What women are talking about today, Tuesday January 25.

The Aboriginal flag "belongs to everyone" after the federal government completed a $20 million deal to take ownership of its copyright.

Previously owned by the flag's designer Harold Thomas and a non-Indigenous clothing company, the flag is now freely available for public use.

It comes after a number of Indigenous groups were sent cease and desist warnings for using the flag in an apparent breach of copyright.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said it was "profoundly important for all Australians", adding "no one can take it away".

Under the agreement, Carroll and Richardson Flagworld will remain the exclusive licensed manufacturer and provider of Aboriginal flags and bunting. But Flagworld won't restrict individuals from making their own flag for personal use.

The Aboriginal flag will be transferred to public hands after the federal government reached a historic $20 million deal to permanently acquire copyright https://t.co/5fXj46BRAJ

— The Sydney Morning Herald (@smh) January 24, 2022

The commonwealth will put all future royalties received from Flagworld's sale of the flag towards the work of NAIDOC.

An annual scholarship in Thomas' honour will be provided to Indigenous students and an original painting celebrating the flag's 50th anniversary will be displayed by the government.

Thomas says he will use $2 million to make an Australian Aboriginal Flag Legacy not-for-profit.

"The Aboriginal flag design is my dreaming, intertwined with my wife's family and mine, our ancestral belonging. The land, and the landscape, is indelible in my make-up; it courses through my consciousness and subconsciousness," he said.

"The flag represents the timeless history of our land and our people's time on it. It is an introspection and appreciation of who we are. It draws from the history of our ancestors, our land, and our identity and will honour these well into the future."

-With AAP.

Two years to the day since Australia's first confirmed COVID-19 case, authorities hope Omicron outbreaks have peaked amid ongoing shortages of rapid antigen tests.

The country recorded a cumulative 40,681 new infections and 58 additional deaths on Monday. 

But there is optimism daily infection tallies have plateaued, particularly in NSW.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt declared infections had peaked in NSW, Victoria, the ACT and South Australia.

It reported 15,091 new cases and 24 deaths on Monday, while Victoria recorded 11,695 infections and 17 deaths.

Another 13 people died in Queensland, which reported 10,212 new cases. 

In South Australia, there were 2009 cases and two deaths. The ACT recorded 756 cases and two deaths.

There were 619 new cases in Tasmania, 286 in the Northern Territory and 13 in Western Australia.

Hunt also announced Novavax vaccines will roll out from February 21, becoming the fourth type of COVID-19 jab available in Australia.

Just as importantly, more than 6.5 million boosters have been administered, over 662,000 Australian children have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and Novavax has received both TGA and ATAGI approval to be used as a primary course of vaccination.

— Greg Hunt (@GregHuntMP) January 24, 2022

Novavax, which will be available for those aged 18 and older, will be a two-dose course with a minimum three-week gap between first and second doses.

Tuesday marks two years since Australia confirmed its first COVID-19 infection - on January 25, 2020 - in a man who flew from China to Melbourne.

-With AAP.

Australians in Ukraine are being urged to leave immediately as the threat of Russian military action against the country increases.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Monday night raised its advice to "Do Not Travel".

"Australians in Ukraine should leave now by commercial means, where safe to do so, noting that flight availability could change or be suspended at short notice," it said in a statement.

"Australians who decide to remain in Ukraine should review their personal security plans, be prepared to shelter in place if required, maintain heightened security awareness and register with DFAT."

Australians in Ukraine are being told to leave now, as tensions with Russia escalate. #9Today pic.twitter.com/OVDk5kET4w

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) January 24, 2022

Australian security officials are also negotiating ways to help Ukraine defend itself against cyber attacks, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Tensions in Ukraine have been increasing for months after the Kremlin massed about 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders, a build-up the West says is preparation for a war to prevent Ukraine joining NATO.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied planning to invade, instead accusing the United States and its allies of escalating East-West tensions after it announced plans to boost NATO forces in Eastern Europe and evacuate the families of diplomats in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said information coming from the West was filled with "hysteria" and "laced with lies".

-With AAP.

Hundreds of thousands of Australians have had to wait seven weeks or more for elective surgery procedures, if they got them at all, as hospitals work through backlogs during the pandemic.

The median wait time for an elective surgery was 48 days in the 2020/21 financial year, an increase of nine days compared to the previous year, new data released on Tuesday shows.

The wait was even longer for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, half of whom waited at least 57 days, according to figures in the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report.

They were also over-represented on surgical waiting lists, the AIHW says, making up 4.1 per cent of the people waiting for surgery and 3.3 per cent of the population.

The wait was shortest for those who needed a lump removed from their breasts, with a median wait of 16 days. The less urgent septoplasty - a procedure to fix deviated septums - had a median wait time of 330 days and the longest of the 25 most common surgeries.

Those waiting for a tonsil removal (123 days), treatment for varicose veins (94 days) and knee replacements (85 days) saw the greatest increase in median wait times.

The number of patients who waited longer than a year to be admitted for surgery also ballooned to 7.6 per cent of the waitlist, compared to 2.8 per cent in the previous year.

The data does not include information from the suspensions of non-urgent elective surgery in 2021/22, figures for which are due to be released in late 2022.

-With AAP.

Ash Barty is the easy favourite to continue in the Australian Open ahead of Tuesday's match against American Jessica Pegula.

After romping through the draw without dropping a set en route to the Australian Open's last eight, Barty enters Tuesday night's quarter-finals a heavy favourite to continue her seemingly relentless march to the title.

The 25-year-old Wimbledon champion, or Pegula, a quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park for the second year running, will face either fourth-seeded French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova or American Maddison Keys for a spot in Saturday's title match.

In other news: the Ash Barty v Amanda Anisimova #AusOpen 4R match was the highest-rating program on Sunday in Australia, with a peak national audience of 1.94 million.

— Matt Trollope (@MattyAT) January 24, 2022

Meanwhile, rising world No.10 Jannick Sinner knocked out hometown favourite Alex De Minaur in a straight-sets fourth round win.

-With AAP.

Feature image: Getty.