A Tasmanian council has not yet decided whether it will appeal a decision giving a green light to a luxury helicopter-accessed fishing camp at Lake Malbena, saying the process has "put the council under a lot of stress".

A bushfire burning north of Hobart could pose a threat to the city's suburbs and critical infrastructure if uncontrolled, a fire officer warns, as Tasmania prepares for hot weather and strong winds over the next few days.

DAILY BRIEFING: The prisons watchdog says he was pressured to redact a report on the Ashley youth detention centre and he will strongly resist requests to do so in the future.

DAILY BRIEFING: A fire that started north of Bothwell two days ago has been upgraded to emergency level, with firefighters pulling out because it is too dangerous.

Isabella Corbin can remember sitting on her dad's lap in the cockpit of his helicopter when she was just a baby. Two years after his death, she's determined to keep his legacy alive.

A late spring blast of icy air from Antarctica has deposited up to 10 centimetres of snow on parts of Tasmania, but people are being urged to "get their skis on" quickly if they want to play in it.

A five-member fishing crew is relieved to be back on land after enduring 12 days adrift off South Australia's coast, coming up against personal tragedy, a failed rescue attempt and a shortage of food.

Oil and gas testing is set to take place in the Great Australian Bight this year, with the national petroleum regulator granting permission to exploration company PGS.

Proposed new powers for South Australia's Country Fire Service volunteers to be able to stop members of the public from operating due to fire dangers has put them at odds with farmers.

Tuna spotters, flying above the Bight to tell fishers where to steer their boats, have started working with whale researchers to help them take stock of populations.

A company proposing to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight releases its environment plan, but Greenpeace says it is downplaying the risk of a major spill.

The National commodity forecaster, ABARES, finds three quarters of dairy farmers and half of all broadacre farmers will receive a lower income than they did last year because of the drought.

A Norwegian MP calls for a state-owned Norwegian oil and gas company not to start drilling in the Great Australian Bight, while a scientist says noise from the project could hurt marine life.

Greenpeace questions the independence of the national offshore oil and gas regulator, amid revelations the authority will speak at a Parliamentary dinner in favour of oil exploration in the Great Australian Bight.

Swiss sailor Peter Baggenstos is repairing his boat in Port Lincoln nine days after it was badly damaged in a Southern Ocean storm he feared could have ended his life.

The search for two people missing off the coast of South Australia's Eyre Peninsula ends tragically as the bodies of a 35-year-old man and his five-year-old daughter are spotted in waters after they were swept from rocks at Cape Carnot.

Emergency crews recover the bodies of an Adelaide man and his five-year-old daughter who were hit by a freak wave on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula.

Cape Carnot south of Port Lincoln is popular with tourists because of its rugged cliffs and caves, but another two drownings are forcing the site's owner to rethink its future.

Australian wool totals are forecast to be down by 12.7 per cent on last year a drop of 43 million kilograms, and the lowest yield since 1924, when the industry was much smaller.

The worldwide price of oil has fallen by more than $US10 a barrel in recent weeks, but the cheaper price has not fazed a Norwegian company's plan to drill in the Great Australian Bight.

A plan to probe the Great Australian Bight for gas and oil using seismic testing is delayed, with the company behind the move confirming its testing will be postponed until next year.

Volunteer whale spotters believe they've photographed more than 50 whales at South Australia's Sleaford Bay this year, raising questions about how the marine mammals might be affected by a desalination plant proposed for the area.

The South Australian Government is considering providing council rate relief to drought-affected farmers as the state opposition claims that South Australia is way behind other state support.

A man has been found not guilty of killing his 13-week-old son in regional Victoria, eight years after the baby died.

This year's Budget reflects a horrific summer of natural disasters, with increased support for natural disasters and drought relief.

A mother-daughter duo from Central Victoria documents the wide variety of flowers in Australian artwork in a new book.

Outreach workers across Australia say that the survival of farming communities will depend on support and understanding from the Australian community.

Amateur photographer Kristan Emerson is legally blind and is helping other people with visual impairments to experience travel and foreign cultures through his eyes.

You don't need to travel to the South Pole to get a perfect photo of the green and pink lights of the aurora australis there's incredible vantage points right here in our own backyard.

A Victorian man is expected to be charged with the manslaughter of his 35-year-old partner Shae Francis, who was last seen when she visited her mother at the Hervey Bay Hospital in October.

Snow was recorded in Ballarat, Kyneton and the Dandenongs as cold air washes over the state.

A frustrated trainer, a battered boxer and angry family members while retirement is unlikely, there are huge cracks in Jeff Horn's camp after his loss to Michael Zerafa, writes Corbin Middlemas.

The councillor who spoke out against the use of ring girls at a council-sponsored boxing match resigns, saying she's been attacked by colleagues and members of the community.

A northern Victorian man has walked free after 21 months in custody after he was found not guilty of murdering a man with a machete on Boxing Day two years ago on grounds of self-defence.

World jousting champion Phillip Leitch of Kryal Castle, near Ballarat, defeats challengers from as far away as the Netherlands, Russia and Canada to claim the title for another year.

From sky-high water costs to prohibitively expensive livestock feed, new forecasts show how drought will impact Australia's exports and agricultural production.

A protest by Victorian oil and gas workers over pay and conditions at Esso's offshore operations has come to an end more than 700 days after workers first set up a picket line at the company's Longford gas plant.

A pelican banded as part of a research project in Victoria last year, and last seen in March, is spotted more than 700 kilometres away in northern New South Wales.

The paddocks of Gippsland look green, but farmers are still in drought and have lost as much as 70 per cent of their regular income.

Deb Foskey has survived the death of her teenage son, a career in politics, the threat of bushfire which has just claimed her home but now she faces the toughest fight of her life.

Wellington Shire Council in Victoria's Gippsland region gives eligible farmers $700 pre-loaded debit cards to provide some financial relief and stimulate the local economy.