Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the Liberal candidate in the Wentworth by-election is likely to lose to independent Dr Kerryn Phelps.

Dave Sharma would be the first conservative candidate to lose the electorate, which has been held by the Liberal party and its predecessors since Federation.

Dr Phelps has previously indicated she would guarantee confidence and supply to the Morrison government, however when given the opportunity yesterday she did not reaffirm this position.  

The only Greens MP in Queensland Michael Berkman is calling for rent caps of 1% per year to be introduced to the state’s rental laws.

Mr Berkman said lack of lease security in Queensland, as well as rising prices, are leading to more people out on the street, and that without rent caps, landlords would be able to jack up prices to effectively evict people without sound reason.

The Syrian-Jordan border has reopened after seven years due to civil war, while Israel has reopened their Syrian border crossing in the Golan Heights.

Around 670,000 registered Syrian refugees live in Jordan, and the Jordan Government says while they aren’t putting on any direct pressure, the refugees must eventually return to Syria.

The Syrian Government points to the border openings as evidence that it is close to winning the civil war and achieving stability.

NASA has launched a new podcast this week called ‘The Invisible Network,’ which will embrace the human aspect of space exploration.

The podcast also focuses on bringing space technology, that is typically overlooked, into the spotlight.

Some integral equipment is seldom discussed, such as communicators and trackers, simply because they aren’t visible to the naked eye.  

A new pontoon on the Brisbane river will allow kayakers and skis to access the river from West End with future plans for water a taxi dock.

Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the 25-meter long pontoon along Riverside Drive will be able to accommodate up to 10 vessels at a time.

The dock is the first functioning under the Brisbane City Council’s $8 million program over the next four years to provide mooring infrastructure along the river.

Students, staff and alumni at the University of Queensland are calling for the university to divest from fossil fuels and put the future of their students above the interests of big polluters.

A protest took place outside of a UQ Senate meeting last night. 

And there has been a second drowning in Noosa in the last three days. Yesterday morning, Queensland Surf Life Saving reported they had pulled a man unconscious from the water at Noosa Heads.

For 40 minutes, lifeguards and paramedics attempted to resuscitate the man, however they were unsuccessful.

Surf Life Saving is urging the public to swim between the flags and take extra precautions when entering the water, as more swimmers flock to the beach with summer approaching.