A new report has found that a proposed gas development in the Lake Eyre Basin in QLD could increase national carbon emissions by 60%.

The proposed gas development in the environmentally fragile Basin Area has been done so without the consultation of local traditional owners and experts have said that if just 25% of the gas was recovered, that would be ‘incompatible’ with QLD’s emission reduction targets. 

Novac Djokovic has acknowledged an ‘error in judgement’ for failing to isolate after he returned a positive COVID test on the 16th of December as it remains uncertain whether the World No. 1 will be allowed to remain in Australia to play in the Australian Open.

In a statement posted to Instagram yesterday, attempting to address ‘Continuing misinformation’ over his arrival in the country, he citied an administrative error by his agent as the reason for declaring that he had not travelled in the two weeks before his flight to Australia. 

35 of the nation’s top academics, doctors and community leaders have penned an open letter calling on Australian governments to open schools to face to face learning on time, in spite of QLD’s move to delay the start of the school as COVID-19 surges throughout the state.

QLD’s currently stands alone in its delay to the school year with both Victoria and NSW committing to opening schools on time, and South Australia planning to announce its plans on Friday.

US President Joe Biden has made an impassioned speech on protecting voting rights in the US, calling for Senate rules to be changed to make election laws easier to pass.

Biden’s attempts to pass legislation to expand access to the polls and prevent the suppression of minority votes have been hampered by a parliamentary maneuver known as the filibuster, which changes the requirement for a bill to pass from a simple majority to a supermajority (or 60/100 votes). 

A group of health professionals have lobbied the national cabinet to re-negotiate a return back to school as normal, as Queensland forges ahead with its plan to hold students back by two weeks. 

In an open letter, the health professionals voiced that delaying school starting would only result in ‘anxiety and harm. 

While Prime Minister Scott Morrison has not directly criticised Queensland, he has suggested the Omicron wave is unavoidable. 

The Queensland government plans to push the opening date to flatten out spread of the virus.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has appointed former Governor Paul de Jersey as disaster recovery coordinator for the Fraser coast, as the region continues to battle raging floodwaters.

Maryborough recorded over 650 millimeters of rain in the past 24 hours, however Queensland police have since withdrawn an emergency declaration in the CBD to begin recover efforts.

This comes after the body of a 52 year old man was recovered from flood waters near Tiaro, and police continue to search for a 14 year old girl who has been missing near Gympie since Saturday.

Changes may be afoot to Queensland’s cultural heritage laws after Indigenous leaders and conservationists have called on the government to mandate consultation with traditionals owners before large scale clearing on private-owned land. 

This protest comes as the state government is reviewing the findings of a criminal case which ruled in favour of a Cape York grazier being accused of breaching cultural heritage protections on his Kingsvale station.