The father of a young girl who swallowed a button battery has told of his daughter’s rocky road to recovery and the emotional toll it has taken on the family.

Kindergarten would be made free under a cost-of-living shake-up being considered by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, in a move that would save Queensland families thousands of dollars a year.

SEVERAL obstetricians at Cairns Hospital are considering leaving their positions especially if their workload spikes with the closure of the city’s private maternity unit, the country’s peak organisation for specialist obstetricians has warned.

Victorian small businesses may be short-changed twice on a bill relief scheme designed to ease the pressure of soaring power prices.

A new state government tax aimed at wealthy property developers is preventing local councils from freeing up surplus land for affordable housing.