Bill Shorten promises environmental spending
Opposition leader Bill Shorten promises environmentally conscious voters he will spend $200 million restoring urban rivers and waterways.
Mr Shorten says he will engage with state and local governments, councils and community groups to revitalise Australia’s wetlands, creeks and rivers which have for too long been treated like industrial waste drains.
Australian professor found dead in Argentina
Australian university professor and scientist Lily Pereg and her sister have been found dead after disappearing more than two weeks ago in Argentina.
54 year old Dr Pereg, a microbial ecologist at the University of New England, and her sister, 63 year old Israeli citizen Pyrhia Sarusi, were last heard from on January 11 after travelling to the country to visit Ms Sarusi's son.
Their bodies were found on a lot beside the home of Ms Sarusi's son Gilad Pereg, near the city of Mendoza on Saturday.
Ranking system allows new subjects to be introduced to Queensland schools
Queensland high schools see the introduction of five new subjects this year as the state moves to abolish the OP system in favour of nationally adopted Australian Tertiary Admission Rank System in 2020.
The change is prompting a review of Queensland’s secondary school curriculum to allow subjects that would not have been graded under the OP system.
The new subjects are psychology, design, engineering, food and nutrition, and literature, with a 6th subject Aboriginal and Torres strait islander cultural studies still pending approval.
Brisbane protesters call for abolition of Australia Day
On Saturday, thousands took to the streets of Brisbane CBD and Southbank to protest and ultimately call to abolish Australia Day.
Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance and Brisbane Aboriginal-Sovereign Embassy organisers led approximately 2000 people from Emma Miller Place to Musgrave Park in South Brisbane.
One organiser Philip Marrii says their wider message is that the Australian colonial project needs to be dismantled and Aboriginal sovereignty must be recognised to respect all people that live in our country.
Review: APT9 Up Late
Sometimes it’s easy to convince yourself that Brisbane is a sleepy little town. On hot January days it’s so hard to unstick yourself from your housemate’s leather couch, it’s impossible to imagine the world moving beyond the stillness of the living room.
But on the morning of the 18th of Jan, I managed to pry myself loose from the death grip of our steaming old Queenslander and into the death grip of my steaming old Mazda, because we were playing a gig at GOMA that night, and GOMA has air conditioning.
11am Zedlines
This is Jack and Dan with your 11am Zedlines!
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons
Tourism sector booms in QLD
Acting Tourism Industry Development Minister Di Farmer says new data released by Brisbane Airport proves Queensland’s tourism sector is booming.
International seat numbers through Brisbane Airport grew by 5.5 per cent to six million passengers in 2018 277,000 passengers more than the last year.
Meanwhile, domestic visitor numbers grew by 0.7 per cent to more than 17.5 million.
QLD Cabinet moves to the Sunshine Coast
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced she will bring her cabinet to the Sunshine Coast next month as part of the Governing from the Regions program.
“The Sunshine Coast is one of the largest regional economies in Australia and is booming in terms of population growth and new investment to support the growing community,” the Premier said.
Governing from the Regions has been held in a number of regional centres in recent years, including Wide Bay, the Gold Coast, Cairns and Rockhampton.
WA music festival supports young female artists
Dozens of budding musicians have performed at one of Perth's most popular live music venues as part of a drive to support girls in the music scene.
The girls, aged 10 to 17, spent a week of their school holidays in workshops writing and producing original songs at the WA Girls Rock Camp.
WA's Minister for Culture and the Arts, David Templeman, said $70,000 had been set aside for the Girls Rock program from the Government's newly launched Contemporary Music Fund.
Darwin artist will spend one month living in a dome
A Darwin, artist is preparing to live in a tiny transparent dome for an entire month in an endurance art exhibition entitled Cocoon of Prayers.
With just a few basic items like books, a small fan and a pillow, the artist,will spend most of his time repeating prayers and mantras, each time marking small pieces of paper to glue to the dome's wall until it becomes a literal cocoon of prayers.