Australian government under fire for opposing intellectual property rights waiver on COVID-19 vaccines
The Public Health Association of Australia and Médecins Sans Frontières Australia are gathering signatures for an open letter urging Scott Morrison to temporarily waive intellectual property rights for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Last November, India and South Africa put forward a proposal to the World Trade Organisation calling for the suspension of patents and copyright for information regarding the research and production of products to combat COVID-19. 100 of the 164 member nations have backed the proposal, but Australia is one of the countries that opposed it.
Experts warn the media not to jump to vaccine conclusions
Scott Morrison warned against the media rushing to conclusions about the death of a New South Wales woman from blood clots a day after being vaccinated for COVID-19.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration said preliminary tests have not found a conclusive link between the death and the vaccination.
Vice-president of the Australian Medical Association, Chris Moy, said focusing on unconfirmed vaccine side effects could have a devastating effect on public confidence.
Woombye council plans to track pedestrians to improve maintenance scheduling
The Sunshine Coast town of Woombye will participate in a study that will track movements and behaviour of its residents in an effort to inform council decisions.
Local councillor Winston Johnson says ten sensors on the main street will take measurements on pedestrian and vehicle movements. A water sensor will record how many people are using public amenities. Johnson says the data will inform scheduling of maintenance and cleaning.
Mayor Tom Tate's stream of comments 'vulgar' and 'unbecoming'.
Alan MacSporran, boss of Queensland’s Crime and Corruption Commission, responded to Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate stating an investigation "ruined the lives" of Logan councillors.
The two-year investigation resulted in multiple Councillors standing down and an administration council being brought in. However, the charges were all dropped this week.
Mayor Tate told the Courier Mail the investigation felt as if “someone was telling you it’s raining while standing behind you pissing down your back”.
16 April 9am Zedlines
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Publicly accessible register for Department of Environment and Science activities opened
A new online portal is giving the public improved access to environmental records in Queensland.
Minister for the Environment Meaghan Scanlon says the Public Register Portal will make it easier for members of the community to receive updates on activities carried out by the Department of Environment and Science.
Minister Scanlon says it is important that the Queensland Government commits to transparency and increasing the availability of its information.
The portal will be updated weekly.
Evidence of tiny stegosaur found in China
A team of palaeontologists discovered a single footprint left by a cat-sized stegosaur around 100 million years ago in China.
University of Queensland researcher Dr. Anthony Romilio said the footprint suggests the tiny dinosaur may have walked on two legs.
Associate Professor Xing said a complete set of tracks of the tiny footprints would provide the answer to this question. However, finding more of the six-centimetre tracks on the crowded site will prove difficult.
Coca-Cola bottler facing potential internationalisation
Investors will vote today on whether to sell the Australian bottler Coca-Cola Amatil to Coke’s European offshoot for $9.8 billion.
The Australian company began over a century ago by selling cigarettes and now controls Coca-Cola’s production and distribution for all of Australia. The company also owns the rights to distribution in Indonesia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand, as well as other Australian-only brands.
Investment banker David Williams says the move is part of a larger trend of the internationalisation of business.
Greek Orthodox Church received millions in rent from aged care homes
An ABC investigation has found a group of taxpayer-funded aged care homes funnelled $31 million into one of Australia’s largest churches.
The homes include St. Basil’s in Melbourne where 45 residents died from a COVID outbreak. It was found St. Basil’s paid over $22 million in rent to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. A commercial real estate agent says this is double the rental market rate.
The Archdiocese declined to comment on the money it receives from its aged care homes.
Gold Coast hopes to adopt new sister city.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate announced a plan to establish a sister-city relationship with Queenstown in New Zealand.
Mayor Tate said the towns have many similarities, including a reliance on tourism. The relationship would mean the towns’ councils would enter into societal or business contracts based on their similarities.
Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult said while it is not something the Queenstown council has considered in the past, they are open to discussing the possibility.