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TOPSHOT - A man paddles his kayak next to a submerged bus on a flooded street in the town of Milton in suburban Brisbane on February 28, 2022. (Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK HAMILTON/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)

Record flooding in Australia driven by La Niña and climate change

28 February 2022

A slow-moving low-pressure system has dropped 790 millimetres of rain on Brisbane in one week, causing floods that have claimed eight lives


PERTH, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 24: Two women are seen wearing face masks on December 24, 2021 in Perth, Australia. The Western Australian government has implemented new COVID-19 restrictions, following the detection of a new community COVID-19 case. From 6pm on Thursday, masks will be mandatory in all public indoor settings in the Perth and Peel regions until December 28th. Authorities are also recommending people wear masks outdoors when physical distance can't be maintained. Large public events like music festivals have been cancelled during this period. (Photo by Matt Jelonek/Getty Images)

Is it time for Western Australia to open up and let covid-19 in?

21 January 2022

Western Australia, which has remained largely covid-free, has cancelled its border reopening due to omicron fears, but there may be little to gain by holding out longer


Image of a mygalomorph spider

Spider fossil sheds light on Australia’s ancient rainforest ecosystem

7 January 2022

A suite of plant and animal fossils from a site in New South Wales date back about 16 million years to a time when the region was blanketed in lush rainforests


BAHTKK Greater bilby, Macrotis lagotis scavenging at night. Image shot 03/2009. Exact date unknown.

Australia’s bilbies and bettongs bounce back in predator-free areas

29 December 2021

Conservationists are reintroducing threatened mammals to their former ranges with fences to keep out cats and foxes


A ten-centimetre-long, yellow-brown female Eumillipes persephone millipede with 1306 legs

Millipede in Australia is first to actually have more than 1000 legs

16 December 2021

A millipede with 1306 legs has smashed the world record after being discovered 60 metres underground in Australia  


Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison

Australia’s planned anti-trolling law may silence political critics

7 December 2021

A law intended to tackle anonymous trolls on social media is unlikely to stop online bullying, but it could allow Australian government ministers to continue a trend of suing their critics


Empty airport

Australia has had zero measles in 2021 due to covid-19 border closure

27 October 2021

Many countries have seen sharp falls in the number of measles cases as a result of covid-19 controls, but the pandemic has also interrupted immunisation programmes


koala being vaccinated

This koala was first to be vaccinated against chlamydia in new trial

18 October 2021

Shano was the first of 200 koalas to receive a chlamydia vaccine that may help curb an epidemic that is ravaging koala populations across Australia


Diners at a cafe in Sydney, Australia, today.

Sydney comes out of 4-month lockdown after reaching vaccination target

11 October 2021

After a gruelling 107-day lockdown to curb a delta covid-19 outbreak, Sydneysiders are being let out and about again after reaching 70 per cent vaccination rates


Earthquake damage

Melbourne rocked by Victoria's biggest earthquake on record

22 September 2021

A record magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck in a remote part of Victoria, Australia, on 22 September, damaging buildings in Melbourne but not causing any fatalities


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