Advocates and members of the hearing impaired community are raising concerns about the disappearance of Auslan interpreters from New South Wales’ daily press conferences. 

Speaking in a statement yesterday, the Australian Lawyers for Human Rights say there is “significant concern” over the decision to scrap interpreters. 

Natalie Wade, the committee’s vice president referred to Article 21 of the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities which highlights the “human right for the provision of information… to be in accessible formats.” 

Low-cost airline “Bonza” is preparing to kickstart in early 2022.

The budget airline will launch in Australia in order to make trips more cost-effective in preparation for post-pandemic travel.

Bonza hopes to become the nation’s budget airline of choice and fill the gap left open last year by the closure of Virgin owned Tigerair Australia. It intends to compete with the likes of Qantas, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia for national travel. 

For the meantime, the firm will be limited to Australian flights only with potential plans to expand.

Severe flooding in China’s northern Shanxi province has affected more than 1.76 million people.

Last week’s torrential rain led to landslides and 17,000 collapsed houses in over 70 districts and cities. Authorities say more than 120,000 people have been urgently relocated. 

These floods come less than three months after extreme rain in Henan province killed more than 300 people.

Thousands of Queenslanders in interstate hotspots have been invited to participate in a home quarantine trial starting today. 

Typically, anyone arriving from overseas, or a hotspot must undergo 14 days quarantine at their own expense.

The trial seeks people who meet a strict criteria. They must be fully vaccinated, produce a negative test three days before travelling and are able to quarantine alone or with an entire household also in quarantine.  

However, with the programme kickstarting today and 1000 places on offer, only 407 people have signed up. 

The D’Aguilar Highway in Caboolture and Pumicestone Road at Toorbul are due to be resurfaced after the community had been calling for action. 

A 662.5 million dollar Bruce Highway upgrade, from Caboolture-Bribie Island Road to Steve Irwin Way has also begun. 

State Member for Pumicestone Ali King says construction will start later this year.

These highway upgrades in the Sunshine Coast and Moreton regions are expected to create over 660 jobs. 

The Gympie Hospital Children’s ward is set to reopen after residents of the region voiced its importance to the community.

Residents were shocked and angry after the Gympie Times Reported the ward had been closed due to a lack of paediatricians. This meant parents of unwell children and newborn babies were forced to travel 100km south to receive treatment.

The Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service refuses to guarantee its reopening as it was unable to acquire the specialists needed to staff the ward. 

The Independent Schools Australia survey gathered data from 2000 parents from public, private and catholic schools in the country. 

Data shows “Gaining confidence and self-esteem” is the top priority for parents of private school students. Only 44% of parents are choosing private schools for “educational excellence” a 6% drop from the previous survey 5 years ago. 

Independent Schools Australia Chief Executive Margery Evans says “Most parents want more from education than just academic results.” 

The government plans to assist the growing number of children with mental health issues.

The National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy is a world-first as it provides support to children 12 and younger, as well as their families.

It was developed by the National Mental Health Commission and includes increased resources for public mental health services and more affordable training to help paediatricians. 

The US just concluded their first talks with the Taliban since withdrawal of American troops. 

The meeting in Qatar focused on evacuating US citizens and providing humanitarian aid. US officials say the talks were “candid and professional” and insist the meeting does not amount to recognition of the Taliban. 

American political advisor, Ned Price, says both parties discussed the establishment “of robust humanitarian assistance, directly to the Afghan people.”