While the death and disease threats from COVID 19 during the pandemic period are huge, the devastation to the global and local economies are also enormous and there's plenty of research to inform what the effects will be on health, wellbeing and life expectancy.

Professor John Williams says the government has not based their irrigation efficiency policies on the best science available.

The re-election of the Berejiklian Government for a third term has provided a morale boost for the federal Liberals, but any relief being felt will be tempered by a much bigger problem: what to do about voter discontent in the bush.

Locals at the heart of a devastating fish kill say politicians lack the vision or intent to overcome water management deficiencies, as the ABC visits towns from Goolwa to Menindee to find out who, if anyone, is in control of the Murray-Darling Basin.

Wilcannia locals worry their weir won't ever be built, despite State and Federal Government pre-election promises.

Bill Nighy says he's fallen in love with Australian outback skies and small-town charm while filming his new movie, Buckley's Chance, in Broken Hill.

In the old tin mosque in Broken Hill, Samia made a discovery that disproved what historians had thought for more than 40 years.

Twenty-five years since The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert shone a light on homophobia in the outback, the landscape has changed in regional Australia.

Authorities have confirmed it's likely there's been a mass die-off of fish in Western New South Wales

New modelling shows a proposal to create a national body for research and innovation in the forestry sector would create hundreds of jobs in Western Australia's south.

WA's District Court has confirmed Collingwood defender Marley Williams will face trial next month, accused of causing grievous bodily harm.

Several people in Western Australia's Great Southern and south-west have received the Order of Australia, as part of this year's Australia Day honours.

A prominent businessman on Western Australia's south coast has been sentenced to eight years and six months in jail for attempting to hire a hitman to murder his estranged daughter-in-law. Brian Vincent Attwell paid $10,000 to an undercover police officer who had posed as a hitman in September last year. The court heard the 74-year-old was angry over legal action after his son's divorce and he was motivated by "sheer hatred" of Michelle Attwell. The trial was played recordings of the businessman saying his daughter-in-law had cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he wanted her "strangled and buried".

The first government funded program to assist those affected by younger onset dementia has been announced in Albany.

Nigerian police have arrested a man after the death of a West Australian woman who was caught up in an online romance scam.

Police have charged a teenager with deliberately lighting a fire in the Albany suburb of Centennial Park.

Booker T Jones shares his stories from over fifty years of taking to the stage and collaborating with some of the biggest names in music.

The Western Australian Opposition is calling on the State Government to revisit the eligibility criteria for its concessional farming loans because of limited demand so far.

An eastern Wheatbelt farming group says it is extremely frustrating for struggling growers in the region to see limited demand for a Government support package.

A court in WA has heard a Collingwood footballer was motivated by "sheer revenge" when he assaulted a man outside a nightclub on the state's south coast. Marley Williams, 20, is on trial in the District Court charged with causing grievous bodily harm.

Footballer Marley William's claim he acted in self defence when he punched another man is a "fantasy", the prosecution in his trial says. Mr Williams admits to punching then 29-year-old Matthew Robertson in the face outside the Studio 146 nightclub in the south coastal town of Albany, the Magpies defender's home town. He gave evidence on Wednesday and today, saying Mr Robertson and two other men had previously attacked him inside the club and he feared being 'beaten up' again outside.

Collingwood footballer Marley Williams has been found guilty of grievous bodily harm over a one-punch attack in Albany.

A $42 million upgrade of Albany's sporting facilities is a step closer, after the city council ratified plans for the precinct.

Farmers in some of the driest parts of Western Australia are concerned they will miss out on funds from the Federal Government's drought assistance package because they will not meet the criteria.

A peaceful paradise known for its iconic pine trees and spectacular coastline, Norfolk Island is riddled with political tension and simmering social unrest.

It's hard to imagine a subtropical island struggling with drought, but Norfolk Island has had only 12mm of rain all summer and dams and water tanks are running dry.

Perched 1,600 kilometres east of Brisbane, a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean hosts a landscape resembling a desert scene from the NT.

Walgett residents Roslyn Wallace and Di Denis receive dialysis in the rural town

The drought could have major implications for life-saving medical procedures, such as dialysis with patients needing up to 4,000 litres each week for treatment.

The New South Wales Government is funding an aerial survey for water in the state's central west.

A Dubbo man is handed a community correction order and community service after pleading guilty to animal cruelty following his appearance in a video of an emu being plucked.

Who are the Christian nationalists? What do they stand for and how influential are they in American politics?

Ian Dunt reports on Britain's coronavirus, the 60% approval ratings for Boris Johnson, and more on Prince Harry and Meaghan.

Academic and former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani argues that the coronavirus pandemic will accelerate a power-shift, from west to east.

Mahatma Gandhi lived a life committed to social justice and human rights. In this year's lecture to honour his memory five Australian women talk about their work in indigenous communities, for people with disabilities, refugees , LGBTIQ and campaigns to reduce domestic violence.

Should we give up on justice for peace? Peace negotiations often include amnesty clauses for human right crimes. Renee Jeffery explores the moral complexities and political nuances at work in peace talks.

The accused triple-murderer tells police "you gotta be joking" during previously unseen footage of his arrest at his Perth home back in 2016 for the Claremont serial killings.

Campers on the north coast of Western Australia have had the "really rare" chance to walk next to a feeding whale shark estimated to be seven to 10 metres long.

Accused Claremont serial killer Bradley Edwards is at the centre of the longest and most expensive criminal trial in Western Australia's history and yesterday was the first time the public heard from him.

Western Australia reports no new cases of COVID-19 overnight, marking a full week since its last positive test, with the Premier calling it an "amazing and incredible and terrific" result.