The Cairns Regional Council is considered a visitor levy to prop up the city’s struggling tourism industry.

Similar proposals in the past have centered on a 2.5% tax on visitor accommodation. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is backing the New South Wales government in keeping Sydney open, despite the city’s current Covid-19 outbreak. 

The decision comes after the state’s proposal to raise police activity, in order to apprehend offenders of the heavy new restrictions.

Australian Bureau of Statistics released a survey and found twenty seven percent of businesses are struggling to find staff. 

The accommodation and food services sector has seen a job increase of thirty six percent over the past year but is over fifty thousand positions short of its pre-pandemic levels, suggesting workers have moved into other sectors. 

Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, has printed its final edition yesterday after being the latest institution found breaching the national security law China introduced last year. 

The newspaper was forced to close their doors after the government froze their assets last week and arrested five company executives. 

In space news the US has had a report published by the Air Force Research Laboratory suggests the U.S. Space Force must prepare for operations beyond the earth's orbit. This comes as Joe Biden has asked for an increase of $2.2 billion in additional funding.

A Vietnamese man has been awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for his role in protecting one of the world's most trafficked animals -  the Pangolin. 

The federal government will increase Australian citizenship application fees by seventy five percent as of next week on July 1st. 

This will see the current fee of two hundred and eighty five dollars go up to four hundred and ninety dollars. 

Queensland might close its borders to all of New South Wales, but the Gold Coast Mayor wants a travel bubble with Tweed.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said yesterday there was “absolutely” a chance all of New South Wales could again be shut out of Queensland.
 

Two state ministers, Mark Ryan and Leanne Linard, along with police commissioner, Katarina Carroll, announced the formation of a second co-responder team targeting youth crime in Townsville yesterday. 

Co-responder teams are made up of police and youth workers. The first team proved successful in limiting youth crime after being introduced more than a year ago.