Australian citizens could privately sponsor up to 10,000 new refugees each year under a new Greens plan.

The proposed program, based on a Canadian model would allow private citizens to provide financial support and settlement assistance for up to one year after arrival until the refugee becomes self-sufficient.

The initiative was one of several points in the Greens’ refugee policy launched yesterday .

Researchers from the University of Queensland will investigate how existing drugs could be repurposed  to fight Parkinson’s disease thanks to a new grant.

The research will be funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and Shake It Up Australia Foundation and headed by UQ Centre for Clinical Research Group Leader Dr Richard Gordon.

Dr Gordon says that if they can prove that existing drugs can be used to treat Parkinson’s disease, they can be used in clinics to treat patients faster than developing new drugs.  

The search is on for 20 Queensland women who are paving the way in their chosen field to feature in a new four-month campaign, ‘Queensland Voices’ with nominations opening yesterday.

Minister for Women Die Farmer, made the announcement at the Queensland Women in Business Summit on the Gold Coast, saying Queensland Women’s Week was a perfect backdrop to highlight women’s voices in media.

The European Commission has declared the migration crisis over, as it reinforced its stance against “fake news” and “misinformation” about the issue.

Frans Timmermans, the European Commission’s first vice-president said Europe is no longer facing a migration crisis, adding that structural problems remain.

In 2018, UN refugee agency, UNHCR, identified 116,647 people crossing the Mediterranean, which was an 89% reduction on people making the journey at the height of the crisis in 2015.

Two white South African farmers were sentenced to prison on Wednesday for killing a black teenager who they had accused of stealing sunflowers.

During a hearing at the High Court in Mahikeng that was attended by black and white South Africans, Judge Ronald Hendricks described the killing as “disgraceful” and “appalling”.

The farmers have been sentenced to a combined 41 years in prison, resulting in the closure of a case that had fuelled tensions in the rural town of Coligny and showed the nation’s continuing racial divisions.

A desalination order is likely to be made to secure Victoria’s drinking water supply.

The State water Minister Lisa Neville said extremely dry conditions mean Melbourne’s water supply is down to 55.7 per cent and places like Geelong are at 41 per cent.

Ms Neville also said dry and fire-damaged ground means rain will not end up in the water system.

The minister said that the order will be critical for Victorian water security going forward.

Australia will target young Chinese tourists with a new advertising campaign set to cost Tourism Australia $3.28 million dollars.

The campaign aims to draw young Chinese travellers towards spending more time in regional Australia, with a lack of WiFi being one of the main obstacles.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said the campaign aims to target younger travellers who are the fastest growing group of Chinese tourists who are also more likely to stay longer.

Stricter licensing conditions have been imposed on a building company after five construction workers collapsed last month at a University of Sunshine Coast building site.

Temperatures hit 32.7 degrees at the University’s new Moreton Bay Foundation construction site on February 13, leading to five workers requiring medical attention during a concrete pour.

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission subsequently imposed requirements on building company Hansen Yuncken such as conducting an audit of its safety management systems.

The number of approved poker machines in pubs and clubs on the Gold Coast has increased by 90 machines between August 2018 and January 2019.

There are now 6061 pokies on the Gold Coast, which excludes 1600 machines at The Star Gold Casino.

This is the first time that poker machines have risen above 6000 and proves to be the biggest increase in three years.