Australia will not send officials or politicians to China for the Winter Olympics in a disapproval of Beijing over its human rights record. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will aim to follow United States President Joe Biden’s administration in announcing a full diplomatic boycott, which labelled China as ‘a pretentious act’. 

Australia’s decision will be formally announced in the next few days, but aims to send a signal to China over its human rights abuses in Hong Kong and over the recent treatment of tennis player Peng Shuai.

United States President Joe Biden has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of a strong Western response should Russian forces advance on the Ukraine border.

The two leaders met via a tense virtual summit, in which Mr. Biden voiced his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and called for de-escalation and return to diplomacy.

Russia has recently deployed a large number of troops to the Ukraine border with unclear intentions, however Mr. Putin claims he considers Ukraine’s alliance with Western nations a growing threat to Russian security.

The Queensland government will introduce increased fines for people who threaten to spit, cough, or sneeze on hospitality workers ahead of the new restrictions for unvaccinated citizens.

The new restrictions in place from the 17th of December will see unvaccinated Queenslanders banned from entering hospitality venues, including pubs, clubs, and cafes.

Anyone who threatens to spit on a hospitality worker can receive on the spot fines of up to one thousand three hundred and seventy eight dollars.

A new ‘coastal risk australia map’ has revealed that Queensland’s coastal cities could be partially under water in 80 years. 

The report which takes data from the intergovernmental panel on climate change predicted that  sea levels may rise by 8 meters in 80 years, swamping sea-side communities. 

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate says the findings are crucial to protecting the coastal city, and that the council has already began combating rising sea levels, with the setup of artificial reefs off the coast.

A small group of local artists have gathered in King George Square to protest the demolition of the East Brisbane Bowls club to make way for an extended riverside green space.

More affectionately known as the ‘Bowlo,’ the East Brisbane Bowls Club has served has the home of Backbone Youth Arts for over thirty years, operating as a launchpad for young Brisbane artists. 

Protestors are calling on Arts Minister Leanne Enoch to intervene in the Bowlo’s destruction, and emphasising the difficulty of recreating community arts spaces without a dedicated facility. 

Australia’s most senior Aboriginal barrister Tony McAvoy is today expected to be appointed the role of Acting Treaty Commissioner in the Northern Territory. 

Mr McAvoy who is a Wirdi man from central Queensland, will take the role which has been vacant since the middle of the year, when Mick Dodson resigned following allegations he verbally abused a woman. 

McAvoy has extensive experience providing legal advice on treaty matters, and was Australia’s first Indigenous senior counsel.

Stop Adani protestors in Sydney have unfurled a large banner on the BlackRock building, urging the company to withdraw their investments used to fund Adani’s controversial Carmichael Mine.

The demonstration comes after last week protestors staged an indoor cricket match in the foyer of the State Bank of India’s office, which is another one of Adani’s biggest investors. 

Chile’s congress has approved a long-awaited bill to legalise same-sex marriage, joining just a handful of countries in majority catholic latin America with similar laws. 

The vote culminates a process that began in 2017, with the decision being described as ‘historic and decisive’ from LGBTIQ+ rights groups. 

The new law signed by president Sebastian Pinera will also enable married same-sex couples to adopt children.