Kombumerri Ngarang-Wal Saltwater elders will lodge a native title claim in a bid to stop construction of the Gold Coast light rail. 

The First Nations elders say the planned route through the Burleigh Headland will desecrate a traditional birthing spot. 

Indigenous Elders in the area say they have been left out of the community consultation phase by the department of transport and main roads. 

Transport Minister Mark Bailey says a separate native title claim lodged in 2017 has already been taken into account.

A brand new COVID-19 treatment could come to Australia.

The Australian Government has placed an order for 300,000 doses of the new antiviral ‘Merck’ pill which is in the late stage of clinical trials.

The treatment for adult patients with mild symptoms helps activate the body’s immune system to fight against the virus.

A recent trial showed the Merck pill to reduce deaths and hospitalisation by half. 

New South Wales treasurer Dominic Perrottet is billed to become the next Premier for New South Wales in today’s vote. 

Perrottet hails from the state’s conservative liberal faction, and is expected to push for the reinstatement of the jobkeeper program for New South Wales.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes will contest Perrottet’s bid for the state’s top job, although he is not expected to win.

This comes after Premier Gladys Berejiklian resigned on Friday, and deputy premier John Barilaro announced his resignation yesterday. 

Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger are experiencing a global outage. 

A spike in user reports relating to the services was detected at around 2:45am Brisbane time, however, the company is yet to reveal what has caused the outage. 

Facebook’s site is not currently loading at all, whilst Instagram and Whatsapp are accessible, but cannot load new messages or send content.

Police have refused Adani’s request to move traditional owners occupying the coal mine. 

This refusal is on the basis of upholding the human right to practice culture, which is protected under section 28 of the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019. 

The Wangan and Jagalingou people have asserted this right by occupying land on Adani’s mining lease for five weeks now, conducting a ceremony called Wadananguu, raising awareness about the risks that the Adani Carmichael pose to to their land, water, sacred sites and totems.

Queensland has recorded two new locally acquired COVID cases overnight. 

That brings the state to a total of twenty two active cases. 

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that one case is linked to the pre existing aviation cluster whilst the other case was acquired interstate and was in the community for only one day.

An elderly woman was fined $1,200 for the possession of over a kilogram of marijuana. 

The woman was diagnosed with cancer six years ago and has been growing marijuana and using it medicinally for the past two years. 

The Magistrate presiding over the case, Magistrate Scaddan said that though he is empathetic to the woman’s struggles, she is still subject to the law.

School Strike for Climate has announced a national day of action for the 15th of October. 

The group has said that this strike is a good opportunity to make some noise about the ongoing climate crisis in the lead up to the UN Climate Change Conference and apply pressure on the Australian Government before the upcoming Federal election. 

The Brisbane strike will take place on the fifteenth of October at 1pm in King George Square.

As of today, it is illegal for Australians to import nicotine containing vape liquid without a prescription, and illegal to supply any liquid nicotine that isn't in child-resistant packaging.

This ban comes after Health Minister Greg Hunt closed a legislative hole which allowed their unrestricted sale.

Facing criticism from backbenchers, he cited a doubling in nicotine poisonings nationwide over the last year.