Katie Burgess

Drones will be used to disperse seeds in bushfire-ravaged parts of Australia as part of a new plan to help our landscapes become more resilient to natural disasters.

However the Coalition government says four new environmental science hubs will have a threatened species "lens".

More than 90 newspapers across regional Australia will share in over $10 million of grants, as part of the Coalition government's Public Interest News Gathering Fund.

The Commonwealth government must play a role in responding to future natural disasters, the royal commission convened after the devastating Black Summer bushfires has found.

The royal commission examining last summer's bushfires is considering calling for a national fuel load database to be set up.

The commission also considering recommending enshrining pay and protection for volunteers called to fight fires for weeks on end.

The commission also considering recommending enshrining pay and protection for volunteers called to fight fires for weeks on end.

The commission also considering recommending enshrining pay and protection for volunteers called to fight fires for weeks on end.

ENVIRONMENT: Plan to hand more power to the states won't come with extra resources

Electricity prices fall to their lowest point in five years as fuel costs decline.