The COVID-19 vaccine mandate begins today in Queensland, limiting the movements of unvaccinated citizens in certain venues. 

Under the mandates, unvaccinated people will not be permitted to dine in at hospitality venues but will be permitted to order takeaway.

Queensland Police Service says any business owners experiencing difficulty implementing the mandate can contact the police for assistance.

Ipswich City Council will remove the name of former mayor Paul Pisasale from two pieces of local infrastructure, after a vote last week.

Pisasale was already serving a two year term for extortion when he was sentenced to a further 7 and a half years jail on 30 other charges including fraud, official corruption, perjury and two counts of sexual assault.

Six councillors voted to “de-name” the Paul Pisasale Bridge in Springfield Central and Pisasale Drive in Yamanto, a move current Mayor Teresa Harding says will erase a “source of embarrassment” for the city.

Two refugees were released yesterday from the Brisbane Immigration Transit Authority after eight years in detention. 

This release follows the release of two refugees in Melbourne earlier this week and the release of a-hundred-and-eighty-eight refugees in Australia since December 2020.

There are still seventy refugees remaining in onshore detention in Australia.

A New South Wales river has been dual named with its Aboriginal name and the name given to it by white settlers.

The river that has been known as the Macquarie river for the past two hundred years will now be officially recognised by its Wiradjuri name of Wambuul.

Bathurst Local Aboriginal Land Council Chief Executive Tonilee Scott says:

"Using the Wiradjuri language for this ancient river is a powerful and inclusive symbol of the broader community's appreciation of First Nations people's very long ties to Wambuul,"

Powerful winds have swept across midwestern US states creating ‘dust bowl’ conditions, less than a week after the region was devastated by several tornadoes.

The low-pressure system winds triggered power outages in four US states on Wednesday leaving over one hundred thousand without power in Colorado alone.

The weather system whipped up topsoil and dust, reducing visibility to zero in parts of Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado, forcing highway closures

Queensland has recorded 22 cases of COVID-19, 18 of which have been in the community and 3 of which have been identified as the Omicron variant.

Cases have been detected in Brisbane South, Brisbane North, Darling Downs, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Moreton and Wide Bay, the source of most being primarily interstate travel. The majority of positive cases are those who have been fully vaccinated. 

QLD Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has urged Queenslanders to wear a mask stating that “there is nowhere in QLD where you can hide from this virus."