Federal cabinet minister Murray Watt also claims Labor has deported more criminals in its first year than under Peter Dutton’s reignFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA new ministerial direction on deporting foreign-born criminals will prioritise “community safety”...

Fire and Rescue NSW crews have begun clearing away rubble after an explosion on Saturday afternoon levelled a two-storey townhouse in Sydney's west. Authorities have confirmed five people and a small dog have been evacuated from the Whalan property. But one person is still unaccounted for and the desperate search continued on Sunday. The cause of the...

Follow the day’s news liveGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe Queensland government will set aside more than $500m for a series of new early childhood health and education initiatives, but advocates say kids from regional and remote communities will continue to fall through the cracks until the state addresses...

The NSW government’s decision to extend the 40-year-old power station for another two years has some locals breathing a sigh of relief – but others are ready for a post-coal futureFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastFor Scott King, last week’s announcement by...

We want a circular economy but to be sustainable, it should not expose the public – including children – to unacceptable health risksAsbestos mulch locations: map and full list of sites where it has been foundThe opening of the Rozelle interchange in Sydney’s inner west late last year turned from a traffic into an environmental scandal when a child...

The town of Deepwater is in the Hunter New England local health district, whose largest hospital, at Newcastle, is six hours awaySign up for the Rural Network email newsletterJoin the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the communityWhen Lindy Newsome was pinned beneath her ute in the middle of lambing season, she didn’t call triple zero.Newsome...