Regional media organisations who have been slashing their services may be in breach of the Public Interest News Gathering Grant agreement that awarded a total of $50 Million of public funds in response to the pandemic last year.

The news comes after WIN Television announced yesterday it will scrap regional bulletins, contravening grant guidelines which state recipients must maintain existing levels of journalism production and distribution during the grant period.

The matter is expected to feature in Federal Parliament in the coming days. 

Ibis on the Gold coast are evading population control measures by breeding in hard to reach places, including nesting above crocodile enclosures.

Environmental consultant, Phil Shaw, said to manage the Australian white ibis population they need to break the reproduction cycle by collecting eggs and nests.

Phil Shaw says “they've worked out that if they go to places where it's really difficult for us to get to … they're kind of protected and they know they can keep breeding."

Scientists analysing growth rings of 700-year-old native cypress trees in South-Western Australia's Wheatbelt say the region suffered a series of megadroughts lasting up to 30 years in past centuries.

Climatologist Alison O’Donnell said the study also suggests the region had one of the wettest periods during the 20th century.

Researchers say the future for Australia's water resources could be even more severe given megadroughts can occur in the region even without the drying impact of climate change.

COVID restrictions are tightening in Melbourne as confirmed cases in Victoria have risen to nine people.

The cluster’s prompted the Victorian government to reintroduce the mandatory wearing of masks indoors, and limit gatherings.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told ABC Radio Melbourne there will be more positive cases in primary close contacts who are currently in quarantine.

Samoas new Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, who was locked out of Parliament by her predecessor yesterday, is continuing with her new role unimpeded.

Incoming Prime minister Mata'afa said her government would keep up its pressure on Australia over climate change.

Mata'afa is expected to form government on Monday when parliament sits

Multi-billion dollar food science giant Kerry Foods is set to move its Australian headquarters from Sydney to Brisbane

The Irish company says the state government’s industry attraction fund drew it to Brisbane, with the move expected to create fifty-five new jobs.

Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick says the new Queensland headquarters will be a big boost to local food suppliers, giving them more access to the global market.

Brisbane City Council’s decision to source they city’s first electric busses from Chinese bus manufacturer Yutong has been labelled ‘a slap in the face’ to Brisbane workers by the council opposition.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union assistant state secretary Bill Thanas said the QLD economy suffered when the Council didn’t give the job to Volgren which had been building the council’s diesel busses since 2008.

An article in the Medical Journal of Australia is urging state health departments to publish their triage frameworks, which determine how patients are prioritised when a hospital system is overwhelmed.

QUT health law expert and lead author Eliana Close says difficulty finding the frameworks puts frontline health staff in a difficult position as they are forced to navigate the legal minefield that unclear triage rules present.

A study conducted by Monash University has found that discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people has risen dramatically.

The study, conducted on behalf of ‘Inclusive Australia’, found the percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people who reported experiencing at least one form of major discrimination increased from 29% in 2019 to almost 50% in 2020.

Board member of Inclusive Australia, Yorta Yorta man Ian Hamm believes that strong political and social leadership is needed to reverse this trend.