The Bundaberg Regional Council is hoping to begin growing the Kava crop, long considered a drug in Australia, after a 20 year ban.

The Kava plant is used in beverages in traditional ceremonies in many South Pacific cultures, as well as consumed socially.

However, there are concerns that growing the crop here will impact the small farmers in the South Pacific who rely on the sale for their income.

Yet, Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey has assured people that he wants to work with these communities.

There are calls to make checking-in at Queensland venues a more inclusive experience for people with vision impairment.

Vision-impaired Brian Haupt is leading this change, suggesting tactile markers or braille to be used to indicate where the QR code is located on the sign.

He has also suggested a standardised placement of the signs at every location, for example, the left hand side of the door.

These improvements can go a long way in giving vision-impaired people independence and confidence.

Queensland's border closure with New South Wales is forcing some schools in the area to take drastic action to keep lessons going.

People living in NSW border communities can only enter Queensland for essential reasons.

These include attending permitted work or emergencies, attending school or getting a COVID-19 test or vaccine.

Teachers or childcare workers are not considered as essential workers by Queensland Health.

There are rising allegations of ‘double standards’ within the Federal Government as millions of citizens are required to pay back thousands in JobKeeper payments, while big companies continue to record profits.

Over 11,000 people now owe the government around $32.8 million to Centrelink, after being overpaid for income support through JobKeeper and JobSeeker.

There has been resulting criticism from these Australians who feel underwhelmed by the system, and angered that the debts have been blamed almost entirely on them.

Disability support agencies and culturally and linguistically different (CALD) participants have pointed out language, culture, and an overly complex system as key barriers to access NDIS.

Dilky Wijeyekoon, senior program manager at the Australian Migrant Resource Centre (AMRC), believes many people are "missing" from the scheme and having more culturally competent support workers can improve the conditions.

Taliban insurgents have seized the presidential palace in Kabul after taking nearly all of the country in just over a week.

A Taliban spokesman and negotiator has told The Associated Press the militant group is holding talks aimed at forming an "open, inclusive Islamic government" in Afghanistan.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the US is evacuating remaining staff at its embassy in Kabul.

The Pentagon has authorised another 1,000 soldiers to help evacuate US citizens and Afghans who worked for them from Kabul.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced in a press conference this morning that the state has recorded 7 new cases of Covid-19.

All 7 cases are linked to the Indooroopilly delta variant cluster.

Ms Palaszczuk urges Queenslanders to stay at home during quarantine as one of the cases wasn’t detected until day 12.  

The Queensland Police are cracking down on motorists who are disobeying safety rules on the road.

Authorities say that many motorists go to extreme lengths to break the laws when it comes to wearing a seatbelt.

Police say there have been incidents where motorists buckle up their seat belts before getting into the vehicle and they sit on top of the seatbelt to avoid the safety alarms going off.

About 40 per cent of people killed or seriously injured last year were not wearing seatbelts.

The Noosa Temple of Satan went to the Supreme Court on Thursday to push for Satanists to teach religious instruction in schools.

Temple founder Robin Bristow also known as Brother Samael Demo-Gorgon said many Satanists don’t believe Satan is real, rather they use Satan as a metaphor for rebellion.

Mr Bristow claims there is interest from families for it to be taught in schools and the decision will be delivered by the court at a later date.