The Australian and international news stories you need to know today, Tuesday November 2.

More than 4000 unvaccinated health workers suspended in QLD.

Queensland Health has suspended 4000 healthcare workers with full pay due to their refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

On Monday Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said there were 7,000 people who were yet to be fully vaccinated but 3,000 were on long service or maternity leave. 

While she is confident the 110,000 strong work force will cope with the loss, "there will be disruptions."

Restrictions on travel from Greater Sydney to regional areas were also lifted on Monday, and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet was among those heading to the regions.

He visited Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo to deliver a message to the state's residents thinking of planning their summer holidays.

"Don't go interstate - come out to regional NSW and enjoy the best the state has to offer," Mr Perrottet said.

The resumption of regional travel was delayed for two weeks due to concerns over lower vaccination rates compared to Greater Sydney.

Deputy Premier Paul Toole said 82 per cent of regional NSW now being fully vaccinated was an "exceptional result".

On Monday, NSW recorded its lowest daily total of locally acquired cases since July, with 135 cases along with four deaths.

Berejiklian finishes her evidence at ICAC.

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian says she plans to "get on with" her life after concluding her evidence to the state's corruption watchdog for nine hours over two days about her secret relationship with disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire. 

"Every decision I made, in terms of the public office I held, was in the best interests of the community and the public," Ms Berejiklian told reporters outside the Independent Commission Against Corruption. 

"Now I intend to get on with my life."  

The inquiry broadened beyond its primary probe into Mr Maguire's business and political dealings to examine whether Ms Berejiklian breached public trust in the way she handled projects he was pursuing or engaged in conduct "liable to allow or encourage corruption" by him.

Ms Berejiklian has denied any wrongdoing and was frequently exasperated during the examination in which she was more than once scolded by the commissioners for giving more context than the question required. 

The former premier was asked about a tapped phone call in July 2018 in which Mr Maguire told her he had been summonsed to appear as a witness at the ICAC.

Ms Berejiklian agreed it was in "black and white" in the transcript that Mr Maguire had made representations to property developers but she didn't know all the people he mentioned.

"Whether or not I listened or cared is another matter," Ms Berejiklian said on Monday.

"I did not assume any wrongdoing."

Vic MP Tim Smith to learn political fate.

Victorian Liberal MP Tim Smith is set to learn his political fate after being caught drink-driving at more than twice the legal limit and crashing into a house. 

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy says he will meet face-to-face with the state member for the blue-ribbon seat of Kew on Tuesday "to discuss his future with him".

Mr Smith crashed into a Hawthorn house on Saturday night following a dinner with friends, narrowly avoiding a child's bedroom. 

The 38-year-old returned a breath test reading of 0.131, prompting the immediate suspension of his licence for 12 months. He is also expected to be fined by police.  

Mr Smith tendered his resignation from shadow cabinet to Mr Guy on Sunday, describing his decision to drive home as a "serious error of judgement".

Pressure is now mounting on him to quit politics altogether. Several Liberal MPs have told AAP Mr Smith's position is untenable. 

Djokovic won't commit to Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic remains in doubt for the Australian Open, saying he's awaiting a final announcement on travel and entry requirements before committing to another title defence at Melbourne Park.

Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week said unvaccinated players would be free to contest the Open if they completed two weeks in quarantine.

But Victoria Premier Dan Andrews slammed that door shut, insisting - just like unvaccinated fans - that unjabbed players would not be allowed into Melbourne Park.

Djokovic, who tested positive to COVID-19 last year, has repeatedly declined to reveal his vaccination status.

Victoria has introduced a vaccination mandate for professional athletes as it battles a resurgence of coronavirus cases.

Djokovic was non-committal when asked on Sunday in Paris about the likelihood of contesting the Open.

"Well, I'm going to decide on whether I go to Australia or not after I see the official statement from Tennis Australia," the world No.1 and nine-time Open champion said, in his first press conference since his US Open final loss to Daniil Medvedev in September.

"Right now, we don't have any official announcement or statement. So until that's out, I won't be talking about this anymore, because I don't want to be part of the stories about the assumptions and what-ifs."

'Vax' chosen as word of the year.

Oxford Languages, data specialists and overseers of the Oxford English Dictionary, have declared 'vax' their word of the year for 2021.

In announcing the publication of its latest language report, titled VAX, A report into the language of vaccines, Oxford Languages said "the word vax, more than any other, has injected itself into the bloodstream of the English language in 2021".

"A relatively rare word in our corpus until this year, by September it was over 72 times more frequent than at the same time last year," the organisation said.

"It has generated numerous derivatives that we are now seeing in a wide range of informal contexts, from vax sites and vax cards to getting vaxxed and being fully vaxxed, no word better captures the atmosphere of the past year than vax."

Around the world.

- US President Joe Biden has made a public apology at COP26 for former president Donald Trump pulling out of the Paris Accords. 

- Bikini-style uniforms will no longer be mandated for female beach handball players following protests by players and European lawmakers. 

- Singer Jon Bon Jovi has tested positive for COVID minutes before he was due on stage in Florida. 

- With AAP

Feature image: Bradley Kanaris/Ian Forsyth/Vince Caligiuri/Getty.