The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has revealed that heart disease was the leading cause of death among Australians in 2018. 

The ABS reported that 17,533 Australians died in heart disease is last year, however, the standardized death rate from heart disease is on the decline.

The leading cause of death was followed by dementia, stroke, lung cancer, and lower respiratory diseases.

Brisbane Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner was accused of refusing to meet Transport Minister, Mark Bailey to discuss the $944 million Brisbane Metro project.

Councillor Schrinner and Mr Bailey have publicly voiced their opposing opinions about the new metro station.

"Mayor Schrinner always has time to do media regularly on Metro but just refused a meeting with me to resolve outstanding issues & discuss his report,” Mr Bailey tweeted. 

Councillor Schrinner says the station in South Brisbane is not feasible, despite pressure from the state government. 

A report by the UN reveals that seas and frozen regions are seeing accelerated effects from climate change.

The loss of permanently frozen lands in increasing, threatening to unleash more carbon into the atmosphere. 

Lead author of the report Dr Jean-Pierre Gattuso said, "The blue planet is in serious danger right now, suffering many insults from many different directions and it's our fault".

The report is the third in a series of three reports that have been produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in the last year.

The Frankfurt-based airline, Condor, was offered a €380 million bridging loan from the German government after its British travel parent company Thomas Cook collapsed on Wednesday.

The chief executive of Condor, Ralf Teckentrup said Condor is an operationally healthy and profitable company but based on insolvent parent company, they have to depend on bridge financing to get through.

Founded in 1955, older German generations looked on the company with nostalgia, as the company name was associated with the newfound freedom of post-war Germany. 

The ACT has become the first Australian jurisdiction to legalise the personal use, possession, and cultivation of cannabis. 

The laws passed yesterday afternoon allow possession of up to 50 grams per person and 4 plants per household. 

The legislation will come into effect on January 31st, 2020. 

Backpackers are sharing their stories of working in ‘slave-like’ conditions on Australian produce farms under a working holiday program that the government is hailing a success. 

Despite a 20% spike in uptake in the program last year, backpackers are using the hashtag ‘88daysaslave’ on Instagram to share stories and images of exploitation. 

Over 5000 posts revealed that backpackers were being paid as little as $4 per hour, working in unsafe conditions, and sexual abuse.

The Australian Taxation Office will be visiting 400 inner-north Brisbane businesses following a number of tip-offs from the community about engaging in black economy activities.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Holt said, “It’s been a few decades since wool was traded here but we’re aware that some dishonest businesses are still in the business of fleecing money from the community.”

Logan residents have been warned of a new drone service ‘Wing’ that is set to launch this week. 

The company was forced to delay its Queensland launch after the Civil Aviation Safety Authority grounded drones in the south-east as the state dealt with bushfires this month. 

Bonython Against Drones convener Nev Sheather warned Logan residents to be prepared for the drones’ high-pitched noise, the possibility of privacy breaches and a loss of local land-based delivery jobs.