D'Arcy Short falls agonisingly short of a century but does enough to lift the Hobart Hurricanes off the bottom of the BBL ladder in a nine-run win over the Sydney Thunder.

Respected sports broadcaster Gerard Whateley announces he is leaving ABC Grandstand to take up a role at Melbourne-based radio station SEN.

Australians might elect a president of the wrong "calibre", the Keating Government was warned during the republic debate, according to newly released Cabinet documents from 1994 and 1995.

Australia and New Zealand become the first countries to usher in 2018 as New York City's Times Square braces for what could be the coldest New Year's Eve ball drop on record.

Adelaide Strikers skittle the Heat for just 91, to seal a thumping 56-run Big Bash win at Adelaide Oval.

As people in some parts of Australia celebrate Christmas in scorching heat, the nation's church leaders offer messages of hope, love and generosity — with one even condensing his wishes into a single tweet.

Each home Ashes win merely sweetens the prize for the next country to seize the urn on foreign soil. To that end, Australia can land a few more psychological blows on an England team now working through the various stages of grief, writes Richard Hinds.

Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten release messages ahead of Christmas Day urging Australians to remember the homeless and lonely and those "fighting their own battles against poverty, addiction, abuse or mental illness".

National Australia Bank will refund nearly $2 million to customers who were overcharged interest on their home loans over seven years.

Nationals backbencher David Littleproud and deputy leader Bridget McKenzie are among five new faces being promoted to the Federal Cabinet as part of the Prime Minister's reshuffle.

A recent study found only two transgender characters appeared in Australian TV dramas from 2011-2015. When will our television screens reflect a more diverse world?

Power prices are expected to fall across Australia over the next two years — offsetting this year's price increase — when variable wind and solar generation come online, the Australian Energy Market Commission says.

Malcolm Turnbull ends the year on as much of a high as possible for a leader who has lost 24 consecutive Newspolls but there are still risks ahead if the Prime Minister is to win the next election, Michelle Grattan writes.

Josh Hazlewood knows rain is the only hurdle Australia faces in reclaiming the Ashes at the WACA, which is why he is desperate for early breakthroughs on the final day in Perth.

The crucial by-election in Bennelong is being dominated by rising tensions between Canberra and Beijing, with a mysterious letter urging the local Chinese community to abandon the Coalition and support Kristina Keneally.

Older Australians who were abused as children in care express fears of entering aged-care facilities with similar systems to the ones that failed them so badly, with advocates calling for more support and education about how best to meet the needs of traumatised people.

CBA has raised the white flag partially on money laundering breaches, but its contrition is unlikely to save it from what will be the harshest penalty handed out in Australian corporate history, writes Stephen Letts.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk visits the Governor after winning the Queensland election, with Labor securing at least 47 seats and majority government.

In addition to three members of the Coalition and a crossbencher who voted no, nine Government MPs chose to abstain from yesterday's final conscience vote on same-sex marriage in the House of Representatives.

Australian selector Mark Waugh says Peter Handscomb's unique technique is not the problem, but admits his form has been poor as Mitch Marsh waits in the wings.