Flood-ravaged Gulf towns call for resilience funding
Queensland towns devastated by flooding have called for $75 million in federal funding for resilience upgrades after enduring months of downpours and isolation.
Disaster and Accident
Why bushfire safety rooms could be next home reno trend
Queensland researchers have taken the torch to a bushfire safety room to see whether it can withstand being completely immersed in flames.
Truck driver dies, two hurt as semi crashes into house
A truck has veered into a house in Tasmania in a crash that killed the 68-year-old driver and seriously injured two others in another vehicle.
Fire traps, kills farmer as Sydney prepares to swelter
As a family mourns a farmer killed in a hazard-reduction burn, parts of NSW and western Sydney are expected to swelter when temperatures reach the low 40s.
Fire pilot went to ‘go take a look’ on fatal last shift
An aerial firefighter who died flying his final shift told another pilot he would "go take a look" at a fire the operator of other plane refused to return to.
Black Summer fires sound alarm on ozone layer depletion
Scientists believe they now understand how megafires such as Australia's Black Summer blazes deplete the ozone layer that shields humanity from the sun.
Navy rescues passengers from stranded luxury yacht
Six passengers from a luxury yacht on its way from Darwin to Townsville have been rescued after becoming stranded in the sea near Indonesia.
Hotter than summer: Mercury soars in NSW heatwave
Sydney baked through its hottest day in two years while bushfires in NSW's west sparked emergency warnings for two communities.
Heavy monsoon season drenches northern Australia
Far north Queensland residents are on flood watch as monsoon rains deluge northern parts of the country.
NSW swelters through second scorcher as bushfires burn
Baking conditions have continued across Sydney and NSW as wind changes have intensified a large blaze in the state's central west, threatening homes.
Swimmer missing in surf off NSW far north coast
A search has resumed for a swimmer who was last seen struggling in rough surf off Byron Bay on the NSW far north coast.
Leaders rule out new taxes, privatisation in NSW
Both major parties in NSW have committed to no new taxes and no privatisation, before pausing the election campaign to mark a year since Lismore's floods.
‘Exhausted’ Lismore marks a year since traumatic floods
Community heroes, survivors and political leaders have gathered in Lismore to mark the first anniversary of the worst flood in Australian history.
Long wait for insurance compounds disaster trauma
A new report into the mental health burden of disasters across Australia shows adequate insurance coverage is central to recovery.
NSW flood buyback could have happened quicker: minister
Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt says a flood buyback scheme for damaged homes in NSW hasn't happened as quickly as hoped.
International delegates hear how Australia manages fire
Delegates from around the world have heard from Indigenous Australians on traditional fire management practices at a forum in Darwin.
Aussies recover dozens of victims after Turkey quake
Australian crews sent to help in the Turkey earthquake recovery effort are returning after helping locals to pull bodies from the rubble.
NSW flood buyback could have happened quicker: senator
Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt says a flood buyback scheme for damaged homes in NSW hasn't happened as quickly as hoped.
Australia a ‘powder keg’ for grassfires after big wet
Every time Australia has had prolonged periods of wet weather, deadly fires have followed. Experts say the death of this La Nina will likely end the same way.
Bus driver granted bail after death of 14-year-old boy
A bus driver charged over the death of a 14-year-old boy outside a school in Sydney's southwest has been granted bail.
Lives, homes ‘still at risk’ as SA bushfire downgraded
Threats remains despite warnings being downgraded for a bushfire burning on the outskirts of Port Lincoln, on Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.
West Australian region could nudge 50 degrees
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a heatwave warning for large parts of the country as temperatures rise to more than 40 degrees Celsius.
Soaring temperatures put WA residents on high alert
Temperatures in the high 40s will be felt in northern parts of Western Australia as other areas of the country get a heatwave reprieve.
‘Leave immediately’: Bushfires rage across Queensland
Emergency warnings are in place across parts of Queensland as the state battles 50 bushfires, with challenging conditions expected to continue.
Aussies claim nearly $100m in flood, cyclone aftermath
The Commonwealth is reviewing whether disaster funding arrangements are fit for purpose with nearly 70 per cent of Australians in disaster-hit zones.
Water-damaged scooter batteries ‘ticking time bombs’
Firefighters warn e-scooter riders to keep an eye on their battery's condition after water damage sparked a house fire in the latest of several similar blazes.
Three Australians feared dead in earthquake
Two Australian men and a woman are believed to have died in the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, killing at least 24,000 people.
Australian yet to be confirmed as among earthquake dead
The death of Sydney man Can Pahali after the earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria is yet to be confirmed as the toll from the disaster climbs.
Norfolk Island braces for a direct hit from cyclone
The centre of Cyclone Gabrielle is likely to pass very close to the Australian territory as it continues its path across the Pacific Ocean.
Four Australians missing after deadly Turkey earthquake
Four Australians are unaccounted for after the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria as the government and community organisations scramble to help.
Adversarial neighbour protests innocence at burnt club
A resident who lives near a controversial nightclub admitted he previously threatened to burn it down as the heartbroken owner vowed to rebuild.