The Palaszczuk Government is launching a bold new housing plan backed by $1.9 billion investment and a further $1 billion Housing Investment Fund to boost housing supply and increase housing and homelessness support across Queensland.

The government will pay for about 3,600 new houses over the next four years and is expected to build 6,365 new public housing dwellings by December 2025.

The decision comes after consistent calls from the welfare sector to put forward $4 billion investment to address the current housing shortages gripping Queensland.

Queensland is hoping to return a surplus by implementing a new accounting method that will cut the state's debt. 

State Treasurer Cameron Dick has slashed the forecast 2020/21 deficit of $8.6 billion to $3.8 billion in his 2021/22 budget on Tuesday.

The treasurer has introduced the new accounting method to help trim debt forecasts.

Three Labor councillors resigned from Brisbane City Council's bipartisan ethics committee yesterday afternoon, saying it has become a “political weapon without transparency or natural justice”.

The Brisbane City Council has responded to these claims, saying, “the Ethics Committee will continue to have a quorum” and that they, “encourage Labor members to rejoin the Committee and participate in this important accountability process once they get over this stunt”.

 Labor Councillor Kara Cook has not provided further comments. 

The Australian government has agreed to purchase 51 million doses of a new COVID-19 vaccine. 

The new vaccine called Novavax, developed in Maryland, America, has been found to be 90 percent effective against COVID-19. 

The vaccine is set to be available to the public later this year.

The UK and Australia have agreed on the first trade deal post-BREXIT after the first meeting between Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson post-covid. 

The trade deal will extend the Working-Holiday VISA age to 35 for both countries and will liberalise imports up to 99%, specifically goods such as Australian beef, lamb and sugar. 

The deal will also introduce a new “agricultural VISA” which will allow citizens to work on farms in either country.

Victoria has recorded three new COVID-19 cases as the state awaits an announcement on the ease of restrictions today. 

The Victorian health department have said the three new cases are linked to known current outbreaks. 

The three cases come before a possible easing of restrictions on Friday.

The State government handed down the budget this Tuesday declaring a Labor pledge to further invest in health, education, environment, job seeker, tourism and social housing.

$16.8 billion will be dedicated towards education; opening four new schools in 2023 and 10 in 2024.

The government will invest $270 million into The Great Barrier Reef and $500 million into a Carbon Reduction Investment fund along with a $2 billion investment into renewable energy.

Brisbane researchers are hoping that an in-progress nasal spray could soon protect people from COVID-19. 

The revolutionary vaccine will be administered in the the form of two sprays in the nose, meaning those who dislike needles could avoid the jab altogether.

Researchers at Brisbane’s Nucleus Network say that the other vaccines in use mostly protect against developing severe symptoms of COVID-19, doctors have specifically designed this new one to prevent infection in the first place.

Researchers are looking for 60 volunteers to trial the vaccine.