You could soon be fined $200 for lighting up on Byron Bay beach thanks to a new push by Byron Shire Council to reduce cigarette butt litter. 

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Rod Sims has stressed people should shop around if they want to pay less at petrol stations. 

Queensland councils want the power to refuse developments to slow the escalating social cost of gaming machines, which soars to nearly $100 million per month while Queenslanders lost a record $2.3 billion to the pokies last year. 

Taxpayers have forked out more than $1 million for over 220 Commonwealth Games athletes and coaches who remained in Australia after overstaying their visas.

An international trial of a vaccine which scientists hope will allow coeliacs to abandon their gluten free diet is being rolled out in Australia.

The treatment will allow the immune system’s abnormal toxic response to gluten to be reprogrammed, helping 160,000 Australians with coeliac disease to avoid a strict lifelong gluten free diet.

The Australian trials will start at the Royal Melbourne Hospital Clinical Trials Centre in Melbourne, followed by Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Mackay and the Sunshine Coast.

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake has hit New Zealand, near the town New Plymouth, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The quake was recorded at 3:13pm local time yesterday afternoon at a depth of 227 kilometres on the North Island’s West Coast.

Thousands of people felt the quake, and the New Zealand Parliament in Wellington briefly suspended proceedings after the tremor, however, there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Craig Challen, the retired Perth veterinarian who helped rescue the Thai boys from a flooded cave has been named the West Australian nominee for Australian of the year.

Mr Challen and his dive partner, Richard Harris, have already received the rare Star of Courage for their roles in the risky July rescue mission in Chiang Rai (Shi-ung Rye).

Mr Challen was announced as the recipient of the WA Australian of the Year award at the Government House in Perth yesterday.

An independent review reveals there has been a catastrophic failure to regulate the live animal export industry and calls for strengthened oversight.

The report found staff were too afraid to report their concerns about animal welfare within the industry.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud, who led the review earlier this year following cases of thousands of sheep deaths aboard the Awassi Express, will appoint an Independent Inspector General of Live Exports.

Police and Workplace Health and Safety inspectors are investigating an out-of-control rally car which injured audience members at a monster truck show at Mount Gravatt Showgrounds.

Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace told Brisbane Times she is shocked to learn of the incident involving the stunt vehicle over the weekend.

Ms Grace says her department will work with stakeholders and event organisers to explore ways to make similar events safe in the future.