AAP - A severe thunderstorm warning for Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong has been cancelled by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).

Melbourne have fullback Nathan Carroll on Friday, paving the way for him to train with rival AFL club St Kilda.

Cronulla chief executive Tony Zappia moved to assure fans of the NRL club's future on Friday, saying the Sharks are not broke and will never move from the Sutherland shire.

Victorian Labor MPs had total freedom to vote according to their conscience on the state's controversial IVF legislation, unlike their opposition counterparts, Premier John Brumby said.

A ban on genetically modified cotton crops has been lifted in Western Australia.

NSW Premier Nathan Rees insists he is in control of his party despite mounting evidence of disunity over the harsh mini-budget and his decision to axe Tony Stewart from cabinet.

The federal government has bought its first tranche of troubled residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), in a bid to boost competition in the non-bank home lending market.

A man charged with murdering his wife took out a life insurance policy on her behalf two weeks before she was found dead in a watery pit on the family farm, a Melbourne court has been told.

(AAP) A Melbourne lawnmowing contractor has been stung at least 40 times by a swarm of bees.

(AAP) - A man could serve just 22 months in jail for running over and killing a baby girl and seriously injuring her mother in the front yard of their Perth home.