Health, medicine, and science
Geelong's Swanston Centre mental health unit faces a homicide investigation following years of unheeded warnings from staff and unions about violence, safety, and inadequate resources.
Megan Torres 
A man in his 50s suffered severe facial burns and shrapnel injuries after an explosion at a Chester Hill home on Monday. Authorities believe a welding accident, rather than gas bottle failure, caused the incident.
Helen Cartwright 
A University of Queensland report finds nearly a quarter of Queensland children aren't meeting developmental milestones, with housing costs and food insecurity weighing heavily on families.
Ella Sullivan 
As Queensland and the Northern Territory ban gender-affirming care for minors, Western Australia's requirement for double parental consent is creating a different but equally significant barrier to treatment.
Aisha Khoury 
Most young Australians seeking gender-affirming care need their guardian's permission. But new restrictions and long waiting lists have created additional obstacles for trans teens already struggling to access treatment.
James Callahan 
When Amy Hipwell suffered pregnancy losses and postnatal anxiety, no doctor asked about her mental state. New data shows she was far from alone.
Meg Hadley 
Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s came into effect in December, but schools and teachers are struggling to manage its real-world impact on student wellbeing and classroom dynamics.
Grace Okonkwo 
An investigation into freebirth outcomes in Victoria has uncovered a catastrophic toll: multiple preventable deaths and injuries among babies and mothers who chose to give birth without trained medical support.
Oliver Pemberton 
Weight loss compliments may seem harmless, but mental health professionals warn they can trigger eating disorders, reinforce harmful beauty standards, and miss what really matters about our friends.
Aisha Khoury 
New research spanning four decades shows that moderate coffee and tea drinkers have an 18% lower risk of dementia compared to non-drinkers.
Jake Nguyen 
A new analysis of asteroid samples has found all five nucleobases needed to build DNA and RNA, offering fresh evidence that the chemistry of life is not unique to Earth.
Fatima Al-Rashid 
In-flight labour is rare but possible. An obstetrician shares practical steps for bystanders, passengers and crew to manage an unexpected delivery at altitude.
Zara Mitchell 
Food tracking apps with AI features help Australians hit calorie and nutrition targets, but research shows they can trigger anxiety and worsen eating disorder symptoms for vulnerable users.
Jake Nguyen 
Jonathan Brown, the Brisbane Lions legend and Fox Footy commentator, is recovering after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumour. The former three-time premiership player found the tumour during a routine scan.
Megan Torres 
Brendan Cullen spent 25 years struggling with depression on his Broken Hill sheep station before swimming the English Channel. His new book documents the journey that saved his life.
Jimmy O'Brien 
A comprehensive meta-analysis released in the 2026 World Happiness Report concludes social media poses population-level mental health risks to adolescents, with evidence from academic studies, internal corporate documents, and reduction experiments.
Helen Cartwright 
A study of Queensland GPs has identified significant obstacles preventing doctors from offering voluntary assisted dying services, with researchers finding insufficient incentives to attract non-participating doctors to the scheme.
Zara Mitchell Macquarie University research reveals gaming addiction is emerging in Australian primary school children far earlier than previously thought, with 4 per cent showing clinical-level disorder and impacts affecting 100,000 kids.
Jake Nguyen 
Young men are increasingly pursuing testosterone replacement therapy promoted by online influencers, despite limited medical necessity and emerging health risks.
Yuki Tamura 
A rarely discussed caesarean modification allows mothers to help deliver their own babies, offering healing and agency to women who feared losing control of their birth experience.
Zara Mitchell