The average wait time for people calling Centrelink increased over the last financial year an average of 15 minutes and 44 seconds, with several lines averaging wait times of around 30 minutes.

Some individuals have even reported they waited over an hour before they got through to Centrelink, and that they were passed between quite a few staff before their matters were resolved.

Australian cafes are rationing avocados, with the fruit going for as much as $9 a piece in supermarkets.

According to Brisbane wholesaler, Peter Kedwell, supplies have fallen due to lighter than average avocado crops and unusually short seasons, with Australia’s love affair with avocados having may upset the market balance.

Avocados Australia chief executive John Tyas says the cost should come down soon, as some growers are picking now, rather than late February when the season was expected to start.

The multi-million dollar estate left by former Brisbane lord mayor Clem Jones will be used to help drive the campaign to legalise voluntary euthanasia in Queensland.

Clem Jones Trust chairman David Muir said after supporting the push for euthanasia laws in Victoria last year the trust will now push for Queensland to make the change.

Mr Muir said the current laws have left people with the choice of enduring intolerable suffering or breaking the law to end their life.

Seattle is home to the world’s first checkout-free store, Amazon Go, which has no cashiers, no lines, and no registers.

Using sensors and hundreds of ceiling cameras, items which customers pick up or return to shelves are tracked and updated on the customer’s app.

Food retailing and consumer behaviour expert Dr Gary Mortimer says he expects this technology to be available in Australian stores in five to ten years.

The United States is set to open its Jerusalem embassy by the end of 2019, two years before the previously announced date of 2021.

This move comes after the decision was made to repurpose the Jerusalem based American consular building, rather than construct a whole new structure for the embassy.

This follows the controversial statement made by United States President Donald Trump, who recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, angering many Palestinians and the broader diplomatic community.

Indigenous Labor frontbencher, Linda Burney has called on the government and the Greens to change their focus from the date of Australia Day to pressing indigenous issues.

Ms Burney hopes that they would focus on social justice outcomes around incarceration, health and education among the indigenous community.

There has been ongoing debate to change the date of Australia Day, as it serves as a reminder of the painful past of many indigenous people.

A recent Productivity Commission report has found nearly 300,000 Australians have received support from homelessness agencies in the past year.

The report found federal, state and territory governments spent approximately $817 million tackling homelessness over 2016 and 2017.

In Australia, one in three people in need of shelter are unable to secure accommodation through homelessness services, calling for the government to implement new measures to combat the rising issue.

Pauline Hanson will reportedly ask the Senate to refer Fraser Anning to the High Court in a ploy to regain a One Nation seat.

Anning had separated from One Nation on the day he swore into Senate.

According to The Australian, Hanson reportedly suggested Anning is not fit to sit in the Senate as he was an ‘undischarged bankrupt or insolvent’ in a letter to President of the Senate Scott Ryan.

If Anning is found unfit for Senate, Hanson’s sister Judy Smith would likely replace him, giving One Nation back their four seats.

A missing five year old girl has been found petrified and banging on the doors of her school bus after falling asleep on her ride home from school.

This follows the girl's mother Bobbie Langdon contacting authorities after her daughter failed to get off the bus on her way home from Jimboomba State School, south of Brisbane

A spokesperson for Logan Coaches confirmed the the matter is being investigated but refuses to elaborate further.