Bold plan to curb rising toll on Australian roads
Experts are urging governments to take bold action to curb a tragic rise in pedestrian deaths but convincing politicians to reduce speed limits is a hard task.
Disaster and Accident
Teen arson charges over Woolies store destroyed by fire
A fire has destroyed a Woolworths supermarket and sparked the evacuation of a shopping centre, with two teen boys to be charged with arson.
Soaring temperatures and wind prompt fire warnings
Extreme fire danger warnings are in place on the east coast and Northern Territory due to high temperatures across Queensland and the NT and high winds in NSW.
Man dies in bushfire on NSW north coast
A man has died in a bushfire on the NSW mid-north coast, with a watch and act warning still in place for the out-of-control blaze.
Officials defend Flemington flood wall after disaster
A racing industry official has defended a wall built around Flemington Racecourse which locals believe worsened the impact of floods on surrounding homes.
High-end electric car recalled due to battery fire risk
More than 200 high-end electric sports cars from Porsche have been recalled due to insufficient sealing around their batteries that could lead to a fire.
Teen dead, five injured after P-plater slams into tree
A teen has died and five others are injured after a ute with P-plates left the road and slammed into a tree shortly after midnight.
‘Tragic circumstances’: plane crash probe begins
An investigation is under way into a light plane crash that killed an experienced pilot and three children near Canberra.
‘No words’: family grieving for plane crash victims
Authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of a light plane crash near Canberra which killed an experienced pilot and his three grandchildren.
Key players to front flood inquiry on racecourse wall
Melbourne Water and the Victoria Racing Club are set to face questions about the Flemington Racecourse wall as part of an inquiry into the 2022 flood disaster.
Homes could still be isolated as floodwaters recede
The flood threat has begun to ease in eastern Victoria but residents are still being warned it's not safe to return to their homes.
Old data sinks hopes of levee verdict in flood findings
Obsolete modelling means an independent review could not rule on a key reason suspected to have contributed to devastating floods in Melbourne.
Three homes lost in destructive NSW bushfire
Easing conditions have allowed fire crews to start counting the homes lost after a large blaze rushed through coastal communities in southern NSW.
More than 100 Vic homes may be inundated as rivers rise
Victorian rivers are flooding after days of heavy rain, especially in the east where residents have been told to leave due to increased threat.
Victoria’s fire threat focus shifts to flash flood risk
The threat from two blazes burning in eastern Victoria is expected to ease, with a severe weather warning issued over damaging winds and heavy rain.
Nervous night for NSW coastal towns amid looming fire
A forecast cool change should weaken a dangerous fire front looming over NSW coastal towns but could turn towards tourists in Bermagui, authorities warn.
‘Nothing ruled out’ in deadly NT crash
Detectives are still on the scene of a Northern Territory crash which is understood to have killed four children and two adults.
Bushfire risk turns to flooding, as residents evacuate
Heavy rain is inundating parts of Victoria just hours after residents were facing bushfire threats.
‘Never seen anything like it’: four kids among six dead
A 4WD carrying six people, including four children, ignited into a fireball that burned for hours after colliding with a road train in the Northern Territory.
Total fire bans in force as heat and winds combine
Fire season is under way as blazes burn across the country driven by volatile conditions with total fire bans in parts of WA, South Australia, Victoria and NSW.
Sydney heat records tumble as fires burn in Victoria
Locals and campers have been told to flee an out-of-control bushfire in Victoria's Gippsland region as Sydney sweats through its hottest October day on record.
Fed govt invests in new deployable disaster shelters
Australia will soon have a national stockpile of emergency shelters that can be deployed anywhere in the country when floods, fires and other disasters strike.
Bushfire preparedness top of mind as spring blazes burn
The federal government will hold its first National Bushfire Preparedness Summit against the backdrop of the season's first fires.
Australia over-reliant on defence in bushfire season
The federal government says the country must move away from its reliance on defence force personnel to deal with emergencies during the bushfire season.
Possible ‘compounding and cascading’ disasters looming
Australia should prepare for potential cyclones, floods and heatwaves as well as bushfires in the coming months, an emergency management expert has warned.
Floods, cyclones, bushfires: summer shocker on cards
Bushfires and heatwaves are only some of the natural disasters Australia should prepare for in coming months, an emergency management expert has warned.
PM urges Australians to prepare for the worst on fires
Australia's governments and emergency agencies are being stress-tested ahead of a drier and hotter summer that carries the potential of devastating bushfires.
Man arrested for allegedly lighting 80 fires across NT
A man has been arrested for allegedly lighting fires across the Northern Territory, which is bracing for one of its worst fire seasons in recent years.
Bushfire forces people to sleep in cars as threat eases
A bushfire near a tourist hotspot on Tasmania's east coast sparked the evacuation of campers and forced some people to sleep in their cars overnight.
No relief for days as eastern heatwave spreads
Firefighters are working to bring blazes under control as several states swelter through heatwave conditions.
Vic on alert for high-risk bushfire season after floods
As regional communities continue to pick up the pieces from devastating floods, Victoria will lurch back into a high-risk bushfire season this spring.