Adjustments to Farm Household Allowance for quick relief
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud says adjustments to the upcoming budget, specifically the Farm Household Allowance, will be made in order to provide for drought affected farmers ‘as quickly as possible.’
Critics of the FHA have said it does not cover livestock feed, council rates, or on farm expenses, and despite farmers in every state experiencing some level of drought, fewer than 6,300 even receive the fortnightly FHA payment.
Brisbane Lord Mayor to quit
Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk is set to quit his job next week after eight years in the position, saying that he could not commit to another four-year term in office.
Quirk entered the Brisbane council in 1985 and after spending 34 years in the organisation, he has decided that ‘now is the time to go’.
The Lord Mayor says he is extremely proud of what he has achieved and is confident that a vibrant and renewed LNP Council team will have new and exciting plans to keep Brisbane heading in the right direction.
Brisbane mango producer given grant for consumer research
A Brisbane based mango producer will soon be conquering the Chinese market with funding from the Palaszczuk Government to help undertake consumer research.
Perfection Fresh Proprietary Limited at Rocklea was one of eight diverse food companies to receive a second round of funding from the Growing Queensland’s Food Exports program.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development Mark Furner says Growing Queensland’s Food Exports supports producers to break in to lucrative overseas markets and supply chains.
ASMR: We Can Destroy
- Autonomous sensory meridian response, ASMR in its abbreviated form, describes a variety of audio-sensory experiences made popular via internet videos aimed at triggering physical sensations in the viewer, often with the use of whispers, intimate mouth sounds and finger tapping. While ASMR could be considered a musical experience it most often isn’t.
Ritual Howls: Rendered Armor
- Ritual Howls continue to conjure a darkly cinematic mood which writhes, like a serpent under a spurred boot, between goth, deathrock and industrial electronica on their latest offering at the altar of darkwave, Rendered Armor. Haunting and sensual, hypnotic and danceable, Rendered Armour sees the Detroit three-piece stay true to their gothic-western sensibilities whilst funeral-marching further into the dark industrial landscapes that lie on the edge of the ghost towns within their sprawling cinematic inspired soundscapes.
India’s new space weapon passes ‘hit-to-kill’ test
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India has shot down one of its own satellites in low-Earth orbit with a ground-to-space missile on Wednesday, adding that his country's first test of such weaponry is a breakthrough that positions the nation as a military space power.
Mr Modi, who faces general elections next month, said India was only the fourth country to have used such an anti-satellite weapon, joining the likes of other countries like the United States, Russia and China.
Refugees hijack ship to prevent return to Libya
More than 100 migrants rescued by a cargo ship have hijacked the vessel and ordered the crew to travel to Malta after they were told they would be returned to Libya.
The ship reportedly changed its course towards Europe six nautical miles away from Tripoli with Italy’s Far-Right Prime Minister Matteo Salvini labelling the hijackers as “pirates”.
Malta’s military have so far been unable to contact the ship’s captain and said they will continue to monitor the ship’s progress and will not allow the vessel to enter their waters.
Pyne calls for US to adopt Australian gun laws
Defence Minister Christopher Pyne has urged the United States to adopt Australian gun laws, commenting that there is “absolutely no appetite” for change in the nation’s firearm laws.
His statements come after two senior One Nation officials were filmed talking about asking the American gun lobby for $US 20 million to weaken the nation's firearm restrictions.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison backed Mr Pyne's comments, telling reporters in Perth that Australia’s gun laws are one of the Coalition’s proudest achievements.
Local busker causes mass-evacuation during peak hour in Melbourne
Melbourne’s Flagstaff train station was evacuated Thursday morning after a busker was mistaken for having a gun.
The man was holding a duffel bag containing his instrument which was mistaken for a gun case and raised suspicion while he was doing breathing exercises in preparation for his performance.
Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the situation has been resolved and apologised for the interruption, praising the incident response team’s quick response.
Study shows drivers do not consider cyclists to be fully human
Researchers from QUT and Monash University have said the word “cyclist” should be banned so people riding bikes can be seen as more human.
A study conducted of cyclists and non-cyclists showed that more than one in ten people have deliberately driven closer to a bike rider and that more than half of drivers think cyclists are not completely human, with many referring to them as 'cockroaches'.