Brands asked to keep supplying David Jones despite unpaid debts

Australia's booming tallow industry could help reduce the nation's reliance on imported fuel, with plans to turn animal by-products into renewable fuels on home soil.

Meredith Wright is desperately trying to recoup about $200,000 of her bedridden husband's retirement savings. They are one of the thousands of First Guardian investors still fighting for their money.

The action, in which garment workers have clashed with police, is a culmination of the apparel industry's global supply chains, which human right experts say result in poor working conditions.

Queensland Water Minister Ann Leahy says rapid industrial growth in the Western Downs could help drive private investment in major water infrastructure projects, including the long-discussed Nathan Dam project.