A Sydney mother describes how she and her children were forced to flee on foot through the bush as a fast-moving bushfire closed in on the wooden holiday house they were renting.

Opinion is divided about whether men's Test matches should be reduced from five days to four, but the Australian players don't want to see any change to the traditional format.

University of Melbourne researchers have found rates of self-harm among asylum seekers as high as 260 per 1,000 people on Nauru, but say unreported rates are unknown and they expect the real figures to be much higher.

A 70-year-old man is remanded in custody over a string of alleged child abuse offences uncovered in a joint investigation between NSW Police, Northern Territory Police and the Australian Federal Police.

More than half of Australian nursing homes are understaffed, with residents having less access to qualified nurses than ever before, the aged care royal commission hears.

AOC boss and IOC vice-president John Coates says he expects the Japanese public will get on board with hosting the Olympic Games again once the country boosts its vaccination numbers.

This week in politics the parliament has achieved gender parity despite tone-deaf commentary, an independent triumphed after a recount and Dorinda Cox changed her tune. 

The blind-box market is worth billions of dollars per year, and the most successful players in this industry thrive on loyal fans, social media and some clever marketing tactics.

Gold Coast Titans coach Des Hasler has received his final warning from the NRL after he singled out a match official last weekend. Follow live.

New Zealand will take 150 refugees from Australia each year for three years, settling a deal first struck by former prime minister Julia Gillard almost a decade ago.

Josh Frydenberg is being warned that massive federal government debt from emergency pandemic spending could double in coming decades as borrowing costs rise and spending costs blow out.

Tensions between the two countries are still high, and Beijing still has not ended the diplomatic freeze on top-level meetings with Chinese leaders.

The Reserve Bank is holding the line on low interest rates for years to come, but some economists warn the risks of an inflation "rebirth" are rising, an issue the US central bank will be discussing this week.

The deputy leader of the Nationals says the party has struck a deal to allow more foreign workers into Australia to work on farms, hinting that an agriculture-specific visa could soon be announced.

The works will help counter China's increasing reach into the region and will be completed with the help of the US navy, the head of Papua New Guinea's Defence Force says.

It's time for Collingwood's must-win game against the Kangaroos at Docklands, after the S Saints' win over he Suns on a  jam-packed Saturday of AFL. Follow our live AFL ScoreCentre for all the scores, stats and results.

Wests Tigers host the Titans in Campbelltown and the Cowboys welcome the Broncos to Townsville, after the Knights get past the Raiders in Wagga Wagga. Follow our ScoreCentre for all the live scores and stats.

Humans and dogs have lived together for thousands of years, but we may be forgetting how to co-exist peacefully, writes Paul McGreevy.

It's been one year since the Ruby Princess arrived back Sydney Harbour and her passengers were allowed to disembark and scatter across the world. Cruise lover Marilyn Halladay, one of the first Australians infected with COVID-19, is itching to set sail once more.

A free and accessible coronavirus vaccination program has been key to Australia's chart out of the pandemic, but some patients say they have been asked to attend paid appointments before accessing the vaccine.