For a state that's footy mad, it could be just the carrot to entice a few swinging
regional voters.

A Northern Territory department failed to identify shortcomings in the operations of
the Thai government-owned company behind Australia's worst oil spill, an inquiry has
found.

Police have seized hundreds more cannabis plants and made more arrests as they
continue to raid homes linked to Victoria's largest drug bust.

Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan has moved to allay fears the government is lurching
to the left under the influence of the Greens, saying Labor's future lies not in

The boss of the New Zealand coal mine where 29 men, including two Australians, were
trapped for six days has given their families the worst news possible - they are all
dead.

The Wellington Phoenix took a step towards reigniting their A-League season on
Wednesday as the wheels threaten to fall off the Melbourne Heart's entirely.

Dwindling fan interest and financial distress for several A-League clubs has failed
to deter Football Federation Australia from eyeing off the possible creation of a

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown is outraged that the Reserve Bank has never been
taken to task over its subsidiary Securency, which is under police investigation.

The grandmother of a 17-year-old boy murdered in a forest south of Sydney says her
grandson was a good kid whose life has been wasted.

Federal police officers should be on board cruise ships to help prevent criminal
activity, the inquest into the 2002 death of passenger Dianne Brimble has heard.