Logan Mayor Luke Smith is likely to be stood down in the coming months, should new laws pass through Queensland Parliament, government authorities have told the ABC.

Under the changes, councillors and mayors charged with serious breaches of office would be automatically suspended without pay.

In March, Mr Smith was charged by the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) with official corruption, two counts of perjury,  and failing to correct his register of interests. The mayor has vowed to strongly defend the charges.

Brisbane City Council’s infrastructure committee reveals 72% of Brisbane residents are driving their cars to work instead of taking public transport.

According to data from between 2011 and 2016 from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census, Brisbane was one of the Australian capital cities who saw a decline in public transport usage.

A council spokesman believes the decreased trend in public transport usage could be related to service interruptions on rail lines or fare escalation between 2011 and 2016.

French police have revealed the suspect of a deadly knife attack in central Paris on Saturday evening.

The suspect, named by the media as Khamzat Asimov, is a French citizen born in 1997 in Russia’s republic of Chechnya, who was on a French watch list of people who could pose a threat to national security

Police shot dead the attacker in the busy Opéra district after he killed a man and injured four other people.

The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attack.

A new poll conducted by LBGT activists has shown that 4 out of 5 Australians oppose religious schools expelling students and firing staff based on their sexulaitiy.

However the Catholic church, Anglican diocese of Sydney and Christian Schools Australia refute claims of discrimination stating they have a right to religious freedom.

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek says Labor has no plans in removing existing religious exemptions allowing schools to remove staff and students based on sexuality.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has named Coles Express as the nation’s highest-priced petrol retailer in a new industry report.

The ACCC took the unusual step of naming and shaming Australia’s largest fuel retailers, who often use loyalty discounts to lure customers to their petrol offerings.

Major retailers such as BP, Coles Express and Caltex had the highest prices on average, while independent chains such as 7-Eleven and United had prices lower than the market average.

Heavy-commercial vehicles will see increased toll prices along three Brisbane roads from mid-2018 to cover the cost of the $60 million Inner City Bypass upgrade.

The increases will be for trips taken between 5am and 8pm only, with the intention to take trucks off the tollways during peak periods, thereby reducing congestion.

Brisbane City Council infrastructure chairman Amanda Cooper said the increased toll charges would fund the upgrade, rather than the project being solely funded by Brisbane taxpayers.

Schools and universities across Tasmania are starting to reopen as the clean up from flood damage continues.

The three-day catastrophe has led to roads being closed, dozens of houses without power and 12,000 properties damaged.

While the clean up has only just begun, Attorney-General Elise Archer applauded emergency services and local councils around Tasmania saying they have been ‘nothing short of extraordinary.’