A series of well-preserved dinosaur tracks have been found on a property near Winton in central-west Queensland.

The discovery has been hailed as one of the best-preserved dinosaur tracks in Australia and covers an area equal to the size of two basketball courts.

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones says the find will play a key role in boosting visitor numbers to the Queensland outback.

North Macedonia will be accepted as a full member to NATO late this year or early next year once parliament endorses its name change.

The small Balkan nation changed its name from Macedonia to North Macedonia following disagreements with Greece over the name.  

Greece had previously blocked attempts by the Balkan nation state to join NATO.

North Macedonia's defence minister Radmila Sekerinska said she is filled with pride as the country will finally be accepted into NATO.

Pictures of a rare black leopard have been captured in Kenya, the first verifiable record of the animal in a century.

The images were captured by researchers from the San Diego Zoo who have been studying leopards in the Loisaba wildlife conservancy, as well as an independent photographer working in the region at the same time.

The last confirmed report was a photograph taken in Addis Ababa in 1909 which is stored in the Museum of National History in the United States.

Pensioners will soon be able to earn $300 a fortnight without it impacting their welfare payments under draft laws.

The proposed laws were cleared by the lower house of parliament at an overall cost of approximately $260 million over the forward estimates.

Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher said the bill gives retirees greater choice and flexibility when it comes to managing their finances in retirement.  

A Queensland woman has been found guilty of taking her two daughters to Somalia to undergo female genital mutilation – the first prosecution of its type in the state.

The prosecution relied heavily on evidence of a paediatrician who examined the girls shortly after their return and stated that “female genital mutilation has no medical benefits whatsoever”.

The defendant faces up to 14 years in jail.

The Queensland government is being urged to take up a new online resource aimed at helping teachers and students deal with children who have epilepsy.

The Epilepsy Smart School program is being rolled out nationally by Epilepsy Australia after a successful trial in Victoria.

The chief executive of Epilepsy Queensland Helen Whitehead said the program will supplement the work the state arm of the national body already does with Education Queensland.

Shark nets on Sunshine Coast beaches, from Rainbow Beach to Caloundra, will be removed today and tomorrow as rough weather approaches.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson has said there is a strong wind warning for the Sunshine Coast over the weekend.

Shark control program manager Jeff Krause said the weather forecast will be observed over the next few days to decide when it will be safe to return the shark nets.