Australia's Chief Medical Officer warns the country can expect even more COVID-19 cases after the majority of the nation's leaders broadly agreed to relax close contact definitions and isolation requirements.

National cabinet has agreed on what defines a person as a close contact of a COVID-19 case. So, how does that differ from what rules were in place for each state and territory previously?

SA further relaxes testing requirements as the state's Premier says two-thirds of COVID-19 tests were conducted on people without symptoms.

The Queensland community of Cherbourg has detected its first-ever COVID-19 cases, and authorities are preparing for more. Just under 60 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated, according to federal government figures.

Rapid antigen tests are more likely to return false negatives than PCR tests, but experts say they are useful for identifying when a person is at their most infectious. So how can they be used in Australia?

Australian cricket is thrown into chaos, with the fourth Ashes Test and a Big Bash game affected by COVID-19.

Thousands of people left messages on the social media account of the late Chinese COVID-19 whistleblower Li Wenliang on the anniversary of the day he learned of possible pneumonia-causing virus cases in Wuhan and shared the information with ...

The front entrance of Old Parliament House has been set on fire for the second consecutive week as protests continue outside the building.

The drowning death of a Chinese national has left friends in Broome searching for answers as her family in south-east China struggles to bring her body home.

The race to stay ahead of COVID-19 sees increased demand for testing as systems struggle to cope in both the England and Australia.

The federal government warns it will take "strong, clear, swift" action against any price-gouging of rapid antigen-tests, as demand for the kits continues to outstrip supply.

Another backpacker becomes the latest case of COVID-19 linked to a Perth cluster, with the Premier announcing details while revealing WA will wait to adopt new national close contact guidelines.

Chief Health Officer John Gerrard says he expects the state to experience a "very large number of cases" and it was likely that in coming days there would be intensive care admissions.

A Newcastle man says he was shocked when he was refused a PCR COVID-19 test at a drive-through clinic after testing positive with a rapid antigen test.

Ghislaine Maxwell's jurors were offered no alternative explanation as to why a seemingly endless stream of young women were guests of the wealthy middle-aged financier and his charming girlfriend, writes Barbara Miller.

There were virtually no public actions taken in the case between the initial flurry of filings in 2011 and a resumption of court moves in June.

Following a Hong Kong police crackdown on a pro-democracy media organisation, two former senior editors are arrested and charged with conspiring to publish seditious material, authorities say.

A NSW laboratory under fire for delays in providing COVID-19 results says it warned the Victorian and Queensland governments about the immense strain traveller requirements would have on pathology companies.

Environmental groups are using state-of-the-art trapping technology to control feral cats on South Australia's Kangaroo Island.

Here's the lowdown on what's happening where and when on New Year's Eve across Australia.

Hospitalisations in NSW have continued to climb as the state records 12,226 new COVID-19 cases and one death.

A man accused of killing five people in a rampage in Denver is believed to have written fictional books,  self-publishing them online, naming some of his real-life victims and describing similar attacks.

China brings back public shaming, parading four alleged people-smugglers wearing masks and hazmat suits through the streets with placards displaying their photos and names for breaking the country's strict COVID-19 rules.  

Callum Ferris Davies, 25, faces court accused of attacking a girl in her Ellenbrook home on Boxing Day night, with the charges against him including sexual assault, deprivation of liberty and aggravated home burglary.

A "culture of silence" in sexual harassment cases is forcing industries to turn to blacklists of perpetrators.