The conservative MP is an out-and-proud maverick - a trait that strategists believe will help him retain his marginal Queensland seat.
A Queensland man convicted of killing a drug dealer who was stabbed in the neck with a samurai sword during a robbery is set for an early release.
Police believe two men set alight the container in the early hours and one of them died when it exploded.
Police are unsure whether the head trauma found on the body was caused by the explosion.
Police said the explosion was so powerful it blew open the container's doors.
He was standing behind one of the pint-sized animals when it lashed out,kicking him in the face and causing facial and lip injuries.
The body of the 79-year-old man was spotted from the air after his empty boat was found.
The rugby league star has been issued with a notice to appear in Townsville Magistrates Court for two public nuisance offences.
The family of paramedic Craig McCulloch,32,says the number of kind tributes written for him has been"truly humbling".
An inquest into the fate of eight fishermen - six of whom were never found - will scrutinise what caused two trawlers to sink in rough seas off the coast of Queensland.
The highway remained cut in five places between Cairns and Mackay late on Tuesday.