Queensland Pacific Metals (QPM) say they may have found a way to make their planned Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub a net negative CO2 producer.

The nickel refinery is set to produce 36 per cent less CO2 than the industry average, with QPM saying it could take this into net negative territory if it can find a way to use methane from Queensland’s coal mines for extra CO2 credits.

North Queensland cane growers say the state government’s new environmental regulations on farming near the Great Barrier Reef will in fact hinder Queensland’s biofutures industry.

Canegrowers chief executive Dan Galligan says cane is the best converter of biomass energy in the world and will therefore form a large part of the emerging biofuels industry.

The Palaszczuk government loan has provided support to hundreds of local Queensland tourism operators and suppliers. 

The federal government says it will uncap its apprenticeship wage subsidy scheme and extend it for an additional 12 months.

The government says it will facilitate 70 000 new hires in the next year, taking the total number of new apprentices to 100 000.

Shepparton, a city in Victoria, has parents scared to send their children back to school after violence and racism at Greater Shepparton Secondary College. 

Koori and Ethnic community leaders are to meet this week to try to resolve the racial issues that have led to violence in the school against more than two thousand students.

Hundreds of activists have taken to the streets of Minneapolis demanding justice and the conviction of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer accused of murdering George Floyd. 

The trial was scheduled to begin on Monday but has been delayed for at least a day after the Minnesota Court of Appeals told the Judge to reconsider prosecutors’ request to reinstate an additional charge of third-degree murder.

Protestors in Lebanon are declaring a ‘day of rage’ against the government as the country’s economic crisis continues to deepen. President Michel Aoun has called on the military to prevent road blockages in anticipation of the protests today. Anti-government demonstrations have been ongoing in Lebanon since last year as a result of the Bei

The military spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi rebels says the Houthis have conducted attacks deep in Saudi Arabian territory, including Aramco-owned oil facilities. Saudi Arabia claims its air defences stopped the Houthi drones before they could do any damage, but the alleged attack marks yet another escalation in the weeks long back-and-forth between Houthi and Saudi forces. 

State insurer icare has paid $235 million to a labour hire firm.