Ahead of next week’s budget announcement, the Queensland government has committed $930,000 to three far north Queensland manufacturers to help them adopt cutting-edge technology.

Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing and Minister for Water, Glenn Butcher, says partnering with the private sector to strengthen the manufacturing industry is an important part of the State Government’s economic recovery plan.

Queensland sculpture artists and enthusiasts will be exhibiting their artworks at the annual Brisbane Sculpture Festival at the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens this weekend.

The not-for-profit organisation, Sculptors Queensland, promotes the art of sculpting as an important cultural and creative expression, with their creative hub located behind the Old Museum in Fortitude Valley.

After the festival was cancelled last year due to COVID-19, the free event will once again welcome art lovers over the weekend. 

Sydneysiders woke up to a thick blanket of fog covering the city this morning.

Transport New South Wales advised travellers to take extreme caution this morning and if possible to delay their trips or consider alternative travel options.

Ferry services in Sydney have been altered, with some services running at lower speeds and others have been cancelled.

The fog is linked to heavy rain and snow in the mountainous regions of New South Wales and Victoria.

Protesters will be drawn to the Geraldton Anglican Cathedral in Western Australia this Saturday as Gosnells' Deputy Mayor, Peter Abetz, led a talk on ‘gay conversion therapy’.

The former state Liberal MP enlisted ‘reformed’ gay man James Parker to speak at Geraldton Anglican Cathedral.

This has come after Queensland and the ACT banned gay conversion therapy, with Labor’s stance being that the practice should be banned.

This brought renewed calls for Perth to ban the practice and for a national ban to be implemented.

The National Geographic Society said it formally recognises the Southern Ocean as the world’s fifth ocean.

This is the first time in over a hundred years the organisation has classified another body of water as an ocean.

Whilst the Southern Ocean has long been recognised by some scientists as an ocean, there was never consensus in the field and therefore could not be officially recognised as one.

IN SPACE NEWS,

Europe has announced it will be joining the space party at Venus.

The European Space Agency has just selected a probe called Envision to explore the second planet from the Sun. 

The ESA joins NASA, who announced its return to Venus with the two probes launched last week, after a chemical found in the atmosphere suggested evidence of life.

The state government has announced there have been no new local cases of Covid-19 reported in Queensland overnight.

The Sunshine Coast is on alert after a woman traveling from Melbourne tested positive for COVID-19.

The woman tested positive on June 10th and her husband tested positive yesterday in isolation.

Authorities are encouraging residents to check whether they have been to any of the growing list of exposure sites around south east Queensland.

From next week, Brisbane will see four new ‘jacaranda-coloured’ electric buses joining the free city loop route.

The $3.3 million dollar two-year trial is set to determine if electric buses should be implemented.

Brisbane Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner, says the electric buses are cheaper to run and put out zero emissions.

A University of Queensland study found that 47% of Australians are distrustful of Artificial Intelligence.

Professor Gillespie, one of the study’s lead investigators, cited low awareness and understanding of how AI technology works for the findings.

The study identified critical areas that needed to be addressed concerning AI, including building trust and acceptance of AI through strengthening current regulations and laws.