Residents of Manus Island have blockaded entry into Australian-run immigration centres to protest what they alleged was untreated sewage running from the compounds onto their land.

A volcanic eruption prompted the evacuation of over 1,500 people on an Island north of the Papua New Guinean coast.

The volcano on the island of Kadovar erupted over the weekend, and evacuees and residents of a neighbouring island were moved to the mainland.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced on twitter that the Australian Government was contributing $25,000 worth of humanitarian supplies for those affected.

Hawaiian state officials have profusely apologised for the the missile warning that was sent out by text message on Saturday as a result of human error.

The emergency text was the second security blunder in recent times, as the country has continuously run into problems with the attempted alarm drill using cold war era technology.

The chairman of America’s Federal Communications Commision issued a statement calling for officials at all levels in the US to work together to fix any vulnerabilities.

In his latest bid for success in the South Australian election, former senator Nick Xenophon has pushed for better protection of public servant whistleblowers.

In the wake of the abuse unveiled at Families SA, the Department for Child Protection, and the Oakden aged care facility, Xenophon claimed that under his leadership, public servants who came forward and faced any sort of reprisal would be able to take criminal and civil action.

Young Queenslanders are returning to rural properties, convinced there is a profitable future in the cattle industry.

Mackay Wales Law principal lawyer, Patrick Sutton, said one of the attractions for young people going back to family stations is the scrapping of stamp duty payable on debt that was implemented by State Government.

Figures run by the National Farmers Federation claim the gross value of Australian cattle and calf production in 2009-10 was $7.27 billion.

Two of Queensland’s major dams have lowered their storage capacity, and will remain lowered for over half a decade.

The owner of the dams, SEQ Water, claimed lowering the storage of Somerset and Wivenhoe dams would not affect the security of the region's water supply, but would instead allow for upgrades as part of a Dam Improvement Program.

Wivenhoe's capacity was lowered to 90 percent of its previous full supply volume, while Somerset was reduced to 80 per cent.

A powerful earthquake hit Peru early yesterday morning, causing widespread damage and injury.

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake was centred in the Pacific Ocean, with the shockwaves causing two deaths and over twenty injuries.

Multiple roads and houses have collapsed and several cities have been left without power, with national aid currently rolling out across the country.

The Coalition government have publicly defended their childcare policy after accusations emerged from Labor that 279,000 families will be worse off under the new reform, with the families most negatively affected from the lowest income bracket.

The government has responded by claiming that close to a million families will benefit from the package.