Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick says the Federal budget infrastructure funding is a “rotten rip-off”.

A 2.5 metre long Great White shark has been spotted off the coast of Surfers Paradise in the Gold Coast by local charter boat operator Shannon Green. Mr Green was fishing on his boat near the popular tourism hotspot when he saw a shark fin come out of the water before circling the boat. Great Whites are more common in Southern Australia in cooler waters but Mr Green says it was really cool to see the shark so docile just having a look around.

Queensland Clerk of state Parliament Nick Laurie says some of the “wider safeguards,” implemented in the wake of the Fitzgerald inquiry have been “fatally weakened,” in his submission to a committee review into Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission. Mr Laurie was particularly critical of the Commission’s increasing use of closed hearings and what he called “secrecy restraints,” saying the measures reduced the amount of information available to the public and made scrutiny more difficult. Mr Laurie also used his submission to voice concerns over the decline of investigative journalism

The Australian Olympic Team are receiving COVID-19 vaccinations as preparations for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics continue. The Institute of Sport in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth have all been set up with Vaccine hubs as more than 2000 athletes and officials are expected to receive the vaccine. Australian Olympic Committee chief executive officer Matt Carroll says the Olympic team are not jumping the vaccine queue as three-time Olympian Cate Campbell says the vaccine is a huge relief for the athletes.

The Palestinian health ministry says more than twenty people are dead in the Gaza Strip following Israeli air strikes on the territory last night. The strikes were a retaliatory move after Hamas’ military wing the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigade launched rockets from Gaza towards East Jerusalem, causing Israel’s parliament to be evacuated. The attacks further escalate tensions between Israelis and Palestinians after days of violent clashes over the possibility of Palestinian families being evicted in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah area to make way for a new Israeli settlement.

The Afghan government and the Taliban say they will observe a rare three-day ceasefire to allow for celebrations marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Taliban spokesman Mohammed Naeem announced the order for the three-day pause to military operations on Twitter, but said the insurgents reserved the right to retaliate if the Afghan government attacked them. The break from fighting comes after one of Afghanistan’s deadliest weekends in years when at least 68 people died in a bomb attack outside a Kabul school.

The Brisbane charter of women’s rights group March4Justice rallied outside of federal MP Andrew Lamming’s office on the weekend, calling for accountability from the Liberal National Party about their members' behaviour.

Over 150 people attended the Redland City protest, most holding signs or shouting slogans calling for the immediate resignation of Dr Lamming, who was ordered to take medical leave in March following allegations of online harassment against women. 

Brisbane locals have persuaded the Brisbane City Council to support free yoga in New Farm Park after a request was made to include the classes in their “Active & Healthy” program.

Run by locals in New Farm, the LGBTQI+ and Auslan-friendly yoga classes will run from 3 to 4pm each Sunday.