29 ongoing investigations into Gold Coast City Councillors are underway over allegations including conflicts of interest, breaches of trust and the accurate recording of registers of interest.

The Gold Coast Bulletin reported that nine complaints have been referred from the Office of the independent Assessor to other agencies and tribunals, while six matters have been referred back for the council’s own investigation.

Joko Widodo looks set for victory in Indonesia's presidential election in what could result in his second term as the President of Indonesia.

Challenger Prabowo Subianto is disputing this claim, however, and said that he had won the popular vote and urged supporters to not let his victory be snatched away.

Data from private pollsters based on counts of vote samples supported the opinion polls, predicting a win for Widodo who was a former furniture businessman and low-key reformist.

New tactical weapon testing has been overseen by North-Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

The test is North Korea’s first public weapons test since the US-Hanoi “no deal” summit held in February.

Korean Central News Agency, who first reported the test, said the missile is a “powerful warhead” and has a “peculiar mode of guiding flight.”

Federal independent senator Tim Storer has announced he will not contest the upcoming federal election due to family reasons.

The Senator for South Australia said he made the ‘difficult’ decision after considering the impact of another 6 years in the Senate on his young family, deciding it would be ‘disingenuous’ to ask South Australians for their vote.

Mr Storer will end his time in the Senate after just 400 days in parliament, and considers chairing an inquiry into electric vehicles as one of his key achievements.

The latest round of redundancies at The West Australian newspaper is said to have a detrimental impact on its ability to cover state issues and hold power to account, according to a veteran editor.

Government ministers and media academics have joined the managing editor and owner of Post Newspapers Bret Christian in expressing worry at the loss of around 30 journalists from WA’s major newspaper.

Queensland’s Health minister Steven Miles has announced that a residential disability centre for people with profound and complex disabilities will remain open, overturning a decision to close the facility made by his department.

Staff told relatives of residents in January that due to NDIS requirements, the facility would close at the end of the year.

The Halwyn Centre in the inner north-west of Brisbane has been operated by the State since 1979 and houses over 30 high-needs residents.

The Brisbane City Council has rejected an application for a townhouse development to be built next to a childcare centre in Holland Park after concerns from the local community.

A development application was submitted last year to build 25 double-storey townhouses built on four amalgamated blocks on Eric Road, but residents expressed concern about the impact on the narrow streets and koala feed trees in the area.

Figures revealed on Wednesday at a roundtable convening of the Queensland Parliament with educators, bus drivers, police and transport groups, has revealed that fare evasion rates on school bus routes has hit 99.3 per cent.

Teenagers have allegedly been misusing the state's "no child left behind" policy, causing a $25 million loss in revenue.

School bus drivers have recorded over 1.53 million fare evasions in the last financial year, which is an increase from 875,000 the previous year.