Brisbane house prices have hit a record median high of almost $795k, with interstate buyers pushing the steepest rise in 18 years. 

House prices have skyrocketed by 10.7% over the three months to December, the highest in nearly 2 decades. 

Experts attribute the rapid rise to low-interest rates, low COVID case numbers and comparative affordability of Brisbane homes compared to Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney.

A national plan to halve the road toll by 2030 will be sent back to state and territory governments to revise, following experts claiming that it would fail to reduce road deaths and could be vulnerable to exploitation for pork-barrelling.

Reviewers of The National Road Safety Strategy to 2030, released over Christmas, have recommended tying funding to measurable improvements in road safety and this had not been adopted as part of the plan.

Neil Young has demanded Spotify remove his music catalogue from the platform until controversial podcaster and vaccine conspiracy theorist Joe Rogan is removed from the platform saying ‘they can have Rogan or Young. Not Both.’

In an open letter to his manager and record label, Young accused Spotify of ‘spreading fake information about vaccines - potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them.

Liberal US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will retire later this year after nearly three decades on the bench, giving President Biden an opportunity to nominate a successor who could serve for decades. 

The 83-year old’s replacement, who would serve for life, would not shift the court’s current 6-3 conservative majority. 

It comes as the court has been considering several hot-button issues such as decisions that could change abortion laws, limiting access to the procedure, throughout the nation.

Premier Annastascia Palaszczuk has dismissed protest action driven by conspiracy theorists against her government’s response to the pandemic as QLD begins to see COVID hospitalisations decrease in the state. 

Paluszcuk, who was in Townsville for Australia Day events, was told in a press conference of a group of protesters calling for her arrest at Townsville Police Station and the Seizure of vaccine supplies.

Two universities have gone above and beyond current COVID Vaccine mandates, requiring students to be vaccinated for in-person learning to commence next month. 

The University Of Queensland, the state’s largest tertiary institution, and Griffith University are both requiring students to be fully vaccinated for face-to-face learning by the 14th and 18th of February respectively. 

Policies have been floated to discipline students who refuse to get the jab without a valid exemption, including the possibility of being unable to finish their degree.

Graziers in QLD’s Central West have seen the biggest drenching in 10 years as many had begun to sell off stock to cope with dry weather.

Between 50 to 100 mm of rain fell across the Hughenden and Richmond region yesterday, with Hughenden itself picking up 107mm, the heaviest rainfall seen in the area since February 2009.

Wet weather is expected to continue throughout the week, as a monsoon will linger over much of Northern Australia and will ease off as the weekend approaches

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has warned that the government will not be able to control the state’s outbreak of COVID-19, as the state recorded 24 new local cases yesterday. 

Nine of the new cases were from the Banbury area; tied to the Albermarle Lithium plant being constructed near the city, bringing the cluster in the region to 17 with the remaining cases being from the Perth Metropolitan Area.

The state’s efforts to keep COVID out have been all but dashed by the current outbreak since the state last week indefinitely delayed its border reopening.

The Nation of Indonesia has announced the name of their new capital as the government begins plans to build a sustainable city to replace the current capital of Jakarta that is integrated with its natural environment and has good public transportation.