The Waste Recycling Industry Association of Queensland has released a report on investment in regional initiatives funded through levy collection, which found that Queensland was the last state government to sign up to the Recycling Modernisation Fund and was lagging behind on waste and recycling targets. 

With a 54% resource recovery rate, the state is a considerable way behind national leader South Australia, which has an 83% recovery rate. 

QUT, Griffith University and USQ are working to impose vaccine mandates even if the Queensland Government refuses.

Premier Annastascia Palaszczuk announced mandates requiring workers at private schools, state schools, prisons, youth detention centres, and airports, but has stopped short of extending the mandate to universities. 

An investigation and report tabled in the NSW Parliament has found that NSW government debt collection agency, Revenue NSW, has been illegally using an automated system to withdraw funds for unpaid fines directly from peoples bank accounts. 

The report found that artificial intelligence was being used by Revenue NSW to withdraw money from the bank accounts of people who had failed to pay fines, but the practice was never overseen by a real person. 

The World Bank is working to free up $500 million dollars from a frozen Afghanistan aid fund to humanitarian agencies, but the plan to redirect the funds remains riddled with complications including stifling US sanctions. 

Afghanistan’s 39 million people face a cratering economy, a winter of food shortages and growing poverty three months after the Taliban seized power as the last US troops withdrew from 20 years of war. 

Gold Coast residents are again on high alert as another COVID case has been detected, with shoppers who attended the Black Friday sales at Robina Town Centre in the Gold Coast being asked by health authorities to isolate and get tested. 

The patient visited Rebel Sport, JB Hifi, and Target stores at the shopping centre between 1:40 pm and 2:30 pm last Friday.

Queensland Health authorities are investigating the source of transmission and are expected to provide further information and any other potential exposure sites later today. 

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has defended a 12 month investigation after 11 women complained about a Queensland Health manager who was accused of insulting co-workers with derogatory names and playing sexually charged “game ratings.”

According to the report, the investigation “partially substantiated” the allegations but found that quote, “name calling in the team is normal and done in an endearing manner.” 

Westpac has admitted it broke the law and has agreed to pay penalties totalling $113 million after the corporate regulator hit the bank with 6 lawsuits over careless treatment of customers, including charging dead people fees. 

The US Supreme Court is set to decide whether to uphold a Mississippi law that would ban almost all abortions after 15 week of pregnancy. 

The ruling could gut the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which protects pregnant women’s liberty to choose to have an abortion.

The supreme court has a conservative majority after former president Donald Trump appointed Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett as judges who are expected to uphold the Mississippi law.