The fire ant eradication program in southeast Queensland has been under fierce attack from critics who claim authorities have dropped the ball and the best we can hope for is containment.

There have been complaints that the number of nests, especially in the Logan area, have exploded in recent months to almost 9,000 that are going untreated.

The general manager of the program Graeme Dodgeon explains to Mark his teams are working their way in from areas west of Ipswich and the aim is still to totally eradicate the ants.

Fire ants are on the march across southeast Queensland despite the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent to halt their spread.

The latest figures show that in just a matter of months the number of nests has almost tripled to around 9,000 and more than 70 per cent are in the Logan area.

Biosecurity Queensland maintains its eradication program remains on track but whistleblower Pam Swepson tells Mark things have long been out of control.

The day is approaching when our streets will be populated by driverless cars, and that day may not be as far down the road as many people think.

The Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety at QUT has taken delivery of what’s said to be the most advanced autonomous vehicle in Australia.

Today, the $1.5 million Renault ZOE2 navigated its way through the streets of Shailer Park without anyone at the controls.

CARRS-Q director Professor Andry Rakotinrainy tells Mark the future is just around the corner.

The latest figures show a majority of new drivers in Queensland are deciding they don’t need a manual drivers licence.

A decade ago, more than 60 percent of people got a manual licence, today the figure is only 45 percent.

CarAdvice.com.au National News Editor Joshua Dowling tells Mark it’s a trend that is increasingly being reflected in the new car market.

One in two Australian women over 60 will suffer a bone fracture as a result of osteoporosis, while 30 percent of all osteoporotic fractures involve men.

At the moment, medication is the primary therapy to improve bone mass and prevent fractures, but most hip fractures come from falls.

Griffith University is about to conduct trials combining medication and exercise, the idea being that improved muscle strength can boost balance.

Griffith Allied Health researcher Melanie Fishbacher tells Mark she’s now looking for participants and wants to hear from healthy postmenopausal women with low bone mass.

Brisbane trial:

http://www.medexop.org/

Gold Coast trial:

https://www.griffith.edu.au/menzies-health-institute-queensland/our-research/clinical-trials/whole-body-vibration-osteoporosis

The consumer watchdog the ACCC is forecasting that this year Australians will lose a record $532 million to scams, the first time losses have passed half a billion dollars.

And they are the losses the ACCC knows about, the actual figure is likely far higher.

This week is National Scams Awareness Week with the theme ‘too smart to be scammed?’

ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard tells Mark the golden rule is that if something seems not quite right it is probably a scam.

https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/

Government backbenchers are pressuring their frontbench colleagues to expand proposed farm invasion laws to cover green protesters who target other kinds of businesses.

It comes amidst continuing Anti-Adani protests where demonstrators are disrupting the operations of businesses associated with the Carmichael mine.

Adani leases its HQ from the Sentinel Property Group and CEO Warren Ebert says he is fed up with the lack of action taken against those who ignore warnings about trespassing.

What's On With Olympia Kwitowski.

Bon Scott, Angus Young and Brian Johnson have always been the focus for AC/DC but it was the man who anchored the band on rhythm guitar who made sure they made it to the top.

Malcolm Young passed away almost two years ago after a battle with cancer and dementia.

His life is the subject of a new biography “MALCOLM YOUNG - The Man Who Made AC/DC” by one of Australia’s leading rock writers Jeff Apter.

Jeff tells Mark it was Malcolm’s working class roots that drove AC/DC to become a global phenomenon.

The Health Committee of the Queensland parliament will hold a formal inquiry into the sudden closure of the Earle Haven nursing home at Nerang that saw more than 70 elderly residents turfed out.

The inquiry will look at the quality and safety of aged care at the home and has the power to coerce testimony.

Health Committee chair Aaron Harper tells Mark the decision was made after the shocking evidence given to the Aged Care Royal Commission.