Overcrowded prisons in the Northern Territory are at a “critical tipping point” says the head of the state’s parole board.

Prison numbers were more than 10 per cent above capacity for most of 2019, said chair of the NT Parole Board, Justice Southwood. 

Almost 85 per cent of the NT prison population is Aboriginal.

"The operation of the two correctional centres in the Northern Territory is reaching a critical tipping point," said Justice Southwood. 

Facebook has disabled vital pages, such as the Queensland Health page, alongside news giants in its Australian news takedown.

Facebook has blocked Australian users from posting or viewing news links on the platform, in response to the Government’s proposed news media bargaining code. 

The Brisbane City Council and Bureau of Meteorology pages have also been disabled for some, though state emergency services pages remain active.  
 

New laws are mandating vaccine providers record Australian’s COVID-19 vaccine status on the Australian Immunisation Register. 

The changes to immunisation laws mean vaccine providers, such as GPs, will report who has received the vaccine to the government.

Before these changes, the register was maintained on a voluntary basis. 

This personal information can be accessed through your myGov app or Medicare account, and by authorised government officials. 

The Federal Government will decide whether a quarantine facility will be built in Toowoomba, during a National Cabinet meeting today. 

The proposed 1000-bed facility would be built at the International Wellcamp Airport, west of Toowoomba’s CBD, and would take repatriated travellers to the site from the tarmac. 

The facility could house workers on-site on a 16-day rotation to mitigate health risks in the community, and would be similar to the successful Howard Springs facility in Darwin.

Homeless support services have placed people in motels and short term accommodation on the Gold Coast due to demand. 

A spokesperson from the Department of Housing said there were 332,000 people on the Gold Coast Housing Register Waitlist. 

Gold Coast Homeless Network Chair Maria Lee-Beek said placement in short term accommodation is very common, with only one third of people being placed in long term accommodation. 

Moreton Island has been renamed Mulgumpin, and Moreton Island National Park has been renamed Gheebulum Coonungai. 

Gheebulum and Coonungai are the two prominent sand hills situated in the national park. The two words together signify ‘lightning’s playground’. 

The changes follow the Federal Court’s recognition of the Quandamooka people’s native title rights to Mulgumpin in November 2019.
 

New Caledonia has elected a pro-independence government for the first time since 1999.

This comes following the government collapse on February 2nd, and months after a narrow referendum vote to remain within the French republic. 

A pro-independence president is expected to be elected for the first time in almost four decades. New Caledonia will hold an independence referendum for a third and final time at the end of 2022.

Hundreds of thousands of people have protested across Myanmar, staging some of the biggest anti-military rallies since the coup began. 

Drivers in Yangon staged a car break-down protest, blocking the city's key roads.

The demonstrators demanded their state counsellor and civilian leaders be released. 

The military has promised to hold fresh elections and relinquish power, though many protesters remain sceptical.

The following story reads of domestic violence, reader discretion is advised. 

The Queensland Government is setting up an independent task force to investigate the potential to make coercive control a crime. 

Coercive control is a form of non-physical domestic and family violence which includes behaviours such as limiting one’s financial accessibility and tracking their location.

The task force will consult with domestic violence survivors, legal and domestic violence experts and the community.