1. Joe Hockey jeered on Q&A

Joe Hockey has appeared on Q&A.

The Treasurer Joe Hockey has appeared on the ABC’s Q&A as a solo panelist to face an audience of pensioners, those suffering chronic illnesses and some high school students.

When asked if the Government had lied about no new taxes he said, “We didn’t say we wouldn’t raise any taxes. That’s absurd because we went to the last election promising to introduce a levy for the paid parental leave scheme.”

Mr Hockey faced tough questioning about the medicare co-payment, at one stage reassuring those with chronic illness that they would be exempt from the $7 co-payment.

2. Cambodia to take Australian refugees

It has been confirmed overnight that Cambodia will take up to 1000 refugees from Nauru under a deal announced on the Facebook page of the Prime Minister, Hun Sen.

“Cambodia helps legal refugees even though Cambodia is not abundant with resources like a number of developed countries” he wrote.

Under the deal, Australia is expected to give Cambodia tens of millions of dollars for accepting the refugees.

Refugee advocates and the UNHCR have criticised the agreement, saying Cambodia is a vulnerable nation still recovering from years of civil war, and is still unable to provide for its own people

3. Rolf Harris trial

A series of women testified against Rolf Harris

The Defence counsel in the trial of Rolf Harris has queried whether Harris’ hand may have “innocently” wandered down the back of a young New Zealand tourist and between her legs.

The woman claims she was indecently assaulted by Harris as a teenager in 1970 while working for a wine company at a party in New Zealand.

She was one of several women who gave evidence at the trial overnight.

Harris is accused of indecently assaulting four girls between 1968 and 1986. He denies all 12 charges.

An Australian woman has given evidence that Harris indecently assaulted her when she was aged 11 or 12, by giving her a ‘tongue kiss’.

“He put his tongue in my mouth and gave me a tongue kiss,” she told the court. “It seemed like it lasted forever but it must have been quite quick. “I was … absolutely repulsed.”

The trial continues.

4. Female editor says she was the subject of a hate campaign

The former female editor of The Sydney Morning Herald has written for The Guardian about a vicious ‘hate campaign’ conducted against her by her male colleagues.

The comments came as the sacking of New York Times executive editor – Jill Abramson, less than three years into her job -continued to make headlines around the world.

Amanda Wilson was the editor of The Sydney Morning Herald for 18 months.

She writes that during her tenure as editor she received a letter from someone she thought to be a member of staff. It asked her who she had to fuck to get the job.

It said she was a “shallow, talentless, fat arsed and unloved bitch with no leadership qualities, no empathy and no vision. No wonder your partner dumped you early on. He could see what a shallow, evil bitch you are.”

5. Proven: Vaccinations DO NOT lead to autism

A study undertaken by the University of Sydney has shown that there is no link between vaccines and autism.

The study involved more than 1.25 million children.

For more read this post here.

6. Website searching for egg donors

A QLD website has been launched encouraging women to give eggs to infertile women, and to match up women in need of eggs to potential egg donors. The website is run by a Queensland fertility Clinic.

Women wishing to donate must be healthy, between the ages of 18 to 35 and be a permanent resident of Australia or New Zealand. The woman must also undergo counseling and be willing for her identity to be disclosed when the child turns 18. They receive no financial benefit.

7. Melanoma warning

Doctors have warned of an aggressive form of melanoma that looks like a pimple, but is often overlooked by health professionals.

Speaking at the Annual Scientific meeting of the Australasian College of Dermatologists in Melbourne Associate Professor John Kelly said that nodular melanomas usually appear on the skin as a red nodule, not a dark mole.

They are responsible for just 15 per cent of melanoma cases but cause 43 per cent of melanoma deaths.

8. NZ Beauty Queen mix up

Synthia Nath was apparently confused with Loriza Latif.

A woman is suing the organiser of a beauty pageant after they mixed her up with ‘another Indian girl’ and initially told her that she had won the crown.

Synthia Nath is seeking an apology and compensation after she was apparently confused with Loriza Latif, another Indian contestant, which organisers of the Face of Beauty International Ltd pageant said was an “honest mistake” because the pair “look alike”.

9. Study shows women are not governed by their periods

Researchers at the University of Southern California have looked at the theory that women are attracted to different types of men at different times in their menstrual cycle and have found it to be untrue.

Lead researcher Professor Wendy Wood found that fertile women desire sex with men who seem particularly masculine or genetically fit, while women who are not as fertile are more likely to be attracted to kinder, gentler men.

But the times they are attracted to these men throughout the month did not differ.

10. Teenage boy tells students to save their virginity

A UK teenager has written an article for his prestigious school’s magazine where he says he is a virgin as he thinks that sex should be saved for someone you love rather than wasted on casual encounters.

Phin Lyman, said that “he was in a small minority among his peers and while most of his friends knew he was a virgin, few understood the reasons why.”

He wrote of how his generation was treating sex “far too casually”. And how the influence of online pornography was causing boys his age to have a selfish attitude towards girls, with boys thinking that sex for their pleasure alone.

“Most girls were not interested in pornography,” he wrote, “so thought that having sex would be romantic, and were in for disappointment.”

11. Call for dog owners to have third party insurance

Should dog owners have third party insurance?

A leading lawyer has called for dog owners to have compulsory third party insurance to protect them from any damage the dog might to do another person.

Mal Byrne, a partner at Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers writes for The Advertiser, “Dog ownership comes with responsibility, just like driving a car. If you are attacked by a dog and suffer a serious injury, you are entitled to expect that the owner of the dog would be insured and that you can receive proper compensation for your injuries.

If you want to own a dog you should be able to accept responsibility for any damage caused by having the proper insurance policy.”

12. Military in Thailand declares martial law.

The Thailand military has declared martial law, after the caretaker Prime Minister – Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan – has refused to step down. Australians in Thailand are being told to use a “high degree of caution” in their activities, following the declaration of martial law.

The Prime Minister’s Secretary General Suranand Vejjajiva announced that the cabinet was holding an emergency meeting, to assess the national situation.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said that, “We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Thailand due to the possibility of civil unrest and the threat of terrorist attack. You should pay close attention to your personal security at all times and monitor the media for information about possible new safety or security risks.”

What news are you talking about today?