Refugees on Manus Island are being delivered what is being called symbolic Aboriginal ‘passports’ signed by Aboriginal Elders as well as letters of solidarity from many Australians to show support during their struggles in detention.

The month long boat Journey from Cairns to Manus to deliver these items will raise awareness of what the organisers of the event are calling massive human rights violations to the hundreds of refugees held in processing centres since 2013. 

Historical trauma and cultural dispossession has contributed to lower emotional and social well-being among Aboriginal Victorians, the state's mental health royal commission has heard.

The inquiry heard Aboriginal Victorians are twice as likely to be hospitalised for mental health issues and three times more likely to experience high levels of psychological distress compared to the general population. 

A toddler has died of meningococcal disease in the NSW New England region, the fourth registered case in the area this year.

Public health physician Dr David Durrheim said in a statement this is a tragic event and his sympathies are with the child's family at this very difficult time.

The diagnosis was confirmed on Monday after the toddler's death last week and the child's family have been medicated to prevent further spread of the illness.

Pakistan has fully reopened its airspace to civilian flights almost five months after a tense military standoff with India caused by a suicide bombing in the disputed Kashmir region. 

A Pakistan-based militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, which led to India launching an airstrike in Pakistani territory and Pakistan shooting down an Indian fighter jet, bringing the two countries to the brink of war. 

Used cooking oil which has been labelled a “green fuel” source may be inadvertently increasing demand for palm oil and in turn increasing deforestation.

The waste oil imports currently being used as the basis for biofuel, a low emissions alternative to fossil fuels, is reportedly being replaced across Asia with palm oil extracted from deforested areas.

Climate protesters from the Extinction Rebellion group have targeted Brisbane’s CBD for the second time this week, blocking streets and intersections this morning in a peak-hour protest. 

Two protesters who glued themselves to the road have been arrested, while a third man who attended previous protests has also been taken into custody after police warned him not to attend. 

Organisers of the protests say they will now make their way to the watch-house on Roma Street to support the people that have been taken into custody.

An international team of researchers has found a way to pierce the armour of the most dangerous class of bacteria, making them more vulnerable to existing antibiotics. 

Professor Ian Henderson, from the University of Queensland, says gram-negative bacteria, which includes strains like E. Coli., have a double membrane protective layer, which makes them particularly resistant to antibiotics, and the new discovery will help fight emerging superbugs. 

The Australian Federal Police commissioner has rejected claims his officers were attempting to intimidate journalists when they carried out raids on the headquarters of the ABC and the home of a NewsCorp reporter. 

Commissioner Andrew Colvin says the raids, which caused an outcry from media organisations, were not an attack on Australian press freedoms, and was comfortable with how AFP officers conducted themselves. 

The Northern Territory is facing an increase in copper wire theft that is disrupting the telecommunications network, with residents left without phone or internet connection and unable to make emergency calls.

Telstra says almost 40km of copper wire has been stolen in the NT over the past 18 months with Northern Territory Police recently announcing they were investigating the alleged theft of reels of copper cables from the State’s Power and Water authority.