No cases linked to Sunshine Coast infection risk.

Queensland has recorded no cases of COVID-19 linked to the woman who visited several locations around the Sunshine Coast while infected last week.

 

Health authorities were expecting more local cases after a fully vaccinated woman was infectious in the community between July 15 and 17.

 

Health authorities have released a list of exposure sites the woman visited which include major transport hubs and they urged anyone who was at these sites to monitor symptoms and get tested if they notice any.

 

Queensland had 25 active cases on Friday.

An oversized skyscraper has been proposed in West End.

A new twelve-story residential tower development in West End has been proposed to the Brisbane City Council despite exceeding the current seven-story height restrictions.

 

On behalf of the developer, consultancy group Urbis said that the development’s proximity to other buildings in the area which also exceed the height limit makes it acceptable.

 

Closed borders have caused distress for Gold Coast businesses.

Gold Coast business owners once again raised concerns over restrictions on the New South Wales border.

At 1am Friday, the hard border was implemented with access only available for emergency services vehicles.

Fourth-generation Gold Coast farmer David Freeman said the last lockdown nearly sent his business under, and he didn’t know how he would “cope” if this closure continued.

Afghan translators will have to flee on commercial flights.

Prime minister Scott Morrison said that unlike the United States, Australia will not be conducting military evacuations for former staff and translators stuck in Afghanistan.

The federal government had been facing increasing pressure to evacuate Afghan nationals who served with their forces and agencies, but a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said commercial flights were still available for them.

A group of veterans burnt their service medals in protest on Monday.

National COVID roundup

Queensland has reported 1 locally acquired case

NSW has reported 124 cases

Victoria has reported 14 cases

South Australia has reported 6, and is entering lockdown along with the other two states.

This came with increasing pressure from the state governments towards the federal government regarding the vaccine rollout, prompting the Prime Minister who has previously denied responsibility to say, “I’m certainly sorry we haven’t been able to achieve the marks that we hoped for at the beginning of this year.”

 

Sexual harassment lawsuit filed against top video game developer Activision Blizzard.

This story may contain triggering comments in relation to sexual harassment, reader discretion is advised.

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing has filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard with claims that employees have faced "constant sexual harassment, including groping, comments, and advances" due to a "frat boy workplace culture". 

One new local case in QLD

Three new cases have been recorded overnight for Queensland.

The one locally acquired case is a Qantas flight worker who travelled on flights between Brisbane, Longreach, Gladstone, and Hervey Bay while infectious.

The other two cases were acquired overseas, and are in hotel quarantine.

Sunshine Coast Council rejects Coles' application to open in Beerwah

The Sunshine Coast council has unanimously rejected three joint applications for a Coles supermarket, a fast food outlet, and a homemaker centre on the outskirts of Beerwah.

Councillors cited fears over the proposed Coles “cannibalising” existing businesses by creating a new business centre away from the CBD.

For now, the site of the rejected developments will continue to be used to farm strawberries.

2032 Olympics will be hosted across all of Queensland

With Brisbane winning the Olympic bid, some parts of Regional Queesland are also expected to take part with some companion events already earmarked for regional Queensland, with Toowoomba, Townsville and Cairns expected to host preliminary and quarter-final matches for football.

In its Games masterplan, the Australian Olympic Committee said it planned to showcase Queensland's diverse natural environment by hosting events in the state's far north. Towns are bidding for funding and spots in the olympic games such as Mt Isa, who already host the international rodeo every year.