More than 15,000 properties have been left with a power outage in Western Australia as a cold front approaches Perth.

The extreme cold front approaching the southern half of Western Australia has brought damaging winds and heavy rainfall to much of the state.

State Emergency Service crews have already attended to more than 20 homes across Perth to repair damage.

With peak-hour traffic approaching, drivers have been advised to consider putting off any unnecessary travel.

School children across South Australia are travelling to the bush to connect with the land and Indigenous culture as part of the ‘Kids on Country’ program run by the Nature Foundation South Australia.

The program takes students to nature reserves for a week in which they take part in hands-on learning activities and are educated about the natural environment by Indigenous elders.

The Queensland Government has given the green light for the development of a $1 billion wind farm which will be one of the largest in Australia.

The wind farm will include the installation of up to 195 wind turbines near Rockhampton and is expected to create about 350 jobs in the area.

Energy Minister Dr Anthony Lynham says the project will help Queensland achieve its 50 percent renewable energy target by 2030.

Brisbane is facing a shortage of influenza vaccinations for children aged five and older after last year’s flu season.

While free vaccinations for children under 5 and adults over 65 are still available through the National Immunisation Program, local parents find vaccinations for older children difficult to acquire.

A Mount Gravatt pharmacist has said it has been difficult to restock the vaccine due to the high demands.

The Prime Minister of Jordan, Hani Mulki, resigned yesterday in the wake of anti-government protesters demanding his resignation.

The public anger follows the government’s increase of general sales tax and the abolition of bread subsidiaries driven by the International Monetary Fund.

The protests have been the largest in the nation since 2011, and 60 people have reportedly been detained.

A proposed fast train network connecting greater Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle creating a ‘mega-region’ could slash commuters travel time by half.

The report states that the fast train network could also provide 10,000 new jobs for Sydney.

The planned network will connect commuters to Western Sydney from  Newcastle, the Central Coast and Wollongong in less than one hour, potentially reaching speeds of 200 kilometres per hour.

Geelong Northern Bay College is calling on its local community to sponsor a student, providing them with financial support in a plan to reduce intergenerational disadvantage in Geelong's northern suburbs.

The college principal, Fred Clarke, said statistics show that the suburb is the third most disadvantaged in the state of Victoria.

The college hopes the financial assistance will enable students to give up frequent part-time work, pay for desks and internet connection, as well as school supplies in a bid to ‘break the cycle’.

Operators of a 7-Eleven service station in East Brisbane have been fined over $200,000 for underpaying staff and falsifying records.

The manager of the station has admitted to paying staff as little as $14.14 an hour and falsifying records provided to the Fair Work Ombudsman and the 7 Eleven head office.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has begun 10 legal proceedings against 7-Eleven franchisees since 2010.