Power companies should pay compensation for blackouts, report finds
By Viki Ntafillis and Sam Bradbrook
Electricity companies that breach their licenses should be forced to compensate customers, an inquiry into a prolonged blackout in Far West New South Wales has found.
Sale of small-town IGA sparks fears of duopoly and grocery price hikes
By Emily JB Smith
Corporate records show there are now connections between all three of Esperance's small supermarkets, and residents are worried the price of groceries will rise.
JPs 'keep the world ticking' but are clocking off in larger numbers
By Danielle Kutchel
Authorised to certify documents such as birth certificates, statutory declarations and wills, justices of the peace provide an important service free of charge. But Victoria does not have enough.
Last Eungella dairy closing as milk becomes 'cheaper than water'
By Bryn Wakefield and Liam McNally
The owners of the last dairy farm in a Queensland region that once had about 60 say "big business rolls over the top of everything you do", as they prepare to shut down.
Frosty start for southern Queenslanders with temps around zero
By Aisling Brennan and Dan McCray
Queenslanders in the southern part of the state are waking up to another frosty morning on Friday, but warmer temperatures are on the horizon.
Long run helps strengthen remote kids' relationship with police
By Lina Elsaadi
Daily runs around Burringurrah's dusty oval have helped build trust between the remote community's children and its small detachment of police.
Council cans peer-reviewed flood study, citing 'supposed science'
By Julia Bergin
An independent flood study flagging high-risk areas in Victoria's south-west is abandoned after councillors decide they do not trust the data.
Council abandons peer-reviewed flood study citing 'supposed science'
By Julia Bergin
An independent flood study flagging high-risk areas in Victoria's south-west is abandoned after councillors decide they do not trust the data.
Long run helps strengthen remote kids' relationship with police
By Lina Elsaadi
Daily runs around Burringurrah's dusty oval have helped build trust between the remote community's children and its small detachment of police.
Residents say council push to develop green space 'concerning'
By Duncan Bailey and Tim McGlone
Port Lincoln residents push back against a proposal from their council to develop five parcels of land for housing.
Pork abattoir closure rubs 'salt in injury' for drought-hit towns
By Cassandra Hough
About 270 people will lose their jobs and multiple communities will be impacted with the pending closure of a rural South Australian pork processing plant.
Job losses flow down the line from troubled SA steelworks
By Ashleigh Bagshaw and Narelle Graham
Businesses are feeling flow-on impacts and cutting jobs after Whyalla's steelworks went into administration.
Police suspend search for Pheobe Bishop after three weeks missing
By Grace Whiteside and Di Wills
Police say they are no longer conducting "physical searches" for the 17-year-old, but they are investigating several lines of enquiry.
Bodyboard shapers keep niche craft alive as sport rises in Australia
By Emma Siossian, Justin Huntsdale, and Anthony Scully
An organiser for a prestigious Australian bodyboarding competition says the sport is rebuilding after going through a bit of a "recession".
#Surfing #RegionalCommunities #HumanInterest #Sport #EmmaSiossian #JustinHuntsdale # #AnthonyScully
Two teens suffer suspected machete wounds in fight with 20 youths
Police say a group of 20 youths set upon two teenage males in Shepparton who were hospitalised with suspected machete injuries.
Outback community's ethereal-looking rock formation a 'peaceful place'
By Charlie McLean
Many in the remote iron ore mining town of Pannawonica call it the Panna Hill, but Robe River Kuruma people know it as Parlapuni.
Hot air balloons help town hold its own in the battle for tourists
By Eliza Bidstrup
A West Australian town marketing itself as the "ballooning capital of Australia" welcomes more than 8,000 guests to witness skies filled with colour and light.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-03/hot-air-balloons-draw-tourists-to-northam-in-winter/105366584
Drivers slam 'astronomical delay' of WA road duplication project
By Pip Waller
Work on a 17-kilometre stretch of road in Western Australia's South West is still going, five years after it began.
Drivers slam 'astronomical delay' of WA road duplication project
By Pip Waller
Work on a 17 kilometre stretch of road in Western Australia's South West is still going, five years after it began.
Pregnant and far from home, migrant workers face huge barriers to access support
By Lucy Barbour and Catherine McAloon
Women employed through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme are hiding pregnancies and attempting home abortions, a new report has revealed, prompting calls for greater support to address the health needs of migrant workers.
