Anzac Day is not far away, and in some states that means double demerits will come into effect in an attempt to ward off unsafe driving around the public holiday.

However, not all jurisdictions in Australia have the same approach to double demerits; many areas never introduce them for public holidays, while one state that usually does won't have them in place on April 25.

Here's everything you need to know about double demerits this Anzac Day.

READ MORE: Your complete guide to Anzac Day services around the country

New South Wales and ACT

NSW introduced double demerits for public holidays back in 1997, and the scheme will be in effect for five days for Anzac Day.

Double demerits in NSW and the ACT run from 12.01am on Friday, April 21, until midnight on Tuesday, April 25, the extended period targeting people who take the Monday off to give themselves a long weekend.

All traffic offences in NSW will incur double the usual demerit points, but the ACT is slightly different – most offences like speeding and drink driving cop the double penalty, but some comparatively minor ones, like failing to keep left, just attract a single extra point instead.

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Western Australia

Western Australia, like the ACT and NSW, usually has double demerits in place for public holidays.

However, for Anzac Day this year, they don't apply.

They will, however, be back in place for public holidays later in the year, including the King's Birthday and Christmas.

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Queensland

Queensland approaches double demerits quite differently to NSW, WA, and the ACT.

Rather than having them in place for all drivers around public holidays, the Sunshine State instead has them in effect year-round, but only for drivers who commit the same offence twice in the space of 12 months.

This applies for speeding more than 20km/h over the limit, as well as mobile phone, seatbelt and motorcycle helmet offences.

Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory

None of Victoria, SA, Tasmania and the NT employ double demerits as part of their road safety strategies.

That means penalties for driving offences committed around Anzac Day in those jurisdictions will be the same as for those committed at any other time of the year.

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New Zealand pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens abducted by the rebels in February.

The owner arranged to ‘buy’ the dredge but instead took it back without paying.

The small town was plunged into darkness for the celestial event, which saw the sun, moon and earth perfectly align.

It will be mixed bag of weather for much of country this weekend.

Scientists trawling through an immense volume of seawater believe they have found the evolutionary origin of the herpes virus.

Researchers found microbes that spread across the world's oceans that infect plankton.

The microbes have been named "Mirusviruses" – mirus being the Latin word for "strange".

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Mirusviruses are a bizarre hybrid of two different lineages, but belong to the same group of viruses as the type of herpes that infect humans and other animals.

"This means that there is a shared evolutionary history between herpes, that infect only animals, and the mirusviruses that are everywhere in the ocean, where they infect unicellular organisms," French National Centre for Scientific Research's Tom Delmont told Live Science.

"All of this is pointing to a planktonic origin for herpes."

Plankton are tiny water creatures defined by their incapacity to swim against currents. Instead they spend their lives drifting through the water.

But while the mirusviruses pose a serious threat to the health of individual plankters, they are thought to be good for the overall ecosystem.

When plankters die, they release nutrients valuable for other ocean creatures to thrive.

The findings were first published in Nature.

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As the world reached a human population of eight billion last November, more population milestones loom.

Australians are being encouraged to report people they know for illicit drug use to reduce violence and improve health in the community.

Illegal drug related violence effects one in 10 people in the country, prompting calls from the crime prevention organisation for community members to report people they know as part of their National Illicit Drug Campaign.

Crime Stoppers is urging people to look out for illegal activity indicators including unexplained wealth, visible gang related tattoos, strange timing of movements and strange favours being offered.

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"The drug trade is estimated to be worth more than $10 billion per year, profits of which are often used to fund other illegal activity including human trafficking," Crime Stoppers said in a statement.

"Much of the violence in our neighbourhoods can be linked to drug trafficking.

"With drugs remaining the number one crime concern for all Australians Crime Stoppers has launched a new campaign with family and community safety the top priority."

READ MORE: Woman calls cops after what tradie did with kitchen utensils

Crime Stoppers said the initiative aimed to disrupt the drug trade to make communities safer.

