A recent study shows that families spend more on childcare than on groceries or bills. Nearly one in three families spend more on childcare than on groceries and more than 80 per cent spend more that they do on their utility bills, therefore making childcare unaffordable for thousands of people across Australia. 

An analysis by education and health policy experts, the Mitchell Institute, has found childcare is too expensive for 386,000 families. 

The infected Brisbane hospital receptionist who tested positive for COVID-19 before a snap lockdown was called was offered the vaccination, but Health Minister Yvette D’Ath says she did not “take the option up”.

It comes after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she is furious that the health care worker was not vaccinated. 

Ms D’Ath has said the receptionist, who worked at Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane’s north, had been offered the vaccine as all health workers were, but did not take up the opportunity to get vaccinated.

Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed that there have been 4 new COVID-19 cases in Queensland overnight. 

In the premier’s daily covid-19 update, Ms Palaszczuk has said that there have been three new locally acquired cases and one new overseas acquired case. The Premier has thanked the state for following lockdown and mask restrictions as 18,447 people got tested on Tuesday. 

The Premier has urged anyone who has been to the exposure sites or anyone who is feeling sick, to get tested immediately. 

Singapore has revealed its new approach to living with the Corona Virus. Last week senior minister from the city state announced that in the future Covid would be treated like other endemic diseases such as flu.

Previous goals of zero transmissions, quarantine for travellers and isolation of close contacts would be out, and replaced by breathalyser tests done before going to work or the shops. 

Recycling industry says it’s ‘not ready’ for ban on exporting plastic waste. 

An export ban on sending mixed plastics overseas for recycling comes into effect today, but it could see recyclable items sent to landfill. 

The waste and recycling sector said it was not ready for the change, with some states more than a year away from having the capacity to recycle all of their plastic. 

This ban comes into force tomorrow on July 1st. 

While the Delta variant of COVID-19 might not be deadlier than other strains, the Australian medical Association President Dr Omar Khorshid says, it appears to be more transmissible in children. The Delta variant is said to be 50, 60, 70% more transmissible than the alpha variant

He states “It is certainly affecting younger people more, that's what we saw in India and we’re seeing in the UK as well.

Toilet paper has been stripped from shelves at grocery stores, while cafes and restaurants have shifted back to takeaway options as the snap three-day lockdown in Queensland begins.

Amid panic buying at some supermarkets, Coles has implemented temporary restrictions, limiting customers to two bags of toilet paper and two boxes of masks per purchase. 

A coles spokesperson has asked that customers stay calm, shop normally and be respectful to the hard-working team members.

Queensland are pushing to dramatically slash the number of international arrivals allowed into the country in the wake of quickly growing outbreaks linked to hotel quarantine.

It comes after the spread of the Delta variant of the virus is much faster than previous strains seen in Australia, leading to heightened concerns in a nation with minimal vaccine coverage.

In announcing a snap lockdown for multiple areas of Queensland, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there needed to be a "massive reduction in overseas arrivals".