Water is extensively treated before it's used for dialysis

Walgett residents Roslyn Wallace and Di Denis receive dialysis in the rural town

The drought could have major implications for life-saving medical procedures, such as dialysis with patients needing up to 4,000 litres each week for treatment.

Flamboyant fascinators and fedoras, once destined for fashion's grandest stages, help to overcome isolation and mental health issues in outback Australia.

The Federal Government has handed Norfolk Island a lifeline to save its tourism industry, but locals have railed against their offering saying it could turn tourists away.

Uschi Rowlands grows gourmet mushrooms in Mudgee, NSW, August 2019.

Regional Express threatens to scrap flights or reduce their frequency on its popular route from Sydney to Dubbo due to a dispute over increased airport fees.

Heavy rainfall has filled up dams in the drought-stricken region of Coolabah in New South Wales.(credit: Anthony Hyde)

PM Morrison says post pandemic it won't be "business as usual " but what should a reform agenda entail? Meanwhile restrictions in some states ease and the population downloads the COVID 19 tracing app. Laura Tingle assesses another viral week in national politics.

Tempers flare over when to reopen schools; Eden Monaro By-election, and do we need a debate over future immigration?

Why might the court intervene when a devout Jehovah Witness parent refuses a life-saving blood transfer to their child? What about cultural and traditional beliefs that clash with new ‘norms’ of society? More specific descriptions of what make a family of defines gender for example. Has the law has kept up with the changing society it regulates?

Writing about 'place' is more than parachuting into an unfamiliar location, meeting a few people, rehashing well-worn clichés, then flying out again. Three writers discuss the places they written about, and how to capture the essence of people and place.

This year is crunch time for determining whether it is still possible to save our planet. In 2020, all major conventions dealing with climate change and biodiversity will meet and decide on the emission levels ambitions that every nation must adopt. While leaving no doubt about the urgency of action on climate change, conservationist Aila Keta is optimistic. She sees very encouraging new initiatives coming out of the finance and the banking sector.

Fungi are the unsung heroes of recycling. They play a vital role in breaking down organic matter for plants to use. Now we've discovered fungi can clean up oil and plastic. And their root systems are being used to create alternatives to plastic, wood and bricks. Who knew the humble mushroom could be so versatile?

A program to house homeless individuals in Perth hotels is abandoned after more than half the 20 people who were given accommodation at the start of the scheme chose to leave early.

The accused triple-murderer tells police "you gotta be joking" during previously unseen footage of his arrest at his Perth home back in 2016 for the Claremont serial killings.

Wildlife parks have a long road back to financial buoyancy after coronavirus restrictions stripped them of their sole source of income; visitors, and some operators are dipping into personal savings just to keep their animals fed.

Accused Claremont serial killer Bradley Edwards is at the centre of the longest and most expensive criminal trial in Western Australia's history and yesterday was the first time the public heard from him.

Bradley Edwards elects not to offer a detailed defence to three charges of murdering Sarah Spiers, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon — crimes that became known as the Claremont serial killings.

Despite not winning a match, Thailand proves to be the feel-good story of the Women's T20 World Cup, as Australian crowds warm to their positivity and sense of fun.

Australia slumps to a 3-0 series defeat in South Africa with a six-wicket loss in Potchefstroom, despite Marnus Labuschagne's maiden ODI century.

Last night's T20 women's cricket match was more than just a game — its impact on gender equality in sport will reverberate for years to come, writes Kate O'Halloran.

With fans locked out due to the coronavirus outbreak, Australia beat New Zealand by 71 runs amid a surreal and eerie atmosphere at the SCG.

Justin Langer took over as the coach of the Australian cricket team after the sandpaper crisis shook the game to its core. The former player tells Barrie Cassidy about the steps he and the team have taken to rebuild the trust, respect, and integrity of the team.

A medieval re-enactment group says a growing number of people are choosing to ditch the chaos of modern life and return to a simpler time.

After years of waiting for vital equipment, the family of a girl with a rare neurological condition says she has been given "a death sentence".

A popular beach in Byron Bay has been washed away by the worst erosion in at least 30 years.

In 1979, protesters blocked the path of bulldozers to stop the logging of a rainforest on the New South Wales north coast, the first blockade of its kind in Australia.

The tourist mecca's potholes are legendary, and locals are taking matters into their own hands as the mayor laments that the town's affluent profile means little to its financially-struggling council.