PM

There are concerns about the number of Australian stroke patients who are travelling overseas for stem cell therapies, many which are untested and potentially unsafe. Researchers in Adelaide are studying stroke survivors to find out what patients know about the therapies and why they're seeking out the experimental treatments. The study is hoping to identify those who may be inclined to go abroad for so-called stem cell tourism.

The Prime Minister won't confirm reports that his government is planning to axe the $360 million Green Army program, but that hasn't stopped the former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott warning against the move. The program for young unemployed people to work on environmental projects was one of Mr Abbott's signature policies, but Mr Turnbull has emphasised the success of Landcare instead. The Government has also released the terms of reference for a review into its broader suite of climate change policies.

The Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory has been told the current Don Dale detention centre is being run like a human storage facility. The author of a damning report about the Territory's corrections system is giving evidence at public hearings this week. Keith Hamburger says he and his staff were horrified about conditions inside the former adult prison, now being used for young people.

Residents of an Aboriginal community off the coast of Townsville have had a victory in their class action against the Queensland Police force. The Federal Court found some police officers breached the Racial Discrimination Act in their handling of the Palm Island riot in 2004. The court has ordered more than $200,000 be paid in compensation.

The shock resignation of the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key is being read as a decision to go out on top. He announced the move at a press conference earlier today, saying he'd never been a career politician. Mr Key's resignation comes after eight years in the top job, during a period of relative popularity.

A scientist from the University of Melbourne has told a trans Tasman neuroscience conference that the same protein that protects the brain during a traumatic injury causes Alzheimer's disease and his team is working on using the protein as a drug to treat memory loss. While the scientists are sharing their knowledge year 10 students have been taking part in a brain bee competition.

A new loan fee that university students are bound to hate is a budget saving measure being put forward in a report by the Grattan Institute. But the idea for a 15 per cent fee on all government funded student loans already has one higher education group turning their nose up at it.

The state treasurers came to Canberra today, with many hoping to convince Scott Morrison to look at ways the feds can help make buying a house more affordable. The Federal Treasurer said there was some agreement on making rental accommodation more accessible, but Scott Morrison said he had no plans to change the Government's position on negative gearing. Labor and Liberal states have been urging the Commonwealth to consider it as a way to make it easier for people to get into the housing market.

A new report has found the Federal Government's remote work-for-the dole scheme is failing Indigenous communities. The Australian National University researchers have described the Community Development Programme as a policy disaster. They say more people are receiving financial penalties under the scheme, rental arrears are increasing and people are struggling to feed their families.

An Asthma Australia survey has found that four in 10 people who experienced asthma symptoms during last week's Melbourne thunderstorm hadn't been diagnosed with the condition before. However, early results from the online survey also found that a majority of victims had previously suffered from hay fever and other allergies. Asthma Australia says more needs to be done to raise awareness of the relationship between allergies and asthma and that the dangers of the latter should never be underestimated.