QLD Government launches first green energy company

The Queensland Government is launching a 100 per cent green energy company to reduce yearly energy bills.

The company called CleanCo is the first state-owned green energy generator, with the state’s two other companies coal and gas companies dependent.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the new energy enterprise will slash $70 a year from household power bills.

ScoMo’s diplomatic venture to Jakarta

In Scott Morrison’s first visit overseas since securing the top job, he is meeting with Indonesian officials in Jakarta to talk free trade and strategic security.

The foreign venture will be a test for Mr Morrison, as skills in diplomacy and statesmanship were not cornerstones of his former portfolios of Treasury and Immigration.

Indonesian Prime Minister Joko Widodo will welcome the Australian PM to Jakarta’s presidential palace before the one-on-one meeting between the leaders.

Brisbane bus drivers receive training for aggressive passengers

Brisbane bus drivers are undergoing training to ensure their personal safety and that of passengers against aggressive and intoxicated passengers.

Public and active transport chairman, Adrian Schrinner, says buses to be delivered in the 2018-2019 financial year will also be fitted with driver protection barriers.

The training follows recommendations from the Brisbane City Council’s Ausafe report and state government’s Deloitte Report in response to the death of bus driver, Manmeet Sharma, at Moorooka in 2016.

RAC protests against Nauru detention

Refugee Action Collective will be holding an emergency rally tonight in King George Square at 5:30 pm to highlight the crisis of children on Nauru.

Last week, a 12-year-old refugee attempted to set herself alight, while another 17-year-old is refusing food. Local doctors are pleading for children on Nauru to be brought to Australia.

Child safety officers are warning of a growing presence of self-harm, attempted suicides and refusal of food, as well as an increase in serious child psychiatric disorders.

Decommission of Japan reactor begins

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has begun decommissioning the Monju fast breeder reactor in Tsuruga, a process expected to take 30 years.

Monju reached criticality for the first time in 1994, with a series of problems following this before the reactor was decommissioned in 2016.

Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Toyoshi Fuketa says they want to proceed with the work with a sense of tension, with top priority placed on safety over schedule.

 

Far-right protests in Germany over immigration

Violent protests have erupted on the streets of Chemnitz, Germany, following the arrest of two people believed to be poorly handled by officials.

In response to the arrests, mobs began randomly attacking people they took to be foreigners.

The protestors are calling for tighter anti-immigration laws by Saxony state president and the Merkel party who have been accused of not doing enough for the region.

 

Cricket Australia wins Golden Earnie award

Cricket Australia has won an infamous award for the past year’s most sexist comment in Australian public life.

The Ernie Award, which has been running since 1982, was awarded to Cricket Australia after the organisation sacked an employee over her tweets on abortion.

It is reported that the sacked employee, Angela Williamson, is planning to sue Cricket Australia for unfair dismissal.

 

Au pairs held up by Border Force

More informations has emerged on Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton's intervention in the visa cases of foreign au pairs held up by the Border Force.

Not only did Mr Dutton pull favours for AFL boss Gillon McLachlan’s au pair, he also acted for his former colleagues at the Queensland Police Service.

Mr Dutton has defended his actions, saying all cases were assessed individually based on their merits.

 

Wasps versus Aircrafts

There has been at least 15 incidents of wasps preventing flights taking off at Brisbane Airport in the last decade, with 4 planes returning due to sensor probes being blocked by wasps nests.

The report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau says while passengers have been alarmed at the risks posed by wasps, the airport’s pest control program remains the most effective measure against interference.

Brisbane Airport’s pest control management programs were reviewed and reformed in 2015 following the headaches insects have posed for airlines.