Explainer

Don't quite understand what's going on in the news? We've have you covered. Find all the biggest news events explained in a simple way.

Climate Change

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos September 17, 2020: Prime Minister Scott Morrison attends a walk through at BlueScope Steel in Port Kembla.Picture: NCA NewsWire / Simon Bullard.

‘Stinks’: PM’s plan slammed

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has unveiled a new plan for Australia that critics say will waste millions of taxpayer dollars.

Leaders

WINSTON SALEM, NC - SEPTEMBER 08: President Donald Trump addresses a crowd during a campaign rally at Smith Reynolds Airport on September 8, 2020 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. The president also made a campaign stop in South Florida on Tuesday. Sean Rayford/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

The last US president who failed to win

One thing is definitely on Donald Trump’s side as he tries to win re-election – history. Only ten presidents have failed to earn a second term.

Mind

While the holiday season can be fun, for a lot of the South Burnett this was a really tough and expensive time.

How to get a mental health plan

Seeing a therapist for the first time requires obtaining a mental health plan with the help of your GP. Here’s how to get one.

VIC

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA- NewsWire Photos AUGUST 26, 2020: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews holds a press conference to discuss the latest COVID-19 figures. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ David Crosling

Andrews backs down from controversial plan

Premier Daniel Andrews has reportedly compromised on his plan for a 12 month extension to Victoria’s state of emergency as critics slam it as undemocratic.

Leaders

US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, August 23, 2020. - American authorities announced an emergency approval of blood plasma from recovered coronavirus patients as a treatment against the disease that has killed over 176,000 in the US. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

The issue with Trump’s new virus cure

Donald Trump is pushing ahead with a new way to treat coronavirus. Could it be the miracle cure the world is looking for?

At Work

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 27: Empty streets of the city are seen on July 27, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Victoria has recorded 532 new cases of coronavirus and six more deaths. Metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell shire remain in lockdown due to the rise in COVID-19 cases through community transmissions, with people permitted to leave home only for exercise, work, to buy essential items, or to access childcare and healthcare and individuals are required Face coverings or be subject to a $200 fine. Lockdown measures are in place until August 19. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

What’s open, closed and changing

Unprecedented restrictions will be imposed on a large number of Victorian businesses under the stage 4 lockdown. Here’s what’s happening.

Health Problems

Flatmates Courtney Russ and Laura McCann have started wearing face masks in public, including when he's walking along Chapel Street, after the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Melbourne. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Every question about masks answered

The face mask issue in Australia has been confusing, complicated and contradictory during the COVID-19 pandemic, so where do we stand?

VIC

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NewsWire Photos JULY 17, 2020: Fog hangs over Melbourne. People exercise in Birrarung Marr park. Picture: David Crosling

What you can and can’t do in Melbourne

A lot has changed in Greater Melbourne over the last month. Here’s a rundown of what you can and cannot do during the lockdown.

Health Problems

A woman wearing a face mask crosses the street in Melbourne on March 5, 2020. - Over 50 people have been confirmed to have the COVID-19 coronavirus in Australia so far with the latest cases including an eight-month-old baby in Adelaide. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

Type of face mask you should avoid

More Aussies are choosing to wear a face mask when out and about to lower coronavirus infection risk, but there’s one type experts warn against.

Sports Life

Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin, free diving on or around 24/6/2020 , https://www.instagram.com/alexchumpypullin/

What actually killed Aussie Olympian

Australians were left shocked by the news Olympian Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin died from something described as a “recipe for disaster”.

VIC

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 08: Lines of Healthcare professionals are seen entering the North Melbourne Public Housing tower complex on July 08, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Further lockdown measures for residents in metropolitan Melbourne or the Mitchell shire will come into effect from 11:59 Wednesday 8 July. Under the new lockdown restrictions which will be in place for six weeks, people will only able to leave home have for exercise or work, to buy essential items including food or to access childcare and healthcare. Victorians cannot gather in groups of more than two or their household group, school holidays will be extended for at least a week. Retail can remain open and markets are permitted to open for food and drink only. Cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs and bars are back to takeaway only. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Why Victoria’s cases surged 2000 per cent

Active cases of the coronavirus in Victoria have skyrocketed by more than 2000 per cent in less than a month. How did it go so bad so quickly?

UpdatedChampions

Olympic snow boarder Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin and his girlfriend Ellidy Vlug(Pictures Justin Lloyd)

How famed Olympian got nickname

Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin has been hitting the slopes since he was three and has had his renowned nickname since he was a kid.

Social Media

A member of the Working Journalist of India (WJI) holds a placard urging citizens to remove Chinese apps and stop using Chinese products during a demonstration against the Chinese newspaper Global Times, in New Delhi on June 30, 2020. - TikTok on June 30 denied sharing information on Indian users with the Chinese government, after New Delhi banned the wildly popular app citing national security and privacy concerns. "TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and have not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese Government," said the company, which is owned by China's ByteDance. (Photo by Prakash SINGH / AFP)

Why country banned viral app

Speculation that video app TikTok could be banned in Australia has been dismissed by the company, but we wouldn’t be the first country.

Leaders

President Donald Trump speaks during a visit to Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Thursday, June 25, 2020, in Marinette, Wis. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Grim prediction as US election nears

America’s top expert on the coronavirus has made a deeply worrying prediction as the country wrestles with its upcoming election.

Coronavirus closures

Police officers look on as protesters gather outside Parliament House in Melbourne, Sunday, May 10, 2020. Anti-vaxxers and Victorians fed up with the coronavirus lockdown have broken social distancing rules to protest in Melbourne's CBD on Mother's Day. (AAP Image/Scott Barbour) NO ARCHIVING

Confusion over state’s lockdown bonk ban

Victorians will be locked down again tonight after a massive surge in coronavirus cases. But one of the restrictions is still confusing people.

Health & Safety

A medical worker takes a sample from a person at a drive-through COVID-19 pop-up testing clinic at the Keilor Community Hub in Melbourne, Sunday, May 31, 2020. A coronavirus cluster in Melbourne's northwest has infected 13 people across two homes, closed two schools and forced more than 100 students to self-isolate. (AAP Image/Scott Barbour) NO ARCHIVING

Virus spike hits school holiday plans

States could reconsider border reopening plans ahead of the school holidays as Victoria’s coronavirus situation escalates.

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/topics/explainer/page/2