Yara Murray-Atfield

Fireworks and other explosives at a suspicious blaze at a tobacco shop in Melbourne's north were hurled towards firefighters and sent shrapnel into surrounding homes, residents say.

Royalty, prime ministers and some of entertainment's biggest names join the family of Barry Humphries to farewell the entertainer at the Sydney Opera House. Look back at our coverage of his memorial service.

A Papua New Guinean lawyer who fled to Australia after blowing the whistle on one of the Pacific nation's biggest corruption scandals is awarded a prestigious free speech prize.

Emergency services find what appears to be the wreckage of a light aircraft in Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay after two planes collided midair.

Thousands of people take to Australian streets for the sixth-straight week, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, while pro-Israeli events are rallying for the release of hostages.

A council in Melbourne's inner south-east will begin painting over a mural which has faced criticism for its resemblance to "highly offensive" anti-Semitic caricatures and tropes.

Separate events calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages have been held across Australia, with tens of thousands taking to city streets.

Political leaders condemn violent clashes that erupted between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters in Melbourne's south-east in the wake of a fire at a nearby burger shop. 

Specialist police are on their way out to remote Queensland and four aircraft have been grounded after three people died in a plane crash while fighting fires.

The Australian government is urged to do more to bring home Israeli hostages during a rally in Sydney's CBD, while comedian Nazeem Hussain compares the conflict to the invasion of Iraq during an event in Melbourne.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes Israel's expanded emergency cabinet for the first time, saying the national unity on display sends a message at home and abroad as the country gears up to "demolish Hamas" in Gaza.

A review into Melbourne's 2022 floods finds the city's water authority should overhaul its approach to flood modelling, but is unable to determine whether the disaster was worsened by a controversial wall at Flemington Racecourse.

An investigation continues into a single-vehicle crash that claimed the lives of four people in Victoria's west on Saturday.

There are fears landlords will pass on the cost of a new land tax introduced in the Victorian state budget onto renters, a concern the treasurer has rejected as "specious logic".

Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto confirms he will support a second motion to expel controversial MP Moira Deeming from the parliamentary Liberal Party.

Broderick Smith dies peacefully at home, aged 75, after a career playing blues, boogie, country and rock across Australia and the world.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival director says it is considering an appropriate tribute for Barry Humphries as the event's director hits back at claims it "cancelled" the late comic.

An Anglican Church investigation finds Dr Hollingworth committed misconduct by knowingly allowing paedophile priests to remain in the church when he was Brisbane archbishop, but is "fit for ministry", provided he apologises to survivors of child sexual abuse at the hands of those priests.

With the passing of Barry Humphries, the entertainment industry loses a man who blazed a trail for others, defined a genre and changed the face of comedy.

Entertainer Miriam Margolyes says her longtime friend Barry Humphries was left hurt and saddened when his name was stripped from a key Melbourne International Comedy Festival award in 2019.

The Victorian government says it will reimburse deposits paid to home builder Porter Davis by about 560 families who were left without a home or insurance when the company collapsed.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will travel to China this week for a trade mission, his first since the state's Belt and Road agreements were torn up and against a backdrop of rising security tensions.

When a Melbourne resident was followed by an aggressive driver, she reported it to police. But while some behaviour on the road is considered an offence, "road rage" is not a crime — and it's something she says needs to be looked at.

Olivia Newton-John lived in the public eye, filled with accolades and awards. But at the state memorial service, those saying their final goodbyes remember a healer, a mother and someone who found the beauty in everything.

Thousands gather at Hamer Hall to pay tribute to the extraordinary life and achievements of the iconic Australian entertainer and cancer patient advocate.