A battle between a South Australia-based developer and local council over Queensland land clearing regulations was moved to Australia’s highest court.

The court will decide whether local governments can enforce their own rules to protect the environment even where the state has not imposed clearing restrictions.  
 

The dispute between Fairmont Pty Ltd and Moreton Bay Regional Council concerns a housing scheme north of Brisbane and has implications for one-fifth of the total land in Queensland.

Queensland firefighters were worried about bushfire season as time was running out for hazard reduction.

Heaving rainfall caused sodden grounds and green undergrowth which prevented hazard-reduction burns from being carried out.

There was also worry that the lush growth would dry out during the winter and become fuel for potential fires in August and September.

Chair of the ABC, Ita Buttrose, is prepared to meet with Prime Minister Scott Morrison following raids of the ABC’s Sydney headquarters by the Australian Federal Police.

The raid was sparked by a number of stories in 2017 alleging unlawful killings by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

Ms Buttrose complained to the Communication minister, Paul Fletcher, last week saying the raid was “clearly designed to intimidate".

Scott Morrison will today announce funding of $2.8 million to a school-based mental health program, after pledging to reduce youth suicide during the election.

The funding commitment will expand the online footprint of Batyr Australia, a preventative mental health organisation created by University students.

Batyr has previously focused on early intervention through storytelling at school, however Morrison says the funding will help the organisation deliver front-line services for at-risk young people.

The US State Department implemented its latest screening measure, requiring Australian’s to provide details of their social media accounts from the last five years.
 

Starting this month, Australians submitting an online application for the non-immigrant DS-160 visa are required to reveal whether they’ve used sites such as Reddit, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, as well as nominate their usernames.
 

These changes will affect students looking to study in the US, specialist workers and journalists.

German boat captain Pia Klemp faces prison in Italy for aiding illegal immigration after she saved people from drowning in the Mediterranean in 2017.

Klemp accused Italian authorities of organising a ‘show trial’ and could be looking at up to 20 years in prison.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, sought to stop migrant rescue ships from docking on Italian shores and in January made headlines with the forced evacuation of hundreds of asylum-seekers from Italy’s second-largest refugee centre.

A lantana removal expert claims the spread of the poisonous weed is a ‘catastrophe’ for Australia on a scale that has not been properly recognised.

According to Biosecurity Queensland the weed has spread to an estimated five million hectares of coastal and hinterland areas of Queensland and New South Wales.

Creeping Lantana is toxic to stock and smothers native bushland, affecting more than 1,400 native species.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner announced last night that Brisbane ratepayers will face an average increase of 2.5% after the 2019 and 2020 budget is handed down on Wednesday.

The council’s $3.1 billion budget will retain last years 2.5% average increase for owner-occupied properties, or $40 a year.

This years budget will focus on infrastructure and lifestyle with a new platform of green space and parklands.