The results of the latest NAPLAN tests have raised a red flag about the reading and writing skills of Australian students.

The writing test results show Years 5, 7 and 9 students were all well below the baseline set back in 2011.

Dr Kevin Donnelly is one of Australia’s leading education academics and he tells Mark it’s time students were made to go back to the basics.

In the wake of last week’s Liberal leadership change two polls this week have Labor 10 points in front of the Coalition Two Party Preferred.

The first test will come after Malcolm Turnbull announced he will resign this Friday triggering a byelection in his Sydney seat of Wentworth.

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek tells Mark new Prime Minister Scott Morrison owes it to the public to call an early election.

Many thousands of people each year experience the frustration of finally going to use a gift card only to find it has expired and is worthless.

On Friday, at a meeting of consumer affairs ministers, Queensland will call for national laws to extend expiry dates to three years from the date of purchase.

Russell Zimmerman from the Australian Retailers Association tells Mark that after NSW went it alone it has become imperative that all states are on the same page.

Computer scammers are taking a new approach to fleecing people by preying on their willingness to do the right thing.

The ‘Remote Access’ scam involves contacting people and telling them hackers have compromised their computers and to help track the culprits they ask for access to the unsuspecting victim’s computer.

As Brian Hay from Cultural Cyber Security tells Mark the scammers claim to be from trusted organisations to lull victims into a false sense of security.

A country music supergroup, including the likes of James Blundell, Tania Kernaghan and Matt Scullion, has recorded a song to help our drought stricken farmers.

The group, called the Hay Balers, has released Shout The Land A Drink with all the proceeds to go to people on the land.

Matt Scullion tells Mark he wrote the song after driving through the Tamworth district and seeing the devastation for himself.

When it comes to selling something under the hammer few do it better than Brisbane’s Gavin Croft.

He has been named the Real Estate Institute of Queensland’s Auctioneer Of The Year for 2019 defeating three of the state’s very best.

Gavin tells Mark he is only recently returned to Brisbane from Sydney and the property boom down there certainly sharpened his skills.

The Katter’s Australia Party’s two Queensland MPs are refusing to denounce their controversial senate colleague Fraser Anning over his infamous “final solution” speech.

The Palaszczuk Government has threatened to withdraw allowances for extra staff given to the KAP unless it distances itself from Senator Anning.

KAP Queensland leader Robbie Katter tells Mark pulling the funding would set a dangerous precedent in state politics.

Scott Morrison is now Australia’s 30th Prime Minister after defeating Queensland conservative Peter Dutton in today’s Liberal Party room showdown.

He now faces the daunting task of bringing a deeply divided Liberal Party together while preparing for a federal election due early next year at the latest.

Political scientist Dr Paul Williams from Griffith University tells Mark that because it is likely to the short honeymoon for Mr Morrison he should so to an election sooner rather than later.

Expressions of interest in a number of major projects associated with the $944 million Brisbane Metro project closed today.

It comes as an internal council assessment of the project warned about the high risk of cost blowouts, especially when it comes to procurement.

Brisbane City Council Transport Committee Chair Adrian Schrinner tells Mark that knowing the risks means the council can manage the risks.

All the powers of the Ipswich City Council now rest in the hands of one man after the council was formally sacked by the State Government yesterday.

Council administrator Greg Chemello will decide all matters for the ratepayers of Ipswich until March 2020.

He tells Mark that ratepayers will notice very little difference to the daily operations of the council.