The rising out-of-pocket costs have stopped more than 1 million Australians from seeing a doctor in the last year.

Despite bulk-billing rates hitting a record high, Australians are still being hit with over $3 billion dollars in out of pocket expenses each year.

Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone explains that the costs of healthcare are rising, and medicare rebates just can’t keep up.

Russian Cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev released four research satellites into orbit and set up an antenna for tracking birds on Earth.

The space station is an ideal perch for the antenna, compared with a typical satellite, said project director Martin Wikelski of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany.

The project will start out tracking blackbirds and turtle doves already outfitted with small GPS tags, then move on to other songbirds, fruit bats and bigger wildlife.

Rapidly escalating avocado prices have driven a New Zealand black market for the smash hit breakfast ingredient.

Due to import laws, Kiwi’s only have access to locally grown avocados, and in May, prices were as high as $4.50 per fruit.

After two years of low-yielding harvests, and a massive boost in popularity for the fruit, there has been a rash of thefts from avocado orchards, with two thieves being caught carrying over $6000 dollars worth of fruit inside duvet covers.

A mental health inpatient at Coffs Harbour Hospital took his own life, and wasn’t found until the next morning.

Jaimie Byrne was supposed to be checked on by staff every 15 minutes throughout the night, but his death went undiscovered for hours.

A whilstleblower has leaked documents to multiple news organisations, which have uncovered multiple failings on the part of Coffs Harbour’s Mid North Coast Local Health District.

This comes after another man died under similar circumstances five years ago.

Telstra’s full-year profits have fallen 8.4% to $3.6 billion, a result of the impact of the national NBN rollout.

Competition for mobile customers is also threatening Telstra’s profits, however they have managed to keep their sales revenue flat at $26 billion dollars.

Chief executive of Telstra, Andy Penn, says that competition in the mobile market is increasing, with the expected entrance of a fourth mobile network operator.

A 2.5 million dollar tourism campaign to promote the Gold Coast has been revealed by the Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones, in light of the successful 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The campaign will be led by Tourism and Events Queensland in close partnership with Destination Gold Coast.

It will promote the Gold Coast as the ultimate family-friendly destination in the key markets of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and New Zealand.

Private Prison Operator Serco has received access to a state run jail in order to promote a new privately run womens prison to Queensland inmates according to prisoner advocacy group ‘Sisters Inside’

This comes amid reports that Queensland is struggling to manage its prison population as men’s prisons are currently running 135 per cent over capacity and womens prisons running 165 over capacity.

A young suicide survivor in the USA has received a life-changing face transplant after being severely disfigured.

The youngest person in the USA to ever recieve a face transplant at age 22, Kate Stubblefield lost most of her face in the attempt and is the recipient of one of only 40 face transplants ever performed worldwide..

Journalists and photographers from the National Geographic followed the invasive 31 hour procedure to restore Kate’s face.

For those affected by mental illness, you can call lifeline on 13 11 14.