A major investigation into female medical staff across Australia has discovered that nearly half had been a victim of domestic violence.

The investigation published by the BMC Women’s Health Journal involved 471 female nurses and doctors in Victoria and was the first to identify the link between female medical staff and domestic violence.

It was reported that 45% of those surveyed had experienced domestic violence.

Granville Boys High School in Western Sydney has introduced a barbershop program to re-engage at-risk boys.

A 10 week program running in the schools “Groom Room”, involves students learning how to clip, chop and fade hair, as well as discussing life matters and boy-to-men conversations.

Success has been evident with improvement in all areas of schooling for the boys undertaking the program.

Former Ipswich deputy mayor Paul Tully claims he did not know about the alleged behaviour of two previous mayors on the Ipswich City Council, saying to the ABC there was no way for him to know about their private activities.

He says as he did not have the power to compel people to give evidence, interview people or tap phones, it is not clear how he could be responsible for behaviour in the private lives of others.

These comments come as the Ipswich City Council takes the state government to the supreme court in an effort to stop the council being put on notice.

The NSW Greens are pushing to redevelop the existing Tweed Heads hospital, against the government’s plan to develop a hospital at a new site in Kingscliff.

North Coast spokesperson Dawn Walker said redeveloping the current site would keep the facility near the Tweed Heads population centre, contrasting with the government’s plan to build a new site near Kingscliff TAFE to create a health and education precinct.

Ms Walker criticised both the government and opposition for supporting the new location’s position on agricultural land.

The 2018 Brisbane Festival kicking off on the 8th of September has released its program, fulfilling Brisbane’s desire for contemporary music and spectacle.

This year the festival has introduced the “River of Light”, a water fountain light and laser show taking place three times a night.

Artists such as Violent Soho, Ball Park Music and Eskimo Joe are also featured throughout the festival.

With Riverfire closing the 21 day celebration as the longest firework display in Australia, welcoming almost 500,000 spectators last year.

Mental health disorders are four to seven times more common for Indigenous adults compared to other Australians, according to research from the University of Queensland.

The school’s Director of Indigenous Health, Dr Maree Toombs, said the results exceeded expectations with disorders broken down into three groups - mood, anxiety and substance abuse disorders.

The contribution of mental health issues to the indigenous health gap and mortality rates have been dramatically underestimated, according to research fellow Professor Geoff Nicholson.

Victoria’s recycling system is to be provided with an extra $37 million in an effort to reduce the amount of recyclable material ending up in landfill.

This decision is set to alleviate the backlog of recyclable material left after China imposed strict contamination thresholds on recyclable material.

Victorian Environment minister Lily D’Ambrosio says the plan will create a more stable and productive recycling sector and improve the quality of recycled materials.

Two Darwin properties have been destroyed in a blaze, with 15 affected as fire crews prepare for further difficult fire conditions.

Water Bombing aircrafts were called in yesterday afternoon as the blaze stretched across 160 hectares of land along Darwin River.

Senior Fire Control Officer John Fischer reported further infrastructure had been damaged and livestock killed.

The blaze is now controlled but not yet extinguished.