As flooding hits the Humpty Doo area, barramundi farmers are being forced to airlift their tonnes of live stock, as the usual transport routes off the Arnhem Highway are completely submerged.

Operation Fish Flight will see around 40 helicopter trips of fish being transported to refrigerated trucks, before they are sent to the east coast to market.

As the first loads of fish are flown out, around 400,000 fingerlings will be flown in to ensure there isn’t a hole in produce in 18 months time.

In a growing trend across Australian schools teachers are allowing students to address them by their given names rather than by the use of titles and surnames.

Sue Charleston, Head of Primary Years at Woodville Gardens School in South Australia said the practice ties in closely with notions of mutual respect between teacher and students.

Ms. Charleston claims titles impose language barriers and the use of first names allows her to quickly establish a relationship with students.

The Brisbane City Council’s are threatening residents to get rid of pet peacocks or face a fine of up to $6,300.

As part of the changes to the legislation surrounding animals, peacocks are being prohibited from Brisbane properties and existing owners will have to relocate the 26 registered peacocks currently on Brisbane properties.

Opposition leader Peter Cumming said the excessive fine seems harsh for a minor problem and owners must be given adequate opportunity to relocate their pet.

A Russian same-sex couple who claimed via social media to have had their marriage legally recognised through a bureaucratic loophole have gone into hiding.

The couple are members of their local activist group, Russian LGBT Network, and are believed to have left the country after facing persecution by police.

It is reported that over the weekend police blocked the couple’s apartment entrance, cut off electricity and internet access for several hours, and attempted to confiscate their passports.  

Two New Zealanders who allegedly convinced pop-artist Lorde to cancel her performance in Tel Aviv have been sued by Israeli legal rights group Shurat HaDin.

The group filed a lawsuit on Tuesday under Israel’s contentious anti-boycott laws.

The new laws allow courts to impose civil penalties against anyone calling  a boycott against Israel if it could knowingly lead to a boycott.

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham has defended the standardised NAPLAN tests against recent criticisms by world-renowned Finish educator Pasi Sahlberg.

Mr. Sahlberg publicly criticised standardised testing systems for skewing school teaching objectives towards the test and away from broader skills like play.

However, Mr. Birmingham stresses that the NAPLAN test is only one assessment tool amongst many, and shouldn’t be considered the be all and end all of school performance.

Inflation figures released today show people are paying more for life essentials like fuel, electricity and rent than ever before, but as the cost of living goes up wages are staying largely the same.

With people having less spendable income, retailers are being forced to discount recreational and fashion items heavily to try and encourage shoppers in store.

Experts say people are paying for the essentials before they hit the shops, leaving retailers doing whatever it takes to bring in business.

The Queensland Logan Coaches bus driver, where a five year old girl was left alone and trapped on the vehicle for hours, has been sacked.

Bus driver, Ross Belsham, accepts he is partly responsible however there were many factors contributed to the girl being unnoticed on January 22.

Mr Belsham was sacked on Tuesday and an online petition has started to help him get his job back.