Fourth Indigenous person to die in police custody in three weeks
The following story references indigenous deaths in custody. Readers discretion is advised.
A Barkindji man has been confirmed as the fourth Indigenous person to die in Australian custody in three weeks.
The Aboriginal Legal Service of NSW and the ACT confirmed today that the man died in Broken Hill on March 18.
The service said an independent body needs to urgently and transparently investigate the man’s death.
QLD Consent laws proposed in parliament
Greens MP Amy MacMahon has proposed amendments to Queensland's consent laws, in Parliament today.
Ms McMahon will propose an affirmative model of consent in law, and further, restrict the Mistake of Fact defence for sexual assaults.
The amendments come after an open letter from numerous advocacy groups, which said the current consent bill before Parliament is inadequate.
Koala safety shields trialled in QLD
Koala safety shields are being trialled in Queensland.
If the trial is successful, metal guards will be affixed to posts along the M1 motorway between Brisbane and Gold Coast to prevent the claws of koalas and other nocturnal wildlife from getting a grip on the poles.
The initiative has had very promising results so far, with no koalas able to climb past the shields.
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Skyscraper-sized ship blocks one of the world's busiest trade routes
A skyscraper-sized container ship is blocking one of the world's busiest trade routes.
The Ever Given ran aground yesterday, and has become wedged across Egypt’s Suez Canal.
Dozens of vessels are waiting for rescue boats to free the 400m-long ship, which was knocked off course by strong winds.
About 12 per cent of global trade passes through the Suez Canal, which is the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe.
The operation to re-float the ship could take two days, and may cause major delays in global shipping.
Icelandic volcano could erupt for years, say experts
Experts say an Icelandic volcano could continue to erupt for years.
Lava has been steadily seeping from the volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 30 kilometres south-west of the capital, since it first erupted last Friday.
The lava has been flowing at a rate of between 5 to 10 cubic metres per second, which is strong enough to ensure the lava does not solidify and close the fissure.
Indigenous Voice to Parliament to amplify regional voices
Local Aboriginal groups will be a part of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, aiming to amplify regional voices.
The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Ken Wyatt, appointed Aboriginal leaders Marcia Langton and Tom Calma to lead design options for an Indigenous advisory board.
The advisory board is different from another voice to Parliament which was part of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and includes calls for a treaty.
Regional communities across Australia have been giving feedback on what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people want from the process.
Rainfall misses Brisbane's main water supply dam
Recent rainfall has missed Brisbane’s main water supply catchment.
While other catchments in the region were saturated, Wivenhoe Dam largely missed out on the rainfall and is at just 37 per cent capacity.
"So, that's only seen a rise of about 1 per cent in storage capacity over the past week," SEQ Water spokesperson Chris Owen said.
"[That's] the one that we really need the rainfall to fall in because it caters to more than 50 per cent of the region's water supply for south-east Queensland."
Cassowary deaths linked to being fed by humans
Wildlife experts in Far North Queensland say people feeding wild cassowaries has contributed to at least five deaths of the bird on local roads.
In 2014, conservationists estimated there were fewer than 1,000 of the birds remaining in the wild.
Veterinarian and cassowary expert Graham Lauridsen said the endangered birds are becoming less fearful of humans and vehicles because they are being fed.
"It is 100 per cent the reason those birds have died," Dr Lauridsen said.
Water pump screens in the Murray-Darling basin to stop native fish deaths
Protecting populations of native fish has been a key part of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan since it was implemented in 2012.
However, fish, fingerlings, eggs, larvae and other water life are being sucked into the thousands of irrigation pumps throughout the Murray-Darling river systems.
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has found a standard 30-centimetre pipe sucked up about 240 fish a day.
With 4,546 irrigation pumps operating in New South Wales alone, up to 97 million fish are being lost each year.