A Queensland grazier has turned to using donkeys to protect his cattle in the past year after previously losing many to wild dogs.

Ian Sylvester from the Sunshine Coast hinterland says he hasn’t lost a calf since assigning 2 donkeys to guard each group of his 120 cattle.

Sylvester says the donkeys are effective against predators due to their inquisitive nature and feisty attitude.

A German start-up company has secured an exploration license from the NSW Government to comb through volcanic deposits for metals used in the batteries of electric vehicles.

Sons of Bavaria Investments are trying to fill the booming demand for metals like copper - and think the mineral deposits at Bulldog Mountain in the Northern Rivers region might just do the trick.

The ALP has unveiled that it plans to axe the Abbott-era Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility and replace it with a new fund if it wins government next month.

The operation started in 2016 but has been criticised over its governance and slow progress, with only one project lined up by the start of 2019.

Labor leader Bill Shorten says “the NAIF has been an abject failure” and proposed to replace it with a development fund that will cover major projects across Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia.

French yellow vest protestors have set fires along a march through Paris to drive home their message to a government they believe is ignoring the poor: that rebuilding the Notre Dame Cathedral after its recent fires, isn’t the only problem France needs to solve.

The protests marked the 23rd straight weekend of yellow vest actions against Macron’s centrist government, which they see as favouring the rich.

Exemptions for sanctions on countries still buying oil from Iran have been lifted by US President Donald Trump which were previously held against China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey.

The White House’s decision is intended to significantly reduce Iran’s ability to export oil, which is the Iranian government’s main source of income.

Iran has questioned the legality of the sanctions, and says it attaches no value or credibility to the waivers.

Queensland is predicted to be in for a heavy flu season after 8,291 cases have already been confirmed in the state this year.

That number is three times greater than usual for this time of year, with 689 people having already been admitted to Queensland public hospitals.

The Australian-based Immunisation Coalition warns that we may see a situation similar to what happened in 2017 where 5,000 deaths from influenza were recorded across the nation.

The Gold Coast Council fears the third stage of Gold Coast Light Rail may face significant delays over funding disputes.

The LNP Government and the Labor Opposition both pledged to drop one hundred and twelve million dollars in federal funding on Stage 3A - but Council says this is less than what they were expecting in order to get the six hundred and sixty million dollar project underway.

Documents released to the federal Senate reveal former agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce specifically asked to be informed on the progress of the $80m sale of water by Eastern Australia Agriculture.

12 independent candidates jointly called for immediate actions on these allegations, which showed Joyce signed off on authority to negotiate without going to open tender, as well as signing off on the $80m price.

Joyce has previously claimed he played no part in the negotiations with the company.

Western Australian sheep farmers have warned against Labor’s election pledge to phase out live sheep exports.

Labor argues that enough is enough after a series of scandals involving the live export of the animals, promising to put an end to the northern summer trade at the first opportunity if they win government at this election.

WA sheep farmers were responsible for 86% of live sheep exports from the country in 2017 and say that we can’t overlook the economic importance of the trade.