The family of missing backpacker Theo Hayez criticises Belgian media for claiming DNA on a cap found near Cape Byron Lighthouse suggested it was owned by the teen, who has not been seen for almost a year.

Youth taking part in the Down The Track initiative can learn how to shear sheep, get a certificate in agriculture and can learn hospitality skills for at least another 12 months.

Arbitrage segues smoothly into a psychological thriller, seamlessly weaving the financial finagling into the slow decline and fall of Robert Miller's moral universe.

Director Oliver Stone turns Don Winslow's tale of drugs, deception and decapitation into his latest gift for the big screen, Savages.

There's nothing like a singalong and plenty in the audience did just that at last Friday night's performance of a local production that has been circulating around the North Coast for a year now.

Never mind melodic punk, here's where it all started.

'Brief Encounter' serves as a poignant little reminder of the volcano ready to erupt beneath the cover of a mediocre suburban life.

One of the most influential lyricists of the past 50 years delivered a marathon performance of his classics in a voice that gets richer by the year.

It was a full house for the opening night of The Gilded Cage, Somerville's latest film, a thoroughly relaxing and charming adult family comedy.

Politics loves the stage and it seems the stage loves politics.

An 11-bed regional aged care facility is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary as a community-owned organisation, which has kept jobs and residents in town while proving the viability of an innovative new model for aged care.

A decision to prioritise a controversial coal project over the protection of Indigenous sacred sites has landed the Federal Environment Minister at the centre of a fierce legal battle.

The NSW Rural Fire Service says there are 65 bush and grass fires burning across the state, but no emergency warnings are in place. Six fires have been downgraded to watch and act or advice status after spending much of the day as emergencies due to dry and windy conditions.

MORNING BRIEFING: The Rural Fire Service says it will begin assessing the full extent of the bushfire damage in northern New South Wales today, and a man is charged after a robbery in 2003.

Almost bone-dry from drought and having endured four major bushfires this year, Tenterfield was due for a break. That came in spades when the town found a new water supply.

Residents in the regional city of Armidale are using their own water to save trees in their heritage-listed park, as the drought continues to deplete the district's water supply.

If you are hoping to be buried in Launceston's main cemetery, you'll need deep pockets, with the cost of a single plot "skyrocketing" more than 225 per cent in recent years, and it's set to go up again. Why does it cost so much?

At least 1 million Australians are facing unemployment as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, and those with a mortgage are particularly worried. Here's some information on what the big four banks are doing.

The Australian Government will launch hundreds of flights to deliver fresh produce to key international markets as part of a big-spending boost for exports.

Sex work, food vans at farmers' markets and race meetings are some of the latest activities banned by Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein, as part of the ongoing effort to slow the spread of coronavirus in the state.

Because Niall Harden and Sarah Wyllie are not permanent residents, they are not entitled to the Government's new JobKeeper payment, which also excludes casuals who have not been with an employer for more than 12 months.

A former patient at Launceston's first purpose-built infectious diseases hospital wants Tasmanians to heed the warnings to stay home and stay safe.

The Prime Minister says north-west Tasmania is a classic example of the need for the Federal Government's coronavirus-tracking app, after he accuses a north-west aged care worker of not telling the truth about their movements and contacts.

Tasmania records its first coronavirus infection in a nursing home, a 79-year-old woman in the state's cluster zone in the north-west, where cases linked to two hospitals prompted a mass quarantine last week.

The Tasmanian Government unveils a $3 million package to support around 26,000 temporary visa holders stuck in the state because of the coronavirus pandemic.

A woman who says she was raped and left pregnant and another whose head was flushed in the toilet while vomiting after physical abuse are among allegations in civil claims against the state of Tasmania by former residents of children's homes.

For the fourth day in a row Tasmania records no new cases of coronavirus and announces it will begin to lift restrictions at aged care homes from next Monday.

Six regional aged care facilities in South Australia are failing to meet standards, a State Estimates committee hears, with three based in the same region.

Two South Australian Government-run aged care facilities each have a year stripped off their accreditation periods after failing 21 of 44 operating requirements during an audit.

Local resident Oliver Stone recorded the fire's advance towards nearby homes.

Every year, Australian truck drivers and their families converge on the small farming town of Tarcutta to remember their fallen.

Spectators and football players in northern Victoria call for a change to the culture of violence on the field.

Israel Folau claims he could have one day skippered a "trophy-winning Wallabies team", as he seeks $14 million in damages following his Rugby Australia sacking.

Australia's passage to the women's football tournament at the Tokyo Olympics was confirmed with an unconvincing second-leg win over Vietnam.

When questioned about the incident at a press conference, Klopp said his opinion on coronavirus does not matter as he was merely a football manager.

This week the royal commission in to Australia's aged care system has heard stories of residents left to soil themselves and elderly war veterans heavily sedated to treat their PTSD. It's left some questioning whether the sector's myriad failings can be fixed.

It's early morning and Ernie Poloni is lying in his nursing home bed. Two carers enter his room, unaware that the digital clock on the table holds a hidden camera, writes Anne Connolly

A 17-year-old is due to appear in a children's court today after he was charged with the murder of Maaka Hakiwai in Melbourne's west on AFL grand final day.

Richard Tracey QC is remembered as wise, selfless and admired as the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety is told of the "complete shock" of his sudden death.

Submissions to the aged care royal commission called for better staffing and training in aged care facilities around the country.

More than half of Australian nursing homes are understaffed, with residents having less access to qualified nurses than ever before, the aged care royal commission hears.

A senior manager of a Melbourne aged care home initially refused to act on video footage of elder abuse for a month due to the Christmas break, the aged care royal commission hears.

CCTV released by the Supreme Court showed Abdullah Chaarani carrying a large machete up the driveway at his home.