A report released by the Real Estate Institute of Queensland has revealed Queensland’s residential property market median has climbed almost 2 percent since September this year.

It was found this year the Brisbane median house market also grew more than 15 per cent. 

This report comes three weeks after the Rental Affordability Index report showed a significant decline in affordability across some regions in Queensland, with the cost of rent now skyrocketing. 

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has warned Australia’s Administrative Appeals Tribunal its processing backlog could reduce trust in the country’s asylum seeker program. 

The UN’s warning further outlined the issues of the asylum seeker system, in which asylum seekers often have to wait years for their claims to be resolved. 

AAT President David Thomas further acknowledged the tribunal’s processing issues, however he claims the tribunal is not sufficiently resourced to substantially reduce the current backlog of cases.

One of Australia’s biggest disability service providers has apologised after incidents of violence, abuse and neglect in two of its group homes. 

‘Life without barriers’ which operates disability services around Australia and New Zealand with revenue at $750 million last year, fronted the disability royal commission to answer questions yesterday after four days of evidence from residents and their families. 

The cases included residents being abused, injured and not receiving proper medical care. 

A UK court has cleared WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States to face espionage charges.

Assange is wanted by the US for publishing military documents in 2010, after which he fled to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, before being transferred to Belmarsh Prison where he has spent the last two years. 

Deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has opposed the extradition and instead claims Assange should be kept in the UK, or returned home to Australia.

If found guilty, Assange could spend up to 175 years in prison. 

The Pentagon says it will not discipline any US troops over a drone strike which killed 10 civilians including seven children in Kabul in August. 

The US has already admitted the attack, which came as foreign forces tried to evacuate Kabul airport during the Taliban takeover, as a ‘tragic mistake’. 

An earlier review by Air Force Lieutenant General Sami Said found the strike was caused by execution errors, interpreting information and communication breakdowns. 

Scott Morrison will travel to Queensland today despite being identified as a casual contact of a person with COVID-19 after his attendance at a Sydney high school graduation. 

The Morrison government has confirmed that Queensland authorities passed  Morrison’s travel as safe. 

Scott Morrison will be in Queensland all this week to set up an online safety youth advisory committee to assist the esafety commissioner with issues of online privacy and abuse. 

A recent study conducted by the University of Queensland has found a potential link between victims of childhood trauma experiencing psychotic symptoms through cannabis use. 

The trial explored responses from over 2,000 young people aged 16-25 including their use of cannabis, history of childhood trauma, psychotic-like experiences, and subjective effects when using cannabis.

Tourism chiefs want the Northern Territory government to ease strict rules for visitors and residents, which they say will ruin Christmas for tour operators and others in the industry. 

Among other regulations, the NT government wants vaccinated people to remain in approved high-vaccination zones for 14 days on arrival in NT.

Tourism central Australia chief executive Danial Rochford said these rules would stop visitors traveling to  key tourism destinations over summer including Uluru and Kings Canyon 

Scallop fisheries in Western Australia’s Abrolhos islands will not be operating this season due to the effects of a marine heatwave earlier in the year. 

Scallop populations have been heavily impacted by the three degree celsius increase in water temperature, with the effects of reproduction being felt almost immediately by the scallops’ short lifespan.

While scallop fishing has not been entirely cancelled, limited numbers means remaining scallops will be left to reproduce, potentially increasing demand ahead of the next season.