Concerning new research by the Tourism and Transport Forum revealed around 20 per cent of jobs in the tourism sector of the Gold Coast have been cut due to the impact of Covid 19. 

The total drop in tourism employment is forecasted to reach 36 per cent by December due to bans on interstate travel, affecting more than 4,500 tourism businesses.

Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan commented this week that ongoing government support will be vital for recovery.

Today marks a special milestone for Torres Strait Islander children, with a new law known as “for our children’s children” being passed.

After 30 years of advocacy by Kupai Omasker Elders, the new law will allow Torres Strait Islanders raised by extended family to transfer their legal identity from birth parents to cultural parents. 

At a Cultural Recognition Orders ceremony in Cairns, the elders says it will remove many legal barriers and allow families to live by their cultural identities to reflect their legal identities and lived experiences.

Australian families whose relatives were amongst the 298 passengers and crew killed on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 in 2014 will give their personal testimonies before an Amsterdam court this week. 

The Boeing 777 heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, and was shot down by a buk missile fired as it flew above the conflict-torn eastern Ukraine.

More than 90 people from around the world will offer their victim statements either in person or via video link.

Former opposition leader Matthew Guy returned as Victoria’s Opposition Leader after a spill motion challenging Michael O’Brien.

MPs voted 20 to 11 for a leadership spill at a party room meeting on Tuesday morning.

Guy was voted in as leader, unopposed. 

Mr Guy has been criticised for failing to connect with the Victorian public, as well as failing to show challenge to Premier Dan Andrews for his handling of the pandemic during 2020.

Belarusian opposition protest leader, Maria Kolesnikova has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. 

The 39 year old was one of the key figures of the mass opposition movement during the 2020 Belarusian presidential election.

She along with fellow senior opposition figure, Maxim Znak, are both sentenced, charged with extremism and seizing power control illegally. Both prisoners will appeal the verdict.

The families of students at Windaroo State School isolated due to a four year old girl with Covid, are no longer in quarantine.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the risk of the virus spreading through the school community is low and over 900 families could exit quarantine immediately.

Queensland Health will review protocols with truck drivers arriving from Covid hotspots, as a way of prevent such instances of occurring again.

Queensland health authorities have allowed more walk-in appointments at mass COVID vaccine hubs to ensure rising supply is used.

According to Health Minister Yvette D’Ath, those waiting for bookings are cleared once they come into the system.

The state will not explore other options, such as drive-in-clinics to help boost lagging vaccination rates until another outbreak happens.

Nearly extinct roughly 40 years ago, the Northern hairy-nosed wombat is making a come-back. 

With the help of Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service implementing protective measures such as habitat management, predator fencing and trial and error in understanding the wombat’s needs - has led to a population growth of over 300 - a huge increase to when the species’ number dipped to low as 35. 

The wombat population is being held at the Epping Forest National Park in Central Queensland.

The second day of the National Summit on Women’s Safety is takes place today, and of the issues raised were those of Anthropologist and Indigenous leader Professor Marcia Langton. 

Professor Langton says Indigenous Australians need their own local and regional plans to reduce violence against women, as the current national initiatives have proven to be ineffective.

Langton suggests that the national plan of the past 12 years must be involved in designing local initiatives.