, wants to inspire not only First Nations people but all women to consider a military career.

Photographers brave all conditions to capture thunderstorms, dust devil and auroras for next year's Bureau of Meteorology calendar.

Seven of 12 recommendations given by South Australia's Deputy State Coroner after outback nurse Gayle Woodford's murder will be implemented — but a permanent police presence in Fregon will not happen.

Benjamin Glenn Hoffmann, who has pleaded guilty to murder and manslaughter, says there are two key reasons why he changed his plea from not guilty to guilty mid-trial.

Tasmania Police are investigating after footage emerged of a fight involving a large number of students at a Hobart high school, with a cyber-bullying expert warning the videos being circulated will only add to the harm.

The French ambassador says the leaking of text messages between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and French President Emmanuel Macron in the lead up to a major submarine announcement send a worrying message to other world leaders.

Motorists may be waved through Queensland's southern border when the state opens up next month. Meanwhile, struggling business owners are cheering a timely new round of discount vouchers.

The WA government will release a roadmap on Friday for transitioning to living with COVID-19, a day before it downgrades New South Wales from an "extreme risk" state to "high risk".

A former Victoria Police sergeant who used obscure laws to steal houses from her unsuspecting victims has a year shaved off her jail term, but the judges brand her offending "cynical" and "premeditated".

The NRL premiers cut ties with May, saying his conduct on social media after the club's grand-final victory "constituted a serious breach of his contractual obligations".

Weather bureau issues warnings in Victoria as an extensive trough drags moisture from the tropics to the south, conditions that are likely to stick around.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet says he is committed to making sure the grants process is fair after his predecessor Gladys Berejiklian's appearance before the corruption watchdog put government pork barrelling back in the headlines.

An electorate officer of former Victorian Labor minister Marlene Kairouz tells a corruption hearing the member for Kororoit would spend thousands of dollars a year on branch stacking by paying for other people's party memberships.