Trips on Brisbane’s city cycles have increased 35 per cent in the past year with more than 2,000 trips taken each day according to recent data.

Council’s public and active transport chairman Adrian Schrinner says a change to the memberships as well as the visibility of the bikes contributed to the recent increase in usage.

The council has signed a 20 year contract with JCDecaux with bikes progressively replaced and new technology to allow the bikes to be tracked could be considered.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he will not hold a referendum to provide an indigenous voice to parliament.

Australian author Richard Flanagan says the Prime Minister has humiliated indigenous leaders and squandered a chance at reconciliation.

The idea of having an indigenous voice in parliament through an advisory body has been reportedly encouraged by the Prime Minister’s Indigenous advisors.

Australian women could soon be able to purchase sanitary products without having to pay any Goods and Services Tax (GST), after Treasurer Scott Morrison revealed the government would push for an exemption for all sanitary products from GST charges.

The charges on Sanitary products have been a point of debate for years, with many opponents of the charges describing it as sexist as products such as condoms are exempt from the 10 per cent GST charge.

An earthquake which has hit the indonesian tourist island of Lombok has killed at least 82 people.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake, triggered a Tsunami warning for a short period of time and damaged buildings on other islands including Bali where buildings including Denpasar airport terminal was slightly damaged.

The latest quake comes only weeks after a 6.4 magnitude quake hit Lombok on July 29th, which killed 17 people.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Madura says he survived an assassination attempt involving explosive drones whilst speaking at a military event in Caracas.

Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez says two drones loaded with explosives went off near the president’s stand however firefighters at the disputed this version of events citing the incident was a gas tank explosion inside an apartment.

The Colombian government has denied any involvement saying there is no basis to Mr Maduro’s allegations of their involvement.

Japan is pushing for the International Whaling Commission to ease the reintroduction of commercial whaling, with Japan’s chief whaling negotiator telling the ABC they must discontinue disputeful coverage.

But Australia's Environment Minister, Josh Frydenberg, says at the meeting in Brazil in September, he will stop any moves to change the decision-making process to make it easier to kill whales.

Cambodia’s opposition party the Cambodian National Rescue Party, has urged the Australian Government to reject the recent election results and support the nation’s democracy.

This came after China warned the international community against interfering in Cambodia’s politics, after many decried the elections as unfair.

Deputy leader of the opposition Mu Sochua said that China however, is supporting Cambodian dictatorship.

The Australian Federal Police believes a criminal offence may have been committed in relation to leaks about raids on union premises that are linked to Jobs Minister, Michaelia Cash's, office.

The AFP is continuing investigations into the leak of information, which led to media being informed and arriving before police raided the offices.

Deputy commissioner, Leanne Close, says dozens of people had been interviewed during the investigation, but is refusing to say if government ministers including Senator Cash had assisted police.

Critics have called out the New South Wales government after hundreds of medical files were found in an abandoned run-down building south of Sydney.

After investigations uncovered the privacy breach, New South Wales Health responded that the site was covered in warning signs of asbestos, and that the former Garrawarra Centre for Aged Care in Helensburg was illegally trespassed.

Sources close to the ABC said the building was not secure and that the public had been accessing the site.