9AM ZEDLINES
[Image credit: Flickr]
Government's Indigenous Reforms Announced
Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has announced the Government's Indigenous reform agenda during a NAIDOC ceremony in Brisbane on Sunday.
In a statement of commitment, the State Government promised to appoint a panel which would include Indigenous leaders Dr Jackie Huggins and Mick Gooda, and former governor-general Quentin Bryce.
Mrs Trad said a much better relationship between the Government and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples fundamental to the betterment of the lives of the community.
Four Children Steal Car for Queensland Joyride
Four children who allegedly drove a four-wheel-drive from central Queensland to NSW have been found safe in Grafton.
Police say a 14-year-old boy, two 13-year-old boys and a 10-year-old girl took a family member's car from Gracemere near Rockhampton on Saturday night, along with fishing rods and cash.
The children were allegedly involved in a fuel-stealing incident at a service station in Banana early Sunday morning.
Natural Disasters Blamed for Queensland Economy Slump
Queensland’s economy is in the middle of a slump worsened by natural disasters according to the latest Deloitte Access Economics report on Australia’s finances.
The state government already announced $1.3 billion for damage caused by droughts and floods, but the independent Deloitte report estimates the figure will be closer to $6 billion.
Queensland Deputy Premier and Treasurer Jackie Trad said Deloitte is basing that figure on multiple metrics over different timeframes with a broader perspective than the Queensland government’s assessment.
Australia Defence Force Warns of Climate Change Consequences
Australia's military has warned of a possible influx of climate refugees and an increased potential for conflict because of the effects of climate change.
Australia Defence Force briefing notes obtained by the ABC suggested droughts and rising sea levels in the Indo-Pacific region are causing refugees to relocate.
Former Defence Force chief Chris Barrie said those affected by climate change would see Australia as a “land of opportunity”.
4,600-Year-Old Egyptian Pyramid Opens to Public
Egypt opened the 4,600 year old Bent Pyramid to visitors for the first time since 1965 to help boost tourism at the World Heritage site.
The Bent Pyramid is one of Egypt’s oldest structures built during the Fourth Dynasty and is a precursor to the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Tourists will be able to climb down a narrow 79-metre tunnel to reach two chambers deep inside the pyramid.
Plastics Kill Protected Japanese Deer
The Nara Deer Preservation Foundation in Western Japan said 14 deer have died at Nara Park since March, nine of which were found to have consumed plastic.
Nara Park is famous for having more than 1000 deer reside inside its bounds, where visitors can feed the deer special crackers.
Vet Rie Maruko said the deer that died were very skinny and should not have been fed anything other than the senbei snacks.
8AM ZEDLINES
[Image Credit: Flickr]
Lime Scooter Prices Rise as Competitors Roll In
Lime has raised the hire cost of its city scooters despite a new scooter competitor set to arrive on Brisbane streets next month.
Lime public affairs manager Nelson Savanh said prices were raised by eight cents per minute to ensure a safe premium service.
Competitors Neuron Mobility will be operating 600 orange scooters on Brisbane streets by August following Brisbane City Council approval last month.
MyGov Outage Disrupts Tax Returns and Centrelink
The main online portal for government services MyGov was offline for four hours last Friday disrupting tax returns and Centrelink users.
Affected Australians took to social media to raise their anger regarding the outage, which meant Australians couldn’t report their income to Centrelink.
General Manager Hank Jongen said investigations are underway to determine the cause of the outage.