The Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs tells the Senate Intelligence Committee that he's never handed over classified information to the press.

Farmers say they should be able to make enough money to look after themselves. But as they contend with one of Australia's worst droughts, it's set to produce a billion-dollar welfare bill as taxpayers help keep them afloat.

A decade ago Canberra hosted the World Mountain Bike Championships on tracks considered "the standard and the best". But the quality of the city's trails has gone downhill, and millions of dollars need to be spent to keep up.

Lids 4 Kids is processing 50,000 bottle caps a week. But with nowhere for them to go, they're piling up inside one Canberra man's home.

Foreign officials are immune from local prosecution, but collectively they owe the ACT Government almost $60,000 in fines for breaching parking laws and Russia is responsible for more than $20,000 of them.

The Raiders withstood a tremendous South Sydney Rabbitohs onslaught to reach its first grand final since 1994 with a 16-10 victory at a sold-out Canberra Stadium.

Canberra hasn't become an off-the-grid island in the middle of New South Wales. So why is the ACT Government now calling the capital 100 per cent renewable?

Of the almost 3,000 magpie attacks reported in Australia this year, only one was in Tasmania. So why are these notoriously angry birds so much more relaxed on the Apple Isle?

Firefighting experts and senior scientists tell Background Briefing they're concerned the Federal Government is refusing to guarantee funding for the only national research body for bushfires beyond 2021.

Victorian prosecutors say there is no justification for the High Court to grant special leave for Cardinal George Pell to appeal against his child sexual abuse convictions.

Quad bike manufacturer Honda has described the Government's new roll bar rules as a "ban by stealth" and says that today is a "disappointing day for farm safety".

The Home Affairs Minister called the environmental activists "anti-establishment".

The ACT's top law officer says federal police should not waste their time chasing Canberrans who use small amounts of cannabis as he urges Christian Porter not to interfere with new laws.

Computers have traditionally excelled at mathematical tasks, and are now better than humans at games such as chess, but some AI experts believe they could one day produce literature to rival Shakespeare himself.

Three people charged with female genital mutilation offences could face further punishment after the High Court ruled a NSW court erred in quashing their convictions.Warning: This story contains graphic details.

If losing the grand final wasn't a sharp enough sting, the ACT Government's latest infrastructure plan sees funding and development for a new sport stadium take a back seat.

Canberra's youth detention centre issues an apology and an undisclosed financial settlement after an Indigenous teenager filed a lawsuit alleging her human rights had been violated when she was separated from her peers and her belongings for two months.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has used a senate estimates haring to grill Joe Evans, deputy secretary of the Department of Environment and Energy, about the effect of climate change.

It will take a test case a Canberra smoker who police decide to arrest and charge to determine what the law actually is.

Sackings demanded and threats to withhold hundreds of thousands of dollars are at the centre of a clash between an outback community and a Commonwealth-owned business.

Celebrated children's writer and novelist Gail Jones takes out two of six Prime Minister's Literary Awards, worth a total of $480,000.

Sussan Ley says she believes only people who have a "connection to farming" should be allowed to own water in the Murray-Darling Basin.

If you've been avoiding your local library because you are yet to return that dog-eared book by your bedside, the ACT Government has good news for you.

If you're a Canberra renter who loves pets and is fond of hanging art, there's good news. New laws coming into effect today will make it easier for renters, but there are fears it could lead to a downturn in rental properties.

Irma Palasics was killed during a brutal home invasion in 1999, but her killers were never identified. Twenty years later, her family believe new forensic procedures could find the people responsible.

The Great Barrier Reef has already been devastated by climate change, but one southern island is showing signs of recovery after cyclone damage

To encourage more migrants to work in regions, the Government is relaxing long-held restrictions on temporary workers.

The NBL grapples with the challenge of keeping an equal playing field between the haves and the 'have-lots', as professional basketball undergoes a lucrative renaissance in Australia.

Running or riding hundreds of kilometres for fun, sport, and a physical and mental challenge.

Queensland's Native Mounted Police massacred thousands of Indigenous people on the colonial frontier, and most of its troopers were Indigenous themselves. It's a difficult legacy for their descendants to come to terms with.

Polystyrene balls were strewn across three bays on a pristine north Queensland island after coming in with the tide from an unknown source, forcing locals into action with vacuums and dustpans.

New laws are before Queensland Parliament to protect the Great Barrier Reef from harmful nutrient and sediment run-off, with a voluntary scheme not working fast enough according to the Environment Minister.

Health authorities urge more than 500 patients of a dental clinic in Far North Queensland to be tested for HIV and hepatitis as the clinic is investigated over its infection control practices.

Australian icon Les Hiddins is back and instead of publishing another book, the Bush Tucker Man has gone digital, with a searchable website and a social media account.

Lego is being used in both informal and clinical sessions to improve the communication and cooperation skills of children with autism.

The massive yacht crushed several smaller boats as it came to a juddering halt at the Cairns Marlin Marina in Queensland.

Two teenagers who have recently sought help to stop chroming are speaking out about their addictions, which have led to the loss of friends and family members, in the hope of deterring others from heading down the same path.

This self-employed labourer was doing casual work earning a couple of hundred dollars a week. Then he received a letter from his super fund saying his retirement savings had shrunk.

It's estimated that African swine fever has killed 25 per cent of the world's pig population. The deadly disease has now reached Timor-Leste, about 650 kilometres from Darwin.

Queensland's youngest gorge has been bridged entirely with glass, providing tourists with 360-degree views of an ancient oasis.

A research trip to far north Queensland was supposed to find dozens of Australia's endangered sawfish but they didn't find a single one.

Astronaut screening programs have inspired a group of Australian scientists to study the individual personalities of 50 native rats and how they cope with environmental stresses.

A high-speed stolen car chase that allegedly included a woman being dragged from her car and a man being threatened with a syringe reignites anger over youth crime in Townsville and prompts demands for action.

Driven out of society by the cost of living and life-changing events, a growing number of people are going bush on the NSW coast but their presence is drawing the ire of traditional owners and authorities.