PM

In a method the EPA says hasn't been used anywhere else in the world Australia's largest Salmon company Tassal will use tarpaulins to collect fish faeces from under its pens in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania's west coast. The EPA says Tassal has about 4,000 tonnes of extra Salmon in the harbour, but will allow it to grow and be sold for about $60 million if the waste can be collected from the pens.

A new form of a common virus that can kill dogs has been discovered in Australia. The strain of the highly contagious canine parvovirus has previously been found overseas, but now scientists say it has travelled here. But vets are advising dog owners to be alert not alarmed, and to continue vaccinating their pets against the disease.

Malcolm Turnbull is at the mid point of his whirlwind visit to the United States to visit US President Donald Trump. Things got off to a bumpy start, with the Prime Minister left to wait for hours for Mr Trump's arrival aboard USS Intrepid. The leaders also sought to put their infamous phone call behind them to re-enforce the special relationship between the countries. For his take on the meeting, PM was joined by former ambassador to the United States, John McCarthy.

The West Australian gas giant Woodside has confirmed it's offered to sell gas to the eastern states to help make up for their shortfall. Woodside Managing Director Peter Coleman has also flagged participating in so-called gas swaps. They would see Woodside fulfil the export contracts of east coast companies so they could keep supplying domestic markets.

Mobile phones may have black spots in remote areas, but that won't be fixed by allowing other telcos to roam onto the Telstra towers. That's the view of the competition regulator, which has decided to keep the status quo - with Telstra the virtual monopoly mobile provider in the regions. It's welcomed by regional groups, and by Telstra, but infuriated competitors like Vodafone, which says Australians will miss out on the benefits seen in other countries where roaming is regulated and cheap.

FEATURED:

Rod Sims, Chairman of Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

Teresa Corbin, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network

Dan Lloyd, Vodafone

If you needed any more evidence that Australia's print media is in trouble, the country's only newspaper for children is now under threat. Crinkling News is a weekly newspaper for seven to 14 year-olds that started up just 12 months ago. But it's announced it'll print its last edition next week unless it can crowd fund $200,000.

There are plenty of laws designed to punish the perpetrators of child sexual abuse, but fewer targeting those who fail to report them. There's a new push in New South Wales to create a specific offence of failing to report child sexual abuse, with harsher prison sentences attached to it. The NSW Government is considering the proposal.

The Federal Education Minister denies Catholic schools will have to increase their fees under the Government's new education funding model. The Catholic sector says it will be worse off long term under the changes. Simon Birmingham has used an address to the National Press Club to dismiss those concerns.

Conservative Senator Cory Bernardi says he's been contacted by a number of Coalition MPs who've expressed concern about the government's Gonski 2.0 education plan. The rumblings from within the Coalition surfaced yesterday when former Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the plan hadn't been shown to the Coalition party room and indicated there'd be an internal fight.

Each year more Australians die from lung cancer than other cancer. And the lack of a safe, nationwide screening process, contributes to this problem. But now, Australian researchers say they are narrowing down those who are most at risk of the cancer that claims 9000 lives a year. Cancer Council NSW researchers say thanks simple mathematics - they've figured out a way to predict which smokers are most likely to develop lung cancer. And this will pave the way for the crucial lifesaving steps that come next.