Police launch an investigation after a 12-year-old girl said she was tied up and sexually assaulted in bushland on the NSW Central Coast by a man with a knife while on her walk to school.

A new program supporting young innovators in regional Australia is launched by the ABC and the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

A fake doctor working at a Sydney hospital was detected as a fraud but allowed to continue working in the health system, an independent inquiry is told.

A NSW Central Coast man has been donning camouflage to attack girls, one as young as 12, with police describing the clothing worn in one attack as a ghillie suit.

Police charge a 21-year-old woman over a road rage incident on the NSW Central Coast, after footage of the assault went viral and a 41-year-old man was also charged.

A third person is charged over a road rage incident on the central coast, which became viral on social media as it showed a man punching a woman in the face.

NSW Police charge a man who allegedly wore a camouflage suit as he abducted and sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl while she was walking to school on the Central Coast three months ago.

Take a peak inside the pouch of the world's friendliest animal, with a baby quokka born far away from its native West Australian home Rottnest Island.

STAN GRANT, PRESENTER: Now, when I say the word shanty town, what springs to mind? A slum in India, a refugee camp?

Perth Glory get their first win of the season against the Mariners after Newcastle Jets beat Brisbane in a controversial game at Lang Park.

The Central Coast Mariners get their first win of the season and hand Sydney FC their first loss, to get round six underway in Gosford on Friday night.

Two men are injured and thousands forced to evacuate after a barge catches fire during a New Year's Eve fireworks display at Terrigal Beach, on the New South Wales central coast.

Visually impaired children at a surfing event in the NSW Hunter region are encouraged to get into sports and not let their disability hold them back.

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama faces a nervous wait for the A-League match review panel to ponder his horrible tackle which left Brisbane Roar forward Corey Gameiro in tears.

Central Coast Mariners midfielder Wout Brama is let off with a two-match ban for his tackle that left Brisbane Roar forward Corey Gameiro in tears.

A woman who was punched in a road rage incident on the NSW Central Coast, which was viewed thousands of times on social media, enters a guilty plea for throwing nails and a chisel at another car.

An incident in which a gas ignition sent a wall of fire over underground miners could have been deadly, the NSW Resources Regulator says in its initial investigation report.

The growing demand for transparency and ethically, socially and environmentally sustainable food is one of the hot topics at Beef Australia 2018.

Brendan Russell's body modification work includes tongue splitting and scarification, but court documents allege he used a branding iron to burn a woman's genitals, who later complained to police.

Usain Bolt has taken part in his first training session with the Central Coast Mariners, in a trial period seeking an A-League contract.

Usain Bolt's time with the Central Coast Mariners could soon be coming to an end, with the A-League club revealing any potential deal will need to include "financial contribution" from a third party.

A NSW woman has started an anti-discrimination campaign demanding changes to the way people in wheelchairs can buy tickets to major events and access good seating.

Low pay, long hours and a cashless society threaten the viability of making music, as musicians are forced to look for new ways of marketing their bands.

A disease that could potentially wipe out Australia's multi-billion-dollar livestock industry has been detected at Australian airports.

Two regional Australian doctors are at the forefront of an international effort to eliminate a horrendous childbirth injury, and say they could succeed within a decade.

The Central Coast Mariners have won one game from 21 starts and sacked their coach. The days of Usain Bolt's ill-fated trial with the team seem a lifetime ago, but are we still seeing the effects?

Families are increasingly taking caravan and camping holidays, enjoying a sense of community and a temporary return to a more carefree parenting style and a childhood freedom reminiscent of decades gone by.

The former operators of three sushi outlets in regional New South Wales are fined more than $380,000 for ripping off workers including junior employees and vulnerable visa holders.

MORNING BRIEFING: A bushfire that threatened homes near Newcastle last night is brought under control, and nine detainees at a juvenile detention centre are charged over a June riot.

A Gosford judge describes Troy Johnson, a father of three who stalked and sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl as she walked to school, as "hideous" and "depraved" before jailing him for almost 30 years.

MORNING BRIEFING: The average petrol price in Sydney is expected to jump to $1.66 by Thursday the highest level in more than a decade while a man dies in a house fire in Sydney's west.

MORNING BRIEFING: Dozens of firefighters from South Australia head to New South Wales as back-up for weary RFS workers, and two people are fined after a banner is hung from the Harbour Bridge.

The sudden closure of two aged care facilities on the New South Wales Central Coast has renewed concerns about the financial viability of Australias private aged care sector.

Extensive DNA testing has confirmed a body found in a burnt-out car in NSW's south-west is that of missing Illawarra man, Gary Pearce.

Sydney's iconic Sirius building is sold for $150 million to developers who plan to refurbish the existing building and deliver 89 apartments, along with retail and commercial spaces.

Fifteen-year-old American qualifier Cori Gauff caused a stunning Wimbledon upset by defeating five-time champion Venus Williams in the first round.

Fifteen-year-old American qualifier Cori Gauff caused a stunning Wimbledon upset by defeating five-time champion Venus Williams in the first round.