Over the Easter and Anzac Day public holidays, construction sites across Queensland will shut down for up to 10 consecutive days.

The National Construction Union said it had grouped rostered days off around public holidays “at the insistence of employers,” however, the Master Builders Australia group that represents employers have accused the union of bullying to get its way.

Along with Queensland, construction sites all over Australia will close for the holidays with those in New South Wales closing for seven days and Victoria and Tasmania for ten.
 

A Brisbane woman has recently been alerted that Queensland police have destroyed evidence from her alleged rape two decades after the incident occurred, in a direct violation of the state’s new Human Rights Act.

Queensland Women’s Legal Service lawyer, Julie Sarkozi, has stated that this destruction of evidence without the victim’s knowledge or consent is “not only concerning legally” but “a clear breach of Section 25 of the Human Rights Act.”

Australians are being warned that the price of fresh fruit and vegetables could double in the foreseeable future, as farmers face increasing pressure from rising labour, weather extremes and electricity costs.

The Coalition Government committed to provide half the funding for the proposed eighty four million dollar Emu Swamp dam, but since progress has stalled, Growers urgently want a national conversation about a consistent water supply.

South Australian health authorities have been forced to issue early flu vaccinations in the wake of a sudden wave of influenza cases in the region.

There have been more than 26,000 diagnoses of the flu in South Australia in 2019, compared to only 7,000 each in Queensland and New South Wales.

90,000 South Australian school children will have access to the free vaccine through the state program, and distribution has already begun for people over the age of 65.

Tripoli's only functioning airport has been attacked as eastern forces continue to advance on the Libyan capital, despite worldwide appeals for an end to the violence.

Fighting between Libya’s two rival governments has already killed 25 people and wounded 80, with 2,800 residents displaced due to the clashes.

The attacks threaten to disrupt oil and gas supplies, trigger further migration to Europe, and interrupt the UN’s plans for an election to put an end to the rivalry between the country’s east and west.

American and European researchers have released the most comprehensive research paper ever published on Climate Change in the Arctic, combining overall climate measures with their physical and biological effects.

It paints a grim picture, finding that Arctic air temperatures warm 2.8 times faster than the Northern Hemisphere in the cold season thanks to increased moisture flowing into the region and sea ice freezing over later than it used to.

Education Queensland has decided to make changes to religious instruction classes run by volunteers in state schools after a 2017 review found some references to be inappropriate for young students.

Phrases referencing prostitution, animal sacrifice and beheadings will be removed from the classes, as well as activities that teach children to ‘disguise their secrets’.

Education Queensland is also planning to review the school chaplaincy system, with changes to be implemented later this year.  

A measles alert has been issued for the Brisbane and Sydney regions after a woman caught a train between the two cities earlier this month.

The woman arrived at Roma Street Station on April 6 and stayed in Highgate Hill. Metro South Health physician Dr Bhakti Vasant is calling for anyone with symptoms to report directly to a doctor, but to call ahead first to prevent further spread of the infection.

Anyone who is yet to be vaccinated for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is advised to visit their GP to receive a free vaccination.

Humpback whales have been spotted migrating north up the east coast of New South Wales in what is said to be the highest numbers ever seen this early in the year.

Whale watching season officially runs from June 1 to mid-August but up to 20 whales have already started the journey north for their breeding season.

Rescue groups say that this is likely due to an increasing humpback population but are preparing to be busy after already experiencing two entanglements in a year expected to bring over 35,000 whales along our east coast.