Environment
Wild wintry weather to batter, soak and freeze south-eastern Australia
The first big cold front of winter will whip up dust, dump hail and snow, and send the mercury tumbling before developing into a rain band.
- by Peter Hannam
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Biodiversity
NSW government gives retrospective nod to land clearing for a fence
The NSW government intervened to downgrade the status of an important wildlife corridor near Jervis Bay four months after a developer had cleared a swathe of the forest to put in a new fence.
- by Peter Hannam
They told Leonardo Parisi to cut down the trees. Which ones? ‘All of them’
Two generations later, Len Parisi is determined to undo the harm caused to the Great Barrier Reef by his forefathers.
- by Nick O'Malley
Polar weather event set to hit Australia
A wave of Antarctic air is set to bring sub-zero temperatures to parts of Australia, which could bring snow to Queensland.
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Indigenous culture
‘Legacy of trauma’: Warragamba survey downplays cultural risks, opponents say
A survey of Indigenous cultural values likely to be affected by raising the height of the Warragamba Dam wall has been blasted for downplaying the damage the multibillion-dollar plan will cause and for relying on “desktop analysis”.
- by Peter Hannam
Currango Plain feral horses
A video showing the growth in the feral horse population on the Currango Plain, a particularly sensitive alpine environment Kosciuszko National Park,
First act of reconciliation between Indigenous Australians and Cook recognised
A rocky outcrop near Cooktown where Captain James Cook and Indigenous leaders reached a peaceful settlement over turtles in July 1770 has been added to Queensland’s heritage register.
- by Tony Moore
Pressure mounts to broaden ban on plastic cotton buds
Water authorities around Australia say people flushing cotton buds down the toilet are creating one of their biggest headaches for sewage treatment, fuelling calls for a national ban on the plastic-stemmed swabs.
- by Peter Hannam
Survey reveals a world still hooked on coal despite best intentions
Despite the lofty goals of the United States and the European Union and the Paris Agreement targets, nearly three billion tonnes of new coal will be extracted each year if all the planned new mines are completed.
- by Nick O'Malley
Sydney records coldest day in five years while heavy snow on way for ski fields
Sydney has had its coldest day in five years on Thursday.
- by Daniella White