Médecins Sans Frontières has moved to provide support for domestic violence services in centres of Australia that are struggling under funding pressure as demand for help triples through the pandemic.

Last year the Illawarra Women’s Health Centre in New South Wales saw its waiting list increase from 2 weeks to 4 months and the number of women seeking help has risen by 50%.

The Queensland Government has announced a $2million campaign to give tourists a taste of farm life in the State.

The campaign aims to attract tourists to visit the Queensland farms to help diversify their income as part of the states Economy Recovery Plan.

The initiative will go for two years, and will entice visitors to take a step away from the coastal cities and extend their stay inland.

Brisbane City Council has expanded the cap on e-scooters from 1,000 to 1,500.

Much of the expansion will be seen in the western suburbs, around UQ’s St Lucia campus. 

State MP Michael Berkman commented that while he was happy to see more transport options, he was concerned about the lack of regulations and infrastructure for e-scooters.

Shooting stars will be visible from Brisbane tonight and over the weekend during the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, so called as the shower appears to originate from a star in the Aquarius constellation.

It will be possible to see up to fifty meteors every hour, with the best visibility at around 4am just after the moon sets. 

The cause of the shower is Earth passing through the trail dust left by Halley’s Comet, and the ensuing fry up of stardust in the atmosphere.

Jupiter and Saturn will also be highly visible.

The Scottish National Party government plans to hold an independence referendum if it wins majority in the Scottish election this weekend, a move that could have major implications for the United Kingdom.

A candidate for the party, Sarah Masson, says many young people are particularly keen for an independence vote after Brexit impacted their abilities to work and study abroad.

A union representing correctional officers have warned that Tasmania’s Risdon Prison is ‘a powder keg waiting to explode’ following increasing prisoner unrest culminating in a fire on Wednesday night. 

Prisoners Legal Service chairman Greg Barns says the overcrowded environment of the prison coupled with COVID-related visitation restrictions and lockdowns are likely behind the incident. 

Clients of the law firm HWL Ebsworth have had their details exposed in invoices filed in the New South Wales Supreme Court despite believing they would be kept confidential.

The law firm was representing a group of 19 employees at ANZ during a 2014 investigation of the bank for market manipulation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

The invoices include excessive detail including the employees’ full names, the length and details of their meetings with ASIC. 

Australia’s northern hairy nosed wombat population has just surpassed 300, after decades of concerted conservation work. It was once hanging in the balance at just 35 individuals spread over Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria in the 80s.

The only two colonies of the species are located in Queensland, but conservationists are searching for suitable habitats to establish more. 

The Botanica Contemporary Art festival opens in Brisbane’s botanic gardens tonight, featuring the work of nine of Australia’s leading and emerging artists.

Executive producer Bella Ford says the interactive exhibits are an antidote to the year’s isolation from social and cultural experiences, touching on the themes and lived experiences that have defined the past year.