The Australian Government will continue to support job seekers in the Wide Bay and Sunshine Coast region as part of its $276 million Local Job Program. 

The Program extended to June 30 2025, will continue to identify areas of opportunities in the health, social services and construction industries, while conducting training for job seekers. 

The government’s goal was for local problems to be solved by local solutions in the form of local workers.

This Thursday as part of NAIDOC week celebrations, the Birrunga Gallery & Dining in the CBD is hosting the ‘We are Country, country is sacred’ art exhibition. 

Indigenous artists and cultural practitioners will form a panel for Q&A discussion with a two course lunch being served.

At the event, untold stories of the Brisbane river, a water so important to Jagera and Turrbal peoples will be told to the public for the first time. Tickets are available on eventbrite.com 

A Mango Hill not-for-profit organisation will help First Nations women and girls make their mark in business and use a Federal Government grant of more than $777,000.

The grant is part of the Federal Government’s Women’s Leadership and Development Program in a bid to help First Nations women identify and pursue business ideas and build a platform for success. 

Carole Vale founded the organisation five years ago, called Tiddas in Business. Tiddas meaning sister or very good friends.

The six winning projects of the “No Ordinary Black” short film initiative held by Screen Australia and NITV announced with Screen Australia’s CEO Graeme Mason said each project is bold and ambitious.

The initiative will bring thought-provoking First Nations stories to the screen, created by First Nations people, showcasing their distinct creativity and voices.

The short films will air on NITV in 2022 and the full list of winners can be viewed at the indigenous.gov.au website.

According to the Australian Competitor and Consumer Commission’s latest petrol monitoring report, the major Australian capitals have seen a 12 cents per litre rise in average fuel prices since the December 2020 quarter. 

ACCC Chair Rod Sims stated this increase is a flow-on effect from increased international crude oil and petrol prices. 

The report also showed the demand for fuel remains below pre-pandemic levels this quarter, with sales impacted by the nation’s latest round of lockdowns.

According to China’s foreign ministry and media outlets, the Australian government has been accused of ’sabotaging’ their Covid vaccine aid program for Pacific Island nations, such as Papua New Guinea.

The Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja has rejected the claims and wants people to study Australia’s track record of providing high quality and timely medical support. 

Health officials from the Pacific Islands said they are not concerned over where the vaccines originate from, but want the safety of the citizens to come first.

Some Brisbane residents may face detrimental “flow on” effects for their home insurance, property values and development applications after Brisbane City Council’s updated flood maps.

Suburbs like Yeronga and Oxley that did not flood in 1974 or 2011, have been upgraded to high flood-risk areas, with Councillor for the area, Nicole Johnston said these are odd results as some properties are not located near a creek or in an overflow area.

Up North now, fruit farmers in the Bundaberg region faced a harsh reality with their water allocations being slashed from 90% in previous years to 22% this financial year.

The slash came as the Paradise Dam is unlikely to be reinstated to its full capacity forcing growers to remove crops and lay off staff.

A class action against the state government is being built by Bundaberg Lawyer Tom Marland as economic impacts are estimated to be in the billions, affecting not only farmers but the Bundaberg economy as a whole.

To kick off this week’s NAIDOC celebrations, the Sunday night weather bulletin of Channel 10 was praised by viewers for using traditional Indigenous Australian names for the nation’s major cities. 

Instead of using British colonial names, the original Aboriginal names were shown on screen with examples such as Meanjin for Brisbane, Warrang for Sydney and Boorloo for Perth. 

Weather presenter Amanda Jason also acknowledged the traditional custodians of the land during the broadcast.