Showcasing Australia's breathtaking landscapes may seem like a dream job, but there's a nationwide shortage of tour guides.

It's been one week since the 3G network was switched off in Western Australia and farmers in the middle of the grain harvest say connectivity has suffered.

Housing data shows 68 locations across the country have less a than 1 per cent rental vacancy rate.

A Victorian mine will start exporting a rare earths concentrate, which can be processed into commercial quantities of uranium, next year, sparking protests from farmers and an environmental group.

Wildlife rescuers are increasing measures to prevent the potential spread of the deadly bird flu strain H5N1, which is yet to arrive in Australia, as they respond to reports of thousands of dead shearwaters along the east coast.

The model turns empty buildings into homes for vulnerable women and a shelter organisation wants it expanded to give more people a safe place to sleep at night amid the housing crisis.

The University of Wollongong has approached staff across 25 disciplines for redundancies in a restructure the union fears could abolish its degrees in history, mathematics, geography and languages.

The links between homelessness and substance abuse in the NSW Northern Rivers are in the spotlight today, with the state government's drug summit convening in Lismore. 

Builders in Ballarat say the lure of more work and money in Melbourne is taking away the vital workforce needed to meet the government's ambitious regional 2051 housing targets.

While some lament the recent growth of the Halloween tradition in Australia, residents in Exmouth have been celebrating the holiday for decades thanks to the strong presence of the US military in the town between the 1960s to early 90s.