Queensland will welcome the return of international students from January next year in time for semester one.

More than 20,000 international students enrolled in Queensland universities have been continuing their studies online from more than 160 home countries. Under the plan, 250 international students will return each fortnight before that number is increased.

Queensland's Health Minister says she is not concerned about widespread disruption in the state's hospital system after the suspension of thousands of health workers who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. 

New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the annual cost of living increased by more than 2.5% in the September quarter. 

The change is driven by petrol prices, which have risen 25% over the past year. 

Though the cost of living has increased, wages rose just 1.7% over the year to the June quarter.

Australia has joined China, Iran, India and Russia, as one of the few nations at the COP26 summit refusing to adopt methane reduction targets.

Behind carbon dioxide, methane is the second largest contributor to global warming worldwide.

Almost 200 Queensland police officers have been granted exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine while more than 130 staff have suspended for not complying. 

Queensland's Health Minister, Yvette D’Ath, is standing firm on a decision to require hotel quarantine for returning overseas travellers after state borders open up to people from interstate COVID-19 hotspots next month. 

Prosecutors have abandoned a criminal case against ANZ and a senior executive that would pursue the bank for cartel conduct. 

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecution’s case was labelled a “schamozzle” in a hearing at the Federal court and soon after, the CDPP dropped the charges.

Activists in Minneapolis push to disband the police in an upcoming vote in November to decide whether to replace the existing police department with a public health approach, opting for social workers and violence interrupters over the police-only model that the city has now.