The father of missing Belgian backpacker Theo Hayez says unlocking his son's last WhatAsapp messages could be key to find him alive. But a leading expert says the tech giant is incapable of unjumbling the "garbled" encrypted messages.

An Indigenous boy with an intellectual impairment was stripped naked inside Brisbane's adult maximum-security police watch house after being deemed a suicide risk, documents reveal.

More than two decades since Philip Nitschke set fire to the "disgusting, pathetic" bill overturning voluntary euthanasia in the Northern Territory, the region remains in a stranglehold, banned from even debating the issue.

Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch's comments at an Indigenous festival reveal Labor is divided on the Adani mine's recent approval, the State Opposition says.

A south-east Queensland council with more than 700 memorabilia items the bulk of which is believed to have been bought with ratepayers' money is asking the community what should be done with the haul.

A new video shows Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch telling a room full of people she has shed tears over the approval of Adani's Carmichael coal mine, while also saying current environmental legislation is flawed.

WA Liberal MPs distance themselves from their new leader's policy direction, including contentious moves to abandon the Western Power sale and steer away from supporting deregulated trading hours, after strong criticism from the business lobby.

Hawthorn captain Ben Stratton is suspended for two weeks by the AFL tribunal, one week each for repeatedly pinching Essendon's Orazio Fantasia and stomping on the foot of Shaun McKernan.

A female footballer who played in a men's South Australian country league has her suspension reduced to four weeks by an independent tribunal.

The Queensland Supreme Court will decide whether to allow a widow to use her dead husband's sperm to give her young son a sibling, as they were planning to do so before he died.

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.

Craig has been threatened with a machete and separated from his daughters, but he says that is the reality of being homeless in Tasmania's capital.

MORNING BRIEFING: Michael Ferguson says union bosses have hit a 'new low' and a court hears that a Launceston man accused of murder said his alleged victim "is going to pay".

Narooma is a haven for holidaymakers and sea-changers, but many young people are finding it impossible to rent in their own home town.

A man who donated his sperm to a lesbian friend with the belief he could play a role in the child's life wins a High Court fight to be named the girl's legal father, blocking her mother from moving overseas.

At age seven, Lisa Millar was singing the ABC News theme and practising her interview technique on her little sister. After 25 years of reporting in Australia and overseas, she's now looking forward to the challenge of co-hosting a daily morning television program.

This 83-year-old ketch, Julie Burgess, is the last survivor of more than 100 built by the Burgess family and all were named after Burgess women.

Amid plans for a five-star hotel for Canberra's centre, some of the city's biggest music success stories plot to save its nightlife, claiming currently unenforced noise limits could kick into effect and threaten venues when the hotel starts hosting guests.

Buying a home or a block of land is something many young people feel is out of reach but a new approach to property ownership could allow millennials to eat their smashed avocado and achieve the Great Australian Dream, too.

Dashcam footage shows an out-of-control truck hurtling through a red light at the base of Adelaide's South Eastern Freeway, moments after the vehicle lost its brakes and was forced onto the wrong side of the road.

Christina Vithoulkas always had a positive outlook on life, but when she crashed her motorbike and broke her spine her positivity only increased.

Police and State Emergency Service volunteers are scouring the park where Shaun Thomas Russell, 36 was killed in Adelaide's southern suburbs.

A man accused of indecently assaulting a child at a Rundle Mall shop is tracked using CCTV and arrested, after police allegedly uncover child exploitation material at his home.

A man whose Subaru WRX was stolen while his five-year-old son was still inside says he was scared for his life but the boy thought it was "just fun".

Almost 10 years after being thrown from a motorbike and losing the ability to walk, the ABC's Charles Brice is about to return to the crash site for the first time before handcycling more than 300 kilometres to raise spinal research funds.

Child safety experts say school-based sex education programs aren't keeping up with the times, or the technology when it comes to sexting, despite research showing one in three teens is engaging in the practice.

Adelaide man Malcolm Walker is found safe and well, but police say they will continue to investigate witness reports he was attacked and then forced into a car.

The lawyer for medicinal cannabis advocate Jenny Hallam asks for his client to avoid conviction, saying she needs to travel to the United States as part of her new job at a New South Wales cannabis farm.

Meet the determined young women who are working to break down barriers in the community and workforce, refusing to be defined by a stereotype.

The family of missing man and suspected murder victim Michael Purse makes an emotional plea for information on his fate, with his mother breaking down as she described her anguish.

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.

After weeks of speculation, the AFL confirms Eddie Betts will return to his former club Carlton after six years with the Adelaide Crows, with the Victorian club having some fun with a short clip of Betts going "Back to the Future".

Police say the 32-year-old man stole the Subaru WRX during a test drive while the owner's five-year-old son was still inside the vehicle. Nicholas Trent Hallett, 32, has been remanded in custody to appear at a later date.

An Orwell enthusiast recently thought he had a signed first edition copy of Nineteen Eighty-Four, but he now thinks he was probably the victim of an accidental hoax.

A power outage in Adelaide has resurfaced hours after it had been resolved, impacting businesses and customers in the busiest section of the Adelaide CBD. The cause is still being investigated by authorities.

Adelaide police say two men turned up to a victim's house with an eftpos machine demanding money after earlier calling him pretending to be from the tax office. The man has told the ABC that he "knew they weren't legit".

An animal rights group calls for a roadside memorial to be erected for a number of chickens killed in a truck fire on Adelaide's Northern Expressway this morning.

Megan Schutt has no time for the same-sex-marriage haters and her bold online personality is ensuring she is grabbing her chance on the national stage ahead of another ground-breaking WBBL campaign.

The details of a secret recording of a conversation between accused Adelaide wife killer Peter Dansie and his son are revealed in court.

A figure "described inaccurately" is being blamed for an apparent dramatic cost increase on Australia's most expensive defence project in history, the $50 billion Future Submarine program.

An Adelaide council's proposed plans for the upgrade of a skate park generates curiosity on social media, with an artist impression seemingly resembling part of the male anatomy.

Police investigate another report of a man impersonating a police officer in Adelaide, this time pulling over a driver and taking several items of cutlery.

Accused wife-killer Peter Dansie was engaged in online chats with two women and was ready to fly to China with a bag of sex toys and condoms shortly after his wife's death, it can now be revealed.

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.

Emergency crews were called to Long Point in South Australia's Coorong National Park after a boat capsized