A coalition of more than 110 stakeholders, including the former first and second Chief Justices of the Family court, is calling on the Parliament to vote against the merger of the Family Court and the Federal Circuit Court that the federal government proposed.

Eminent jurist and former Chief Justice, the Hon Elizabeth Evatt AC, said the proposed merger will undermine the integrity and the specialisation of the Family Court and could lead to undesirable outcomes for children and families.

Visitors to Fraser Island have been told to evacuate this morning, with conditions worsening as a fire continues to burn across the island. 

Fire crews have been battling the blaze for over six weeks, while the fire has burnt over 74,000 hectares of land. 

Guests at KingFisher Island resort will depart the island by 10:30am today, with the resort to remain closed until December 13. 

TransLink will introduce a new app mid-December that should inform travellers about capacity on the state’s public transport to improve social distancing.

As more people head back to the office, it’s becoming trickier to spread commuters out on public transport and this new app should enable them to see a forecast of available capacity  on all bus, tram, train and ferry services across south-east Queensland.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the tracker is one way to give people confidence that their next trip will be safe.

Dozens of farm workers have been killed in Nigeria on Saturday in a suspected Boko Haram attack that took place in a rice field only a few kilometres away from Maiduguri, Borno state Capital.

The attack happened the same day as the first local elections in the region since Boko Haram’s insurrection in 2009 and would confirm their role in the attacks, according to an auto defense pro-government group leader Babakura Kolo who was present during the victims’ rescue.

The UN didn’t mention the djihadist group in its press release and no one has yet claimed responsibility.

Firms across the Asia Pacific Region are looking to reduce their supply chain reliance on China, and bring manufacturing back to domestic operations.

The latest Asia Pacific CEO survey, conducted by Westpac’s institutional arm, found that out of 113 chief executives surveyed, two thirds had experienced significant supply disruptions during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The survey shows that over half (57 per cent) of firms surveyed have begun the transition to onshore supply and manufacturing.

A nationwide study on suicide in young Australians has been released for the first time yesterday in the Medical Journal of Australia and revealed ill mental-health as a contributor to youth suicide.

73% of young Australians aged 10-24 who died by suicide between 2006 and 2015 experienced mental health difficulties, yet more than two thirds were not in contact with mental health services at the time of their death.

More than two million workers have left the JobKeeper Subsidy scheme, after the Morrison Government made adjustments to the eligibility requirements and reduced payment rates in September.

In less than two months, the number of JobKeeper recipients have dropped from 3.6 million to 1.5 million.

After the subsidy fell from $1500 to $1200 a fortnight at the end of September, it is due to fall to $1000 from January to March, where it will come to an end. 

Local fruit pickers are a rarity in Queensland, as some employers are hesitant to hire them despite an ongoing national shortage.

Reilly Wilson, an Australian fruit picker told the ABC it had been hard for her to find work in the farms as the farmers were shocked to see her, asking her what she was doing there.

For people like Ms Wilson, farm work should be an alternative for Australians who don’t have a job.

South East Queensland is expected to endure a severe heatwave this week, with temperatures set to soar 12 degrees above the state’s average for December. 

Wednesday is predicted to bring temperatures of 34 degrees, with the humidity to make it feel like 37 degrees. 

For updates on this week’s weather, visit the bureau of Meteorology website at http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/heatwave/