A bauxite mine on the remote island of Rennell in the Solomon Islands had a major oil spill in early February when attempting to load the sedimentary rock on a bulk carrier ship.

Australia’s High Commissioner Rod Brazier is concerned about the scale of the disaster with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority estimating 60 tonnes of oil has been spilled and is not contained.

LNP members of Brisbane City Council have criticized a proposed state plan for compulsory preferential voting in local government elections.  

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the reforms are not such, rather they are “election strategies”, criticising the state government for proposing reforms in a time of emergency for many local councils dealing with natural disasters.

The Brisbane City Council is set to assess the increase in car and pedestrian traffic around the Story Bridge as a result of the opening of Howard Smith Wharves.

In order to ensure people can get to the new planned ferry wharves safely, a petition requesting a new footpath and kerb ramp on the northern side of Boundary Street was put forward by the council infrastructure committee.

The study is expected to take place in mid-2019 while the construction of a new ferry terminal at the wharves is set to begin at the end of this year.

The Government has approved and committed funding for Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s renewable energy plan, Snowy 2.0.

The project is expected to provide 175 hours of energy storage – enough to power 500 000 homes and create up to 2 400 jobs in construction and 5000 direct and indirect jobs across the region.

Morrison said, “Our Government is investing in world-class, renewable energy to deliver more affordable, reliable power to Australians with a $1.38 billion investment into the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project.”

In national news, a replica of the Fearless Girl statue has arrived in Melbourne ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8th.

The statue, which is a symbol for gender equality and female empowerment, has been replicated by US-based artist Kristen Visbal.

Victoria’s Minister for Women, Gabrielle Williams said, “She comes here at a time when the conversation both here and internationally around gender equality is reaching fever pitch.”

Theresa May has promised MPs a meaningful vote on her Brexit deal by the twelfth of March, after remain-supporting ministers threatened to revolt.

If the vote fails, two votes will follow. The first will be for a no-deal exit from the EU, but only with explicit consent in the house. The second vote will occur if the first fails, wherein MPs will vote by the 14th of March to request an extension from the EU to delay withdrawal beyond the 29th of March.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called the delay “grotesquely reckless”.

In local news, Brisbane ferry drivers have walked off the job this morning for the third time in three months, expressing their anger over the lack of job security and low wages.

Jason Miners of the Maritime Union of Australia says we want to deliver a pay rise to these workers and make their cost of living a bit easier.

Tilly Landsborough, Transdev’s Queensland managing director, says although CityCat services will still be running during the strike their frequency will be significantly reduced.