Backpacker killer Ivan Milat, who was serving seven life sentences, dies in Sydney's Long Bay Prison hospital six months after he was diagnosed with terminal stomach and oesophagus cancer.

He signed his prison letters "Ivan the innocent", but there is evidence to suggest Australia's backpacker killer took secrets of more victims to the grave.

MORNING BRIEFING: NSW's economy has dropped to third, behind Victoria and Tasmania, according to CommSec's State of the States report, which measures performance based on several factors.

Forty years ago Peter Smith died after being punched on a night out in Sydney but only now will his sisters get to the bottom of what actually happened and why police closed the case a day after his death.

A court hears an Australian Federal Police officer told ABC lawyers he did not want to see "sensationalist headlines" prior to a raid of the broadcaster's Sydney headquarters this year.

Michael McCormack told the ABC the demonstrators were merely craving media attention.

MORNING BRIEFING: More than 90 fire fighters work to stop a factory blaze from spreading in Sydney's inner city, while 700 weekly buses are being added to the Hills District.

A jury hears how a woman who was allegedly gang raped by prominent Chinese actor Yunxiang Gao, and a producer, in a Sydney hotel room begged the men to let her go.

The acclaimed Australian artist is painting black squares on a gallery wall with his eyes closed to protest against the values that led us to climate crisis.

Last year, more than 12,000 students in NSW received long suspensions of up to 20 days and a new report reveals this could be creating a pathway from school to prison.

Wendy Morgan has a degree in science, 40 years of work experience and even a forklift licence, but no-one will give her a job. She says living on Newstart makes the job hunt even harder.

Researchers uncover long-term patterns in Sydney's underwater ecosystem from illustrated diaries made by a 1950s scuba diver.

Some people are turning to professional organisers for help with decluttering does the industry reveal our complicated relationship with our stuff?

South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Sam Burgess has been forced into early retirement from the NRL aged 30 due to a chronic shoulder injury.

Court documents provide insight into the shambolic and costly planning issues being created by a major housing expansion on the southern outskirts of Sydney.

While the big aged care chains may have copped many of the torrid headlines, the Federal Government has been another target at this royal commission, writes Anne Connolly.

A vacant Sydney nursing home awaiting redevelopment has been lent to a women's shelter as transitional housing, with the concept of 'meanwhile use' housing acclaimed by experts.

Challenged by animal activists over the slaughter of newborn male calves, some dairy farmers are marketing older calves as veal to the ethical consumer.

MORNING BRIEFING: The Federal Energy Minister 'unreservedly' apologises to Sydney's Lord Mayor for falsely claiming her council spent $15 million on travel, while parts of NSW remain blanketed in haze as winds fan smoke from bushfires.

Derek has been called a "black dog" while playing soccer. Osman has been called a "terrorist". They're 14 years old, and they have a message for racist spectators: just stop.

A former Catholic priest accused of assaulting 40 victims across eight NSW parishes from the 1960s to the mid-1990s has pleaded not guilty to the 139 charges.

Horses, then cars and motorbikes staged races at low tide on a beautiful stretch of sand on the NSW south coast, but it has fallen silent now that it is a national park.

Garry McQuinn has found a way around the challenges of creating a new hit Australian musical by turning the National Institute of Dramatic Arts into a "musical theatre lab".

Western United come away with a 3-2 win in their Melbourne derby against the Victory despite trailing 2-0 after just seven minutes. Look back at that remarkable win and Western Sydney's 0-0 draw with Brisbane in our ScoreCentre.

The theory in media circles is that the banking royal commission was big news because "everyone has a bank account". There seems to be no corresponding extrapolation for aged care, writes Anne Connolly.

As the drought bites deeper, residents in a growing number of rural communities are fighting to stop local groundwater being taken to satisfy Australia's thirst for bottled water.

The New South Wales police watchdog finds an officer engaged in serious misconduct by using unreasonable force during a motorist's arrest. It is among just 2 per cent of complaints last year able to be fully investigated due to NSW Government funding cuts.

A Vietnamese man carrying four kilograms of pork-filled mooncakes has been turned away from Sydney Airport after failing to declare he was carrying food.

A $2.9 million payout is being challenged in court today after it was found Nationwide News defamed actor Geoffrey Rush in a high-profile case earlier this year.

Sydney woman Susan Leslie O'Brien may be home before Christmas after being sentenced to three-and-a-half months in jail for hitting and killing a Balinese teenager with her car.

The mayor of the Inner West Council says a "very deep hurt" is caused to Indigenous Australians by the "jingoistic celebration" on January 26. But an independent councillor has called the move divisive.

One of the lead authors of the study says it outlines key indicators to track the depth and scale of climate change.

It's criticised for being "disingenuous", and many Christian students say it can be socially draining. So why hasn't face-to-face evangelism gone out of fashion in a digital world?

Four years ago, Jonda Stephen found herself in a life or death situation. Her partner had hit her in the head multiple times with an iron, so she picked up a knife and stabbed him, in self-defence.

Two-thirds of working mums and dads are struggling to look after themselves physically and mentally, according to a new report. The findings are pretty depressing. But what can parents actually do about it?

A father is dead and his son is fighting for life in hospital after both were stabbed at a construction site they owned in St Peters.

The case of Quanne Diec and former nightclub bouncer Vinzent Tarantino shows even when an accused person confesses to a crime, criminal matters can later play out unexpectedly in court.

MORNING BRIEFING: Temperatures are set to soar to over 30 degrees Celsius in some places as firefighters stare down a difficult 48 hours on the east coast. Plus a Russian national is wanted for a double stabbing in Sydney's south.

Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry has notched up plenty of career highlights, but her biggest is being involved in the "watershed moment" of women's sport in Australia.

A Sydney mechanic who rescued a seven-year-old girl being raped by convicted sex offender Anthony Sampieri tells a court he still has nightmares about the "feeling of a scalpel being dragged across the back of my neck".

Ariana Grande surprised her fans by sharing a kiss with her new boyfriend in the brand-new, at-home music video.

Part of their baby's name is an homage to their favourite aircraft.

Nearly two dozen parents have already pleaded guilty in the case, including "Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman.