The World Today

In an impassioned speech to the National Farmers' Federation National Congress, businessman Andrew Forrest has renewed his pitch for better marketing of Australia's clean, green image to with a single national brand. But he's designed his own logo, apparently overlooking the green kangaroo used by the Australian Made Campaign. The campaign says its brand is trusted and established and another logo should not be introduced.

One of Australia's specialist marine scientists is warning that coral affected by this year's mass bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef has failed to recover as expected. Dr Greg Torda, from James Cook University in Townsville, has re-inspected the far northern section of the reef, which was most severely affected, and he says the news is not good.

Aboriginal children in urban areas of NSW have been found to have large rates of hearing loss due to middle ear infections. A program linking the children to indigenous health services has helped them get operations quickly to restore their hearing. The Indigenous surgeon who has performed many of the operations would like to see the program run around Australia.

A film about a young man's initiation ceremony at a remote Aboriginal community in Queensland has just received a standing ovation in the United States. The documentary, Zach's Ceremony, was screened at a film festival in New York. The filmmaker Alec Doomagee has told the World Today he was overwhelmed by the response to his film.

The Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison has launched himself into the contentious issue of Australia's increasingly expensive housing market. With house prices in major cities continuing to grow at full speed, the Treasurer says he wants to find ways to tap the brakes - but he won't apply them himself. In a speech to the Urban Development Institute, this lunchtime Scott Morrison is calling on state governments to reform their planning laws, prompting federal Labor MPs to goad the Treasurer to find his own solutions instead of blaming the states.

A new reports highlights just how dependent the Australian economy is on the housing market. According to Commsec's State of the States report, New South Wales remains on top of the economic performance rankings. At the bottom of the list are Western Australia and the Northern Territory, both of which are experiencing declining property markets.

A disturbance at a youth detention centre has prompted guards in Victoria to call for tougher action. The union representing guards says ice, mental illness, and a gang culture are making violence worse, and the Government's responses are too weak.

The Federal Government is likely to need the support of nine of the 11 Senate crossbenchers to pass a series of changes to paid parental leave. The Government wants to save $1 billion over four years by using the Government scheme to top-up the paid leave provided by employers. Labor is opposed and the Greens have concerns, but One Nation will support it, leaving the fate of the bill in the hands of the Nick Xenophon team, which is currently undecided.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has disputed claims it could owe up to $30 million to 15,000 field workers who helped distribute this years problem-plagued census. Its says it has some workers who had out of pocket claims which will be paid in the next pay period. Meanwhile, workers have told at the frustration at waiting for the ABS to responded to concerns.

A new report by the Grattan Institute has found $28 billion in budget blowouts in Australian transport infrastructure projects over the past 15 years. Politicians making premature announcements without funding commitments are the biggest problem. The report author is calling for politicians to be reined in on premature commitments they can make with public money.