A riot that broke out at a Hunter jail on Thursday - with inmates locking themselves in rooms and some reportedly seen lighting fires on the roof - was over a call for drug withdrawal therapy, the state's prison authority says.

Witness J claims guards sell mobile phones and drugs are widely available.

Controlling spread of coronavirus made more difficult when so many prisoners who tested positive were asymptomatic

The situation in Woodford Correctional Centre, north of Brisbane, becomes "quite volatile" since coronavirus measures prevent prisoners from seeing family and friends, cutting off the illegal drug supply.

Political activists are among those waiting to find out if they will be included in government pardon scheme to stop the spread of Covid-19

Trust lost in global virus blame game WITH health experts increasingly confident Australia has this first - and hopefully only - wave of coronavirus infection...