Tasmanian general practitioners will legally prescribe medicinal cannabis to specialised patients from the 1st of July. 

The push for legal access comes after only 16 Tasmanians were legally prescribed medicinal cannabis from late September 2017 to August 2020. 

Medicinal cannabis advocate Lyn Cleaver said the current scheme is pushing people into the illegal market.

The Queensland State Government will add 15 and 30 minute observation periods to AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations. 

Leading health experts announced the measures following four severe allergic reactions in Queensland and Western Australian.  

Head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration John Skerritt said people with a history of anaphylaxis are still able to receive the vaccine.

Up to 100 teenage repeat, offenders could be considered for GPS monitoring under the Palaszczuk government's proposed tracker trial.

The Queensland government introduced new laws to Parliament last month, which target the 10 per cent of repeat juvenile offenders who are responsible for 48 per cent of all youth offending. 

If passed, the laws will see the Department of Youth Justice and Queensland Police Service be aware of an offender's geographical location outside of their court order. 

Australia will send 8,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Papua New Guinea next week.

PNG is in the midst of a second COVID-19 wave, with more than 14 hundred active cases, although the real figure is expected to be significantly higher.

"It is also true that the escalation of issues with the virus in PNG presents very real risks to Australia as well," said Prime Minister Scott Morrisson. 

He said the risks were particularly high in Queensland and the Torres Strait.

The South Australian government will allow mining company Kelaray to continue drilling the sacred Lake Torrens.

The sacred site in South Australia was approved for drilling in 2020 despite Aboriginal groups filing for judicial review. 

The outback site has been targeted for iron oxide copper gold and is sacred to at least four Aboriginal groups.

Queensland’s Capricornia coast is under flood watch today. 

Six-hour rainfall totals of up to 100 millimetres are likely and falls in excess of 200 millimetres are possible in some areas.

Gladstone, Yeppoon and Byfield are among the locations which may be affected.

This follows low-lying homes in the rural Queensland town Sapphire being evacuated with some residents being rescued from rooftops after a severe storm early Wednesday morning.

Queensland General Practitioners are struggling to meet demand under Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout. 

The uncertainty comes after almost one third of the population has been expected to receive the vaccine from the twenty second of March. 

Queensland's chair of the Royal Australian College Dr Bruce Willett said his practice is receiving 80 vaccines a week despite having ten of thousands of patients on the books. 

The Alliance Française French Film festival continues in Brisbane today with the largest number of female directors on show in its 32-year history. 

New Artistic Director Karine Mauris said this year’s program will highlight talented female characters and diversity. 

The annual festival is screening at Palace Barracks and James Street in a COVID-safe environment until April 13.