A German backpacker who turned 19 while she was on Gregory Douglas’ horse stud in 2016 was in a consensual relationship with him, the 68-year-old has told a Sydney court.

The Berejiklian Government has been plunged further into minority after NSW Disability Minister resigned from cabinet and moved to the crossbench amid revelations he is the subject of a police investigation into sexual violence-related allegations.

The Demons have confirmed Sam Weideman, off-contract this season, will replace Luke Jackson and face Carlton on Sunday, but Nathan Jones faces at least a week on the sidelines.

The Opposition Leader will deliver the traditional budget reply speech tonight as Victoria scrambles to contain the potential fallout from an interstate-acquired case of COVID-19.

The much-touted Kurri Kurri gas-fired power station that the Morrison government is urging to get built would operate at just two per cent of the time and employ only 10 full-time employees.

About 17,000 hectares of national and conservation parkland on Mulgumpin (Moreton Island) will be handed back to the Quandamooka People.

Claiming a “leadership vacuum” in Canberra, Victoria is seeking the support of other states and territories as it pushes for changes to the gig economy.

NRL 360 host Paul Kent on Wednesday repeated comments allegedly made to him by Stuart, which suggested netball wasn’t tough. It didn’t go down well.

Senator Linda Reynolds has given a statement to police about the alleged rape of her former staffer in her office and is now focusing on overhauling the NDIS.

Everything you need to know to find a winner on Scone Cup day.

Rachel King and Fituese have grown into their careers together and both are at the top of their games heading into Saturday’s Ortensia Stakes.

A slot in The Everest is on the line for Lost And Running in the Luskin Star Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.

Luke Price is hoping to disappointment turn to winning joy with Count De Rupee and Our Bambino at Rosehill on Saturday.

Dad bod idolatry isn’t new, but when the Men In Black star unexpectedly shared that he was “in the worst shape of my life”, it sparked a moment.

Ross Gittins’ budget-night column spurred many readers to share their thoughts on areas and sectors they believed were neglected.

West Coast coach Adam Simpson said the club would consult its players, stakeholders and the AFL before it decides the fate of Willie Rioli next week.

NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall says an emergency application has been lodged for “the strongest mouse poison in the world”.

Rugby Australia revealed Cadbury as the Wallabies’ new major sponsor, and they have their eyes on the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

The winemaking giant will pivot to the US market and focus on its highly profitable Penfolds brand in a bid to restart profit growth without the help of the lucrative Chinese market. 

WA Premier Mark McGowan announced sweeping changes to the leadership of eight state government departments, including the department that oversees casino regulation in the midst of the Perth Casino Royal Commission.

The seven-year-old was allegedly approached by a man, who she did not know, from a nearby bus stop.

Six people who quarantined on the same floor of an Adelaide hotel as a Wollert man who later tested positive to COVID-19 have started a second 14-day stint of isolation in Victoria.

Man jailed for filming dying police officers after an Eastern Freeway crash has plea hearing adjourned after magistrate loses patience with repeated interjections.

Social media was quick to proclaim the multiple Emmy-winning chat show host had been #cancelled, but the truth is far more complicated.

A man has been charged over the alleged murder of another man, believed to be his boyfriend, at an apartment block in Rushcutters Bay in Sydney’s inner east on Wednesday.

Of 528 towns registered to welcome international competitors, about 40 have decided not to accept athletes for training camps and cultural exchanges before the Games.

The comments contradicted a report into the factors that contributed to the death of seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath at the Perth Children’s Hospital was released.

"Sometimes a parliamentary picture is worth a thousand speeches" writes Tony Wright on budget week. Here is a collection of the best frames taken by our photographers in Canberra, Alex Ellinghausen and Dominic Lorrimer.

A little war now and then is good for Hamas and for Binyamin Netanyahu.

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

Works by famed Australian Impressionists could fetch a small fortune at auction this weekend. The last time they were up for sale, no-one was interested.

Fiscal sobriety is surplus to requirements for the Morrison government, but the conservatives have lost their narrative on achieving long-term economic growth.

Northern Territory legislators have enacted abhorrent new laws that will condemn a new generation of Indigenous youths to unnecessary incarceration and injustice.

The city’s significant achievements took place in the midst of the corruption, disease and volatility that feature throughout its history.

Vietnam is facing a fresh battle with the virus but with fewer than 4000 total cases among its nearly 100 million people, it has stood out from the pack.

President Emmanuel Macron’s party has pulled support from a woman who appears in a campaign poster in a Muslim headscarf.

Labor councillors in Melbourne’s inner west halted a social housing project, despite the area having the state’s longest list of people waiting for a new home.

Woolworths has hit back against the competition regulator’s claims the company’s proposed undertaking with acquisition target PFD would be hard to enforce.

While it’s easy to see how a case can protect a phone, it’s harder to see the value in getting a screen protector. But it’s still worth considering.

Australia’s best aquatic athletes unveiled the Speedo race suit for Tokyo as good news was delivered on the vaccine rollout ahead of the Games.

The fullback always knew his former club would start the year like they have - they are chasing a 10th straight win - and that things at the Tigers would take time.

Andrew Johns says Manly’s Tom Trbojevic needs to play five-eighth for NSW so he can combine with fullback James Tedesco. Trbojevic will spearhead his side against the Broncos in Friday Night Football.

The children of Millennials will make up the largest generation in history. Their parents want them to stand out.

Australian diplomats have begun talking to Myanmar’s government in exile but Australia won’t impose additional sanctions against the country’s military government.

Skybus, which runs the ‘turn-up and go’ bus service between Melbourne’s two airports and its CBD, has started operating a city-airport service in Brisbane.

Marion von Adlerstein had a bird-like, Audrey Hepburn quality, yet remained utterly herself.

Masks will no longer be mandatory on public transport, at large venues or at hospitals and aged care facilities. However, they will still be required at airports. 

Going backstage with the Australian rock legends reveals how they’ve kept rolling and produced one of their best songs yet.

When international borders reopen, Australian casinos will surely be even more firmly in the Chinese government’s sights than barley, timber, wine or coal.

The Victorian government will offer grants to groups and councils to encourage the planting of 500,000 trees in Melbourne’s west starting in September.