Byron Shire Mayor, Michael Lyon, has asked the NSW Government to lift the lockdown on the Northern Rivers region after a month of no recorded Covid-19 cases.

Western Australian Senator Patrick Dodson is blaming ‘fringe’ Chrisitan groups for spreading Covid misinformation which has seen low vaccination rates in parts of Western Australia.

Dodson likens these religious groups to ‘terrorists’ and said their anti-vax propaganda is life-threatening and they should be prosecuted.

A content warning for this next story it includes domestic violence and sexual assault.

Australian of the Year Grace Tame said there needs to be more funding and energy put into preventing violence against women.

China has ordered broadcasters to ‘shun’ any artists with ‘incorrect political opinions’ in an attempt to strengthen their control over Chinese society.

The Chinese government said certain artists in the entertainment and arts industry are a bad influence on young people and that it is "severely polluting the social atmosphere."

The world’s first electronic waste puppet has been created by local Moreton Bay children’s entertainers Larrikin Puppets after Moreton Bay Regional Council granted the company 2,000 dollars through the Regional Art Development Fund.

The small town of Miriam Vale off the Bruce Highway between Rockhampton and Bundaberg has launched a highway art trail to invite travellers into town.

The art trail is a Queensland first, with big sculptures on the highway and smaller ones on the drive into town, all designed by local artists, and designed to bring in travellers to spend money.

The African Communities Council has rejected a ruling that the Courier-Mail's 'enemies of the state' cover story from last year was not racist.

The Australian Press Council responded to complaints that the cover which featured two African Australian women on the front was racist and an act of ‘racial vilification.’ 

At least 41 people have died from flash flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in the New York area.

Hundreds of flights to and from New York were cancelled as terminals were fully submerged, and citizens described the rain as like living in a tropical jungle.