ACT bans school banking programs
School banking programs, including the Commonwealth Bank’s Dollarmites program, will be banned from schools in the Australian Capital Territory.
The motion to ban the programs was passed yesterday and will be implemented in July.
ACT Greens MLA Johnathan Davis introduced the motion and says the programs are an advertising tactic to gain new customers.
"Corporations have no place in our public education system," Mr Davis said.
Calls for Brisbane kerbside collections to be reinstated
The Labor Party is calling for kerbside collections to be reinstated after almost 1300 cases of illegal rubbish dumping in Brisbane over the last year.
The most frequent cases of illegal dumping were at Inala (74), Doolandella (36), Forest Lake (35) and Calamvale (29).
Kerbside collections were cancelled by the Brisbane City Council in April 2020 to reduce the risk for staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Forest Lake ward councillor Charles Strunk says many Brisbane residents relied on the initiative.
Native frogs being mistaken for cane toads
Gold Coast residents have been urged not to mistake native frogs for cane toads.
Dry conditions over South East Queensland have changed the breeding patterns of cane toads, causing an outbreak and explosive numbers.
Under animal care laws, it is illegal to kill a cane toad in a “cruel” and “unreasonably painful” way.
Emily Vincent of community environmental group Watergum says the most humane method is to put toads in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours, before placing them in the freezer.
Logan and Gold Coast residents urged to get tested for COVID-19
Logan and Gold Coast residents are urged to get tested for COVID-19 if symptomatic after fragments of the virus were detected in sewage.
The viral fragments were found in Pimpama, Coombabah, Merrimac and Loganholme.
State Acting Chief Health Officer Dr Sonya Bennett says getting tested is more important than ever as new variants continue to emerge overseas.
11th Feb 9am Zedlines
Your 9am Zedlines with Teagan & Daniela. Image: Creative Commons/thecameramatt
Bodies established to run Queensland hospitals in debt
The latest report from the Queensland Audit Office (QAO) has found the 16 bodies established to run Queensland’s hospitals are in substantial debt.
The QAO found 11 of Queensland’s 16 hospital and health services experienced losses in the last financial year, compared to 8 in the year before.
The report also found the 16 bodies do not have adequate systems in place to effectively communicate with each other and the health department.
COVID-19 outbreak shuts down Ghana’s parliament
Ghana’s parliament will suspend its activities for three weeks after a COVID-19 outbreak amongst members of parliament and staff.
At least 17 MPs and 151 staff members have become infected with the virus.
“Our COVID-19 treatment centres have gone from having zero patients to now being full because of the upsurge in infections,” President Nana Akufo-Addo said.
“At this current rate ... our healthcare infrastructure will be overwhelmed.”
African swine fever mutation prompts increased biosecurity measures
Australian biosecurity is set to increase to prevent African swine fever from entering Australia.
New variants of the viral disease have emerged in Asia and have wiped out 800 million pigs worldwide.
The pork industry and the Australian government are concerned the disease could enter Australia in pork products via mail or travellers.
"With Lunar Chinese New Year celebrations approaching, more gift items arriving and increased travel in the region, this is the perfect storm," Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said.
Home Affairs Minister fast-tracks grant days after political donation
Obtained ministerial briefings reveal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton fast-tracked a one-off $880,000 grant to an association after it made a political donation in personal support of him.
The National Retail Association (NRA) made a $1,500 donation to the Queensland Liberal National Party at a NRA event.
The donation is described in the NRA’s 2019 financial report as "support for Peter Dutton Dinner at Norman Hotel 21/11/18".
Dominique Lamb, CEO of the NRA, told 7.30 that Mr Dutton had attended the event.
Youth justice advocates slam Palaszczuk Government’s tough new measures
Leading youth justice advocates warn the Palaszczuk Government’s new measures on youth crime will fail to reduce offending, and will instead push children further to the margins.
"GPS devices don't prevent crime, all they do is tell the police in a snapshot where somebody was at a particular time," said Former Queensland Law Society president Bill Potts.
"It's something that might make the public feel good, but which doesn't necessarily prevent crime,” said Mr Potts, suggesting the Government instead address the underlying causes of youth offending.