Suttons Beach Pavilion demolition.
Moreton Bay Regional Council has made the controversial decision to demolish Suttons Beach Pavilion - with its official closure set for February 28th. In response to the announcement, a petition calling for the building to be saved has reached 6000 signatures. The pavilion - which was built in 1937 - is a popular destination for both tourists and the local community.
Avalon theatre
The Avalon theatre in St Lucia will be given a second life, after the University of Queensland announced that it will be renovating the heritage listed building and repurposing the space for teaching and performance. Councilor James [mack-eye] Mackay said that it was a huge win for the community, after losing the Toowong Bowls Club; getting a community facility like this is incredibly important. The university of Queensland is expected to carry out structural safety checks and asbestos removal will begin on the 20’s era building later this month, whilst expected to open up for public consultation later in the year.
ABC Election Cash Splash
The ABC’s annual budget is set to be restored by 84 million dollars as the federal government announces it will reverse its 2018 indexation freeze on the national broadcaster’s funding, part of a slew of policies that have seen the ABC’s funding slashed by 526 million dollars since 2014. The Labor Party has questioned the timing of the announcement, accusing the federal government of trying to prevent the broadcaster’s funding becoming an election issue, and has committed to five year funding blocks should they win government in this year’s federal election. Over the next three years, the ABC is set to receive 3.3 billion dollars in funding, while the SBS receives more than 950 million dollars.
Ending Homlessness in Australia - Report.
The Centre for Social Impact at the University of Western Australia has today released a report titled ‘Ending Homelessness in Australia: An Evidence and Policy Deep Dive’. Drawing from the largest dataset on homelessness collected in Australia, the report uses surveys of over twenty thousand people who have come into contact with homelessness services in Australia over the past 10 years.The report concludes that, to provide everyone with appropriate housing, all levels of government must work together to draft and implement a national homelessness strategy and must also increase the funding of social and public housing to meet the currently enormous shortfall.
Syrian Child Prisoners of War
The United Nations has reported over six hundred children being unjustifiably detained in a Syrian prison. After witnessing a conflict between Kurdish soldiers and IS militants, the children were transported to a jail in Hassakeh (Ha-si-kuh), and are still living in these facilities. Syrian UNICEF representative Bo Viktor Nylund says children should never be imprisoned on the grounds of military conflict as they are victims. UNICEF is asking for the immediate release of all children imprisoned in North-East Syria and has committed to supporting the most vulnerable children, some of whom are as young as twelve years old.