The Territory Families Department finalised half the number of child-protection investigations it planned to last financial year, but child welfare advocates say the figure is a result of longer-term reforms.

Hundreds of visitors have ascended Uluru today and there is now less than an hour before the iconic landmark is closed to climbers permanently, at the request of local traditional owners.

Nearly 34 years to the day since Uluru was handed back to the Anangu traditional owners, their wishes will now be enforced by law, and anyone caught ascending the culturally significant site will face thousands in fines.

Uluru custodian Sammy Wilson says the closure of the climb has been a long time coming and wants to honour the Anangu who did not live to see it.

Each year, psychics, mediums, clairvoyants, those with similar "sensitivities" roll in from all corners to host the event in a string of rural and outback towns across Queensland and the NT. But that could all come to a close.

It's an unlikely setting for the final chapter of an international diplomatic scandal, but Darwin's waste dump holds an extraordinary secret beneath the surface.

A politician opposed to the decriminalisation of sex work in the Northern Territory claims he has been "censored" by a parliamentary scrutiny committee which agreed to accept evidence from sex workers behind closed doors because of concerns about stigma and discrimination.

Manal Aqrawe is a doctor with more than 20 years of experience, but she can't get a job in Australia even outside medicine. Her story is sobering, but far from isolated.

The Northern Territory's incoming police commissioner, Jamie Chalker, wants more officers to work in remote communities and develop respectful relationships with elders.

African swine fever is believed to have first emerged early last century, but due to a lack of commercial interest no vaccine was developed. Now the world is racing to find a way to stop the spread of the disease.

With 11 voyages and 300,000 recorded observations under his belt, population ecologist Eric Woehler has dedicated his life to building a dataset to help monitor and track bird populations in a changing world.

Four-time Hawthorn premiership player Cyril Rioli kicks the last goal of the game to steer the Tiwi Bombers to a one-point victory in his return to the football field after retiring from the AFL.

From Crocodile Dundee to Baz Luhrmann's Australia, Northern Territory landscapes have featured on the international stage, but it has been mainly 'outsiders' who have had the resources to produce films in the Territory.

One week after the end of the Uluru climb, Parks Australia has flagged the first fee increase at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in more than a decade and tourism operators could be the big losers.

Northern Territory Police send in reinforcements after a woman is shot with a crossbow during a violent outbreak in a remote Arnhem Land community

There had been hopes of recovery at the site of Australia's worst recorded mangrove dieback in the Gulf of Carpentaria. But during a recent visit to the area, traditional owner Patsy Evans said she was devastated by the scene.

Previous attempts to reform Question Time have largely fizzled out, but with public faith in politics in a tailspin, both major parties now seem serious about an overhaul of Parliament's most theatrical hour.

It would end in the High Court, but it began as an agreement between two friends. Robert donated his sperm to conceive a child with his friend Susan, but when she and her wife decided to move overseas, everything changed.

The lithium industry is facing its own war on waste as a farming community asks questions about the storage of tonnes of tailings and its safety.

Fishos are renowned for not letting much get in the way of their passion for wetting a line, and the Kerec family is no exception.

A former journalist accused of threatening to behead Christians on his front lawn, allegedly in response to the Christchurch attacks, is released from custody.

Australian National University students slam staff over on-campus accommodation support, which they say is structured in a way that the first port of call for a student to report sexual violence is to talk to another student.

An inquest into the death of murdered child Bradyn Dillon hears his father lied to school authorities in a deliberate attempt to hide his son from the public.

Australian Federal Police leave the home where Australian Signals Directorate officer Cameron Gill was living in Canberra. The home was raided by the AFP in the early hours of this morning

There are warnings for consumers and farmers that Australia's biggest food bowl, the Murray-Darling Basin, is bracing for a grim end to the year.

Directors of building companies responsible for substandard works in Canberra could be held personally responsible for defects, under new laws proposed by the ACT Government.

A jury finds a former Canberra police officer who improperly used police data to impersonate his neighbour, in order to call authorities about a suburban dispute, acted reasonably and did not commit a crime.

Australia's chief vet says a highly contagious disease that's led to millions of pig deaths is set to spread, but a new biosecurity levy is beset by costly delays.

Forty years after the Vietnam War, two Canberra veterans have developed digital maps to help locate some 300,000 Vietnamese war dead still missing in action.

The second stage of the ACT's light rail project will see a centrepiece of Canberra's city transformed, with the southern end of London Circuit raised in order to accommodate a tram line traversing down to Lake Burley Griffin.

A deadly pig disease that has decimated herds across Asia has spread closer to Australia with the Philippines confirming it has tested positive to African swine fever.

The measurable economic benefits might not amount to much and the construction could be a nightmare for commuters, but it's what can't be measured that counts.

The first milestone in the Federal Government's review of drone noise vindicates community complaints that the unmanned delivery vehicles are loud and obtrusive.

Pressure is increasing on the Ms Liu over alleged links to the Chinese Communist Party.

The new energy storage will help the ACT avoid blackouts and meet its commitment to renewable electricity.

Leaked forms show the besieged Liberal MP did not disclose her membership of organisations linked to the Chinese Government's foreign interference operations when she ran for preselection for her federal seat.

While the competition watchdog investigates Australia's water market, those pushing for a central exchange for water trading say it could solve many problems.

Backyard gardeners could face fines of almost $2,500 if they are not careful when covering their fruit trees or vegetable gardens with netting.

An advertisement about the ACT Climate Change Strategy 2019-2025, dubs Canberra "so freakin' liveable".

The ACT Government unashamedly asks the community to do more to help it reach the ambitious target of net zero carbon emissions by 2045, with transport and natural gas top of the list of targets.

The Kambah man could face serious assault charges after allegedly attempting to escape police twice, first while driving unregistered and later while being treated in hospital, when he injured two people.

Victorian Greens Senator Janet Rice announces her wife, renowned climate scientist and transgender woman Penny Whetton, has died suddenly at their home in northern Tasmania.

Political pressure is mounting on the Member for Chisholm about her alleged links to the Chinese Government.

The Labor Senate Leader attacked Senator Mathias Cormann over a short speech regarding besieged Chisholm MP Gladys Liu.

In a bid to bring down costs and ease the burden during an already difficult time, the ACT Government may establish a dedicated fertility-preservation clinic for women undergoing cancer treatment.

It may be convenient, but public health experts warn of the danger of convenient alcohol-delivery services to those who may be vulnerable.