At least eight US states are blocking health clinics from providing abortions, describing the procedure as non-essential during the pandemic.

National Cabinet is due to meet again this week to decide on the easing of nationwide COVID-19 restrictions on movement and businesses.

Treasury forecasting an 85 per cent plunge in net arrivals next financial year if border restrictions continue beyond Christmas.

Minister for Population Alan Tudge said "the temporary migrant system is an important part of our economy".

While the National Cabinet has shown considerable unity throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the one point of tension has been schools and whether they should be open for face-to-face lessons.

The COVID-19 death toll at the Newmarch nursing home rose to 14 over the weekend, while a further 63 infections have been linked to staff and other residents.

Auslan interpreters have been in high demand this year as they convey critical and life-saving information to the deaf and hard of hearing community.

The Auckland-based club arrived in Tamworth in the New England region of NSW yesterday for a 14-day period of training and quarantine.

Over the next couple of days we'll pass through the densest part of the long trail of ancient dust left by Halley's comet.

Two reviews are already underway but the tragedy has led to calls for the Aged Care Royal Commission to investigate.

Two local leaders who rose to national prominence during the summer bushfires will likely slug it out for the major parties in the Eden Monaro by-election in southern New South Wales.

Labor's Home Affairs spokesperson Kristina Keneally has sparked controversy after declaring the COVID-19 crisis should force a revamp of the temporary migration program.

The Morrison Government is pushing ahead with a plan to become a world leading producer and exporter of hydrogen.

News Corp Australia claimed CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in Geelong Victoria has been collaborating with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Retailers have been at the economic epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, with mass shutdowns in place for the past five weeks.

There are questions around Indonesia's coronavirus death toll following reports thousands of people have died with COVID-19 symptoms but not recorded as victims of the disease.

The case could have ramifications for climate challenges worldwide, including in Australia.

The economic impact of the pandemic on Australia's regional towns and cities is varied, but with a smaller population base, the path back to recovery is likely to be longer and harder for many.

A study of riverbank sediment found there used to be a massive lake in the Lower Murray Darling, spanning hundreds of kilometres.

National Cabinet will meet on Friday to start lifting restrictions in a three stage process to lock in what the Prime Minister is calling "a sustainable COVID safe economy".

US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insist they've seen intelligence proving that the virus began in a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

The Prime Minister is laying the groundwork for Australia to re-open for business and wants what he calls a "COVID-19 safe economy" by July.

The former South Australian Premier said it's now time for states and territories to take control of childcare and treat them more like schools.

Since late March, Alex Dekker has provided more than 10,000 meals to frontline workers in Victoria and New South Wales.

It's the holy month of Ramadan, which usually means Muslims don't eat or drink during the day and gather at night at food markets and mosques to break the fast.

The national cabinet is looking at a range of strategies to get us out of lockdown, ahead of a crunch meeting tomorrow.

The ANU study has found that two-thirds of Australians feel anxious or worried about their own and others' safety, and a substantial number believe they'll contract the virus in the next six months.

With the focus now firmly on rebooting Australia's economy, the Morrison Government intends to cut green tape and speed up nation building projects such as major roads, dams and mines.

The National Party is again embroiled in bitter infighting after Andrew Constance abandoned his bid for Liberal pre-selection for the seat.

With Australia's music festivals cancelled one after another as the coronavirus crisis unfolded, there was finally some good news yesterday for local music lovers.

While Australia continues to flatten the curve in this COVID-19 pandemic, there are serious concerns for the mental wellbeing of Australians.

Certain sounds called spherics and whistlers, which are electromagnetic waves, recorded in Antarctica by scientists, have been used in a new music piece called 'Aurora Musicalis'.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who continues to be held in an Iranian prison throughout this pandemic, despite more than 85,000 prisoners being temporarily released in Iran.

Not every state and territory has put into law the code of conduct, which aims to provide rental waivers and deferrals for commercial tenants.

National Cabinet has already set a two-month timetable for the return to the workplace of the estimated one million Australians currently working from home.

Cardinal Pell said in a statement yesterday that he was "surprised" by some of the views of the royal commission about his actions, and that "these views are not supported by evidence".

Voters in Eden Monaro are still waiting to find out who the Liberal candidate will be for the by-election in the marginal seat.

Gary Nairn was the Federal Liberal MP for Eden Monaro from 1996 to 2007.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants "to get Australia back to work", and says he's now focused on flattening the unemployment curve and creating a "COVID-safe economy".

France has accused Beijing of concealing facts, while Germany has suggested it could demand compensation.

For this new segment, we've been asking Australian artists to read something for us: a passage, a poem or some lines that has inspired them during the time of coronavirus.

The Couch Choir is a digital initiative that's grown out of the Brisbane-based Pub Choir, which has cancelled all it's events because of the COVID-19 restrictions.

Bright minds are being encouraged to consider jobs in fashion, rather than traditional STEM careers such as engineering and mathematics.

The small rural community of Torrita fights to keep safe speed limits through their town, and to acknowledge their existence.

Pauline Milich brought her 14th child into the world while helping another woman deliver a baby life was different in the early 1900s.

An 85-year-old woman in rural Victoria campaigns for a bus stop outside her retirement village.