Trainee courses stopped short New figures have found about 40 per cent of apprentices and trainees are not completing their courses, with many leaving within their first year. 

Police revisit crime scene Seven years after the murder of Campbell Town resident Shane Barker, forensic investigators have returned to the scene of the crime.

Giving the gift of life Deciding to donate a loved one’s organs is often a difficult decision for family members. 

Struggle to save for cost of school A new report suggests saving money for children’s education in the future may not be a viable option for some Australian parents.

Need a national news snapshot first thing? Well, we have you covered. 

► CLEAR LAKE, VIC: Wimmera residents have stepped up to support a Clear Lake family after their three-year-old son was killed in a tragic incident on Monday last week. Blake Shaw was killed in his family home after a free-standing bookcase collapsed without warning. Read more.

► LITHGOW, NSW: Tabernacle 101 is an otherworldly thriller being shot in places such as Lithgow’s State Mine Museum, Rylstone, the Blue Mountains and more. The main character, played by David Hov (centre) is a myth-busting blogger set out to debunk the mysteries of the afterlife, but when he finds a way to die and come back to life, Hell quite literally breaks loose. Read more.

► TASMANIA: Tasmania will host a significant international Antarctic meeting in 2020 after committing $100,000 to a bid. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is an international committee charged with initiating, developing and coordinating high quality international scientific research in the Antarctic region. Read more.

► WELLINGTON POINT, QLD: A snake has been rescued from likely death by two surveyors working in Wellington Point. Ben North and Chris Gottardo were clearing bush near a fence to put in a peg when the green tree snake reared its head. “I screamed and then realised it was stuck,” said Mr North. Read more.

► ARMIDALE, NSW: The chase for a stolen car in Armidale quickly turned into a recovery operation after police became bogged. Armidale officers were searching for a stolen white Hilux dual cab utility when they had information to suggest the car could have been hidden in a reserve off Galloway St, in South Armidale. Read more.

► BALLARAT, VIC: A Ballarat music teacher who was found with more than 150 child pornography images and movies has described himself as a sex addict, a court has heard. The Ballarat Magistrates Court on Tuesday heard police last year found 171 images and movies depicting child exploitation in possession of local singer Noel Craven. The images and movies, which were found during a search of Craven’s house on September 15, ranged in severity from nudity to child abuse. A number of non-illegal images were also found. Read more.​

► ILLAWARRA, NSW: An Illawarra mother has been charged with abandoning a child after her 21-month-old baby found her alleged stash of the drug ice and ate it.  Despite digesting enough of the destructive drug to have fatal consequences, the little boy miraculously survived and is today in the care of the Department of Families and Community Services. Read more.

►Paul Keating has accused Australia of lacking a foreign policy capable of negotiating the rise of China and the diminishing influence of the United States. "Australia needs a foreign policy, and it needs it urgently. Australia does not have a foreign policy," the former prime minister told an audience in Sydney on Tuesday night. Read more.

► A delegation of Danish politicians has cancelled a planned visit to Nauru after the island's government barred two MP critical of Australia's immigration regime and one with a Muslim background who was born in Syria. The fact-finding mission was designed to scrutinise the Nauru detention centre to assess whether such immigration policies should be enforced in Europe as the region struggles with a migrant crisis. Read more.

► It is Kevin Rudd's manifesto to cure the world's ills - how he might have built a "Team UN", if only Malcolm Turnbull had not stood in the way of his quest to become the next secretary-general. In a report that offers a fascinating insight into what might have been, Mr Rudd, now describing himself as "an ordinary, global citizen", has delivered a 65-page personal blueprint for restoring faith in global diplomacy. Read more.

National weather radar

International news

► "Strong signals", potentially linked to alien life, have been picked up by a radio telescope operating in a remote corner of Russia. The signal spikes have been linked to a 6.3-billion-year-old star, known as HD164595, found in the Hercules constellation about 95 light years from Earth. The star is known to have at least one planet and possibly more. Read more.

► You love Russian watches and fancy a job selling them in Paris. The job's yours! Oh, as long as you don't mind regularly reporting to the Russian secret service. An unusual job ad has popped up on the website of Raketa – a prestigious brand of Russian wristwatches worn by Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Gorbachev. Titled, 'a dream job for you in Paris (France)', it promises a role in the company's worldwide expansion. But it has a few job requirements. Read more.

August 31, 1997: Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris. Princess Diana, the former wife of future king Charles, was much loved and her death sent shock ripples around the world. Learn more about Princess Diana here:

Lithgow’s Brenella Rehim is a wearer of many hats.

She studies a Bachelor of Social Work, Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), has a casual job in hospitality and – when she gets time – advises the NSW Government on issues affecting young people in the state.

She is the Chair of the NSW Youth Advisory Council (YAC), a group of young people from across the state who meet regularly to advise the NSW Youth Minister John Ajaka on laws and policies shaping young lives.

The YAC has 12 members ranging in age from 12 to 24 who are all appointed by the Youth Minister.

A former member of Lithgow’s Youth Council, Brenella said she joined YAC because she didn’t see any representation on the council for kids from regional and rural areas.

“I thought it was really important to be the person to stand up and say, ‘I’d like to have something to say on behalf of the young people in my area,’” she said. Read more.