Queensland families affected by the drought will now be able to receive more relief money from the State Government.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says drought affected families will now be able to claim $7,500, up from the initial $5,000 dollar cap

The Queensland Drought Appeal now sits at $2.8 million.

North Sydney smokers may soon be banned from lighting up in the CBD in what may be a national-first smoking ban.

The council has passed a motion to ban smoking in every public space in North Sydney, which would make it the first smoke-free municipality.

Mayor Jilly Gibson is confident it will be backed by residents and says the ban will be enforced through encouragement rather than fines.

The Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus is warning the Government not to let the position of Race Discrimination Commissioner sit vacant after Tim Soutphommasane’s departure last month.

Mr Dreyfus says there are some conservatives within the Morrison Government who wanted to scrap the role.

The Institute of Public Affairs, an influential free-market think-tank with strong links to the Coalition, has recommended the position be axed for “promoting division”.

The First Baby of New Zealand has made her UN debut at a peace summit in the General Assembly.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took her three-month-old Neve Te Aroha to the summit with her very own UN mock security pass and having her nappy changed in front of a Japanese delegation.

A United Nations spokesperson says they were delighted to see baby Neve in the General Assembly hall.

The father of a young boy rescued after dangling from a fourth storey Paris balcony in May has received a three month suspended jail sentence for leaving the child home alone.

The 37-year-old father left his four year old son unattended in their sixth-floor apartment while he went shopping, where the son then climbed over the balcony.

The public prosecutor had asked for the sentence to be extended, noting that had rescuer Mamoudou Gassama not sprung into action the child could have died.

A grandmother’s call has been answered as thousands of Queenslanders join her to boycott buying fuel in response to rising prices.

Bundaberg resident Sabrina Lamont created a Facebook event for a ‘National Fuel Strike’ after having to give up her job because she could not afford the petrol for travelling to and from work.

Ms Lamont is calling on the Federal Government to reduce fuel taxes, which the RACQ says accounts for a significant portion of the retail cost of fuel.

Following the strawberry contamination scare, a special sale of the iconic Ekka strawberry sundaes will be held at King George Square today from 6:30am-6:30pm.

Foundation chief executive Michael Hornby told ABC Radio Brisbane Breakfast that all money raised on the day will go to strawberry farmers

The strawberry sundaes have never been done outside the Ekka showgrounds before so if you’re in the city today be sure to check it out and show your support.

Despite the Queensland Government promising a jobs boom from the construction of dozens of solar projects across the state, an industry insider says companies are turning to cheap labour over hiring local tradies.

One solar industry insider says their company was actively hiring backpackers because local job seekers posed "drug and alcohol problems".

The construction source — who did not want to be named out of fear of souring relations with government — says there were significant issues with the local labour force.