Macadamia nuts have doubled in price from $25 per kilogram to $50 per kilogram as growers struggle to keep up with demand.

The price increase is also due to growers getting paid more and because of the rarity of the product.

Market Development Manager Lynne Ziehlke says there is a clear rise in consumer interest in plant-based food and a lot of this is driven by vegan, coeliacs, and consumers looking for dairy alternatives.

Retiring Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says politics is a “lonely” and “isolating” place for women.

Minister Bishop says Parliament is not a family friendly place and, as a female, you keep very much to yourself as the camaraderie with other ministers is not the same.

In 2013, Minister Bishop was the only woman in the cabinet; and is a strong advocate for women’s participation in politics.

A Brisbane principal has warned parents in a newsletter that derogatory emails sent to staff or abuse on social media will be reported to the Department of Education.

The Gap State High School (TGSHS) principal, Anne McLauchlan, says the online abuse has reached unacceptable levels and has urged parents to arrange a face-to-face appointment to discuss their issues.

Queensland Teachers’ Union president Kevin Bates says the abuse was prompted by a change in the school uniform policy, early last year.

Warnings to cut down water usage have been sparked in south-east Queensland after falling dam levels and the highest usage rates are being recorded since before the 2000s drought.

Dam levels were recorded to be at 70.5 percent last Sunday, whilst the average south-east Queenslander is using 211 litres per month between January and February- 25 litres more than last year in this period.

Although possible heavy rainfalls are predicted, meteorologists are saying there is no strong indication of above average rainfalls over the Autumn period.

With Dodie and Amy.

An Ethiopian Airlines aircraft has crashed, killing 157 victims.

The flight left around 8:30am and “lost contact” with air controllers six minutes later. This is the second time a Boeing 737 from the airline in six months has crashed  

Ethiopian and American investigators are looking at the cause of the situation, whilst Ethiopia has declared a day of mourning for the victims.

Astronomers have taken the most accurate measurement of the Milky Way to date, finding it is heavier than previously estimated.

A team of international scientists used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite to determine our galaxy weighs about 1.5 trillion solar masses or 1.5 trillion times the weight of the Earth's Sun.

Astronomers also found the majority of the galaxy's mass comes predominantly from dark matter, not the 200 billion stars.

A $2.3 million study funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council looking into the links between various forms of child abuse has been announced.

10,000 people between the ages of 16 and 86 will be anonymously interviewed regarding the detrimental outcomes of the abuse across the lifespan of victims, in a bid to highlight the economic and long-term cost of child abuse and hopefully spur the government to implement prevention measures.

Cervical cancer self-tests are helping to make women feel more comfortable with the procedure and are increasing screening rates.

For many women, seeing their GP for a check-up is a challenge as they may feel embarrassed or anxious.

The cervical cancer self-test aims to break down this barrier and make women feel at ease.

Cervical cancer expert, Dr. Marion Saville says women have found the test acceptable and 90 per cent of participants would do it again.