Stephen Grimmer, the brother of murdered toddler Cheryl Grimmer who disappeared in 1970, pleads guilty to indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

After police recorded her abusing an elderly woman, a carer told a court what it heard was "me slapping myself". In finding her guilty, the magistrate described the 26-year-old as "mean-spirited and nasty".

Sam Leishman was sexually abused by his high school teacher in Hobart in 1978. He and other survivors are suing the Department of Education for negligence.

Imagine trying to eradicate COVID-19 without knowing how many cases there are in Australia. That is the situation mental health advocates say is hampering the fight against suicide.

The family of 19-year-old Sabrina Di Lembo allege the GPs and mental health service involved in her treatment were negligent.

Two Jewish convicts sent to Van Diemen's Land, both named Solomon, would go on to lead very different lives. While one became the inspiration for Dickens' Fagin, the other became rich and "respected" — yet could never leave his convict past behind.

The Australian Federal Police sanctions recruits and staff who breached coronavirus social-distancing rules but none, so far, has lost their job over the incident.

Will you light up the sky with a 10/10 score? Pop on your personal protective equipment (or not) and take a tour of the news this week.

Sydney silk Bret Walker SC, who is leading the special commission of inquiry into the Ruby Princess, says he did not take Scott Morrison's criticisms of his "aggressive" questioning of a teary witness as an attempt to interfere with the probe's independence.

It will be up to the state and territory governments to decide when cafes and restaurants reopen across the country. Here's how the situation is looking in your state.

A defamation lawsuit launched by one of Australia's most decorated soldiers could be delayed until next year because of coronavirus and a decision by the Attorney-General to invoke special secrecy laws to protect sensitive military information.

Kimberly De Pledge is found guilty of dangerous driving after his loaded cattle truck slammed into a caravan, killing two people on a remote WA highway.

Dark Mofo art experience Hrafn: Conversations with Odin sees tourists returning to the fire-ravaged Huon Valley south of Hobart to spend money and boost the local communities.

Harry Bowman has been the face of the Top End's crocodile cruises for more than 30 years, but the time has come for him to say farewell to his toothless old mate Brutus the giant saltwater croc.

A high school teacher who had sex with a 16-year-old student from a North Queensland school is found not guilty of procuring a young person for carnal knowledge.

A 27-year-old Canberra man is found guilty of running a major drug operation to fuel a flamboyant lifestyle complete with expensive cars and inspirational quotes played out on Facebook and Instagram.

Canberra Grammar students discover the unexpected benefits of rebuilding damaged classrooms in Nepal, as they form special bonds with school hosts in the heart of the Himalayas.

The aviation safety regulator is being urged to relax maintenance requirements for Angel Flight and other charity flight services, after a Senate inquiry slammed an earlier ATSB report into the charity's fatal crash rate.

An audit reveals 30 South Australian buildings require urgent remedial work to deal with potentially flammable aluminium cladding but the State Government is refusing to identify which ones are at risk.

Hon Leung Chu, who laundered the proceeds of a nationwide prostitution ring from his apartment is spared jail, but could still face deportation.

An Adelaide business owner says buildings residents are not being informed about dangers posed by potentially flammable aluminium cladding, as an audit reveals dozens of structures are at risk.

Yida Benny Xiong failed to put $300,000 from two foreign investors money into the purchase of a plot of land in Adelaide and instead spent the money himself.

A South Australian business says it's been forced to lay off workers because of almost $200,000 in unpaid bills, amid the collapse of several building companies based in South Australia in the past 12 months.

A teenager who can be named for the first time pleads not guilty to the murder of a 61-year-old woman in Adelaide's inner north in December last year.

An inquest into the deaths of two young vets who took a drug linked to almost 20 suicides per year within the industry urges better mental health support for veterinary professionals.

A judge releases photos of evidence allegedly seized from the home of Peter Rex Dansie, who is accused of drowning his wife in an Adelaide pond in 2017.

A man who has previously claimed he is the nephew of rock legend Jimmy Barnes pleads guilty to assaulting two journalists outside an Adelaide court.

A section of an ABC television program titled Women Feel Guilty Whatever They Do, aired on March 27, 1985. It features stay-at-home mother Liz Crawford and working mother Deborah Brennan.

Robert Irwin comes to the rescue when an echidna waddles into a Sunshine Coast fruit shop and wedges itself under a fridge.

US surfer Kelly Slater says he's still "coming to terms" with the grief following Sunny Garcia's attempt to take his own life

Three remote Western Australian Indigenous communities say they have been disadvantaged because their homes lie within national park and reserve areas and they want out.

Unperturbed by the region's infamous sharks and 13-degree Celsius sea temperature, Lisa Julian is among a group that swims off the state's south coast each week without wearing a wetsuit.

Some regional Australians argue they should see social-distancing measures wound back first because there is less risk of COVID-19 spreading, but a leading health expert is not a fan of the idea.

A Senate inquiry into a possible cancer cluster on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula hears evidence from high-profile lawyer Peter Gordon of a "disturbing number of cancer cases" connected to the early years of Bellarine Secondary College.

Advice on whether students should attend schools amid the ongoing coronavirus situation varies widely across Australia. Here's the latest on what schools are doing in your state or territory.

Faruk Orman, who spent 12 years in prison for murder before being acquitted because of the Lawyer X scandal, is suing Victoria Police for unspecified damages.

Cardinal George Pell accuses the child sexual abuse royal commission of making findings "not supported by evidence" in its unredacted report, which found he was explicitly told in 1982 of the reason paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale was being moved between parishes.

It has been an exotic jujube harvest boom for a Victorian grower, but COVID-19 restrictions have slowed down sales and squashed market prices.

Scientists say it is likely a fragile little penguin colony skipped a breeding season due to crucial ocean occurrence — called the Bonney upwelling — running late.