Two statues in Brisbane's CBD have been defaced with Black Lives Matter statements following the guilty conviction in the George Floyd trial yesterday. 

The defaced statues are of Scottish poet Robert Burns and former Queensland Premier Thomas Byrnes. 

The statements labelled the historical figures as racist, reading "genocide occurred here" and "black lives matter."

Renters across rural Queensland are being forced to live in tents and move back in with family members due to low rental vacancy rates. 

Leading property data provider CoreLogic shows migration to Queensland last year was up 90 per cent and is a factor in housing shortages.

Real Estate Institute of Queensland's chief executive Antonia Mercorella says the current rates have not been seen in over a decade.

"Of course since this pandemic has hit, that demand from interstate buyers — particularly New South Wales and Victoria — has grown even stronger," she said. 

Queensland Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch says accusations she is failing to meet social housing targets are misleading. 

However, a report from the Productivity Commission, the Australian government’s independent research body, shows that the Queensland government has only met about a quarter of its average yearly social housing target. 

Indonesia's navy is searching for a missing submarine with 53 people on board. 

The submarine was conducting a torpedo drill north of Bali but failed to communicate the results of the drill. Contact with the vessel was lost early Wednesday morning. 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne says Australia will provide whatever support it can to Indonesia.

"We are obviously very concerned about these reports. It's very distressing for families and particularly for the Indonesian Navy," says Payne.

A team of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have developed a plastic that can degrade by 98 per cent in home compost within a few days.

The new material uses enzymes to chew the plastic down to non-toxic molecules, eliminating microplastics. 

Co-Study author Professor Ting Xu says the molecules turn PLA into lactic acid, a food source for soil microbes.

"If you want to get a material to become a part of nature, we should go with what nature has already developed," says Professor Xu. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will attend a climate summit, helmed by U.S. President Joe Biden, tomorrow. 

The Leaders Summit on Climate will bring together the leaders of the 17 countries responsible for 80% of global emissions and global GDP. 

In the wake of the meeting with major trading partners - who have increasingly ambitious climate targets - the government has announced a $250 million investment in Australia’s hydrogen industry.

Environmental activists are staging an ‘art installation protest’ in Brisbane’s CBD this morning.

Extinction Rebellion activists have been installing guerrilla art installations around the CBD since 7am to highlight the consequences of the continued use of coal. 

The group says the fossil fuel industry has undue influence over Australia’s politicians, and calls for the closure of all coal mining plants. 

A mental health first responder program will be expanded in Queensland, following successful trials. 

The Mental Health Co-responder Program pairs a specialist Ambulance Paramedic with a Senior Mental Health Clinician to respond to triple-zero callers experiencing a mental health crisis. 

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath says the program will expand from its trials in the Metro South and Gold Coast, to the Metro North and Sunshine Coast.

The Queensland Government will hold an inquiry into race hate and online vilification to determine whether laws surrounding the issues are strong enough.

The committee is set to consider the impact of hate crimes on a wide range of groups, including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disabilities and the LGBTIQ+ community.  

Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman says Queenslanders will have the opportunity to share their experiences of racism during the inquiry.