The tax institute has released a 287 page  report on how to fix the Australian tax laws which have cost the nation about $50 billion in compliance costs, while inefficient taxes are costing even more in lost economic growth.

The report argues that Australia is over-reliant on personal and company income taxes. And that there should be a  higher rate and/or broader base for the GST, which may include taxing education, health and fresh food.

Victoria recorded 10 locally-acquired Covid-19 cases overnight after announcing a snap lockdown on Thursday. 

Of the 36 active cases in Victoria, 18 were transmitted in the community and originated from the New South Wales cluster.

This lockdown was the fifth for the state and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he hopes only a five-day lockdown will be necessary.

One of Thursday's COVID-19 cases was a worker from Brisbane international airport who had already been vaccinated.

Despite encouraging workers to get vaccinated the Brisbane Airport Corporations said they do not keep track of the number of vaccinated workers.

Likewise, ABC news found that Cairns airport also had no records of which workers were vaccinated.

QLD Premier Anastasia Palaszczuck will be going to Tokyo this weekend to make a final pitch for Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics bid but officials are taking “nothing for granting” when it comes to the event.

The premier has previously stated that she would not leave the state, if it was in a similar condition to NSW. This comes as Queensland records two more cases and is expected to have an announcement about restrictions soon.

Sunshine Coast businesses have been hit hard by lockdown with some reporting losses of $15,000-20,000 and loss of staff members. 

Experts said the loss could have been much greater and shows how devastating these clusters can become, especially with the new COVID strains coming into existence.

Little is known about the Kappa variant beyond that it was first identified in October last year and originated in India. Health officials have declared it as a strain of concern after it plunged Melbourne into its 4th lockdown.

Julia Gillard has been confronted by a stranded Australian unable to get home as a result of the restrictions on how many citizens can enter per week, during an appearance in London.

The former Prime Minister was speaking to an exclusive audience for the Britain-Australia Society at the Royal Over-Seas League with another former prime minister Alexander Downer, about her work on gender and leadership which she completed in Kings collages.

Several Chinese cities have issued public notices threatening to ban unvaccinated people from entering public spaces.

According to these notices, unvaccinated people may be unable to enter schools, supermarkets, and hospitals unless they have an exemption letter.

This move has sparked fierce debate on Chinese social media platforms such as weibo.

Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick has announced the Brisbane council will not receive any funding for its proposed green bridge, despite never being formally asked.

This came as Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner announced the 5-10 year vision of the proposed bridge project which was meant to bridge the gap between Kangaroo point and the city’s botanic gardens.

In this plan he announced a third of the funding would come from the state government.