Queensland’s tourism industry is ramping up efforts to get some workers back in jobs ahead of the border reopening and in time for Christmas. 

Around 50,000 jobs have been lost throughout the sector during the course of the pandemic, as a result of closed borders and restricted travel. 

More than 25 community groups have been successful in the latest round of the Investing in Queensland Women grant program for 2021 and will share in $270,000 to drive community initiatives set to empower women.

Two people have shut down the Newcastle Coal Port on Awabakal and Worimi country in Mulubinba this morning, halting operations at a critical piece of Australia's economic infrastructure.

A community worker, 61 years of age, was locked onto a coal operating machine using a metal pipe and at the same time a law student, 23, entered the site and disabled operation of machines.

The Taliban has announced that it plans to ban the production of opium in Afghanistan but farmers and traders say they are not the only ones who depend on the drug to survive. 

The announcement immediately saw prices of opium almost double. 

Only half the holiday vouchers handed out to winners of the Palaszczuk government competition designed to boost Queensland’s struggling tourism sector resulted in actual bookings, with 42,000 winners failing to redeem their vouchers. 

Queensland is a few weeks away from hitting its vaccine target – but those hoping to cross the border should be prepared to “pay up.”

Even when the state hits the milestone 80 % double dose vaccination rate, a number of restrictions are expected to stay. 

Legal experts are calling for rational debate of Victoria’s Pandemic Management Bill, as protests grow radical outside parliament. 

Chants during the protests called to “kill” and “hang” Premier Daniel Andrews over the controversial bill which would transfer the power to declare a state of emergency from the Chief Health Officer to the Health Minister and the Premier.

Amnesty International is preparing to leave its local office in Hong Kong by the end of the month, while its regional headquarters will close by the end of the year, as China’s national security laws escalate. 

Amnesty says the laws have been used as a “pretext to restrict rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, as well as to repress dissent and political opposition especially from human rights groups.”