Hotel to replace council car park: Developers say the concept for a new high-end hotel in Launceston will be something that will make the city proud. The first step in the process took place at the Launceston City Council meeting on Monday, where the partial sale of the Cimitiere Street car park was approved to make way for the development.

Greens slam Hanson remark: THE Tasmanian Greens have called on Premier Will Hodgman to stand up against firebrand senator Pauline Hanson’s comments against the state’s Governor. Governor Kate Warner at a rally on the weekend used Senator Hanson’s demand for an immigration ban on people of Muslim faith to Australia as an example of racism which should be called out, adding that the public should stand up against her views.

Saw claim: JURY has heard three different versions of events on day one of a chainsaw wounding trial. Daniel James Leech is accused of sawing into a 15-year-old girl’s leg at a Ravenswood unit on March 17 last year. He has pleaded not guilty.

Need a national news snapshot first thing – well, we have you covered. 

►BYRON BAY: A man has checked himself in to hospital in Byron Bay after being bitten by a shark.

The bite, the seventh in the Byron-Ballina region since the start of last year, comes weeks after the Baird government dropped its opposition to installing shark nets in the region.

Police say they received a call at 7.30am on Monday that a man had checked himself in to Byron Bay Hospital after being bitten by a shark.

Vision courtesy: ABC News 24

► WODONGA: A Border woman’s brilliantly simple idea has generated 5000 cans of food for needy people in 12 months.

Ainsley Stone knew she could spare a can of food from her weekly shopping but felt it was only a drop in the ocean against growing community poverty

She banded together some like-minded friends and family and started a Facebook page, One Can Can.

► NATIONAL: On Monday The Equality Campaign was launched nationwide.

The campaign is a joint initiative by Australians for Equality (A4E) and Australian Marriage Equality (AME).

It aims for marriage equality to be achieved through a parliamentary vote so that every Australian is treated equally under the law.

“The Equality Campaign is about building on the momentum and energy generated across the nation for marriage equality and continuing to campaign for a straightforward change to be achieved by a vote in the parliament,” Co-Chair of Australians for Equality, Anna Brown said

► HUNTER: Another 10 jobs have gone from the Hunter’s biggest coal rail company, Pacific National, and its new owners are not disputing reports that about 50 driving jobs are also about to go.

The Pacific National job cuts come at a time of substantial change in the Hunter coal rail industry, with big producer Glencore announcing the sale of its G-Rail coal haulage business for $1.14 billion to a subsidiary of the US rail company Genesee & Wyoming, backed by Macquarie Bank.

Pacific National changed hands earlier this year as part of the $9-billion sale of its former parent company, Asciano. It is now owned by an international consortium of private equity and pension funds, with US, Canadian and Chinese backing.

► BALLARAT: A Ballarat man who was coming down from ice when he covered a police cell with his own faeces has been sentenced to prison.

Peter Kennedy was sentenced to 29 days imprisonment over the matter which resulted in the police cell being classified as a biohazard. 

The Ballarat Magistrates Court heard Kennedy had been taken into custody on unrelated matters, and soon began yelling at his solicitor at the Ballarat Police Station.

► WIMMERA: Blake Shaw was only three years old at the time of his tragic death, but his father Tim is determined his young life will leave a lasting impression. 

The Clear Lake youngster died in August after a free-standing bookshelf collapsed – a tragedy his father has since discovered is all too common.

Now Mr Shaw and his partner Kirstie are launching the Purple Turtle Foundation to raise awareness of home safety and support families that lose a child.

► PROPERTY: The consortium of Australian families known as BBHO has received debt funding approval from Rabobank, enabling it to officially make a $386 million bid for Australia's largest landholder S. Kidman and Company.

The price offered by the consortium, which comprises graziers Tom Brinkworth, Sterling Buntine, Malcolm Harris and Viv Oldfield and their families, is superior to the $365 million offered by mining magnate Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting and Chinese joint venture partner Shanghai CRED.

► FAMILY LAW: In no area of criminal law is a victim able to be cross-examined in court by the person accused of harming them.

And yet in family law that is exactly what happens on a regular basis.

It is a practice that is deeply traumatic for victims and leads to bad outcomes for them and their children, family violence campaigner and former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty says.

► WORKPLACE BULLYING: The interrogation came out of the blue and continued mercilessly, even while she was doubled over sobbing.

The woman, who was 41 at the time of the incident, has been awarded more than $1 million in a negotiated workplace bullying settlement.

The bullying she experienced at a NSW government agency five years ago has rendered her unable to ever work again.

As two bosses hurled accusations at her during a meeting called to provide her with feedback on an internal job application, the woman who could only speak on the condition of anonymity, said she was in shock and disbelief.

► FREE TRADE AGREEMENT: Trade Minister Steven Ciobo says Australia will forge ahead on a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with Europe, despite the embarrassing collapse of the EU's trade deal with Canada.

However he said Australia may have to settle for a smaller deal that can be signed by the EU Commission alone, rather than a broader FTA that must be ratified by parliaments across the Union.

Mr Ciobo, who is in Europe meeting the region's other trade ministers, said he was still "optimistic" about an Australia-EU deal, despite European Council president Donald Tusk saying that if the Canada agreement fell through it "could be our last free trade agreement".

► FINANCE: Commonwealth Bank has overhauled its financial literacy program in schools to encourage women to be more financially independent from a younger age so they are empowered to escape domestic violence situations.

Catherine Fitzpatrick, CBA's general manager of government, industry and international affairs, said teaching children about money would included showing "girls that a man is not a plan, and boys that you can't control women through their finances".

The program will promote women as financial decision makers, and explore the gender pay gap and savings gap in retirement so that girls understand they may need to approach their finances differently.

► JAKARTA: Australian live cattle representatives have flown to Jakarta for talks amid fears a proposed new trade rule stipulating one in every six cattle imported to Indonesia must be for breeding could threaten the viability of the industry.

Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita​ shocked the beef industry when he announced last month the quota system for importing cattle would be abolished but companies would only receive permits if they complied with the new breeding rule.

No cattle were exported to Indonesia in September due to delays in the issue of permits amid negotiations over the new domestic breeding program, which Indonesia hopes will assist in its drive to achieve food self-sufficiency.

► BRAZIL: In the far central west of Brazil, where an indian boy wants to be a teacher and a warrior, five farmers have been kept in pre-trial detention since August in connection with the shooting that nearly killed him.

The arrests are part of an investigation into crimes against indigenous communities and private farmer militias in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, near the border of Paraguay, which accounts for more than half of all murders among the Brazilian indian population.

► 1944 – World War II: Battle of Leyte Gulf: The largest naval battle in history, takes place in and around the Philippines between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the U.S. Third and U.S. Seventh Fleets. Afterward is the first Kamikaze attack of the war.

► 1946 1st trial against nazi war criminals (Nuremberg)

► 1984 Hepatitis virus is discovered

► 2009: The October 2009 Baghdad bombings kills 155 and wounds at least 721.

Ben Barlow proved he knows his ABC’s when he came top of the competition at a recent regional schools spelling bee and was selected for the state finals.

The 10-year-old Calare Public School year 4 student was selected to compete in the years 3 and 4 section after coming first at the regional finals of the Premier’s Spelling Bee held at the school.

It was his second year at regional finals where he came fourth last year, but it will be his first time competing at state level.

Calare Public School principal Colleen Alchin said Ben completed all rounds in the competition and made it to the unseen rounds. Read more of Ben’s story here.