This year’s census conducted by Australian Bureau of Statistics will have 2 new questions added to survey. 

The new questions involve long-term health conditions as well as past or current Australian Defence Force service. These new questions have been added after the ABS conducted a public submission on topics in 2018 and is the first time since 2006 new topics have been added to the survey.

The ABS will drop the question relating to household internet access due to widespread enhancements in technology.

The New South Wales and federal governments set to announce payments to struggling businesses in Covid lockdown. 

The upcoming announcement came as the NSW government had been negotiating with the federal government terms on a financial relief package to provide cash flow and to keep workers employed for many struggling businesses.

The announcement is set for later during the day.

Thousands of Cubans call for President Miguel Diaz-Canel to step down.

Cubans took the streets to join the country’s largest anti-government protest against poor economic conditions and the slow Covid vaccination rollout

Havana resident Maykel, who declined to give his surname in fear of retaliation, said it's becoming impossible to live in Cuba.

At least 80 protesters, activists and independent journalists have been detained nationwide according to exiled rights group Cubalex.

The Queensland Government is expanding the state’s protected wildlife habitat areas by more than 4,600 hectares.

There will also be half-a-million dollar funding to property owners to safeguard their nature reserves.

These conservation efforts will also create jobs for more Queenslanders, through park rangers and local business engagements.

The Queensland Government has announced there will be more funding for outback roads and upgrades.

A $24 million upgrade on Richmond-Winton road is already underway, with more around the Winton-area expected.

Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia and Federal Member for Maranoa, Queensland, David Littleproud has said, quote “This is also an investment in improving access for remote and Indigenous communities to health and social services.”

Katter’s Australian Party Leader Robbie Katter argues that the lack of palliative care specialists in North Queensland goes against the Government’s proposed euthanasia laws to provide dignity in death.

Figures reveal an almost 70 per cent shortfall to nationally-recommended standards of palliative care specialists in these areas is due to state government under-funding.

Mr Katter believes this shortfall means more sick Queenslanders would feel compelled to seek out voluntary assisted dying should the laws pass in September.

Isiah Firebrace, First Nations pop star, aims to lobby the federal government to introduce Aboriginal history classes to primary and secondary schools.

Firebrace launched a petition eight months ago on change.org with a target of 75,000 signatures but received even more success, receiving more than 270,000 during the 2021 NAIDOC Week. 

The 21-year-old star is currently on his Spirit and Beyond tour to regional communities to help inspire youth both of indigenous and non-indigenous backgrounds to pursue their dreams.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is reviewing potential rorts of hundreds of millions of dollars of JobKeeper payments.

As part of the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce, the Australian Federal Police is leading nine ongoing operations that focus on tackling alleged crimes against the stimulus measures.

The ATO has identified $284 million in JobKeeper overpayments. It has managed to collect back about $138 million, with some of the money recouped relating to people deliberately acting to defraud the system.

Australia has signed a joint statement with members of the Media Freedom Coalition expressing concern about the future of press freedom in Hong Kong. 

The statement, published by the United Kingdom and signed by 21 members of the coalition, says it has "strong concerns" about the closure of the Apple Daily newspaper which was closed after police arrested its chief editor and four senior executives for "suspected contravention" of the national security law