Investigations into the birth of a baby with brain damage at a Queensland hospital have revealed that important patient data was entered into different sections of the mother’s medical record.

The report highlighted this disjointed information flow was likely responsible for obstetricians missing a key test result, which contributed to the incident.

The baby’s mother was a high-risk patient, and suffered short-term memory loss due to eclampsia; a condition that can cause high blood pressure and convulsions during pregnancy.  

The Australian humpback whale population is again in danger after already coming close to extinction from hunting.

A University of Queensland study identified that the whales may be overshooting the carrying capacity of the environment to maintain the population, with a lack of krill in the Antarctic posing the greatest threat.

Researchers predict there will be a spike in the population, followed by a sharp decline, set to hit sometime between 2021 and 2026.

Five of the 29 bushfires currently burning in Victoria are still out of control this morning.

The fires have affected some 59,000 hectares so far after being sparked by dry lightning strikes in Bunyip State Park last week.

Authorities hope that stormy conditions and cooler temperatures over Tuesday and Wednesday will help curb the remaining fires.

On Sunday morning, thousands of Australians joined together nationally for a ‘Paddle Out’ to protest against the plans of the Norwegian Oil Company ‘Equinor’ from deep water oil-drilling in the Great Australian Bight.

At least 23 people have been killed in Alabama after two tornadoes hit the region on Sunday afternoon, with rescuers expecting the death toll to rise as they continue to search through the rubble.

Three children, aged six, nine and ten, are among the dead, and tornado warnings have been issued for Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.

Alabama meteorologist Eric Snitil tweeted that there had been more deaths from tornadoes in Lee County in one day than in the entire US last year.

SpaceX has become the first company to dock a commercial spaceship designed to fly people to the International Space Station.

The Crew Dragon was launched on Saturday and docked at 5:51 AM eastern time on Sunday, making it the first American-made, designed-for-crew spacecraft to pull up to the station in eight years.

There were no people on board on the ship, only 400 pounds of cargo and a crash-test dummy, but astronauts aboard the space station were quick to check out the new spacecraft after docking.

The Government has announced new and improved theme park safety measures after the Dreamworld tragedy of October 2016.

Major ride inspections by qualified engineers will strip down rides for weeks at a time every ten years to ensure maximum safety. A new safety and licensing system will be introduced and the training of ride operators will also be improved. Those who fail to follow the new regulations will face large fines.

Brisbane City Council has agreed to pay $5.2 million to purchase three residential blocks of land in Mount Gravatt East for koala conservation efforts.

The acquisition comes after sustained community protest against a townhouse development application lodged in December last year.

The land will be restored to native bushland to act as a wildlife corridor between surrounding koala habitats as a part of the council’s Bushland Acquisition Program.

Two councillors in north-west Queensland have declared they don’t believe in paid parental leave after a new policy was passed last month giving new mothers up to 14 weeks paid leave.

Councillor Damien McGee was one of the naysayers, arguing the federal government should foot the bill, rather than burdening ratepayers.

The policy is the first of its kind for the Cloncurry Shire Council and was passed by three of the five sitting councillors.