The Queensland Government has struck a deal that will see Air New Zealand fly new aircraft into Cairns from April 2020.

Member for Cairns Michael Healy said Air New Zealand would introduce more efficient aircraft to service the airline’s existing 15,000 yearly visitors who visit Cairns via this route more frequently, making it easier for tourists from New Zealand to visit the region.

Thousands of people in Catalonia have rallied in support of the region's independence from Spain, following the sentencing of nine separatist leaders on Monday.

Police used tear gas on protestors, as they attempted to storm government offices in Barcelona, the region’s capital.

A spokesperson for Catalonia's regional government, Meritxell Budó, said they sympathised and understood the anger of the protesters.

Ugandan MPs will push for new laws that would make homosexual acts punishable by death, despite a government backdown.

After initially indicating it might support the move, the government has backed away from supporting any change to the law after major aid donors expressed their concerns, but several MPs, including ministers have said they will personally back the bill.

The Victoria Government has banned commercial fishing in an effort to increase the number of recreational fishers.

Commercial fishing licence holders, in the Gippsland Lakes region in  eastern Victoria, will be stripped of their right to fish from 2021 after legislation passed Victorian Parliament.

A compensation package of 27 million will be shared among all Gippsland Lakes commercial fishing license holders, who are unsatisfied due to their long fishing years.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has again ruled out the prospect of pill testing at music festivals, despite a leaked draft coroner’s report which recommended the move.

The Premier said that pill testing often gives out a “false sense of security”

Festival-goers are encouraged to comply with the sufficient safety and security regulations from the government when they find themselves at ‘high-risk’ festivals.

Chemical experts have warned the Sunshine Coast Council that a proposed plan to dump millions of litres of PFAS-tainted water into the sea off the Sunshine Coast is "insanity".

The Council’s proposed plan involves building a pipeline to funnel the contaminated water froSum the Sunshine Coast airport construction site into the ocean at Marcoola.

Two people have been killed in a car crash involving a stolen vehicle on the Bruce Highway in Brisbane’s north.

The stolen vehicle was travelling on the wrong side of the Bruce Highway at Bald Hills when it crashed head-on into an oncoming car around midnight while attempting to flee from police.

Queensland Ambulance Services said a person from each car involved in the crash were found dead at the scene, and two others, including the driver of the stolen vehicle were taken to hospital in a critical condition.