Wind change fans unpredictable fires as towns evacuated
Dozens of communities have been urged to leave or take shelter as an out-of-control bushfire was fuelled further by gusty winds on a day of extreme conditions.
National news
Victoria could be a big player in deciding the next federal election result, according to a new Newspoll analysis.
Aussies are expected to splurge on homewares and beauty products, with bargain hunters set to spend more than $1.3 billion on Boxing Day sales.
Residents in Moyston and Pomonal have been told to leave as a bushfire threat is imminent with fires set to burn in multiple states from Christmas onwards.
Update
‘A love story’: rebuilding Darwin after Tracy
Survivors gathered at the shoreline in Darwin at dawn to remember the moment 50 years earlier when Cyclone Tracy made landfall, claiming 66 lives.
National news
Australia urged to get moving on EV charger rollout
Australia is not moving fast enough on vehicle charging and is holding back apartment dwellers, one of the country's biggest energy firms says.
National news
Locals allowed home to collect gifts as bushfire rages
Holiday travellers are being warned to keep up to date with the latest fire conditions as several states face growing bushfire risks from Boxing Day.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have released their Christmas messages to Australians.
Sydney's world-famous New Year's Eve fireworks will go ahead after a union and government paused their enterprise agreement fight for the holidays.
A former pilot accused of unlawfully helping the Chinese military will face prosecution in the US after the attorney-general approved his extradition.
The long-running stand-off between a transport union and a state Labor government over pay appears a long way from resolution as a peace deal is rejected.
Officials are scrambling to provide support for an Australian citizen reportedly being held hostage by pro-Russian forces in Ukraine.
Australia's building sector is plagued by poor work conditions and stagnant productivity, impeding the transport and energy projects the nation needs to grow.
Firefighters are working around the clock to prepare for sweltering Boxing Day conditions as warnings for several major blazes are downgraded.
The week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day is the worst time for drownings in Australia, lifesavers warn, with an average of 15 lives lost annually.
A Greyhound bus driver has died after his vehicle collided with a truck on a highway in the early hours of the morning, leaving several passengers injured.
The execution of two Australians for drug smuggling in Indonesia has refocused a spotlight on how the nation co-operates with countries using the death penalty.
Cancelling Australia's biggest New Year's Eve fireworks display could send businesses to the wall, but the impacts of rail network chaos are already in play.
After almost 20 years in an Indonesian prison, five members of the Bali Nine will spend Christmas with their families after returning to their Australian homes.
