Today brings the end of Week Five, and confirmation that the Prime Minister has reached the bargaining phase in the crushing 360-degree employee review that this campaign has become, writes Annabel Crabb.

Craig McLachlan denies to his defamation trial that he frequently threw backstage tantrums during a 2014 production of The Rocky Horror Show and, on one occasion, called all his co-stars "ungrateful and untalented".

Some 36 years after he was sexually abused by one of his high school teachers, Sam Leishman was able to stand up in a courtroom and read a statement detailing the impact it had on him.

A high-tech Chinese surveillance ship has been tracked off the West Australian coast, close to a secretive naval communications base that supports American and other allied submarines.

Detainees awaiting deportation from Australia on character grounds would be forced to pay back the costs of their accommodation, under a Coalition policy to bring back Howard-era immigration laws.  

More than a dozen emergency alerts have been issued across Queensland, from the North Burnett to the NSW border, as a severe trough that dumped heavy rain on the state's north and west this week moves south. Follow live.

It's fifth time lucky for Sydney-based Dhungatti artist Blak Douglas (aka Adam Hill), who has become the second Indigenous Australian to win the Archibald Prize.

A young man has had a lucky escape after falling nearly 50 metres into a deep ravine in Kakadu National Park, before waiting 11 hours to be rescued. 

A Nationals robocall attacking an independent challenger is being investigated by authorities as the Nationals accuse their rival of improperly using fruit and baked goods to win votes.

Police release CCTV images of two people they believe can help with inquiries over the death of a diver and discovery of $20 million worth of cocaine in the port of Newcastle this week.

When Russian troops took Chernobyl, they drove their tanks through the highly contaminated Red Forest and dug trenches in the toxic earth. They're mistakes that could catch up with them.

There's a monster twirling around in the centre of our galaxy, and its portrait has finally been unveiled. So what now?

The final police officer charged over sharing information about the former AFL coach's 2020 arrest has been cleared of all criminal charges.

New satellite images show a Russian boat fleeing a missile attack off the coast of Ukraine's Snake Island.

The devastating effects of the crash of crypto "stablecoins" Terra and Luna are being felt by many but their crash may have been orchestrated in one massive piece of ethically questionable trading.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles becomes the Northern Territory Chief Minister, following the shock resignation of Michael Gunner earlier this week.

Sanjeev and Sadhana Prasad are demanding about $940,000 in compensation for the cost of their son's wedding reception, luxury car and honeymoon abroad.

Parts of Queensland's Gympie region are facing inundation for the second time in recent months as the Mary River is expected to reach its peak tomorrow amid the state's "evolving" weather event.

A US-wide baby formula shortage forces frenzied parents into online groups to swap and sell to each other to keep their babies fed.

A record number of Australians are taking on extra jobs as the cost of living skyrockets. Here's how some of them are trying to keep up.

Peter Foster will be released from Brisbane's Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre later today after being granted bail.

A growing number of Australians are having fillers, injectables and other cosmetic surgeries. The procedures raise complex questions about culture and appearance, and about beauty trends that promote a look of 'ethnic ambiguity'.

Growing crops on the Moon could soon be a reality, with scientists nurturing plants in lunar soil samples for the first time.

Beijing denies it is heading for lockdown as panic buying grips the capital, while officials in Shanghai comb the city for lingering COVID-19 cases in the hope of clearing the way to escape from weeks of painful restrictions.

Magic Round gets underway with the Bulldogs facing the Knights in the opening match. Later, the Sea Eagles play the Broncos in front of the Brisbane crowd. Follow our ScoreCentre for all the live scores and stats.