Environmentalists are warning that oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight could put entire ecosystems at risk, 80 to 85 per cent of species in the area are endemic and the remote area is mainly untouched by humans.

The Norwegian company Statoil is seeking approval to conduct exploratory oil drilling and currently has two permits from BP.

If Statoil’s plan is approved exploratory drilling could begin 200 kilometres off the South Australian coast by the end of next year.

A second Liberal MP has declared they could live on Newstart, following Julia Banks’s similar statement last Wednesday.   

Tim Wilson stated on Q&A last night, he could live on what would be $40 a day, or 40% of minimum wage and resisted suggestions to increase allowances stating the money would have to come from somewhere else.

Wilson also defended the 65 billion dollar tax cut for big companies proposed by the Government, when fellow panellist Jeremy Heimans, co founder of GetUp! suggested the money could come from there.

A man is missing off the central Queensland coast after he disappeared from a charter boat.

A search has not found any trace of Jeffrey Costar, who was last seen at 2am on Sunday.

The fishing boat had over a dozen passengers on board when he disappeared.

A new United Nations report says at least 36 people, including 30 children, were killed in a helicopter raid by the Afghan government as they attended a religious ceremony.

The Afghan government said the April 2 attack was intended to hit members of a Taliban special forces group as well as a senior leadership group.

The UN could not confirm any allegations of the helicopters deliberately targeting civilians.

Red-hot lava is seeping through the streets from the Kilauea volcano, known to be the most active volcano in Hawaii.

In its latest update, twenty-six homes have already been destroyed says Hawaii’s Civil Defence Agency.

The residents were prepared with evacuation orders in place Monday for the hundreds of residents in the eastern part of Hawaii.

The New South Wales state government has referred the state’s consent laws to the law reform commission following a four corners investigation of a high profile sexual assault case last night.

A Sydney man was found not guilty of sexual assault despite that the jury and two judges finding that the victim did not consent.  

The complicated laws surrounding consent that impacted the outcome of this particular case has caused New South Wales Attorney General, Mark Speakman to refer these laws to the Law Reform Commission.

The federal government will announce their budget tonight and is warned not to be ‘mammoth’.

The government is set to unveil tax cuts worth $10.50 a week which may affect low and middle-income earners.

The ABC reports the budget will also include plans to increase funding for home care packages, reducing the backlog.

Companies that steal wages from employees may soon face higher penalties in Queensland.

On Monday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a parliamentary inquiry which will listen to workers’ stories about wage theft around Queensland.

Ms Palaszczuk said the inquiry could result in larger fines for businesses that violate the rules.

Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has stated she hopes the federal government will allocate some funding for the Cross River Rail in the new budget to be announced tonight.

Cross River Rail is planned to be an over 10 kilometre rail line between Dutton Park and Bowen Hills but has taken a back seat since extra funding was allocated to the Brisbane Metro project.