Whitehaven's Maules Creek coal mine is being investigated for allegedly unlawfully taking water, after farmers say their groundwater is drying up. The company has already been found to have allegedly unlawfully taken surface water by the NSW regulator.

As Australians start to set up their home offices and practice social distancing, we've assembled 10 simple steps every Australian can take to keep safe amid the COVID-19 panic.

As Tasmania brings in tough new controls to limit coronavirus infections, tourism and hospitality industries are "hanging on by a thread" and operators are urging locals to support them.

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?

If you're spending more time at home lately, Gardening Australia's Tino Carnevale suggests you get planting. Here, he gives the drop on what grows best at this time of year, inside and out.

Authorities say Tasmania is one of the last remaining jurisdictions in the country not to record any confirmed cases of coronavirus via community transmission. Has the state been spared and will it remain that way?

Leaders announce a series of different measures for schools across the country, with some calling on parents to keep children at home if they can. Here's what is happening in each state and territory.

Tasmanian producer's market collapses from 6,000 carcasses a week at the start of this month to nothing.

With many Australians facing the prospect of long-term unemployment, many have found themselves in a situation they never thought they would be in — applying for Centrelink.

Tasmania's economy was just picking up as coronavirus restrictions sent thousands of people out of work — but some help is out there.

Derek Benson says at 90, "you look around and you've lost all your good friends", and that he'll keep volunteering at the Youngtown City Mission near Launceston "for as long as I can stand up and do it".

A continuing investigation into an infectious health worker at the Mersey Hospital in Tasmania's north-west reveals the person was only at work for 30 minutes before they felt unwell and went home.

A former shearer tells how he turned away from life as a wealthy businessman to find happiness.

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.

The likes of Zoom, Skype and Hangouts have brought an added layer of awkward delays and pixelated faces to our meetings, staff briefings and catch-ups. But there are ways to make the experience less painful and more productive.

The members of Facebook group Hobart Gal Pals are now asking questions about hand cleaning and self-isolation, and Chit Chat Launceston members want to know who they can visit, as a feeling of community is staying alive during coronavirus self-isolation.

Three more cases of coronavirus in Tasmania are confirmed with two of those from the north-west, as investigations into an outbreak at the North West Regional Hospital continue.

Who would have thought weather would be providing the good news a few months ago? The weekend's rainfall is a welcome relief after years of drought and there could be more on the way.

Regional Express Airlines has warned the folding of its services to some regional and remote communities could effectively shut residents off from the rest of Australia, as the company waits hopefully for vital federal government funding.

Ian Pearce's resignation is the latest to plague a small east coast council, blaming his speedy exit on age, health concerns and union harassment.

Churches and synagogues across Australia are offering their services online and many are live streaming. Here's a list of the major services around the country this weekend.

Many parts of Australia have worked hard to attract migrants to help boost the population and ageing workforces, but many like Rosan Bhattarai are now without a source of income because they are on temporary visas and can't get access to the JobKeeper program.

Tasmanian companies keen to keep staff employed are adapting and shifting their business focus by making face shields, hand sanitiser and other products in high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All over Australia, non-essential travel is being discouraged. But the rules vary state to state, so let's take a look at exactly how far you're allowed to travel and who you're allowed to visit.

The rise of the Aboriginal superhero continues with "total badass" Thylacine, a Pilbara hunter and Suicide Squad's newest recruit.

With the global death toll now at more than 100,000, there is an urgent need for a coronavirus vaccine. But will pharmaceutical companies be tempted to put profits before patients?

Social-distancing measures mean we haven't been able to celebrate Easter like we normally would, and many of us are feeling lonelier than ever. The good news is, there are things you can do to stay connected.

With little else to do and undeniably glorious weather in some parts of the country, Australians are heading outdoors in notably large numbers. But will our healthy new habits stick once COVID-19 is gone?

Hiking huts are Australia's answer to Scotland's famed bothies and New Zealand's backcountry shacks and stand as a testament of a national identity that has long been intertwined with survival in isolation.

Tasmanian woman Sue McCuaig has been diagnosed with stage four brain cancer and wants to choose when she dies, but the coronavirus pandemic has delayed debate on the state's assisted dying legislation.

Australia has a chequered history with introducing species, but farmers and scientists are celebrating as our newest dung beetle begins to make itself at home.

Aussie expat Morgan Ray usually attends an Anzac Day ceremony on the banks of the Chicago River, but lockdowns have made that impossible this year. He's not alone in feeling alone this year.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made life on the streets more difficult than ever and despite government promises to help, Lionel says he has been "hearing that for a long time and nothing happens".

A high school teacher who wanted to thank Tasmania's frontline health workers with a simple gesture has found herself running, for all intents and purposes, a pop-up NGO.

Tasmanian mum Leesa Bouman plans to juggle classes at home with her three kids and a one-year-old by taking it "one day at a time" when virtual term two gets underway on Tuesday. What's it going to look like for parents, teachers and students as the COVID-19 crisis continues?

On her country mail run Jocelyn Flint delivers letters, boxes of wine, flat pack queen-size beds, asthma puffers and even biscuits for morning tea and she's a welcome sight in Tasmania's coronavirus hotspot.

Chris Bishop's career as an epidemiologist had slowed down, allowing her to spend time on her farm, until the coronavirus pandemic was declared.

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.

Prickles the sheep disappeared when she was just a lamb when bushfires destroyed the boundary fences at her farm in 2013. Following her surprise return two weeks ago, she has finally been shorn for the first time in seven years.

Experts say there's no evidence the weather has an impact on the spread of coronavirus — but with restrictions lifting, what you do when it's hot or cold outside might.

People working from home during COVID-19 restrictions have ditched the slacks for the humble track pants.

Having been a nun for 22 years, Mother Teresa Benedicta knows a thing or two about isolation. Here are her tips for living in solitude.

Lawyers for two teenagers who threatened to carry out a school massacre tell South Australia's Supreme Court they should be immediately released.

Some families are already taking advantage of "demand response", reducing their bills by cutting their electricity use at peak times. But a move to promote competition in the demand response market has come up against some serious opposition.

Whisky the kelpie and Diamond the sheep are making a splash at Karoonda in South Australia's Mallee region, after being painted on the town's silos.

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.

A three-car crash on one of Adelaide's busiest roads leaves a driver in hospital with critical head injuries, with the manager of a nearby business likening the scene to the aftermath of a tornado.