Celebrations have began as the largest ever native title claim determination recognised the Kuuku Ya'u and U’utaalnganu people’s claim to 210,000 hectares of land in Cape York.

Kuuku Ya’u elder Father Brian Claudie says the claim is "special for this generation, it’s very important for the future children”. 

Uutaalnganu Traditional Owner and Mayor for Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council Wayne Butcher says the determination was justice for his people, saying “we feel more at home now.

Heavy rainfall is predicted for the week as humidity sets in for Queenslanders during the weekend. 

After heavy rainfall on Friday followed by a sunny weekend, experts are predicting more wild weather, with Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Felmi Hanniffy saying the humidity is likely to linger before an easterly trough brings more wet weather. 

Police have issued warnings for drivers to not travel in flooded areas after several risky rescues on Friday night.

The Queensland Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce will examine sexual violence and whether further changes to consent laws are needed.

This follows report on coercive control and after consent law reforms were passed in state parliament following a Queensland Law Reform Commission review although the review of consent laws is not expected to be finished until June 2022.

The National Cabinet is set to discuss hotel quarantine ahead reports of Omicron variant. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it is too early to make decisions about quarantine before Christmas saying while the new variant is  “concerning”, but that Australia has dealt with other strains before. 

The Australian government announced on Friday that non-Australian citizens from the 9 countries in southern Africa where Omicron was detected have been barred from entering, with 2 Covid19 positive travellers testing positive for the variant on Saturday. 

Following Local government NSW lodging a late submission to a state parliamentary inquiry in remote, rural and regional healthcare, the NSW state and federal governments are being accused of giving councils the responsibility to subsidize healthcare services. 

The submission which names 21 NSW councils say they are being disadvantaged by having to take responsibility for core state and federal responsibilities with many councils covering the cost of incentive schemes to attract staff, subsidising accommodation, and waiving fees for medical flights. 

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa says he is deeply disappointed by travel bans of travellers from Southern Africa by the UK and US amid concerns about the Omicron variant. 

Mr Ramaphosa called on countries to reverse the bans amid concerns for the possible economic damage of the bans. 

The United Kingdom has called for an emergency meeting of the G7 nations on Monday to discuss the variant.

A Brisbane based aerospace company has launched an historic rocket, kicking off Australia’s newest space programs.

Black Sky Aerospace launched Sighter 150, making it the first rocket to be designed, built and powered in Australia in 40 years.

Director Blake Nikolic says the rocket is a success setting a good precedent for future launches and says the company is working with the Australian government to advance Australia’s space industry.

Lobbyists are setting their sights on the QLD state government to impose tougher punishments on owners of dangerous dogs. 

The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) is set to lobby the government this week after a woman and her dog was attacked on the gold coast .

Gold Coast City councillor Hermann Vorster says the dog attack incident aren’t isolated and that is “a real entrenched problem in our public open space” with the Gold Coast City Council has received 547 dog attack complaints in 2021 so far.

The Queensland government is reminding Queenslander to be aware of domestic violence as the holidays season nears with expected rates of domestic violence to heighten during the Christmas period.

The Minister for Women And for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman says the Christmas and New Year holiday period is linked to an annual spike in rates of domestic and family violence.