Japan may have to dump radioactive Fukushima water into the Pacific Ocean due to the lack of room for storage, Japanese environment minister Yoshiaki Harada has said

More than 1M tonnes of contaminated water is held in almost 1,000 tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi site, but the utility has warned that it will run out of tank space by the summer of 2022.

Environmentalists point out the government is obliged to seek other environmental alternatives.

A Tasmanian farmer has been given an 11-month jail sentence for illegally importing garlic bulbs that could have put Australia’s agricultural sector at risk.

The farmer and former chair of the Australian Garlic Industry Association Letetia Anne Ware,  imported more than 2000 garlic bulbs from the US and Canada, instructing suppliers to falsely label the garlic as “gardening supplies.

Liberal MP Gladys Liu has refused to criticise China’s actions in the South China Sea, after revelations were made about her connections to Chinese Communist Party organisations.

The Chisholm MP refused to say whether or not China’s actions in the South China Sea were unlawful, despite the findings of an international tribunal in 2016.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner has announced Primary producers suffering from the recent bushfire can apply for disaster recovery assistance.

Individual Disaster Stricken Property provides subsidies up to $5,000 and loans of up to $250,000 at a concessional interest rate.

For more information on applying you can visit daf.qld.gov.au or phone 13 25 23 for assistance.

Three Queensland schools will remain closed today, as bushfires continue to burn across South-East Queensland.

The Education Minister Grace Grace announced that the Beechmont and Numinbah Valley state schools as the Numinbah Valley Environmental Education Centre remain shut today, but that schools in the Stanthorpe region would reopen today.

Conditions have eased this morning, however authorities say that a “prepare to leave” warning remains current for those in the Peregian Beach and Lake Weyba areas on the Sunshine Coast.

New fishing regulations being implemented by the Queensland Government are causing concern for the fishing industry. 

The catch limits introduced for several popular species such as mudcrab and barramundi could cripple a sector already struggling with high costs and strict regulations. 

The Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA) has said that this will harm regional communities, limit the fresh seafood available and force long-term fishers to quit.

A Hugh Jackman concert at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre has highlighted concerns over unisex toilets. 

According to concert attendee Jo from Redcliffe, while women waited in huge lines during the 20 minute interval, there was “just no line-up” for the men’s toilets.

While introducing unisex toilets would provide a straightforward solution, the Entertainment Centre says they are unable to do this due to current Queensland building regulations which create difficulties for buildings built before 2007.

Police are presently interviewing a group of Sunshine Coast teenagers suspected of deliberately lighting the blaze that broke out on Monday afternoon, causing hundreds of Queenslanders in the Peregian Beach area to flee.

An evacuation order has been issued for Peregian Beach, Peregian Breeze Estate and Marcus Beach residents, as strong winds have only worsened the course of the uncontrollable fire.