The Brisbane Times has revealed the Assistant Treasurer Stuart Roberts has been charging taxpayers $2000 a month for internet at his Gold Coast home.

The Federal Member for Fadden, who has a degree in IT, is charging taxpayers for data at a rate 20 times higher than the average politician.

Mr Roberts says the figure was a result of exceeding his data limit of 50GB a month by 250GB.

Overnight storms through Queensland’s south won’t be enough to break drought conditions.

St George received 25 millimetres of rain, while Roma enjoyed 13 after months of dry conditions.

Although locals are celebrating the welcome change, the rain will do little more than top up tanks, as the Bureau of Meteorology says the rain is likely to clear over the weekend.

With a confirmation vote expected this Saturday, US Senators are sparring over an FBI report into sexual misconduct claims against Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

The FBI’s findings are reportedly being circulated for all 100 senators to read, and while Democrats say it was incomplete, Republicans say it was inconclusive and does not support allegations against Kavanaugh.

The Indonesian earthquake-tsunami death toll has reached 1,400 this morning and is expected to rise further, now 7 days after the disaster struck.

Entire towns have been destroyed, and authorities say thousands are injured and possibly hundreds of thousands more are displaced from their homes.

If you would like to assist in the rescue effort, you can donate on the Australian Red Cross website, which is conducting search and recovery missions, providing medical services and distributing water and sanitation supplies.

A former ASIC investigator is calling for the 'big four’ insurance companies to join the big banks in facing the Banking Royal Commission. 

The forensic investigator who spent 20 years at the watchdog says PwC, Deloitte, EY and KPMG are likely to have been pressured into approving reports for fear of compromising financial relationships.

Despite damning evidence, a recent interim report from the Royal Commission made no recommendations to the Federal Government, sparking Opposition calls for the Commission to be extended.

Delays in the release of the Federal Government's review into religious freedom are sparking outrage from critics, including former High Court Justice Michael Kirby.

Mr Kirby says secularism in Australian education is at threat, and as the Government have not yet released the Ruddock Report, the basis for giving private religious schools more money, and developing policy, should be considered questionable.

Brisbane based coffee van known as ‘Second Shot’ is giving homeless youth a second chance at life.

Ms Naz Wapau came to Brisbane from Rockhampton with her partner when she was 18 with no money and says she was at breaking point when she was approached by the social enterprise this year.

Operated by young homeless and disadvantaged people, profits from the two vans offers counselling and support for employees to get back on their feet.

A victim of child sexual abuse is going to the Supreme Court for damages after receiving a pittance settlement from Brisbane Grammar School in the 1980s.

The then-student received $47,000 after falling victim to notorious paedophile teacher Keven Lunch and is the first person to bring forward a case under the statute of limitations amendments, claiming he was disadvantaged at the time.

Scientists Frances Arnold, George Smith and Sir Gregory Winter have won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for research using evolution to produce new enzymes for chemistry.

They have used the idea of evolution - survival of the fittest - with the intent of making proteins that solve mankind's’ medical problems.

Harnessing enzymes and evolving them to act as medical treatment is far less harsh on the body than complex synthetic drugs, and these nobel prize winners have changed the face of medical science.