Ricky Ponting believes South Africa could suffer from a lack of first-class preparation in the opening Test in Cape Town on Wednesday.

In a sobering reality check, Ian Thorpe has failed to qualify for the 100 metres freestyle final at the FINA World Cup short course meet in Beijing.

Tiger Woods says he was hurt by a racist slur from his former caddie Steve Williams, who referred to him as a "black arsehole".

Champion leg spinner Shane Warne has signed on to play with Melbourne Stars in the inaugural Big Bash League Twenty20 tournament at the end of the year.

Terminally ill serial killer Ivan Milat is transferred from the medical wing of Long Bay Jail to Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital to receive pain relief as his health takes a turn for the worse.

Gladys Berejiklian has again ruled out the prospect of pill testing at music festivals despite a leaked draft coroner's report recommending the move.

The Labor Party has walked out of the NSW Legislative Assembly after Opposition Leader Jody McKay is thrown out by the Speaker.

A Sydney man appears in a Gold Coast court on an upgraded charge after Brazilian national Ivan Susin dies in hospital as a result of a head injury he suffered in a Surfers Paradise scuffle.

A fiery afternoon in NSW Parliament ends with the Speaker warning members not to "threaten" and the entire Labor Opposition walking out after its Leader, Jodi McKay, was thrown out of the chamber for an hour.

With the all clear to begin clearing land at Mount Gilead for a 1,700-home housing estate, there have been renewed calls for a national park isolating the area's koalas.

With food, water and money in desperately short supply, dozens of working dogs have been surrendered from properties throughout Queensland and New South Wales.

Jock Palfreeman warns systemic corruption could see him returned to a Bulgarian jail for the rest of his life, and he condemns the influence of the far-right over Sofia's political establishment.

A unique American business model taking 'paddock to plate' into the dining mainstream is being watched by Australian farmers as a way to get a better share of the food dollar.

MORNING BRIEFING: A truck carrying dry dog food rolls over on a busy western Sydney road, and two men and a woman have been charged over the death of a man in Cartwright.

Glenda McCulloch paints contemporary Indigenous art. After advertising her paintings on Instagram, she found the demand for her art is much stronger than she first expected.

Jacob Fuller, the son of NSW's top cop Mick Fuller, pleads guilty to drink driving while on a suspended license. The P-plater blew 0.031 when he was tested on the Prince's Highway last month.

On a property hidden in bushland are old cars, tractors, motorbikes, trucks and sulkies from a bygone era that once belonged to an Australian politician and obsessive collector.

An alleged cocaine drug ring spanning two states is uncovered by New South Wales and South Australian police, leading to the arrests of five people.

Deploying Defence aircraft to bring hundreds of performers to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Sydney presents an opportunity for Australia to gain ground in the battle for influence in the Pacific.

New documents raise questions over UNSW's investigation of its star cancer researcher, Levon Khachigian.

Farmers are entitled to a new, one-off payment from the Federal Government to help them decide if their farm is sustainable or could be sold.

MORNING BRIEFING: Archbishop Glenn Davies says anyone in favour of same-sex marriage should step away from the church and not "ruin it", while a Sydney prison officer is charged with having an inappropriate relationship with an inmate.

A social media influencer who led police on a chase with a child in the car has been jailed, but not before she posted videos and selfies on her way to court.

Sometimes being creative involves getting burnt. It's a lesson two gay podcasters in Sydney learnt the hard way.

MORNING BRIEFING: The first non-stop commercial flight between New York and Sydney will depart shortly, and a man is charged over an alleged $170,000 diamond fraud committed in 2002.

Tim Cahill may be Australia's all-time leading goal scorer, but the Socceroos legend has been inspired by a young player who was also told he won't make a top-ranked team because of his size.

Health authorities in Western Sydney want shisha smoking phased out over fears it causes cancer, saying research shows 45 minutes of smoking flavoured tobacco from a water pipe is the equivalent of smoking 100 cigarettes.

Nida Dar has overcome more than her fair share of challenges during her career and she is now looking to leave her mark on the WBBL as the first Pakistani cricketer to play in the tournament.

A Sydney jury is unable to reach a unanimous or majority verdict in the case of a Kulwinder Singh, who pleaded not guilty to setting his wife Parwinder Kaur on fire in 2013. She later died in hospital.

Two Sydney brothers are acquitted of causing their bedridden mother's death by failing to get her medical help, after a judge agrees it had been her choice to sleep in a urine-soaked bed, surrounded by squalor.

A group of cyber sleuths from Adelaide takes out the national missing persons "hackathon", finding nearly 100 new pieces of information for police to investigate.

Investigations will begin into how a number of dams in drought-ravaged parts of NSW came to be filled during a ban on pumping water along parts of the Murray-Darling earlier this year.

The Wanderers earn a valuable three points their second win in as many matches with the highlight a Keanu Baccus stunner in the 54th minute at Docklands.

After 17 races, it became clear this $180,000 thoroughbred wasn't going to cut it on the track this is how Absolutely Win ended up at a Queensland slaughterhouse.

The Federal Government is falling short on its own commitment to boost funding for services to keep Australia free from pests and disease.

Space advocates spruik the human benefits but critics say it costs far too much. Ever since the moon landing, space has been seen as a "giant leap" for humankind, but is it in the wrong direction?

The Australian racing industry is in turmoil after revelations of former racehorses being slaughtered at abattoirs, with leading trainer Chris Waller so shocked he "couldn't watch" the vision.

Signing off after 30 years at the ABC, award-winning reporter Margot O'Neill writes about the thrill of the big scoop and gives an insight into the grinding slog of investigative journalism.

Thousands of years of Jewish practice meet high-end architecture in Succah by the Sea a public art event in Bondi.