PM

After a week of natural disasters and deaths, today brought more sad news, with the bodies of a mother and two of her children found in the Tweed River. They'd reportedly been helping flood victims before their car ran off a muddy road. Police have labelled the mother a hero who they believe died trying to get all her children out of the sunken car. One eight-year-old child did escape and it was she who raised the alarm. Meanwhile, as flood victims piece together their lives, the insurance industry has renewed calls for budget measures for flood mitigation.

One Nation is hitting back at allegations aired on Four Corners last night that it tried to hide the donation of a light aircraft and accusing the ABC of mounting a witch hunt against the party. Meanwhile Labor's written to the Australian Electoral Commission calling for a full investigation into the claims.

The Prime Minister is continuing to spruik the company tax cut. However, one small business owner is questioning how beneficial the change will be. The owner of the Stonemasons business visited by Malcolm Turnbull today is welcoming the cut but is urging Governments to focus on reducing payroll tax and cracking down on tax avoidance instead.

Widespread flooding is continuing to cause concern for communities stretching from Queensland through to New South Wales. In Rockhampton, authorities are preparing for a flood peak on Wednesday, and they're warning residents to prepare now. The town will use a temporary levee for the first time. Meanwhile, the New South Wales Government has appointed a recovery coordinator. Today is the first time many people have been allowed back to their properties, and authorities are warning that support will be needed for those people. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has also spent the day touring flood affected areas.

Confusion reigns among residents living in areas contaminated by fire-fighting foams after the Federal Health Department released new toxic substance safety levels today. A spokesman for a group of residents at the RAAF Base at Williamtown in New South Wales says the new values mean more properties will be considered contaminated.

The first women's golf tournament of the year has ended in the most controversial of circumstances. The American Lexi Thompson was comfortably leading the event in California, when she was told she'd been penalised four shots for a mistake she made the day before.

The Referendum Council has just wrapped up a three day forum at Ross River near Alice Springs - the latest in a series of consultations being held across Australia. The weekend's gathering was particularly important because it provided the council with an opportunity to further hear first-hand from Indigenous Territorians who were directly affected by the Intervention. Many people in the Northern Territory want the constitution changed specifically so such sweeping legislative change can never again be made by the Commonwealth without the consent of Aboriginal people.

A long-promised suicide prevention trial for veterans in Townsville is edging closer to reality, almost eight months after it was first announced. The Federal Government has announced $3 million is ready to be spent, and key people running the trial have now been appointed. The Defence Force Welfare Association says every day counts, and the program needs to be rolled out as soon as possible.

It could be that Australians are saving their earnings more - or spending more on housing than ever before. But either way, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows retail sales have slumped. Retail turnover fell point 1 per cent in February this year, compared to a rise of point 4 per cent in January. But while Australians spent less on clothes, shoes and accessories, spending on food, both restaurant and take away, stayed the same.

A United Nations official has blasted Australia for the 'disturbing' number of Aboriginal children behind bars. Indigenous young people are 17 times more likely to be in the youth justice system than their peers. UN Special Rapporteur Victoria Tauli-Corpuz spent the past fortnight investigating Indigenous disadvantage nationwide. She says the Federal Government should introduce a target aimed at driving down imprisonment rates.