Melburnians share their experiences as the city reopens. Today, on the third day of the series, Jane Fettes shares her joy at being able to take her four-year-old daughter to the zoo for a special birthday outing.

Australians will be able to buy rapid antigen tests from supermarkets as early as next week, the debate over Victoria’s new pandemic laws heats up and NSW’s corruption inquiry continues.

Shoppers will not need to be vaccinated when non-essential retail reopens from 6pm on Friday, with the government allowing a month’s grace before locking out those who have not received both jabs.

The Qudos Bank Arena vaccination clinic at Sydney Olympic Park will shut on November 7, to allow for events to resume the following month. Meanwhile, NSW Health linked 15 cases to City Gym.

Living in a local government area of concern at the height of lockdown didn’t just mean a ban from the beach, they were also more likely to be fined for breaching the public health order.

NSW government staff raised concerns internally last year that WaterNSW was pressuring its ecological consultants to downgrade the dangers to threatened species from raising the Warragamba Dam wall.

The alleged cocaine kingpin, now on the run and being hunted by police, spoke of having access to $30 million in personal funds, according to court documents.

The economy needs the casino and entertainment complex but whether Crown Resorts should continue to hold the licence is another thing altogether.

Six of the top executives at a new authority set up to attract investment to a large swathe of western Sydney have departed over the last year.

Thomas Sewell and Jacob Hersant, self-proclaimed leaders of Australia’s national socialist movement, are facing charges of armed robbery, affray and violent disorder over an alleged incident at a state park.

Siobhan Hamblin faced court on Wednesday to explain her compliance with a subpoena issued by lawyers for Kristo Langker. She said she always intended to comply.

Authorities are particularly concerned about an ongoing outbreak in Albury-Wodonga, where hundreds of people have tested positive.

By volunteering just 10 minutes of their time, Victorians can take part in the upcoming bee census and help improve how scientists understand nature.

The second challenge against Queensland Health’s vaccine mandate debuted in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed the agency’s involvement in the suspected abduction case, saying he hoped the AFP’s “very advanced capabilities” would help the investigation.

The NSW government is readying to intervene in the affairs of an imploding north shore council after half its elected body has repeatedly refused to show.

The judge to hear the legal challenge to Victoria’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate has dismissed a call for her to excuse herself from overseeing the case after lawyers representing about 130 plaintiffs raised questions over a perception of bias.

Almost $11 million in unpaid COVID-19 fines and outstanding hotel quarantine invoices is being chased down by the Queensland government and its debt collectors.

Historically portrayed as reckless killing machines, recent scientific consensus has shifted. Now scientists have sunk their teeth into the theory.

The NSW Ombudsman has found the former Department of Planning and Environment filled a senior executive vacancy under emergency provisions in 2018 when “there was no emergency” and paid the person substantially above benchmarks.

In North Sydney, the council will give residents 300 young trees to triple the number of the trees that attract thousands of tourists every year in November.

A man has been arrested over a train crash in the Illawarra, which left four people injured last week.

Today on Please Explain, chief political correspondent David Crowe joins Nathanael Cooper to go deeper into the latest Resolve Strategic poll and what it means.

More than 42,000 VCE students have completed their English exam, kick-starting the three-week written exam period as their disrupted year 12 campaign draws towards an end.

With international travel set to resume, be prepared to jump through a whole new raft of COVID-testing hoops and airline requirements before you can take to the skies.

The death was initially reported as a drowning in a residential pool, but police say a post-mortem examination suggests otherwise.

The University of Western Australia will front a Fair Work Commission hearing on Wednesday over its alleged “grossly insufficient” consultation that led to its sociology discipline being axed and its staff made redundant.

Eleven officers have been singled out by an internal investigation into the comments, with experts warning a social media policy review is likely to be a Band-Aid solution.

Queensland authorities say they are not concerned despite 2000 health workers still not getting their first dose of COVID vaccine ahead of the November 1 deadline.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has also revealed more details on how the mystery Gold Coast case came to be in Queensland.

Two-year-long police jobs at the Wellcamp quarantine facility have been advertised, as the Queensland Government announced international students would be allowed back into the state through the regional site. 

WA Premier Mark McGowan has so far withheld his plans for WA’s reopening, but has confirmed the state would not open to jurisdictions with COVID until sometime next year.

When the contents of Cockatoo Island went under the hammer, many buyers got a bargain - but some conservation groups were disappointed.

Leading Sydney surgeons and researchers have criticised significant inequality between public and private patients accessing cataract surgery in Australia

James Packer has been without his main source of income - dividends from Crown - for more than 18 months.

King’s relied on public health orders rather than department guidelines to allow high school students a choice in whether they wear masks or not

More than 700,000 COVID-19 case alerts have been sent to NSW residents via the state’s check-in app in the past three weeks, but experts warn there is little awareness about the feature because people are not automatically notified on their smartph...

Fifteen kilometres of new bike lanes have been installed in Melbourne during lockdowns, in a move one councillor warns has added up to 40 minutes to some motorists’ trips through the city.

Consumers need more than ‘trust us’ accounting in a net-zero carbon emissions future.

30 years ago, former prime ministers Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser came together to fight the sale of the John Fairfax newspaper group to the Tourang syndicate.

Lady Cowan of the British Women’s Patriotic League has strongly condemned American films.

As year 12 students prepare for their first VCE exam on Wednesday, interest in nursing is topping all other fields at six of Victoria’s nine public universities.

Trivia buffs: test your knowledge with today’s interactive superquiz and target.

There’s nothing like an extended stay.

Crown will today learn whether it will retain its Melbourne casino licence, the Prime Minister will unveil green energy policies as soon as today and NSW’s anti-corruption inquiry continues.

There has been widespread criticism of the modelling Australia has relied on during this pandemic. But has the flak been justified?

The hearings took a dramatic turn when Sarah Cruickshank revealed Berejiklian had misled her about the status of her relationship with Daryl Maguire.

Coles will be the first to stock the 15-minute rapid antigen tests across 700 stores nationally. Woolworths will start stocking tests from early November.

Patients must be empowered to make informed decisions about cosmetic surgery and the regulator must immediately step up to ensure providers have been properly vetted.

Lawyers representing an Afghan asylum seeker who caught COVID-19 say his detention in Carlton’s Park Hotel is putting him in danger.