There is increasing proof COVID-19 is spreading through the air in quarantine hotels in Victoria and around the country.

By aged 19, nearly half of all young people who drank had blacked out from drinking too much, according to research.

As more employers recognise flexible work is practical and efficient, large numbers of Melburnians are speeding up their dream to live, and work, in the country.

Critical labour shortages on Victorians farms is creating a chain reaction of unpicked fruit luring fruit flies - and unprepared home gardens in Melbourne and beyond will be worst hit.

In another case of Perth people blatantly ignoring lockdown rules a dog walker whipped a man with a dog lead for reminding him to mask up.

Doncaster man Joon Seong Tan, who was in a relationship with missing woman Ju Zhang, has stopped taking calls from investigators.

The best photos from the international wire agencies as chosen by our picture editors.

A tropical low that has caused extensive flooding and wreaked havoc in Western Australia’s north is expected to bring heavy rain and destructive winds to Perth and the state’s South West on Sunday.

Investigations continue into the infection of a hotel worker in Melbourne, with the Prime Minister tasking a senior bureaucrat to plan how to manage Australian outbreaks without locking down major cities.

Two swimmers have been rushed to hospital after almost drowning at 2.30pm on Saturday following the deaths of three other swimmers in the past two days. 

Masses of the jellyfish have been spotted on the beaches up and down the coast, including Sydney’s Narrabeen, Manly, Bondi and Maroubra beaches.

Could thousands of Melburnians shopping and working on Elizabeth Street each day be unwittingly treading just metres over mass eel migrations through ancient streams?

The future of Australia’s most prominent surf contest looks uncertain with Newcastle seeking to seize the prized surfing competition for 2021.

The first West Australians to be vaccinated against COVID-19 will receive the jab at the end of this month at six vaccination hubs scattered across the state, the government has revealed. 

Queensland sisters Bonnie, Jemima, Matilda and Molly Penfold work and manage the family beef farm despite Chinese bans, Covid-19 and drought.

The Australian leg of the surfing world championships will launch at Newcastle’s Merewether Beach at Easter, after a last-minute pitch to host the event at Lennox Head was rejected amid community backlash.

Hundreds gather at a vigil in Townsville on Saturday afternoon after Jennifer Board, 22, was killed in a head-on collision on Friday night while riding her motorcycle.

A massive bushfire in the Perth Hills has been downgraded to a watch and act after almost six days of gruelling efforts from firefighters to bring the devastating blaze under control.

Four officers approached a car before it was reversed across the car park and collided with a tree, allegedly striking one of the officers.

Travellers emerging from hotel quarantine can now expect an additional phone call from NSW Health contact tracers.

Victoria will separate large families from others in hotel quarantine and examine ventilation risks.

A week in photos from the award winning Sydney Morning Herald and Financial Review photographers. Follow us on Twitter @photosSMH Follow us on Instagram @sydneymorningherald Like our photos? Selected images available from www.fairfaxphotos.com

Queensland reopened its borders to parts of Western Australia on Saturday, with the Perth region on track to also be cleared on February 14.

Ten Gold Coast beaches have been closed, with another swimmer pulled from the water, this time at Mermaid Beach on Saturday morning.

A cooler change has brought a slight reprieve for firefighters and anxious residents, and with it, a chance to assess the damage.

The female motorbike rider was killed after two cars racing in a “dangerous manner” collided in Townsville on Friday night.

Moreland councillors have blocked the demolition of a derelict house in Melbourne’s north to avoid rewarding neglect of heritage.

Dwindling habitat. Climate change. Mega-bushfires. Koalas face dire threats, yet politicians continue to obfuscate.

What’s a former professional tennis player turned US-based financier to do when he gets stuck in his rural South Australian home town during a pandemic? Start the presses rolling, of course.

The UK-based Australian actor discusses why she feels alienated from religion, her stubborn streak, and Australia’s lack of employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

A firearm may be the key to a host of unsolved crimes if it can be traced back to an original source. A new police unit hopes to put that theory into practice.

A chance encounter opened up an exciting new market for a Queensland farming family in Wuhan. But that was before the coronavirus pandemic.

Controversial Coalition MP Craig Kelly tried to get a COVID-19 taskforce to review its recommendations against the use of certain drugs to treat coronavirus.

A cocktail bar in Sydney’s CBD has become one of the first businesses locked out of its premises by a landlord after changes to the NSW government’s COVID-19 moratorium on evictions last month.

Under the most likely scenario, the government estimates about 31,000 new dwellings a year will be built over the period.

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Investigations continue into the infection of a hotel worker in Melbourne as Western Australia lifts its lockdown.

The Instagram influencers may pout their way to a paycheck, but they need to come clean on what’s being peddled.

Three days after my wedding, I lost my wedding ring. Some may this say was a bad marital omen, while others may say this was a forewarning of nuptial doom.

Long before Donald Trump, Australia had its own disgraceful episode of perverting the facts.

When so many individuals and groups are arguing for an increase in the dole from $40 a day it is time for the PM to rethink his position.

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

The story of two new Sydney pools illuminates the entrenched habit of slewing public benefit in this city towards the already privileged.

Keith Wolahan’s defeat of former minister Kevin Andrews for a safe Liberal seat in Melbourne’s east wasn’t a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention.

Campgrounds at Wathumba and Teebing, also known as Wathumba Spit, have now been temporarily closed after a boy was attacked by two dingoes on Tuesday.

Luke Bradnam had just finished his on-air cross on Friday when he was alerted to a body in the water. That man was British gym instructor Jake Jacobs, 32.

Health experts are urging the federal government to take the reins of Australia’s quarantine program amid growing concerns from scientists about COVID-19 being transmitted through the air.

Since his former partner spoke out about his abuse, Manson’s PR team has attempted to portray him as “theatrical rock star”. But his self-proclaimed dreams of murder were not provocative or transgressive; they were profoundly mainstream.

An alleged car boot abduction in Sydney’s south has taken a surprise twist after a warrant was issued for the victim’s arrest over a criminal charge.

A man, 35, and woman, 23, faced charges over police claims that several women aged 17 to 24 had been kept in servitude for prostitution.