With national cabinet set to decide on a back-to-school plan, parents in New South Wales hope they reject the idea to rapid test students twice a week for COVID.

Police believe 31-year-old Justin Stein acted alone in the alleged murder of nine-year-old Charlise Mutten, whose body was found in a barrel yesterday, five days after she was last seen in the Blue Mountains.

Australia's HMAS Adelaide is being loaded with supplies, New Zealand is also sending ships to Tonga, and Telstra is offering to restore the country's communications.

Zulkarnaen, a former Jemaah Islamiah military commander, is jailed for aiding and abetting terrorism. The sentencing does not directly relate to the 2002 attack, which killed 202 people.

Health authorities say for most people who are vaccinated against COVID-19, it is a mild illness that can be managed at home and that only people with severe symptoms should call triple-0 or go to hospital.

With cases continuing to climb around the country, authorities are considering cutting the mandatory isolation for people with COVID-19. Here's what you need to know.

Despite producing a scratchy performance, Rafael Nadal sees off qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in straight sets to reach the third round in Melbourne, while Australian wildcard Aleksandar Vukic departs the tournament.

In an attempt to help prop up a number of industries facing worker shortages, the federal government will provide a fee rebate to any students or backpackers who come back to Australia in the next few months.

Firefighters are battling a bushfire they say could potentially threaten lives and homes near the Karrakatta cemetery in Perth's western suburbs, while Kings Park is also on bushfire watch.

Despite assurances from chicken producers that supplies would remain available at major supermarkets, empty shelves in the poultry section are proving otherwise.

Ash Barty moves a step closer to a possible Australian Open match-up with defending champion Naomi Osaka, dropping just two games in her defeat of qualifier Lucia Bronzetti in the second round.

With the issue of player vaccination firmly in the spotlight following Novak Djokvovic's deportation from Australia, Victoria Azarenka says she would support the introduction of a mandate in tennis.

Three men are arrested after 42,000 rapid antigen tests were allegedly taken from a warehouse in Sydney as NSW brings forward access to a COVID-19 vaccine booster jab to three months after a second dose.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the elimination of quarantine requirements for vaccinated travellers allows families to reunite and people to plan overseas holidays.

Steven Marshall says he will ask the consumer watchdog to investigate reports that the Victorian and NSW governments have requisitioned rapid antigen tests bound for the state.

Two years ago, boats sat on the dry Darling River in Bourke. Now floodwaters have arrived, bringing hope to the town.

Prominent Donald Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, along with three other members of the former president's legal team, is subpoenaed by the congressional committee investigating the Capitol riot. 

Brian Napper is facing 13 charges over the alleged sexual abuse of two boys in the 1980s. 

Ex-bikie Shane Ross was struggling for money and had 10 luxury cars stolen from his business before his death, a court has heard.

Coles and Woolworths control 66 per cent of Australia's grocery retail market and experts say that has exacerbated supply chain disruptions caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

For many Australians, it’s now time for a COVID booster – but which one should you be getting? Read our handy guide to find out.

As his retirement looms, George Christensen has again drawn fire over his stance on vaccines. 

Harrowing and heartwarming photographs from the 2019-20 Upper Murray Black Summer fires are on display in a bushfire recovery photographic exhibition.

Kem Sokha was head of an opposition group that is seen as as a genuine electoral threat to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power for 36 years and wants to hang in until 2028.

For many of us, catching COVID can be a lonely, scary and distressing experience. Here are some strategies to help you look after your mental health if you get the virus and have to isolate at home, writes Lousie Stone.