A former key aide to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denied allegations he inappropriately pressured a cabinet minister, in a comment that could help ease a political crisis for the ruling Liberals ahead of an election in October.

Former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said nothing inappropriate occurred after she quit her job on February 12, less than a month in the position.

The New South Wales government has announced a proposal to upgrade a western Sydney Children’s hospital as a part of a pre-election incentive.

If the coalition is re-elected, designated funds will contribute to expanding paediatric services at the Children’s hospital at Westmead.

New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the upgrade will greatly increase the hospital’s capacity.

The Greens party are set to launch their refugee policy today ahead of the Federal election later this year when the party will target three inner-eastern Melbourne seats.  

The party is pushing for Australia to increase its annual refugee intake by 10,000, which they say is modelled off Canada’s refugee policy.

The party’s policy also proposes to open sponsorship to any Australian citizen or permanent resident and not just community groups.

Police have uncovered a $150,000 stash of rare items allegedly stolen in the past decade during a drug raid in Wynnum in east Brisbane.

Among the objects uncovered are a camera dating back to 1950, commemorative coins, jewellery and historical bank notes.

The police suspect the antiques were stolen during a series of Brisbane robberies spanning a decade, and now hope to return the items to their rightful owners.

Traffic between Surfers Paradise and Southport has worsened despite a direct light rail line running between the two Gold Coast suburbs.

Car trips on the Gold Coast Highway on some streets have increased by up to 23 per cent since 2011, in comparison to a 44.4 per cent drop in traffic near Australia Fair shopping centre in the same time.

110 documents by renowned physicist Albert Einstein are being revealed to the public, some for the first time, at Israel’s Hebrew university.

The documents include handwritten mathematical notes and an appendix on unified field theory, previously considered ‘lost’, the university said.

The documents also contain letters, which the university said reveal glimpses of the physicist’s personality.

Indian author, sexual assault survivor and former rape crisis centre worker Sohaila Abdulali, who will be speaking in Australia this week, is certain that the increase in conversations about sexual assault is a positive thing.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics released data last year showing the number of people reporting sexual assault had reached an eight-year high.

Abdulali added that it is not the survivor’s job to end rape by speaking out after an assault, but when they do speak out, language is important.

A small Australian energy company has partnered with a Chinese company to submit a proposal for two new coal-fired power plants in New South Wales.

Cavcorp and the China Energy Engineering Corporation proposed to develop in the disused Hunter Valley area, by creating two 1000-megawatt power plants.

Greens MP Adam Bandt said Australians will fight to stop the proposal and ensure that these power plants will never happen.

The proposal followed the Coalition’s announcement on a series of policies to cut emissions.

Employers have warned against increasing the minimum wage after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten indicated his willingness to adhere to union requests for a "living wage".

In a speech delivered to business leaders on Wednesday, Mr Shorten declared that the upcoming federal election would be "a referendum on wages" and that the current minimum hourly rate was based on an out-dated understanding of the cost of living.