Thanks to a waterway survey and DNA technology, a platypus has been found in Logan’s Albert River for the first time in 18 years.

The Logan City Council have collaborated with Wildlife Queensland to confirm platypuses were living in the river after a member of the public reported a sighting in 2017.

Chairperson of the Logan City Parks, Animals, Environment, and Waste Committee says this is an important discovery as it will help the future of the river’s platypus population - and is a great indicator of the improving health of our environment.

A young boy from Dakabin, North Brisbane was rushed to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital last night after his iPhone 6S Battery erupted into flames.

The 15-year-old admits to bending the battery out of curiosity when it then sparked and quickly exploded onto his chest, searing several layers of his skin.

Authorities and manufacturers warn against playing with any kind of phone battery due to the unpredictability of the materials inside.

Victoria's coal-fired power plants released more than a tonne of mercury into the atmosphere during 2017-18, and were the greatest source of fine-particle pollution nationwide.

Victoria's three coal-fired-power plants collectively pumped 1,007.5 kilograms of mercury into the atmosphere, with Yallourn power station single-handedly emitting 435kg of mercury — the highest in the country.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare believes that up to 3,000 deaths in Australia each year are a direct result of air pollution, such as that caused by fine particle emissions.

A man has been found dead after a shipping container explosion in Mackay in the early hours of Tuesday morning.  

Four fire crews, police and paramedics responded to multiple emergency calls at 2am and found a shipping container on fire. One fatality has been confirmed, but no identification has been made.

Fire service investigators are expected to return and thoroughly examine the scene later today.

The UK House of Commons voted on four more Brexit proposals last night, with all four failing to reach a majority.

The motion calling for a confirmatory referendum and the motion proposing a customs union both came within a dozen votes of a majority, giving some members hope for finding a resolution to Brexit.

Theresa May has to pass a deal or seek an extension from the EU before 12 April to avoid dropping out of the group without any deal at all.

Communications professionals are warning that China’s international media campaign is a threat to democracies everywhere.

Billboards advertising China’s Central Global Television Network have sprung up in Australian capital cities since September last year as a part of a $9.3Bn global influence campaign.

China’s media freedom is ranked 176th out of 180 countries worldwide and the country is said to be extending the reach of its three largest media groups to shape public opinion in favour of the Chinese Communist Party across the globe.

Police are searching for a South-East Queensland man and his father after their Line Dancing Scam reportedly swindled hundreds of dollars from many local victims.

It is alleged that at least 100 victims paid money for line dancing holidays, including overseas trips and domestic line dancing festivals, balls, and cruises that were never set to happen.

Senior Sergeant Ken Rogers says many victims lost hundreds of dollars, while others lost close to ten thousand. Investigators are pleading any further victims to contact them.

Following the announced departure of Brisbane’s current Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, the Brisbane City Hall is in for a shake-up!

Brisbane’s incoming Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has wasted little time in filling key committee chairs ahead of his ‘swearing-in’ next week – making sure the new chairs provide an equal representation of both men and women in leadership roles.

He says that the new Cabinet Members will bring fresh energy and fresh ideas to their work and will continue the very strong legacy that they have helped to create so far.

With the Budget to be announced today, it appears the Coalition is planning on reconfiguring their tax plan to the tune of several billion dollars.

The ten million Australians who earn between $37,000 and $126,000 per year are set to receive some form of tax relief and the government is expected to forecast a return to surplus for 2019-20.

Changes are slated to include tax offsets and tax bracket shifts for low to middle earners.