In national news, the reputation of the mining industry is “nearing crisis” in Queensland with a “bulge in distrust” shown via secret research.

A study carried out by market research company Ipsos for the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) found the industry’s wealth is “strongly associated with self-interest, power and influence”.

The results of the confidential research challenge the notion that the electorate is divided between “coal-loving Queenslanders” and voters in southern states who want stronger focus on climate change.

In international news, state school tuck shops and public hospitals are exempt from Queensland’s food safety laws which is proving to be troublesome for officers cracking down on breaking the rules.

The Department of Health, several hospital and health services and the Brisbane, Gold Coast and Cairns councils were recently audited by auditor-general Brendan Worrall to determine whether food safety was being effectively managed.

In international news, it is believed two Australians have died as a result of two small sightseeing planes colliding mid-air off the coast of Alaska.

Across the two seaplanes were 14 passengers, four of whom have been confirmed dead and two missing, including an Australian, who were travelling on a seven-day cruise ship tour from Vancouver to Anchorage.

Rescuers say the planes were partially submerged upside down in the seawater after crashing on a steep section of rocky shoreline.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will co-chair a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris later today to discuss her plan which has been dubbed the ‘Christchurch Call’.

Ms Ardern’s initiative will ask signatory nations to adopt measures to ban objectionable material online and create a framework for media to report on atrocities without amplifying them.

Technology is yet again changing the way we learn. 3D printed models of dog skulls are helping University of Queensland vets to save animals and educate tomorrow’s veterinary students.

UQ Veterinarian and Associate Professor Rachel Allavena says the skulls show how dogs with short noses, like French Bulldogs and Pugs, can suffer from the condition brachycephalia which prevents them from breathing correctly.

40 year old plastic bags have been found in mangroves near the Brisbane River, sparking conservationists to demand the government to impose a nationwide ban on single use plastics .

The Queensland Government imposed a partial plastic bag ban on July 1st last year, reducing in an 80% reduction in the number of plastic bags taken from retailers.

But conservationists are pushing for an all-out ban similar to that imposed by the European Parliament, which plans to phase out almost all single-use plastics by 2021.