A respected marine scientist warns that seagrass beds in Queensland are being smothered by 'snotweed' algae. But there are ways to fight the foul gunk, and other states are starting to take notice of the method.

This online community is reaching out to asylum seekers, providing friendship and support.

A Federal Government investigation has found no evidence a whistleblower onboard the livestock carrier Awassi Express fabricated conditions on the boat by switching off fans and ventilation.

An Australian region larger than Texas has lost its only commercial television news reporter, sparking an outcry from former employees, community leaders and viewers.

As whales cruise past Australia's coastlines on their annual migration, here are some tips on identifying which species is which.

A finishing school for western ringtail possums is not about airs and graces it's about helping orphaned possums get used to fending for themselves.

One year after the worst disaster to hit Australia's strawberry sector, growers are optimistic about this year's harvest but say they are not out of the woods just yet.

It usually melts long before lunchtime but forecasters expect snow over the Stirling Ranges to linger into the midafternoon this Saturday as a cold front blasts the mountain peaks of southern WA.

A seven-year-old Perth girl who picked up her toddler sister and held her aloft to save her from an attacking rottweiler dog is among a group of West Australians to be honoured with bravery awards.

A shortage of volunteers and funding has triggered serious concerns for animal welfare in far-north Western Australia, with cats, dogs, puppies and kittens "very much at risk" of being euthanased.

A regional council hopes to change attitudes towards the straw-necked ibis, cousin of the Australian white ibis or much-maligned bin chicken, in an effort to win over residents and visitors.

As it makes what could be a last-ditch effort to ensure its future, collapsed wave energy hopeful Carnegie Clean Energy is still not disclosing the performance of its most valuable asset, its CETOwave technology.

Concerns have been raised in Australia over the online sale of accessories that turn handguns into automatic weapons.

Aquaculture has replaced tourism to become the biggest breadwinner in two of WA's picturesque tourism towns once reliant on seasonal work.

The "extinction pit" is the name used by scientists for a place no animal wants to go, and just five years ago the numbat Western Australia's animal emblem found itself on the edge thanks to the rise of a new predator.

Regional queer communities say being invisible makes people feel isolated and less likely to get support.

A sharp rise in water use has prompted warnings from a former WA state water minister that the Government may need to bring forward construction of a desalination plant, putting significant upward pressure on household water bills.

African swine fever has depleted China's pig herd, creating a protein shortage that is benefitting Australian sheep farmers.

Authorities in Western Australia investigate a large mussel die-off that covered a 1km stretch of beach on the south coast last week.

An environmentalist says discarding apple cores out the car window creates a major problem as it lures native wildlife to the sides of busy highways.

The WA SES Volunteer Association hits out at department bureaucracy after a decade-long wait for equipment.

Alannah MacTiernan says farmers risk losing access to foreign markets because of their reliance on glyphosate, but her remarks draw criticism from farming groups that say the herbicide is a linchpin of the industry.

Praised for its "sweat characters and nuttiness", a Perth-based distillery and second-generation farmer from Western Australia's far-north have teamed up to create Australia's first red corn whiskey.

A ship left Melbourne in January 1954 to set up Australia's first Antarctic base. Facing harsh conditions and the unknown, the pioneers built Mawson Station.

Cruise ships bring in millions of dollars to Tasmania each year, but tourism operators say if their schedules are not better managed they will continue to be both a "blessing and a curse".

DAILY BRIEFING: A worker has been "narrowly missed" by a bolt falling from a crane at a Hobart worksite, and Madeleine Ogilvie meets with Labor to discuss her future.

Tasmanian MP Madeleine Ogilvie is the descendent of Labor royalty but this time around, the new Member for Clark is at pains to prove she's her own person, Emily Baker writes.

The family of a model who was murdered 50 years ago is suing Tasmania Police for what it alleges is misconduct in the handling of the investigation.

Lucienne Rickard will draw an extinct species every day for a year but at the end there will hardly be anything left to show for her work.

Wombat researchers at the University of Tasmania have won an Ig Nobel Prize for unexpectedly discovering the "quite incredible" reason the animal's scat is cubed.

A man accused of deliberately running over and killing a stranger had post-traumatic stress disorder after an assault nine years earlier, a court has heard.

DAILY BRIEFING: The family of three-year-old Eleanor Oakley, which has been fundraising so the young girl can travel to the US to receive cancer treatment, reaches its $300,000 target.

A senior member of the Fertility Society of Australia has used a speech at the opening of the society's conference to criticise researchers for making negative comments about the IVF industry in the media.

DAILY BRIEFING: A road in the Central Highlands has reopened after a truck carrying a 68-metre-long wind turbine blade lost its load, a 39-year-old woman dies after being hit by a car and CPSU encourages public sector workers to take part in climate protests.

When Family Planning first came to Tasmania some of its doctors were labelled witches, and it was illegal to advertise contraceptives. Nowadays, a simple text to a number can see condoms delivered to your door.

Laura Kennedy got her first tattoo in Sydney when she was 21, she's now a customer of Tasmania's first dedicated laser tattoo removal studio after a series of bad inking experiences.

South Australia's recent "old mate" tourism campaign may have ended in tears both literally and figuratively but Tasmania is hoping to cash in on that controversy by releasing its own rival ad.

DAILY BRIEFING: The father of Graham Enniss, who escaped from Hobart's Risdon Prison this morning, urges his son to hand himself in, as police caution the public to stay away from the man.

Scientists hope a drill that can plunge 3 kilometres down into an Antarctic ice cap and withstand temperatures of -55 degrees Celsius will help solve one of the last great puzzles in climate science.

Residents in the Hobart suburb of Risdon Vale say they are double checking their doors are locked as the search for a prison escapee enters its second day.

Autonomous mining trucks and remote health tools are among key Australian technologies that NASA will need for its 2024 Moon mission, stakeholders say.

Tasmanian police release photos of a number of household items and non-perishable foods found in bushland near where a prison escapee was found.

Three-year-old Chase has come ahead in leaps and bounds in this past year, his family credits a program giving kids like him free access to early learning.

DAILY BRIEFING: Police allege a motorcyclist was doing more than 200km/h, and Tasmania's Basslink interconnector will be back up and running by Monday.

A 59-year-old man who died at Hobart's Nyrstar Zinc smelter yesterday has been named as Michael Lewis Petterwood of Risdon Vale.