Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Ken Wyatt, has revealed his plan for a referendum to create an Indigenous voice in parliament. 

In light of Naidoc week and its theme this year of “voice, treaty and truth”, Mr Wyatt said he needs to be pragmatic as the first Indigenous Australian to hold the ministerial position.

The landmark ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ called for a “First Nations Voice” in the Australian constitution in 2017, a process the minister said people would need to be patient for, in order to get it right.

Science and policy institute, Climate Analytics, says Australia and its fuel exports may be responsible for up to 17% of global emissions by twenty-thirty.

The report by the Berlin-based science institute found planned coal and gas expansions could push Australia’s share of emissions higher over the next decade. 

The Australian Conservation Foundation’s, Gaven McFadzean, says coal and gas are the cause of the ‘climate crisis’ with Australia the number one exporter of both.

The UK Government has begun an inquiry into the leaked emails from UK ambassador, Sir Kim Darroch, which called the Trump administration ‘inept’ and ‘uniquely dysfunctional’.

The Foreign Office says the leak on Sunday was ‘mischievous’ but did not deny the accuracy of the memos, and a formal investigation into the leak will be launched.

Conservative MP Tom Tugenhadt says whoever was responsible for the leak must be prosecuted, as diplomats must be able to communicate securely with their governments.

Iran has threatened to ramp up uranium enrichment to 20 per cent purity, with the UN's nuclear watchdog confirming it has already passed a limit agreed to in a 2015 nuclear deal.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on Monday Iran had broken the 3.67 per cent threshold, passing to 4.5 per cent.

Despite Iran’s threats, the US says its “maximum pressure campaign” against Tehran is working.

GP’s are urging Queensland Health not to go through with a trial which will allow pharmacists to dispense antibiotics without a prescription, saying it will increase the risk of antibiotic resistant superbugs.

The trial was proposed after a state government review of how pharmacists operate, and will allow them to provide some medicines without a prescription, such as the contraceptive pill.

Public health authorities are attempting to contain the first outbreak of Dengue fever in a Queensland city since the 1950s, with 13 cases confirmed so far. 

All the current cases have connections to the North Rockhampton areas of Park Avenue and Kawana. 

Over 1000 properties in the region have been inspected as part of ongoing Dengue control measures, with 100 of those found to have Dengue mosquitoes. 

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has called for Scott Morrison’s government to explain why the Australian Federal Police were able to access a journalist’s private travel records from Qantas.

The call comes after reports yesterday revealed the travel records of ABC reporter Dan Oakes were requested as part of the AFP’s recent investigation.

Albanese says the attorney general, Christian Porter, needs to explain these actions given he previously stated journalists were not likely to face legal prosecution.

As widespread drought continues for the woo production industry and sheep numbers proceed to decline.

National sheep flock numbers hit 100 year low and are predicted to fall to 65.8 million head this year, according to meat and livestock Australia.

The drought is making it harder for farmers to feed stock as prices are unsustainably high, with a lot of sheep now being reluctantly offloaded.

Protests were underway last week in the Chinese city of Wuhan over a planned waste incineration plant they say will bring dangerous levels of pollution to their town.

Thousands of local people took to the streets for several days, demanding that the location be re-thought and be moved further away from settlements.

As the protests steadily grew over the week, a censorship and public security operation kicked in to try and mask the unrest.