More than 850,000 hectares of land in New South Wales have been razed since the start of this year’s unprecedented bushfire season — the equivalent to more than 1 million rugby league fields. The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) confirmed the extent of the damage to date, ahead of a warning about “catastrophic” conditions facing Greater Sydney and the Greater Hunter areas …

Australian and Chinese leaders have talked up the opportunities for future cooperation on issues of common interest, brushing aside recent diplomatic strain stemming from philosophical differences. A 45-minute meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was the first item on Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s agenda as he flew in to Bangkok on Sunday afternoon ahead of the East Asia Summit on …

She’s effectively won lotto six times in one week, but low-maintenance tennis superstar Ashleigh Barty only plans on splashing out on her niece and nephew following her historic pay day in China. Australian sport’s new six-million-dollar girl promises fortune and fame won’t change her after squirrelling away the biggest cheque in tennis history with her WTA Finals success in Shenzhen. …

The manner in which NSW Police officers arrested and humiliated two women in hijabs over an alleged unbuckled seatbelt was “appalling” and had the potential to undermine the entire force, critics say. Two New South Wales Police officers have found to have engaged in serious misconduct by belittling two Afghan women during a traffic stop in Sydney’s west. The Law …

Anthony Albanese has promised to open a “conversation” about new ways of protecting workers in insecure employment, and committed to a root and branch overhaul of the “broken” vocational education system. In his speech on jobs and the future of work, delivered in Perth on Tuesday, Mr Albanese declared today’s new employment arrangements – such as the gig economy – …

Woolworths has apologised after admitting it owes 5700 staff up to $300 million in underpaid wages dating back more than nine years. The supermarket giant said the underpayment was uncovered during a review triggered this year by the implementation of a new enterprise agreement covering its supermarkets and Metro stores. It has analysed only two years of data but said …

The 38-year-old mother of two young sisters found dead in their Perth home on Friday has been charged with two counts of murder. The woman, who police have not named, was being treated for self-inflicted wounds after she was found at Mullaloo Beach on Friday night. She will face Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on Monday. The sisters, 10-year-old Mia and six-year-old …

A search is under way to find a boa constrictor snake believed to be “at large” in a suburb of Sydney, Australia. The skin of the 2.5m-long (8.2ft) snake was found at a building site in the town of Silverdale in New South Wales. A professional snake handler was called on 4 October to inspect the skin, found hanging from …

More than 95,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Australia by air over the past five years, fanning fears people smugglers have shifted their business models from boats to planes. Since the start of July, about 80 people every day have claimed protection after landing at an Australian airport. The trend appears likely to push annual arrivals to a record high. …

The Liberal Party is “incapable” of addressing climate change, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says. Mr Turnbull also told The Australian the party’s failure to deliver a coherent and effective energy policy could be blamed on climate change deniers within its ranks. “The Liberal Party has just proved itself incapable of dealing with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in any sort …