Federal Veterans' Affairs minister Alan Griffin has decided to step down from the ministry.

East Timor's deputy prime minister Mario Carrascalao has resigned.

Opposition finance spokesman Andrew Robb is considering a challenge to deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop.

The independent MPs say a minority government will offer the opportunity for a new kind of politics, but Australians are also being warned it could mean a wild ride.

Scientists have revealed the secret to how a man can attract women on the dance floor: it's all in the way he moves his neck and torso and the speed at which he moves his right knee.

As Sam Stosur caps off her best US Open campaign, a blast from the past may help her make a final push to reach world number one.

New figures show a two per cent drop in the number of international visitors to Queensland in the year to June.

The Japanese government says suicides and depression are costing the country's economy $35 billion a year.

A whooping cough epidemic is spreading across Queensland, with four times more cases than in 2008.

WorkCover Tasmania says a drop in the number of Tasmanians being injured on the job is a sign that safety messages are getting through.

Doctors in Queanbeyan south-east of Canberra say people are turning to them for dental care because they cannot afford dentists.

WA's new mental health Commissioner says more community services are needed to support patients once they leave hospital care.

A new cancer drug has proven capable of shrinking melanomas in clinical trials in Australia.

Controversial AFL star Brendan Fevola has been suspended indefinitely by the Brisbane Lions over an alleged off-field incident.

There has been an increase in the number of home loans taken out by owner-occupiers in July.

A 19-year-old woman and 30-year-old man have been jailed for stealing a car with three children inside.

A sniffer dog will be used in the Victoria's prisons from today to help catch inmates using mobile phones.

Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott have put politics aside to farewell another Australian soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.

Queensland policemen involved in a drunken, naked romp on Brisbane's bayside last September have returned to operational duties.

US scientists say exposure to chemicals used in non-stick frying pans may raise cholesterol levels in children.