Australians look to ring in the new year and hope for better tidings in 2022.

National cabinet already amends its new COVID-19 rules, further relaxing testing arrangements by removing the requirement for confirmed cases in isolation to do a rapid antigen test on the sixth day after being exposed.

Soaring COVID-19 hospitalisations have left one of Sydney's largest hospitals in an "extremely vulnerable" position over the next few days, according to a leaked email obtained by the ABC.

A man is dead following the collapse of a cliff face in Bells Beach this afternoon.

A pathology provider in Adelaide says 11 people have been given the wrong COVID-19 test result, while three prisons have gone into lockdown following outbreaks.

Tropical Cyclone Seth forms in the Coral Sea, north-east of Mackay, with large waves expected along the south-east Queensland coastline over the weekend.

Authorities launch an air and sea search for a diver missing at The Box surf break off the Margaret River coast.

The loved ones of the Hillcrest Primary School jumping castle tragedy victims gather to remove tributes from outside the school as the two last victims are farewelled.

Western Australia records one new local case of COVID-19, taking the total number of infections in its recent backpacker cluster to 14, with new exposure sites identified in Perth and the South West.

As health experts warn Israel is days away from a surge in COVID infections, authorities are betting on something no country has tried before: issuing a fourth vaccine dose to the most vulnerable people.

Multiple local Aboriginal leaders denounce the actions of protesters who allegedly set fire to the doors of Old Parliament House in Canberra and conducted a smoking ceremony without the proper permissions.

Colorado's governor shortens the prison sentence of a truck driver responsible for a deadly crash to 10 years, drastically reducing his original 110-year term that had drawn widespread outrage.

The worst COVID-19-hit country in Africa says it has passed the peak of its fourth wave and is easing restrictions after a stark decline in cases.

Britain's national broadcaster says it will investigate how a lawyer allegedly connected to Ghislaine Maxwell was allowed to be interviewed on air following the convicted socialite's verdict.

An estimated 580 homes, a hotel and a shopping centre have burned and tens of thousands of people were evacuated in wind fuelled wildfires outside Denver in Colorado, officials say.

Adelaide's New Year's Eve Big Bash League match will go ahead tonight, despite four players testing positive to COVID-19.

The Northern Territory’s largest hospital is forced to close one of its wards and 44 staff members are now isolating at home after a positive case visited the facility.

The Chief Minister is asking Canberrans to consider working from home in the new year as the territory records its highest daily tally of cases since the pandemic began.

A two-year-old child dies in hospital days after being pulled from a pond at Footscray Park in Melbourne's inner-west.

Australian batter Travis Head tests positive for COVID-19, forcing his teammates to undergo further testing as three extra players are added to Ashes squad.

Queensland records 3,118 new COVID-19 cases with one fully vaccinated man in his 50s in a stable condition in an intensive care unit, Chief Health Officer John Gerrard says.

The Scouts Victoria event has been three years in the making — this pop-up town in the Macedon Ranges has its own medical centre, supermarket, water park and radio station.

The Indonesian navy rescues more than 100 Rohingya, mostly women and children, from a sinking boat after pressure from locals and rights groups.

A Queensland family have had a "massive surprise" after being unexpectedly reunited with their cat Simba, who disappeared a decade ago.

The mining billionaire takes a significant share in the dairy company, extending his food empire even further.