How on Earth did an abhorrent crime like domestic violence become entangled in Australian cultural wars? It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment commentators began to talk about the domestic violence “industry” comprised of “feminazis” who complain too much about men, and to imply, without evidence, that hordes of women like to fabricate stories of abuse. But every time we …

A father who murdered his estranged wife and three young children breached a domestic violence order weeks before he committed quadruple murder-suicide. Rowan Baxter was due to face court again on April 8 after a magistrate ruled he was free to walk free in the community during his initial hearing for breaching the order on January 29. On Wednesday morning, Baxter …

The deaths of a Brisbane mother and her three children have prompted an outpouring of anger, sadness and disbelief among family members, politicians, domestic violence advocates and the Australian community. Hannah Clarke, 31, also known as Hannah Baxter, and her children Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4, and Trey, 3, died after the family car was set alight on a street in …

Police have confirmed two people have died after a train derailed north of Melbourne. A Transport for NSW spokesperson confirmed the train had come off the rails near the town of Wallan, 45 kilometres north of the Victorian capital. The train was the Sydney to Melbourne XPT service with around 160 passengers on board. There are five passenger cars derailed, …

Here’s what you need to know this morning. Water restrictions to be relaxed Level two water restrictions across Sydney are to be relaxed after recent downpours boosted dam levels. The downgrade from level two to level one is expected to come into force on March 1. Warragamba Dam is currently at 80 per cent capacity, up from 44 per cent …

Rock behemoths Queen have re-enacted the band’s legendary 1985 Live Aid set for a roaring crowd, in a star-studded concert raising millions of dollars for people impacted by bushfires. A crowd of more 75,000 wrapped their arms around each other and joined in the chorus of We are the Champions in a massive show of support for the victims and first responders …

Diplomatic tensions over Britain’s decision to allow Chinese telco Huawei into its 5G network have boiled over after confidential discussions with Australia about the policy were leaked. The ABC can reveal the UK’s High Commissioner has taken the rare step of writing to the heads of two federal parliamentary committees to formally protest the leak of details of sensitive talks …

A man has died and a woman has been injured after being washed off the rocks by powerful waves at Bondi Beach. Emergency services were called to Mermaid Rocks after reports of two people in distress in the water around 5:30pm. The man, aged in his 40s, was pulled to shore with the help of bystanders but couldn’t be revived …

Back in October, the nation’s often-warring media companies joined forces in a rare display of unity. As part of the “Right to Know” campaign, newspaper front pages were blacked out and TV ads ran across the networks. It was an attempt to harness “people power” behind the cause of press freedom. The rival bosses of News Corp, the ABC and …

A massive bushfire on the NSW South Coast that destroyed homes and claimed the lives of several people has been declared extinguished after this weekend’s heavy rain. The NSW Rural Fire Service last night said the Currowan Fire in the Shoalhaven had been officially set to ‘out’. For 74 days the fire burnt out 499,621 hectares, destroying 312 homes in …