Rockhampton Zoo’s aviary may be forced to close after the euthanasian of 40 birds. 

After birds began suddenly falling dead in their enclosure December of last year, tests showed salmonella had infected the enclosure. 

All forty birds in the facility were euthanised after consulting veterinarians and avian specialists in order to prevent the bacteria from spreading throughout the Zoo. 

Zoo staff remain confident the spread has since been contained, but remain uncertain whether the aviary will re-open.

South East Queenslanders have been urged to be cautious if they plan to head to the beach this weekend, due to concerns recent flooding has impacted water quality.

Runoff from the Nerang River, Tallebudgera Creek, and nearby farmland into the ocean is likely to have increased the amount of bacteria present in the water.

A Vincent Van Gogh painting was sold for 21.7 million dollars at an auction on Thursday only to be erroneously sold a second time for 20.3 million. 

Auction house Sotherby’s said a glitch with its online system during the sale allowed for the double sale.

The painting has been kept in a private collection for more than a century prior to sale, away from the public eye.

The identity of the buyer has not been revealed.

Western Australia’s peak mental health consumer body is calling for more community support for people transitioning out of hospital mental health care.

Chief Executive of Consumers of Mental Health Western Australia, Shauna Gaebler, says more support is needed for people to create a stable life outside of hospital and avoid readmission.

Mental Health Minister Stephen Dawson says the government plans to establish active recovery teams by the middle of the year which will ensure patients have support to leave hospital and remain well in the community.

Business owners in the Northern Territory have expressed concern at the resurgence of business after COVID-19 lockdowns. 

Darren Lynch and his wife Pina Somerville are two of many business owners in the Northern Territory struggling to cope with the resurgence of business after COVID-19 lockdowns.

Australia’s border closure has meant migrants and travellers have not taken up their usual jobs to fill gaps in work rosters.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads has gone out to tender for specialist divers to dive underneath the bridge sections of the Pacific Motorway for a maintenance procedure.

The process is key for keeping the structure safe for motorists. It includes scraping away barnacles and vegetation so the bridge sections can be checked for any issues.

A spokesman for Transport and Main Roads says underwater inspections are fundamental for keeping bridges safe and up to date with traffic needs.

The inspections are required every eight years.

Researchers at QUT have developed a simple way to use the gas released as a by product of cement creation to create more cement.

At present, nearly 900 kilograms of carbon dioxide is emitted for over a thousand kilograms of cement. The cement industry contributes seven percent to overall emissions and this figure is expected to grow as urbanisation continues to increase.

Project manager Professor Anthony O’Mullane says the process is perfect for the concrete industry to reduce its carbon footprint. 

The brightly-coloured external cladding on Brisbane Square was removed from the building as it contains a combustible central core that poses a fire risk. Hundreds of buildings in Queensland are clad by the panels. They are built of the same material that accelerated the fire in Grenfell Tower in 2017, which resulted in 72 deaths.

Shaye Griffiths-Rudd, property manager of the investment firm that owns Brisbane Square, said replacement of the cladding with solid aluminum panels will be complete in 2022, and confirmed that the colour scheme of the building will not change.