NSW Crime Stoppers Peter Price said the Crime Stoppers contact centre operates 24/7 from a location in regional NSW and not at local police stations.

"If you suspect someone or know something, share it with Crime Stoppers before it's too late," Price said.

"It's what you know that's important, not who you are," Price said.

You can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit their website here.

READ MORE: Scientists find the origin of herpes in the world's oceans

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A plumber hired by a Brisbane homeowner to fix her bathroom has been caught on camera using utensils her in the toilet and returning them to the kitchen unwashed.

The tradesman, who can not be named for legal reasons, was recommended to the woman by a friend to do repairs on her toilet and shower.

She felt sick to her stomach when she checked her home cameras and allegedly found him going through drawers in her bedroom before taking items from her kitchen.

"I'm really upset by this… how many other people has he done this to?" she told 9News.

"I'm sickened by him using my utensils on my toilet," she said.

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"That can make you so desperately ill, and I'm really upset by it."

The distressed homeowner alleged she later realised a pair of earrings were missing from her bedside table drawer.

She reported the incident to police.

The tradesman has been charged with entering a dwelling and committing an indictable offence.

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"I'm sickened about the cleanliness issues more than anything else," she said.

The homeowner told Today she said sent the tradie an email after she got home to say she had "caught" him, and asked if he would replace her utensils and front door key.

But, she said, he refused.

"(He) didn't seem to really care and just said let him know if I needed him to come back and fix the toilet," she said.

"He didn't fix the toilet or the shower. I had to get another plumber afterwards."

With the court case having now made headlines, she said she felt a bit sorry for the plumber, but hoped he had realised what he had done.

The plumber appeared before the Magistrates Court in late March and the case was adjourned until May.

He is fighting the charge.

The plumber was contacted for comment but did not respond.

The case has been reported to the building watchdog.

Australia's big four banks aren't doing enough to protect customers from scams and may even be contributing to "further distress for a customer", a new report from Australia's financial watchdog has found.

The research, published today by Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), calls for financial institutions to improve how they handle scams.

The analysis found scam losses for major bank customers exceeded $550 million last financial year, with more than 31,700 customers affected.

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Collectively the big four banks are only stopping 13 per cent of payments going out to scammers.

And only two to five percent of stolen money is being reimbursed.

ASIC Deputy Chair Sarah Court said "more work needs to be done" to help protect customers from scammers.

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"Australia's big four banks have invested significantly in their anti-scam efforts over the last several years and have implemented a number of innovative and positive initiatives, including some recently implemented following the conclusion of ASIC's review," she said.

"However, the increasing prominence of scams means that there is still more to be done.

"Our review found there were inconsistent experiences and outcomes for customers who were the victim of a scam, and in some cases a bank's response may contribute to further distress for a customer."

Court added that as part of the evolution of banks' scam response they "need to reconsider the ways they respond to and engage with scam victims".

"We'd like to see the banks take steps to evolve their scam management practices, including how they inform and educate customers and help them through what is a distressing time," she said.

It comes just weeks after Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) Scamwatch said bank impersonation scammers are using "new technology" to swindle Australians.

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It said scammers can now make a call appear to come from a legitimate phone number – or more concerningly – can make a text appear in the same conversation threat as genuine messages from a bank.

"We are incredibly concerned about bank impersonation scams because they can be so convincing, they are very hard to detect," ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.

"What's equally worrying about this particular scam, is that it is emptying every last cent out of victims' savings accounts, with losses averaging $22,000 and more than 90 reports of losses between $40,000 and $800,000.

"This causes both financial and emotional devastation."

ACCC urges customers to be critical of any alleged correspondence from a bank.

"It is critical to remember that no matter how legitimate the call or message seems, a bank won't ask you to urgently transfer funds," Lowe said.

"If you receive an SMS with a telephone number to call, do not use it.

"Instead, call your bank direct on a number you have sourced yourself.

"Likewise, hang up if you receive a call from someone claiming to be from your bank requesting you to transfer money to 'keep it safe'."

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