A 55 year old man has been charged with offences, including assaulting police during a protest against COVID-19 vaccinations and lockdowns held in Brisbane City Botanic Gardens.

Police says the man was arrested and charged after he was found flying a drone in a restricted area, with the matter still being investigated and further referred to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. 

As the crowd walked through Queen Street Mall, some protestors told passersby who wore masks to quote “take them off”.

Retired racehorses are now helping veterans cope with PTSD.

Ipswich man, and former serviceman, Isaac Adams found that working with horses has helped him control his anger and dissatisfaction because horses are receptive creatures and respond to emotion.

The strict regimented lives of veterans and racehorses make them the perfect pairing to work and heal together.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is urging residents to continue to come forward and get vaccinated so border rules could finally be removed by Christmas.

The National Cabinet has agreed in principle to remove restrictions once 80 per cent of eligible people are fully vaccinated.

More than 56,000 people got vaccinated during the state’s Super Pfizer Weekend, with more still to be counted.

Ms Palaszczuk says “We all hope that we can see our relatives and friends at Christmas time.”

The Australian Council of Trade Unions is claiming lack of action on gender inequality in the workforce.

According to reports 90,000 women had lost their jobs between May and August, compared to 25,000 men, while in New South Wales alone, nearly two-thirds of all jobs lost since the lockdown began in June, had been held by women.

The ACTU’S president Michele O’Neil says,  “The Morrison government is overseeing a faltering recovery which is entrenching insecurity and gender inequality in the Australian workforce.”

The federal environment department says the proposal to ditch the need for the recovery plans from the 185 at risk species and ecological communities is just the first tranche with more to follow.

The proposed changes are drawing criticism with University of Queensland’s Professor of Conservation Science James Watson saying the plans are a quote “quick fix”. 

Female municipal employees in Kabul are told to stay home unless their jobs cannot be filled by a man.

The new Taliban mayor of Afghanistan, Hamdullah Nomany, says the Taliban “found it necessary to stop women from working for a while”.

In the latest round of restrictions placed on women, the group has shut down the women’s affair ministry and replaced it with a ministry for the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice”.

There are questions arising over whether Queensland should enforce heavier restrictions on essential workers entering the state to prevent COVID-19 cases.

Since August 24 there have been 11 cases where essential workers, particularly truck drivers, have entered QLD when infectious.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says the federal government is considering mandating vaccines for freight drivers, even though compliance level is quite high anyway.

New research hub led by University of Queensland researchers has received $2.5 million to investigate better ways to help people suffering with drug and alcohol addiction.

The funding, provided by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), will be used to turn the existing partnership between UQ researchers and addiction support provider Lives Lived Well into a national Centre of Research Excellence (CRE).

Fifteen men have been arrested following a brawl in Runcorn.

Acting Superintendent Simon Tayler says it would be alleged that the motive for the fight, involving more than 50 people, was a power struggle between two groups of people involved in the Brisbane Sikh Temple in Eight Mile Plains. 

Sergeant Wade Domagala described the incident as a “frenzied attack” and told the court there were allegations of previous threats being made to gain control of the Sikh temple’s committee.