Latest National news
George Pell accused of joking about Gerald Ridsdale's abuse of children
Jane Lee 7:00 PM A survivor has told a royal commission he overheard George Pell joking about paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale "rooting boys again" decades before he was convicted of multiple counts of child sexual abuse.
Prisoner star took vulnerable fan home as 'kindness'
Genevieve Gannon 6:51 PM Prisoner star Maggie Kirkpatrick has told a court she took a vulnerable young fan home and cooked her dinner as a kindness, as she fights her child sexual assault conviction.
ACN loses chief operating officer
Sarah Danckert 6:37 PM Troubled vocational education outfit Australian Careers Network has lost a senior executive, with Harry Kochhar stepping down.
Insurance deal could see high risk patients shunned by private hopsitals
Julia Medew 6:09 PM Smokers and diabetics may find themselves getting pushed out of private hospitals that have done controversial performance-based deals with Medibank Private, doctors say.
Police drug warnings 'propaganda'
Patrick Begley, Kim Arlington 5:51 PM Disbelieving young people label police warnings on drugs as "scare tactics".
Japan whale hunt tensions to flare as Australia considers court action
Daniel Flitton, Andrew Darby 4:39 PM A high-stakes legal gamble that would see Australia drag Japan back to the international court in an attempt to halt the killing of whales is being considered.
How to avoid the dentist's drill
Julie Power 2:08 PM Patients scared of going to the dentist may never need to face the drill, says a new study.
Pell appeared concerned for abuse victim: priest
12:20 PM Cardinal George Pell appeared very concerned for an abuse victim who claims the then bishop tried to bribe him to keep quiet, a fellow priest has told an inquiry.
Fair Work building watchdog chief resigns
Nino Bucci 10:43 AM Nigel Hadgkiss,✓ the director of the Fair Work Building and Construction watchdog, has resigned, only a day after one of his chief adversaries, CFMEU boss John Setka, was charged with blackmail.
The Mel and Mal show takes a dramatic turn at NIDA
Tom Allard 5:56 AM The Mal and Mel Show hit Kensington on Sunday afternoon, with prime minister Malcolm Turnbull declaring actor Mel Gibson "fabulous".
What it takes to help your kids get into the housing market
Matt Wade 5:39 AM Those who receive a gift of $5000 or more from a parent are much more likely to own a home than others.
Why Australian banana lovers should be worried by deadly disease
Konrad Marshall 10:07 PM The banana farmers of yore would have known the grim signs of an outbreak.
Industry at crossroads but book sales are booming
Marc Moncrief Booksellers are already counting on a bumper Christmas season, but it comes before a new year that promises changes feared by many in the industry.
Call to focus on 'invisible victims' of domestic violence
Rachel Browne 12:15 AM While women are most often the targets of domestic violence, the children who witness assaults also suffer.
'Decisions are being made on the run'
Rachel Browne 12:15 AM The $22 billion NDIS is Australia's biggest economic and social reform since Medicare but disability groups have expressed serious concerns about its roll out.
Senators outraged over ship's cargo of nuclear waste
Tony Wright A cargo of nuclear waste that arrived in Australia at the weekend was aboard a ship owned and operated by a web of German companies, registered in the tiny Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda and crewed by a mix of Russian and Ukrainian seafarers.
'To get drug treatment, commit a crime in NSW'
Eamonn Duff A Melbourne-based father was told that if his ice-addicted son committed a crime in NSW, a judge could at least offer him options.
The weird pattern to Australia's most popular wedding dates
Inga Ting Australians aren't known to be superstitious, but a survey of the most popular wedding dates from 2007 to 2014 reveals a remarkable pattern.
Malcolm Turnbull pledges $300 million funding for drug treatment services
Eamonn Duff Almost $300 million will be invested in the drug addiction treatment sector as part of an historic national plan that shifts focus from policing to prevention.
Man dies at Stereosonic Adelaide, 60 drug arrests in Melbourne
Michael McGowan and Goya Dmytryshchak A man has died at the Stereosonic festival in Adelaide on Saturday.
NSW to push on with surrogacy law reform despite federal inquiry
Cosima Marriner The NSW government is pushing ahead with its planned reform of state surrogacy laws, rather than wait for the outcome of a new national inquiry into surrogacy arrangements.
Man dies at Stereosonic in Adelaide
Michael McGowan Police have confirmed a man has died at a Stereosonic festival in Adelaide on Saturday.
Australian bikie believed to have fled from Thailand to Dubai
Cameron Houston, Chris Vedelago, Lindsay Murdoch Notorious Melbourne bikie Amad "Jay" Malkoun, who was present at the abduction of international drug trafficker Wayne Rodney Schneider in Thailand, is believed to have fled to Dubai.
Fast and loose days of sperm donation
Harriet Alexander It used to be easy to find men willing to donate their sperm to infertile couples.
No day off for paramedics to receive bravery award
Harriet Alexander NSW Ambulance will not give time off to paramedics who have been cited for bravery over the Lindt cafe siege to be presented with their awards.
Paramedics targeted for criticising ambulance service
Harriet Alexander The NSW ambulance service is targeting employees who have accused it of harbouring a culture of bullying on a closed Facebook group.
Hurting all the time - unravelling Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
John Elder For 16 years Kerry Whyman ``secretly" thought she had bone cancer and was dying -- secretly because she'd stopped telling doctors how much pain she was in.
Slinky Bill: koala joins crew of protest ship MV Portland
Tony Wright The ship had been stranded in Portland for more than three weeks when the little koala clawed its way up the mooring rope and settled down for a nap.
University of Canberra offers discounted degrees to five asylum seekers
Georgina Connery Five young men who arrived as unaccompanied minors to Australia seeking refuge have had it tough.
The true cost of fat: Obesity a $130 billion drag on our wellbeing
Matt Wade Obesity is a growing drag on Australia's collective wellbeing
