The eastern Syrian region of Ghouta has received aid from the United Nations following the deadly government assaults.

An official from the World Health Organization said Syrian government authorities have prevented vital medical supplies such as surgical kits and insulin from entering the enclave of 400,000 people.

Spokeswoman for the International committee of the Red Cross, Ingy Sedky advised that repeated and continuous access to East Ghouta by humanitarian organisations is vital.

The latest victim in a string of dog attacks is calling on her local council to toughen dog ownership bylaws.

The woman, who has undergone three operations as a result of the attack, said that the current bylaws do not hold dog owners to account.

Palmerston City Council CEO Luccio Cercarelli said that he does not think the laws are biased towards dog owners.

According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian farmers could potentially face a decline in income this financial year as agricultural production levels are expected to fall 5%.

Nearly 60 billion dollars in national agricultural income will be lost, causing prices in wheat, barley and other commodities to rise in price.  

Analysts blame poor seasonal conditions for the fall in agricultural production and predict that next financial year, production levels may begin to stabilise.

A report released Monday by the Grattan institute says that fewer than 50 per cent of Australians aged between 25 and 34 own their own property.

For many, moving further away from the city is the only solution to owning affordable land.

The report said that while high-rise developments benefit housing in inner-city locations, they are limited to the confined areas of the CBD and will not fix the city’s housing affordability problem.

The Queensland Government will move to rectify the law which forced people who had undergone gender reassignment to divorce their partner before their gender was legally recognised.

Section 22 of the 2003 Births, Deaths and Marriages Registrations Act will be changed now that same sex marriage is legally recognised in Australia.

Attorney- General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath says the law has been unjust and unfair to members of the community that were forced to choose between their marriage and their gender identity.

The first Pub Choir event outside of Brisbane was recently held on the Sunshine Coast, with over 300 people coming together to learn Paul Kelly’s ‘Dumb Things’.

Director and creator Astrid Jorgensen says the event on the Sunshine Coast was a test run to expand and take the phenomenon interstate with dates for an event in Hobart confirmed.

Ms Jorgensen says people come to the events because the pub is a comfortable place for people to enjoy singing loudly without judgement. 

A new study has revealed that Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are three times more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer and die from the disease than non-Aboriginal women.

Cancer Council Victoria has urged the state’s indigenous population who smoke to get support and quit to reduce the risk of getting lung cancer.

Council Chief Executive Todd Harper said “lung cancer accounts for more than one-in-four cancer deaths in Aboriginal Victorians, compared to almost one-in-five in other Victorians”.

Tasmania’s Liberal premier Will Hodgman is open to political donation reform after oppositions claimed the gaming lobby bankrolled his election campaign.

The Liberals were re-elected on Saturday night, winning at least 13 of 25 lower house seats.

Mr Hodgman was pressed to reveal Liberal political donations during the five-week campaign but refused, saying he was abiding by current laws that require parties to disclose donations of more than $13,500 annually.