PM

Novak Djokovic wins his legal bid to stay in Australia; While a renewed lockdown mightn't be on the cards, a former Liberal government adviser reckons businesses need to be supported as though there is one; And, with the return of schools edging closer, we hear from a world expert on how classrooms could be much more COVID-safe, and at relatively little cost.

More restrictions to come across parts of the country as Omicron cases surge, and it's threatening to disrupt yet another schooling year; We've got advice for parents worried about sending kids back to class unvaccinated; Also spending has plummeted to lockdown lows, so how much economic damage is Omicron inflicting?

The row over Novak Djokavic heads to court - with the tennis star holed up in an immigration hotel and Australia's border rules back in the spotlight; another snag in the supply chain, with empty supermarket shelves and warnings of a meat shortage; And, the outlook on American Democracy a year after Donald Trump's supporters stormed the US capitol.

Major changes to the testing regime as Omicron surges - PCR tests no longer required to confirm a positive result; We hear from the loved ones of aged care residents about lockdowns, staffing shortages and inadequate access to tests; Also, how did Novak Djokovic get a COVID-19 vaccination exemption to play at the Australian Open?

COVID hospitalisations are climbing across most states, but there's debate about how many of them should be officially counted; We have some vital information about how to manage COVID at home - if you think you're positive - but can't get it confirmed; Also, Australian and Chinese officials make an unusual show of unity ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The Prime Minister resists growing calls for rapid tests to be made free nationally, but even those willing to pay can't get their hands on them; We speak with an ICU nurse who's suspected COVID-positive, but under pressure to return to work; And, a warning the economy could be stunted long-term - unless the door is opened more widely to skilled migrants.

As COVID cases keep rapidly climbing and testing systems come under strain, isolation rules are being eased again. But why?; Australia prepares to ring in 2022, though perhaps with a little more caution than usual; And, after two horror years of bushfires, floods and lockdowns, we return to one community that's still finding reasons to remain hopeful.

Amid soaring COVID case numbers, the Government wants to loosen isolation rules and the definition of close contacts; Also we'll hear what it's like on the hospital front line at this crucial point in the pandemic; And, close encounters in space. China complains of orbital near-misses as the problem of space junk gets political.

A warning that testing systems on the east coast are on the brink of collapse; But in the Top End, where vaccination rates in some vulnerable communities remain under 50 percent, there are fears of a looming disaster as Omicron makes its way in; And, a history-making win for Australia in the Ashes test as Scott Boland etches his name into cricket folklore.

Another big testing bungle - almost a thousand more Sydneysiders receive a negative COVID result prematurely; Is it inevitable that every Australian could get Omicron?; And, the Prime Minister signs up for TikTok, despite his earlier criticism of the Chinese-owned social media app. One expert reckons it's not just Australian millennials he's pitching at.