Calls for One Nation to be preferenced last in next election after Hanson questions Post Arthur massacre

There are now fresh calls for the Coalition to preference One Nation last at the federal election following revelations that Pauline Hanson appeared to question the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which left 35 people dead in Tasmania.

Her comments have prompted Liberal backbencher John Alexander to expect his party would have to preference One Nation last at the next election.

Brisbane City Council’s LNP councillors reject proposed election campaign spending caps

Brisbane’s LNP City Councillors have voted to reject spending caps on election campaigns proposed by the Palaszczuk government.

At a council meeting on Tuesday night, the LNP motioned to endorse positions made by the Local Government Association of Queensland objecting to council election campaign restrictions proposed by Queensland Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe.

Study finds autistic students are locked out of the workforce

New research claims that Australians living with autism are being locked out of the workforce with some of them who found paid employment saying they have previously lost a job because they are on the spectrum.

A study commissioned by autism peak body Amaze surveyed the employment experiences of those living with autism and their carers, also including details about attitudes towards autistic people in the workforce.

Amazon Rainforest next victim of US-China trade war

Scientists have said the trade war between the US and China could destroy millions of hectares of the Amazon rainforest.

Tariffs imposed on US imports in China mean that soybean production could take up another 12.9 million hectares in Brazil as China seeks to source all their soybeans from Brazil.

Researchers writing in ‘nature today’ have said the newly-required land is likely to come from deforested land in the Amazon due to a changing political climate.

 

May to resign if Tory MPs support her Brexit plan

British Prime Minister Theresa May has told MPs from her own party that she will step down from her role as PM if her Brexit deal is delivered.

Mrs May has told Conservative MPs that she would quit before the second phase of Brexit negotiations but is yet to deliver a timeline as to when she will step down.

She told the media that she was prepared to resign earlier than intended in order to ensure a smooth and orderly Brexit.

Microsoft says encryption laws make data storage in Australia difficult

President of Microsoft Brad Smith has warned that companies are now less likely to store customer data in Australia following the introduction of controversial encryption laws.

Speaking to an audience in Canberra, Mr Smith said the laws are too vague and are damaging to the Australian technology industry and broader economy, with businesses getting increasingly concerned about privacy and are starting to look to overseas markets.

Sydney Airport traffic controller shortages leading to significant overtime

Both the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age are reporting Sydney Airport is at breaking point, with a shortage of air traffic controllers leading to a spike in overtime hours, and restrictions on flights about once a month.

Figures obtained by the newspapers from Sydney Airport show the total overtime hours air traffic controllers are working have increased 50 percent over the past three years from 101 hours in 2016 to 140 hours last year.

Queensland government to give $3.5 million to refugees

The Queensland Government has pledged $3.5 million over the next two years to community support organisation Communify Queensland to support asylum seekers and refugees through its programs.

The organisation currently provides multicultural programs and asylum seeker aid services.

Queensland Multicultural Affairs Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the organisation has a proven track record.