Doctors label medicinal cannabis prescriptions a "bureaucratic nightmare" requiring "a massive learning curve", as patients say people in pain cannot wait months for relief.

Australian scientists develop a tool that could help students learn better in the virtual classroom, as remote education during the coronavirus pandemic highlights issues with current methods.

Police are still searching for a man after homicide squad detectives found the Mercedes-Benz belonging to Ellie Price in Diggers Rest, about 40 kilometres from her home, overnight.

Just what have we learned from distance education? What have been the benefits of online learning? Joining Virginia is Dr Ben Jensen, CEO of Learning First, and Gail McHardy, executive officer of Parents Victoria, discussing what schools might look like in a post-COVID world.

A man who raped a woman in his Melbourne apartment, which he described as "the perfect location", has been jailed for eight years for the "violent act" he inflicted on his victim.

Residents at a Victorian aged care facility where a staff member tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week have been given the all-clear.

The culling of feral horses in Victoria's Alpine National Park will go ahead after the Federal Court ruled that alpine brumbies should not be protected.

Looking to replace the second oldest radar on its network at Mildura airport, the BOM marks a spot at Cullulleraine.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the National Cabinet's plan to reopen Australia, but it will be up to each state and territory to decide how to roll it out. Here's what will change (or not) where you live.

Two more Victorian police officers are suspended over the leak of unauthorised photos of former AFL coach and player Dean Laidley in a police station, as the state's corruption watchdog says it will oversee the investigation into the leak.

A woman who suffered a miscarriage in mandatory COVID-19 quarantine was forced to stay in a hotel room for five days after the traumatic event because the Victorian Health Department failed to act on an order to release her.

A prominent Indonesian university is investigating allegations of sexual harassment involving a former student who is currently studying in Melbourne on a prestigious scholarship.

A new respiratory clinic is expected to open in Wodonga next week to assess patients with fever and respiratory symptoms who meet the government criteria for COVID-19 testing.

Scientists say it is likely a fragile little penguin colony skipped a breeding season due to crucial ocean occurrence — called the Bonney upwelling — running late.

A Lifeline volunteer counts her work as a privilege and urges more people to volunteer, as calls to the support line jump to record highs.

Forestry academics have issued a warning over the Victorian Government's decision to scale back the harvesting of native timber forests in the lead-up to a 2030 ban.

The Victorian Government launches a new campaign against family violence, as St Vincent's Hospital records a doubling of family violence victims presenting to its emergency department during the coronavirus pandemic.

The campaign will launch in Victoria on Monday to remind victims help is available and to let bystanders know they can call out family violence even with physical restrictions in place.

There are plenty of ways to celebrate Mother's Day without even leaving the house, even if your family is spread across the country. Here's how some families are celebrating.

A sixth-generation farming family living on the urban fringes of Melbourne are watching farming properties around them disappear because of the urban sprawl.

A teacher having just returned from China still holds lessons while in precautionary quarantine by using technology that's educating in more ways than one.

The small West Australian town of Donnybrook is celebrating its reinvention more than 25 years after it was named the ugliest in Australia.

Transforming a hearse into something resembling a Transylvanian castle on wheels is not something you can Google for instructions, but artist Karl Claydon made it work.

A stranded green turtle with an old facial injury was luckily helped by a group of locals, some fortunately had training in marine rescues.

Buskers are being accused of antisocial behaviour in Darwin's CBD and the council has responded by revoking licenses for two months.

Due to a decline in the number of frogs, operating on the amphibian was deemed worthwhile to give it the best chance to thrive.

A humble, but very big, brown boot is seen disappearing into the sky via a crane, prompting commuters to take to social media to ask the obvious question.

Nestled in bushland on the side of Canberra's Capital Hill, in the shadow of Parliament House's mighty flagpole, is arguably the most ruthless but cohesive party rooms in federal politics.

Another "quite fat" king penguin is spotted on the Tasmanian mainland, with one wildlife officer calling the sighting especially rare "unless you're on a tourist ship going to Antarctica", although no cause for concern.

Buggerlugs the lost Bulwer's petrel is released from Darwin NT after he was found at a Cronulla RSL balcony in NSW.

A rarely seen Bulwer's petrel, nicknamed Buggerlugs, which lost its way and ended up on a pub balcony in Sydney, is flown north and released back into its natural habitat.

He's worn many hats in his days, including that of world barefoot mud crab tying champion and Top End buffalo shooter. But Billy Lowery really just wishes he'd worn more hats more often.

Archive ABC News footage from of the Barefoot Crab-Tying World Championships August 2, 1994, at Lims Hotel in Rapid Creek NT. Features 13-time champion Billy Lowery, and competitor Ron Riddle.

It's been a huge week of news stories big and small. How many do you remember? Test that memory in our news quiz.

Sex, politics, and religion are traditionally avoided as dinner conversation, but in Queensland there's the emergence of 'rain guilt' — where you got some but your neighbours missed out.

Have you ever picked up a stick to walk with through a park or reserve? Well, here's why you shouldn't.

A self-styled daredevil who taught himself rocket science in a bid to prove the Earth is flat dies after crashing his homemade rocket in California.

A woman who says she has only been a fan of the iconic rock band Queen for about a year sets the Guinness World Record for clocking up approximately 240 hours, or 10 consecutive days, watching Bohemian Rhapsody in cinemas.

Erin Hext is an experienced bushwalker, who set out on a day hike near Hobart well prepared. She didn't expect to make the return journey in a rescue helicopter.

There's been big news from all around the world this week — reckon you've kept up with it all? Test yourself with our news quiz.

A sighting of a sea creature not usually found in Tasmanian waters has surprised onlookers, but could become more frequent, experts say.

Fish have been found on the streets of Yowah, in outback Queensland, after record rainfall.

Joe Biden cleaned up and Michael Bloomberg limped away with just one small win on Super Tuesday. Will you emerge victorious from this week's News Quiz?

Kaley Chu knew she needed to do something to change her life — her shyness was holding her back at work, and she felt like the world's most boring person. She decided to attack the problem head on.

It's been revealed a third of reported cane toads in NSW are misidentified and are in fact native — and even endangered — frogs.

Cryotherapy is used by pro athletes and "weekend warriors" alike. But are the benefits of subjecting your body to extreme cold really worth it? I jumped into the chamber to find out.

Inspired by Tourism Australia's Matesong video, locals in south-west Queensland write their own version with the banks of the Balonne River standing in for the beaches of Sydney.

Toilet paper is the butt of jokes in Australia but it has become currency for a desperate Far North Queensland cafe with dwindling supplies.

What would you reach for in the midst of a pandemic? A cursory look at what the world is googling tells vastly disparate stories about how people are coping with the coronavirus outbreak.