Emergency Authorities have found the body of pilot Marcel van Hattem in waters off South Stradbroke Island on Thursday afternoon.

Police have reported they are still looking for Trista Applebee, van hattem’s 31-year-old female passenger and the remainder of the light plane’s wreckage.

Senior Sergeant Jay Notaro of the Gold Coast Water Police says the flight was part of Applebee’s birthday celebrations.  

Queensland’s Treasurer Jackie Trad refused to rule out tax increases in next week’s state budget, reiterating labor’s commitment to delivering a surplus budget.

In an address to the Queensland Media Club, yesterday, Mrs Trad said that Quensland has been left out of pocket by federal funding.

The Treasurer affirmed that Queensland households will not have an impact and that full details will become clear next week.

Sudan has been suspended from the African Union amid the growing concerns the divide between civilians and the military could lead to a civil war.

The decision follows a protest in the nation’s capital on Monday which killed over 120 people.

The AU hopes that the suspension will prompt the military to hand over power to a civilian-led authority.  

With monsoon season approaching, Indian authorities have between 10 to 15 days to retrieve the bodies of five climbers in the Indian Himalayas.

The team of eight were hit by an avalanche, including one Australian, Ruth McCance, who is presumed dead.

Aerial photographs have identified five bodies, and it is feared that the other three could be buried under the avalanche.

A Bull-breeding family in Western Queensland will pay more than $14 million for a cattle station in the Northern Territory owned by a Filipino businessman.

The Bassingthwaighte family, owners of Bass Cattle Company, made a deal for the 265,000 hectare Epenarra Station with around 8,000 heads of cattle.

Epenarra Station will be the second property sold by developer Romeo Roxas after listing three Central Australian properties for sale.

Prime Minister, Scott Morrison is set to receive a pay rise of $10,000, on top of his current $538,000 a year.

His increased pay packet is part of the two per cent pay rise to Federal Members of Parliament, while retail and hospitality staff will have penalty rates cut.

United Voice says that hospitality workers could lose as much as $2000 a year when these cuts are introduced on 1 July.

The Luminous Lantern Parade at South Bank will tonight celebrate and welcome people from all over the world who now call Queensland home.

Multicultural Affairs Minister Stirling Hinchliffe will attend the event, saying that the parade celebrates the strength of our cultural diversity.

Mr Hinchcliffe says the light generated is a symbol of lighting the way forward to a welcoming and harmonious community.

Brisbane’s yellow CityCycle bikes are turning blue, after the City Council and NRMA insurance have announced a new partnership.

2000 blue CityCycles will hit the streets,  with the council hoping it will double the revenue of bike sharing services  over the coming year.

The council will hand down their latest budget next week, with lord mayor Adrian Schrinner already pledging $27 million to the city’s bikeways.