Charges against QLD's Police Commissioner withdrawn
The charges brought against Queensland’s Police Commissioner by the union of employees have been withdrawn.
The charges related to the “non-payment of entitlements” for professional development of commissioned police officers, specifically the commissioner denying requests for professional development courses which required overseas travel.
Though the case was withdrawn, the union president Dale Frieberg says enterprise bargaining agreements are still being negotiated.
Call for children to be removed from adult watchhouses have been made
The state government is facing calls to remove children from police adult watchouses after it was revealed they are being held there for weeks at a time.
Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk and state government ministers were asked yesterday to explain how a girl was held in the same area as two alleged male sex offenders in the Brisbane City watch house.
Doctors and the Queensland Law Society have called for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised from age 10 to 14.
9AM ZEDLINES
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Vote Compass reveals urge for climate change action
ABC’s Vote Compass polling tool has generated data showing a majority of Coalition, Labor and Greens voters all want more government action on climate change.
The data specifically reveals more than 80 percent of Australians want more action on the matter, an increase of 20 percent since 2013.
A majority of voters also would like to see more renewable energy, higher uptake of electric cars and a price on carbon.
Agent removes political signs from rental property
Tenants are reporting having political signs endorsing candidates removed from their properties in the lead up to the federal election.
Tenants Queensland describe it as an infringement of the right to political expression, while agents say the reason behind the removal of the signs is safety concerns.
Gregory Real Estate principal John Roberts, who has admitted to taking down numerous signs, insists he has no problem with the political persuasion of the signs, and is only trying to protect the homes.
Scrapped Mt Coot-tha zipline cost almost $1 million
The city council has spent more than $900,000 on the proposed Mt Coot-tha zipline project, which has since been scrapped due to overwhelming community backlash.
The development application had already cost $300,000, before technical consultation drove the price up to $902,000, which Mayor Adrian Schrinner stated to the council chamber yesterday.
The Mt Coot-tha protection alliance, which appealed against the project, is still crowdfunding its legal costs, though the total bill is not yet determined.
Australia to import foreign-grown grain for the first time in over 10 years
The Department of Agriculture has approved a permit to import bulk wheat from Canada with Australia set to import foreign-grown grain for the first time since 2007.
Since drought has devastated the winter crop of wheat on Australia’s east coast, increasing the cost of grain domestically, there have been months of speculation about potential grain imports.
Rising inequality in UK threatening British democracy
There are concerns the rising inequality within the UK could soon hit American levels, thus threatening British democracy.
Nobel laureate and Princeton professor Angus Deaton has warned the increasing gap between the rich and the poor is “making a mockery of democracy”.
Professor Deaton is leading a major five-year project, which has just been launched by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and the review aims to define causes of inequality in the UK.
New date proposed for Brexit deal
Prime Minister Theresa May has proposed yet another date for a new vote on the UK’s Brexit deal.
Ms May has set the week of June 3 as the fourth time the House of Commons will vote on the Brexit deal, after rejecting it in each prior vote.
A Downing Street spokesman announced the date of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to the public after Ms May met with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, saying it’s imperative the vote is done beofre the summer Parliamentary recess.
8AM Zedlines
Good morning, this is Georgie and Laura with your 8AM Zedlines.