Canberra

More than 800 tiny, technicoloured northern corroboree frogs have been released into the wild in the Brindabella National Park in southern NSW to try to bolster the numbers of one of Australia's most critically endangered amphibians.

Weighing just 2–3 grams and no bigger than a paper clip, the 842 frogs were born and bred at Sydney's Taronga Zoo in a special quarantine facility designed to keep out a deadly fungus that had driven the species to the brink of extinction.

The federal government is putting $50 million towards priority upgrades to the Canberra-Sydney rail link, with the ACT and NSW governments each contributing $25 million.

The upgrades are expected to improve the travel time between the two cities, which currently takes more than four hours.

Upgrade works are expected to commence this year and be ongoing for up to five years.

You won't be missed. Don't come back and take the rest of the appointed council with you.

The ACT government has locked in its preferred route for the extension of Canberra's light rail to Woden, opting for the more-direct path following feedback.

The Stage 2B extension is proposed to run from Commonwealth Avenue, through the National Triangle, along the east of State Circle to Adelaide Avenue, and then on to Woden.

The project's final Environmental Impact Statement will now be lodged with the federal government and Territory Planning Authority, with an outcome expected by the end of the year.

Experts are calling for Canberrans to check their beehives and register as beekeepers, with more than 1,000 ACT hives having been destroyed by varroa mite so far.

ACT biosecurity engagement officer Micah Wood says hives impacted by varroa mite can survive long term if they are managed properly, but it requires diligence.

The impact of verroa mite will be felt by more than just beekeepers, with the loss of pollinators likely to also disrupt fruit and vegetable yields in the area.

Significant detours will stop motorists from using Queanbeyan’s main street for at least six months as long-awaited upgrades finally get underway from tomorrow (12 March).

The $17.5 million priority works will see both lanes of Monaro Street shut from the Lowe Street intersection (near the Queanbeyan Courthouse and police station) to the Atkinson Street roundabout (near Hungry Jack’s and Dominos).

Motorists have been urged to avoid the CBD and use alternative routes along Yass Road (towards Pialligo Avenue and Canberra Airport) and Ellerton Drive (bypassing Queanbeyan towards Jerrabomberra) if possible.

The ACT’s health authorities are urging a high alert after a traveller with measles was unknowingly infectious in the community.

Late on Friday (20 February), ACT Government Health and Community Services Directorate (HCSD) confirmed a measles case in a traveller who recently returned from overseas.

“Known contacts are being followed up in line with national guidelines to provide them with appropriate advice,” the spokesperson said.

The person went to several public places while unknowingly infectious, including:

• Hertz Car Rental Agency within the Canberra Airport on Monday (16 February) between 5 pm and 7:30 pm

• Arrivals area (ground level) within the Canberra Airport on Monday (16 February) between 5 pm and 7:30 pm

• Gungahlin Walk-In Centre on 18 February between 3:15 pm and 5:40 pm

• The Emergency Department waiting room within Canberra Hospital on Wednesday (18 February) between 6 pm and 8:30 pm.

The HCSD spokesperson also asked anyone who hasn’t been contacted (and went to the above locations within the given times) to watch for measles symptoms.

These locations do not provide an ongoing risk to Canberrans.

Yep, it's that time of year again if you're looking for things to do this weekend. Snuck up on me this year - it doesn't seem that long since the last one (signs of growing old I guess).

The ACT's container deposit scheme will be expanded to include 10-cent refunds for wine bottles, spirits and large juice containers.

The government expects the changes will lead to 13 million more bottles being recycled within a few years.

The changes will start from mid-2027 in line with an expansion of NSW's scheme and to allow for industry to adapt.

Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury has admitted for the first time that the Chief Minister’s job was on the table in talks between the minor party and the Liberals on how they could share power in a coalition ACT government.

Mr Rattenbury also told ABC Radio what common policy areas there might be and which ones would be quarantined.

