State insurer icare has paid $235 million to a labour hire firm. New South Wales Treasurer Dominic Perrottet says he can’t explain why the payment was made. Mr Perrottet was unaware of allegations against icare and says he will seek an explanation for the payment to the labour hire firm. Daniel Mookhey, Labor’s finance spokesman says the arrangement appears as a convoluted scheme for icare to hide it’s spending through a major contractor.

A community Facebook group called 4069 Community and Surrounds is bringing group members together as several people are posting about Peacocks on the loose. The posts started in December last year when someone posted saying Peacock spotted on the loose if anyone’s missing theirs. Another member made a post saying anybody lost a peacock, it’s on my roof. The posts are continuing in the group as members say the peacocks are keeping them constantly entertained.    

QLD Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young says she is concerned that a large number of coronavirus cases continue to be detected among travelers from Papua New Guinea after another 5 cases were reported on Monday. The high rate of infections in Papua New Guinea has already been flagged as a risk to vulnerable communities in the Torres Strait where the vaccination rollout will be fast-tracked. Dr. Young said that the Astrazeneca jab would be prioritised to communities in Queensland’s far North due to the surge in cases from the neighbouring nation of Papua New Guinea.
 

State member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm has apologised after she failed to declare shares in several businesses run by her husband. Despite her claim that she was unaware she owned the shares in her husband’s companies, failure to register conflicts of interests makes Ms Camm liable to be called before the Parliamentary Ethics Committee. MPs are required by law to declare any potential conflicts of interest in an effort to maintain parliamentary transparency. At time of writing, Ms Camm’s shares are yet to be registered on the Members’ Register of Interests.

Queensland Pacific Metals 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% 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. The Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub is set to be the latest Queensland producer of nickel sulphate, placing our state at the centre of the emerging lithium ion battery and electric vehicles industries.

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is free to challenge current president Jair Bolsonaro in next year’s elections after his corruption conviction was annulled. Lula, who previously served as president from 2003 to 2011, was convicted in 2018 on corruption charges he denounced as politically motivated. Prior to his conviction, Lula and his left-wing Worker’s Party enjoyed widespread popular support, making him a serious challenger to struggling President Bolsonaro.

Protests are ongoing in the Senegalese capital Dakar following opposition leader Ousmane Sonko’s formal indictment on rape allegations.The protests began last week in response to Sonko being taken into police custody in what many see as a politically motivated attempt to suppress dissent. While they centre around Mr. Sonko’s detention, many see the street demonstrations as a statement of general anger about rising inequality, corruption and the government’s poor management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former deputy leader Julie Bishop has criticised how senior Morrison government ministers have handled the sexual assault allegation raised by Brittany Higgins and the historical rape allegation against Christian Porter saying she would have felt a ‘duty’ to report an allegation of rape to the police. Speaking to ABC’s 7:30 Ms.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says supply issues are behind the state’s slow rollout of the AstraZaneca COVID-19 vaccine. The first two vaccine hubs opened on Monday in Logan and Bundaberg as Ms Palaszczuk says it can only be rolled out as fast as it’s being supplied and no concerns about this were raised in the national cabinet meeting last week. The process and rollout is being done in consultation with the Commonwealth and Health Minister Yvette D’ath says we are adapting quickly to the number we’re getting.