Yesterday the Moreton Bay Regional Council unanimously voted on taking five owners of dangerous dogs to the Magistrates Court in the interest of community safety.

Mayor Peter Flannery says prosecution is necessary due to the severity of the attacks, and is a part of the Council’s zero tolerance policy toward irresponsible dog ownership.

Mr. Flannery says many households welcomed furry family members during Covid and he hopes by taking these matters to court, awareness can be raised of the rules and expectations around safely keeping a pet. 

A Townsville security shop owner is offering his staff $500 to delay their vaccinations because he “did his own research” into Covid vaccines.

It is not known what medical or scientific qualifications he has, but Titan Security and Electrical owner Amedeo Dinardo is offering his staff a $500 bonus if they delay having a Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccination.

This was discovered after he made a post in a facebook group which claims “It is NOT OK to enforce lockdowns or to make medical procedures mandatory!!”

In sad news for music lovers, it has been announced Byron Bay’s Splendour in the Grass will be postponed for the second year in a row due to Covid.

Organisers say they are confident that by moving the dates to 2022 it will finally see people enjoying the iconic festival in all its glory once again.

A federal inquiry is examining ways to develop Australia's $1.5 billion aquaculture industry.

In a submission to the federal inquiry, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation says that misinformation on social media poses reputational risks to the industry.

Tasmania's salmon farmers have been targeted for criticism, including through social media, after the book Toxic written by Richard Flannagan was published.

More than 90 Australians and Afghans evacuated out of Afghanistan will arrive in Perth this morning as Australia desperately tries to secure landing spots at Kabul airport to rescue more citizens and Afghan visa holders.

Afghans wanting to board flights still face a difficult journey to the airport with a total of 12 people killed in and around the airport since the Taliban seized the city.

There are reports of the Taliban deterring people who aren’t foreigners from leaving.

Animal abusers and those who abandon pets could soon face harsher punishment, with South Korea planning to amend its civil code to grant animals legal status.

According to data, animal abuse cases in South Korea increased from 69 in 2010 to 914 in 2019.

The amendment, which is likely to be approved by the Parliament in September, would make South Korea one of a handful of countries to recognise animals as beings, with a right to protection, enhanced welfare and respect for life.

Scientists have published findings in the Journal of Pacific Conservation Biology that eight Australian frog species are at ‘high risk’ of becoming extinct over the next twenty years, with four likely to have already become extinct.

According to the study’s author Dr Graeme Gillespie, Chytrid fungal disease, climate change, and invasive species are behind the declining numbers.

Dr Gillespie said, however when we look at the four frog species we believe are extinct, chytrid fungal disease is probably the exclusive factor.

The concerning outbreak in NSW Indigenous communities has sparked an urgency for the Queensland Government to put, as the Brisbane Times said, ‘pedal to the metal’ on the vaccination rates of their own Indigenous communities.

Professor James Ward, director of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health at the University of Queensland says even though much of the focus is on Western NSW, focus should not be lost on QLD because it is for now relatively free of the virus.

The Redland City Council are considering establishing a free or low-cost basic camping ground on the Macleay Island foreshore.

There will be a 12 month trial of the campground, and it aims to boost tourism to the Southern Moreton Bay Islands where kayakers, cyclists and boaters can experience a small-scale, free or low-cost holiday.

Councillor Mark Edwards said it was anticipated the camp ground would be a maximum two-night stay with only tent sites available and no power.