The SA Government has ordered a review into the Environmental Protection Authority's policies over notification of environmental incidents, following an ABC investigation into two chemical spills at Port Pirie's Nyrstar smelter.

A toddler has died in an Adelaide hospital after suffering horrific burns in a house fire in Port Augusta in South Australia's Mid-North last week.

A former priest who has served jail time for sexually abusing more than 30 boys will return to prison after being found guilty of abusing two altar boys in the Hunter region.

More than 3,000 World War II wrecks lie in the Pacific Ocean of which around 300 are oil tankers. There are fears of environmental devastation as they begin to rust and leak oil.

NSW identity fraud victims want more done to stop imposters from using drivers licences to lodge bogus loan, credit and debit card applications.

Authorities are fed up with a Taiwanese shipping company's slow response to salvaging containers it lost at sea near Newcastle one year ago, with one commercial fisherman saying he is still catching up to 20 push bikes in nets.

A New South Wales Appeals Court judge has condemned violence at the hands of up to seven police officers in relation to the Australia Day arrest of an Aboriginal man.??

At a conservative estimate, people around the world are consuming a credit card's-worth of microplastic every week, according to a new study.

NSW Police are appealing for any information after the body of a newborn baby was found in Stockton, near Newcastle.

Police found the baby's body in Newcastle early on Tuesday morning. Police hold "serious and grave concerns" for the safety of the baby's mother, who they say may need to seek urgent medical treatment.

Health authorities in Newcastle, NSW, have developed a vaccine safety tracking system, now a world-leader in monitoring the rollout of vaccines in Australia.

The 18-year-old mother of a newborn baby boy whose body was found in a backyard on Tuesday has been found in Penrith and taken to hospital.

MORNING BRIEFING: Police release an image of a man they are seeking after a young woman was allegedly knocked to the ground during an attempted robbery, while a new health campaign recommends introducing nuts to babies before they turn one.

An independent investigative commission reviews allegations of police brutality against an Aboriginal man at a station south of Newcastle in New South Wales.

A former police officer who suffered "horrific and graphic traumas" after being trapped in a crashed squad car has launched criminal action after being forced to wait more than a year for a workers' compensation payout.

NSW Police say four residents helped rescue a 31-year-old woman and a child from a house fire in Singleton in which three other children died.

A Newcastle tennis club is resisting calls for it to allow female members to join, despite a backlash from the local community as well as a former tennis professional.

Former Anglican Dean of Newcastle Graeme Lawrence "avoided" answering questions when giving his evidence about allegations he sexually assaulted a teenager at his home in the early 1990s, a court has heard.

The defence for former Anglican dean Graeme Lawrence has told a court the case against him has not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

A small town team harnesses sewing power to create more than 4,000 reusable alternatives to single-use plastic bags in a bid to save the planet.

The death in custody of Wiradjuri woman Rebecca Maher is ruled accidental but the inquest finds police failed to conduct a proper body search over unfounded concerns of HIV.

Police describe a crime scene as 'horrific' as a 25-year-old woman is arrested for the murder of her mother.

The former NRL player has pleaded not guilty to aggravated sexual assault.

Former Dean of Newcastle Graeme Lawrence is convicted over the aggravated sexual assault of a 15-year-old boy, after a judge found his evidence was not credible.

A champion surf lifesaver who was paralysed in a surfing accident while on holidays with friends last year has taken her first steps with the aid of a sci-fi-like robotic suit.

A post-prison release service in far-western NSW blames delays at the Newcastle morgue for a spike in ice benders by some of its grief-stricken Aboriginal clients waiting up to six weeks to bury loved ones.

When Chontelle Grecian took up the Plastic Free July challenge, she was looking for a simpler way of living. What she discovered was a way to save the household budget and have fun with the whole family.

Senior members of the Nomads bikie gang are sentenced over their participation in a criminal group, during a period of what the prosecutor described as "extreme" and "unpredictable" violence across the Hunter region.

A rugby league player is handed a jail term for a "ferocious" on-field assault that left an opponent with major facial injuries, but immediately appeals against the severity of the sentence.

Homicide detectives say 29-year-old Danielle Easey, whose body was discovered wrapped in plastic in a creek near Lake Macquarie at the weekend, had become involved in drugs and was likely killed in mid-August.

Findings from a probe into alleged cover-ups of child abuse within the Catholic Church in NSW have identified credibility issues among members of its upper echelons.

A court has heard Border Force and NSW and federal police officers formed a human chain to unload hundreds of bricks of cocaine from a catamaran linked to an international drug syndicate.

The former Silverchair frontman sues the publisher of Sydney tabloid The Sunday Telegraph for defamation over a report claiming he frequented a brothel called The Kastle.

In early convict settlements swimming was a functional way to bathe and cool off, and Chain Baths offered a women-only space to remove restrictive corsets and petticoats.

Michelle is calling for ADVOs to be enforced amid fears she will be killed by her ex-partner.

A New South Wales woman says apprehended domestic violence orders are a joke and she fears she will be killed if her ex-partner keeps breaching them.

Wildlife carers say they no longer have to euthanase kangaroos at a New South Wales hospital, after access was cut to thousands of tourists who were flocking to feed them.

Oliver Scales-Copeland, who is accused of stabbing two police officers at a service station north of Sydney yesterday, represents himself in court and becomes emotional when his bail application is refused.

A leading surgeon fears a gravely-ill convicted murderer could die within a year if he is deported to Papua New Guinea.