A survey by charity group Anglicare has found that three quarters of Australians would support a universal basic income policy.

Executive director Kasy Chambers (not to be confused with the singer-songwriter) said the increases to jobseeker and newstart have highlighted to Australians that poverty is a policy choice.

The number of people surveyed was only around one thousand, but the results were consistent with similar surveys conducted since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Northern Territory government has launched a new agreement with first nations Australians aiming to reduce high Indigenous incarceration rates in the region. 

Titled the ‘Aboriginal Justice Agreement’, community elders and legislators hope that the agreement will implement actions and establish new local laws that will reintroduce community courts as well as expand on programs aimed at reducing recidivism.

The agreement is set to be launched in Alice Springs and Kalkarindji later this month.

Belarusian President Alesandr Lukashenko has denied he had any involvement in the death of an activist in Kiev and the defection of an Olympian during an annual press conference.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has indicated the EU states are planning stronger sanctions towards Lukasenko and Belarus, which could be approved at a EU ministers meeting next month.

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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the Queensland government is worried about the virus travelling further north from the outbreak in Sydney and Newcastle.

Ms Palaszczuk says those aged 16-59 should register to get their COVID-19 vaccine as the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre becomes a mass vaccination clinic.

The taxi driver in Cairns is suspected of acquiring the virus from a passenger, a marine pilot who tested positive last week.

August 9, the annual International Day of Indigenous Peoples 2021, warns the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing more than 476 million Indigenous peoples in 90 countries to further inequities from poverty, illness, discrimination, and other instability.

Flinders University communications expert Andrew Butcher says connection to country, culture and community is intrinsically linked to teaching and retaining Indigenous languages.

Australia has been named a potential location for Moderna’s COVID vaccine trial on children aged 6 months to 12 years.

Mick Coatsworth, former deputy chief medical officer, has welcomed the idea on behalf of a nation he considers a world-leader in medical and scientific trials.

Mr Coastworth says, “We certainly need more information on vaccinating children under 12, the more evidence we have, the better it will be for our community.

Residents in Queensland’s rural border-town of Hebel are concerned the dirt mound they have to pay for will do little to prevent illegal border crossings into or from New South Wales.

The dirt mound, among other border measures, has cost the council more than $250,000, but with many back tracks along the border, it may be to no avail.

This indicates just another ongoing problem rural towns, especially border towns, are facing 17 months into the pandemic, and without enough financial support or proper solutions. 

Protesters rally in non-locked down Australian cities in their call for a change to travel exemptions so the parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents can enter the country.

Earlier this year, a petition with 70,000 signatures was tabled in parliament by independent MP Zali Steggall calling for changes to allow parents of Australians to enter the country and reunite with their children and grandchildren.