Prime Minister Scott Morrison has assured Australians that the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 will not lead to any further lockdowns, despite Tasmania opting to close its borders to overseas arrivals. 

Morrison says he is not “spooked” by the new variant, and his government is currently undertaking sensible precautions while encouraging states and territories to stick to their current reopening schedules, as opening of international visa holders has been delayed to the 15th of December.

Three people have been killed in a mass shooting at a US High school, with six left injured.

The shooting took place in Oxford High School, North of Detroit, Michigan, before 1pm local time. 

A 15-year-old Sophomore is believed to be responsible, however his motives are unclear at this time.

This comes as the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk expands the state's vaccine mandate.

Those working in “high risk settings” including childcare facilities, prisons and airports will be required to have at least one dose by the 17th of December, and be fully vaccinated by the 23rd of January. 

Ms Palaszczuk also confirmed the states initial plan to allow quarantine free travel “has not been affected” by the latest variant of the virus.

The Wet weather has caused havoc on the roads with multiple crashes, a rollover and significant delays. 

Traffic authorities alerted motorists all major arterials across the city faced major delays and advised road users to be ‘patient, safe and courteous’.

With the wet weather set to continue, RACQ took to Twitter this morning urging Queenslanders to take extra care in the wet conditions.

ASIC hit the bank with six lawsuits over the poor treatments of its customers, including charging fees to people who have passed away, as well as having a “poor compliance culture”.

In addition to the penalty, Westpac will also pay more than $80 million to its customers in remediation. 

A spokesperson for ASIC says tens of thousands of Westpac customers were improperly charged millions of dollars. 

This comes just three years after the bank was fined $3.3 million for ‘unconscionable conduct’. 

The UK is aiming to administer 500,000 vaccinations a day in a bid to outrun the Omicron variant.

This comes as the waiting time for boosters was cut to three months in an effort to ensure the variant does not take hold. 

Confirmed cases rose to 11 yesterday in England and Scotland, with experts expecting the number to jump to three figures within a week.

An Ipswich City councillor has been criticised for her lack of flood disaster management plans.

In a Facebook post Councillor Kate Kunzelmann warned locals to keep their own personal supply of sandbags.

She says “Ipswich City Council and the State Emergency Service will not routinely provide sandbags. Residents are advised to ensure their own supply of sandbags or look at alternate measures.”

Locals took to the comments section, unhappy with the council’s view, with one man saying, “This has to be a bad joke surely”

GPs on the Gold Coast say they “are not surprised” another Covid variant is in the community.

They are urging Australians to remain calm and asking for a measured response from authorities. 

The previous head of the Gold Coast Medical Association Dr Sonu Haikerwal says, “This is not unusual, it's not a surprise that the Omicron variant has been discovered, because that's what viruses do, mutate.”