A border town split between Queensland and New South Wales, is seeing locals struggle to manage with different restrictions in place.

Mungindi, about 550 kilometres south-west of Brisbane, has seen essential services, including the local grocery store, inaccessible for Queensland-side residents because crossing the border will mean a 14-day quarantine.

Locals want the border zone bubble to be reinstated, but it is still unclear when the community may be reunited.

A new visa will be in place from late next month allowing foreigners to work on Australian farms.

It would be offered to South-East Asian nations, however it still remains unclear which countries will sign up to the visa.

The visa would be available to workers in farming, fisheries, forestry and meat processing, and it could provide a pathway to permanent residency or regional settlement.

Australians attempting to return home from Afghanistan are losing hope of being rescued.

Afghan Australian man, Zia says he is scared to try again after failing four times to get on to evacuation flights.

His toddler was pushed against the wall and brother whipped by Taliban fighters trying to battle large crowds at the airport.

Zia says he is afraid if he does not manage to evacuate soon the security situation at the airport will only get worse.

Copenhagen hosted The World Pride 2021 Human Rights Conference's largest in-person LGBTQI+ rights gathering since the pandemic began.

WorldPride 2021 Director of Human Rights Aron Le Fevre says that 215 activists received scholarships. Some of these recipients come from the 69 countries that criminalise homosexuality or have been forcibly expelled from their homes because of their sexuality.

This is the first WorldPride in history that includes, as part of the human rights forum, a full day international summit on LGBTQI+ refugees, borders and immigration.

Reaching vaccination targets, not a guarantee for total lifting of restrictions in Queensland.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles says talk of vaccination targets of 70 or 80 per cent resulting in lockdowns and restrictions completely easing is too simplistic.

Queensland Deputy Chief Health Officer James Smith says it’s not that we’ll be able to dial back completely on restrictions once we hit desirable vaccination targets but higher vaccination coverage will ease the restrictions.

Australian city centres are changing to adapt with new pandemic conditions. 

Australia’s chief infrastructure body believes 10 per cent fewer people will work in Australia’s city centres, while CBD office spaces will get smaller as larger companies are expected to reduce the size of their city offices and move into regional hubs

Infrastructure Australia’s chief of policy research, Peter Colacino says an emerging office/work-from-home hybrid was a major part of the study to be released in September.

Concerns remain in Queensland that no plan to remove level crossings at train tracks will continue to cause deaths and injuries over coming years.

With more than 1,200 level crossings, and none removed since 2014, Queensland is lagging behind in the national move to get rid of level crossings.

Also, the completion of the Cross River Rail will increase railway use, meaning that more congestion will build up in years to come.

The discovery of a flaw in COVID vaccine certificates raises questions around putting a hold on freedoms allowed to the vaccinated by the state and federal governments.

Richard Nelson, a software engineer in Sydney, has found a security flaw in the Express Plus Medicare app, allowing him to make vaccine certificates with any name and date of birth and even featuring the background animations meant to prevent forgery.

Qantas will be offering a range of rewards to travellers but only if they are fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

Fully vaccinated Australian-based frequent flyers over eighteen will have a chance to win free flights for a year.

The airline has announced these major prize grabs to recognise the role of Australians helping the country get out of lockdown.

These prizes will also include free accommodation and international destinations once borders reopen.