A loophole within the Queensland blue card system will be closed, with applicants not able to begin work with children until their applications are finalised.  

The system will be given $17 million over the course of the next three years to ensure a new ‘no card, no start’ law is introduced.

Previously applicants could start work with children as long as they had begun the application process. 

However, the priority of protecting children has resulted in the states new laws.

A marketing video promoting tourism for Rockhampton was pulled from social media this morning following criticism over ‘whitewashing’ the Indigenous history of the city.

The video was criticised for failing to represent Indigenous and South Sea Islander communities who are a huge part of Rockhampton’s population and history.

The Rockhampton Regional Council has released an official apology for not recognising the diversity of its community in the advertisement.

Sydney will host the largest Tutankhamun exhibition to leave Egypt in 2021, featuring 60 artefacts that have never been seen by the public. 

Preparations for the exhibition include a $50 million upgrade for the Australian Museum, which will boost the economy for the arts and culture sector of New South Wales.

The museum upgrades will also improve education facilities and allow more school students to visit the museum.

Australia’s largest private property developer Walker Corporation has proposed plans to dredge and reclaim a wetland in Brisbane's south to construct 3,600 homes.

The Queensland government states Toondah Harbour is a “priority development area”, but the project is being criticised as the wetland is home to endangered shorebirds.

The proposal would also require the approval of the federal and Queensland governments.

This is the third attempt in three years to dredge the Ramsar-listed wetland. 

In New South Wales, a legal loophole which prevented child sexual abuse survivors from suing religious institutions has been removed after new legal reforms.

NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman says the reforms will ‘make it easier for child sexual abuse survivors and all child abuse survivors to take action against those who have failed them in the past.’

Religious institutions will now be held accountable for the actions of officials who used their position to abuse children

A diplomatic and trade crisis has arisen between the United States and Canada after multiple cases of US officials insulting Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland says Canada will retaliate to the US tariffs on steel and aluminium in a measured and reciprocal way.

Ms Freeland further states Canada will conduct its diplomacy through ad hominem attacks against a close ally, as such attacks are unhelpful.

2000 residents were evacuated from their homes following wildfires raging through south-west Colorado.

The blaze has already burned approximately 6880 hectares of land, with continued burning expected due to extremely dry conditions and strong winds.

More than 800 firefighters are still fighting the blaze and aircrafts continue dropping fire and water retardants over the area.

In Afghanistan, 13 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at the entrance of Kabul’s Rural Rehabilitation and Development Ministry, leaving 25 people injured.

The bombing is one of many similar attacks in Kabul following the recent deterioration of security measures throughout the city.

Security officials believe that many of these bombings are likely to have come from a network affiliated with the Taliban.