In ABC News

When I was living in Coffs Harbour, string concertos and opera were used to torment anybody who tried to get too comfortable around the boarded-up shops on the short stretch of highway that the council considered to be the town centre.

The City of Bunbury had been playing Hot Potato on loop, in a bid to drive rough sleepers away from the Graham Bricknell Music Shell in the city's centre.

While the city initially defended its use of music as a valid public safety response, the music was switched off on Thursday afternoon after The Wiggles publicly intervened.

"The Wiggles' music is created to bring joy and happiness to children and families around the world," a spokesperson for the band said.

"We are deeply disappointed to hear that it is being used any other way."

[…] 

It's not the first time the council has used music as a deterrent at the venue, with Peter Allen's I go to Rio the song of choice in 2016.

Please nobody tell them about Coles Radio.

The latest data from the Queensland Department of Housing reveals that 546 people over the age of 80 are on the waiting list for public housing in the state.

The figures, released in August, show 25,363 applications on Queensland's public housing waiting list.

Around a third of the more than 41,000 people on the waiting list are homeless.

There were 3,608 people over the age of 65 on the public housing register, up from 2,990 in November 2019.

The average waiting time for people with "high" and "very high" needs is 19 months.

Rents have rocketed and property prices are hot, but the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has changed the way it looks at the market and a key analysis panel that examines housing issues has not met for more than a year.

The Housing Market Discussion Group brought together internal experts to share insights on household budgets, the lending markets and the stability of our financial system.

It hasn't met since September 8 2022.

Documents sought through the Freedom of Information (FOI) process reveal the most recent meeting of the group — also known as the Domestic Housing Community Meeting — was one day after the central bank hiked interest rates for a fifth time.

Australia appears to be on the cusp of an eighth COVID-19 wave, with an increase in cases across the country. 

Victoria's acting chief health officer has suggested all Melburnians consider donning masks again as community transmission surges, while NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant says case numbers will likely rise in the lead-up to Christmas.