This year’s census conducted by Australian Bureau of Statistics will have 2 new questions added to survey. 

The new questions involve long-term health conditions as well as past or current Australian Defence Force service. These new questions have been added after the ABS conducted a public submission on topics in 2018 and is the first time since 2006 new topics have been added to the survey.

The New South Wales and federal governments set to announce payments to struggling businesses in Covid lockdown. 

The upcoming announcement came as the NSW government had been negotiating with the federal government terms on a financial relief package to provide cash flow and to keep workers employed for many struggling businesses.

Thousands of Cubans call for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down.

Cubans took the streets to join the country’s largest anti-government protest against poor economic conditions and the slow Covid vaccination rollout

The Queensland Government is expanding the state’s protected wildlife habitat areas by more than 4,600 hectares.

There will also be half-a-million dollar funding to property owners to safeguard their nature reserves.

These conservation efforts will also create jobs for more Queenslanders, through park rangers and local business engagements.

The Queensland Government has announced there will be more funding for outback roads and upgrades.

A $24 million upgrade on Richmond-Winton road is already underway, with more around the Winton-area expected.

Katter’s Australian Party Leader Robbie Katter argues that the lack of palliative care specialists in North Queensland goes against the Government’s proposed euthanasia laws to provide dignity in death.

Figures reveal an almost 70 per cent shortfall to nationally-recommended standards of palliative care specialists in these areas is due to state government under-funding.

Isiah Firebrace, First Nations pop star, aims to lobby the federal government to introduce Aboriginal history classes to primary and secondary schools.

Firebrace launched a petition eight months ago on change.org with a target of 75,000 signatures but received even more success, receiving more than 270,000 during the 2021 NAIDOC Week. 

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is reviewing potential rorts of hundreds of millions of dollars of JobKeeper payments.

As part of the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce, the Australian Federal Police is leading nine ongoing operations that focus on tackling alleged crimes against the stimulus measures.

Australia has signed a joint statement with members of the Media Freedom Coalition expressing concern about the future of press freedom in Hong Kong.