Tuesday morning’s interview followed party statements that would not explicitly acknowledge this aspect of the talks and a previous radio spot in which Mr Rattenbury played down his interactions with the Liberals, saying journalists were getting carried away.

He said a whole range of tactics had been discussed, everything from passing motions in the Legislative Assembly through to a possible change of government.

Asked whether that included the Chief Minister’s job, Mr Rattenbury said: “That was on the table.”

Police say 11 explosive devices have been found along a 1km stretch of footpaths in north-west Canberra over the last few days.

Some were already detonated prior to being found, and some have been detonated by police, but no one has been injured.

Members of the public are being urged to call Triple Zero (000) if they find an item resembling the devices, and to avoid touching it.

A total fire ban will be in place in the ACT on Saturday, January 10.

ACT Rural Fire Service Chief Officer Rohan Scott said winds of 60km/h were predicted on Saturday, prompting them to impose the ban.

Canberrans have been urged to review their survival guides and prepare their properties for a bushfire.

About 130,000 people are expected to attend the country's largest car festival, Summernats, in Canberra over four days.

Police have warned punters against hoon driving and antisocial behaviour, after seizing four vehicles before the festival began.

High-visibility police patrols will roam Exhibition Park and Braddon throughout the event.

Major upgrades to Canberra's Commonwealth Avenue Bridge are underway, with three of the bridge's six lanes to be closed from Wednesday afternoon (7/1).

Construction will be staged over two years, with each side of the bridge closing for about 12 months, starting with the northbound side.

Once the first stage is complete, works will shift to the southbound side for a further 12 months.

Varroa mite is expected to infest ACT beehives and destroy about half of them over the next two years.

The resulting drop in pollinators will affect local fruit and vegetable production.

The ACT government is urging beekeepers to register hives and adopt strategies to help colonies survive.

There are fears that Canberra's growing population may not have enough public pools, as some are replaced with smaller facilities or more commercial outfits.

The city's underwater rugby team is one of a number of local sporting groups lobbying to keep Civic Pool — which is slated to close — as its training facility.

Public submissions for the new aquatic centre in Commonwealth Park closed last month, and it's not yet known if the facility will have a deep pool to accommodate diving and water sports like underwater rugby.

Canberra's bus network will be altered from February due to disruption from the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge renewal project, with some rapid buses in Belconnen affected.

The ACT government also announced that over the summer, public transport would be free from 6pm on Friday and Saturday nights, as fare-free Fridays come to an end.

Timetables will be released in January.

I've sent spies deep into capital territory, they've managed to smuggle out contraband of unknown quality.

Fifteen public schools in Canberra are closed today and several others are partially closed due to potential asbestos contamination.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission earlier issued a national recall notice for decorative coloured sand products after testing detected traces of naturally occurring asbestos.

Testing is underway at the ACT schools. On Sunday afternoon, a decision will be made about the schools resuming for Monday.

Russia has lost its High Court bid to strike out a law preventing it from building a new embassy in Canberra.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there were national security concerns about having the Russian embassy so close to Parliament House.

While the High Court found the new law was valid, the Commonwealth will have to compensate Russia for revoking the lease.

November 3 marks the beginning of the ACT's voluntary assisted dying scheme, making the territory the second-last Australian jurisdiction to legalise it.

There are some key criteria that a person must meet, if they wish to access the ACT's voluntary assisted dying scheme. A person must:

• Be 18 or older *Have lived in the ACT for the last 12 months (unless a residency exemption is granted).
• Have an advanced and progressive medical condition that is expected to cause death and is causing intolerable suffering
• Have decision making capacity at all stages throughout the process
• Be acting voluntarily and without coercion.

But, unlike other jurisdictions, the ACT's scheme does not require someone to have a diagnosed timeframe until death.

Transport Minister Chris Steel has been censured in the ACT Legislative Assembly for overseeing a failed $64-million public transport project.

A committee investigating the MyWay+ launch found it was rushed and failed to provide even basic features the government had promised.

Mr Steel said the government would respond to the committee's scathing findings in due course