South Australian Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Vickie Chapman has been in hot water this week over accusations of a conflict of interest and misleading state parliament. Ms Chapman, who has occupied the positions of Deputy Premier and Attorney-General since March 2018, faced criticism after rejecting plans for a port development off Kangaroo Island. In a…
Millions of red crabs have begun their annual migration across Christmas Island this week. The migration typically begins following the first rainfall of the wet season. Red crabs have flooded the streets of Christmas Island, located just northwest of Perth, Western Australia. The crabs—which spend most of the year lurking within the island’s forests—are making…
Protests at the foot of Victorian Parliament have taken a turn, with hundreds of demonstrators camping outside the building to oppose a divisive pandemic bill. The protests began as a public display of dissent against proposed legislation granting the premier and health minister new powers under pandemic conditions. Now, one man has been charged by…
Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) has identified “corruption risks” within draft legislation related to the 2032 Olympic Games. The concerns come less than a month after the state’s Premier was criticised for instilling secrecy laws within Olympic legislation. As Brisbane begins the decade-long preparations for the 2032 Olympic Games, legislation pertaining to the organisation…
Growing outbreaks of avian flu across Europe and Asia have raised flags across the poultry industry. A recent uptick in cases reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health reflects a troubling rise. The health and poultry industries are both on alert after a worrying increase in cases of bird flu across several European and…
The federal government announced last week that it would invest $500,000 into funding for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across Australia. The Future Fuels Strategy allows the federal government to partner with the private sector to create 2,600 jobs over a three-year plan. According to the Climate Council, transport is Australia’s third-largest source of greenhouse…
The biggest upgrade to bitcoin since 2017, also known as Taproot, has just activated. The Taproot update is said to improve both the privacy and efficiency of transactions. The Taproot upgrade brings with it the first changes to bitcoin in over four years. Taproot is comprised of three key Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIPs). The upgrade…
A thick scattering of debris across space has been attributed to Russia after it blew up one of its satellites. Over 1,500 pieces of debris have been identified, although there are thousands of pieces too small to be picked up by tracking. Crew-3 Dragon astronauts have had to shelter in place to avoid a field…
The Victorian government has announced an amendment to its divisive pandemic bill following criticism. Seven changes have been made and applied to the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021. The state of Victoria imposed an official state of emergency in March 2020 following the widespread pandemic outbreak. However, state of emergency orders…
UK company Emergex is about to undertake clinical trials for a skin patch that may offer longer immunity against Covid-19 than current vaccines. If successful, the vaccine could protect against all coronaviruses. The skin patch vaccine would activate T-cells to target infected cells in the early stages of infection. From there, it is hoped the…