Updated September 21, 2018 07:57:01
![]() Bushfires could travel underground across parched parts of Queensland in coming days, the Rural Fire Service has warned. The dire warning comes as most of Queensland faces a very high fire danger over the next two days and a total fire ban across the state's south-east. RFS Superintendent Allan Gillespie said soils throughout much of the state are extremely dry and that can help the spread of what is called "subterranean fires". "What we don't want are fires starting today that will potentially impact tomorrow," he said. "A subterranean fire burns through a tree stump or a tree and it burns what you can see, but what you're not seeing is that it is burning underground through the root system. "The soil moisture levels are at record lows in south-east Queensland and so a fire will travel underground." Superintendent Gillespie warned that these sort of fires can then "pop out" of the ground days or even weeks later. "The root systems of these trees can go for many, many metres into unburnt country and pop out three days later, five days later, three weeks later and start another fire," he said. While underground fires are rare, it would not be the first time such a fire has happened in Queensland. Just last week a grass fire threatened homes near Grantham in the Lockyer Valley, cutting the Warrego Highway. "We still have crews on that fire today looking at subterranean fire issues," Superintendent Gillespie said. Underground fires are common in southern states but Superintendent Gillespie said conditions were so bad in Queensland that it could become commonplace here. ![]() "We haven't had these sort of conditions for a long time and they're right at the moment for this type of phenomenon to occur," he said. He said they had also gathered together a special taskforce to focus on the fire threat in the south-east. "We're moving a strike team from the Gold Coast up into the Ipswich area so we can respond to any incidents in the Lockyer and Somerset areas," he said. "We've also deployed additional aircraft and command staff into those areas as well." He urged people in bushfire-prone areas to have their survival plans ready but said the fire service was well prepared for any emergency. "This is what we do, this is what we train to do and this is what we do extremely well and our preparations and our commitment to protecting local communities is very strong and I'm confident anything that the weather throws at us today, we'll be able to handle." Topics:bushfire,fires,emergency-planning,disasters-and-accidents,brisbane-4000,qld,cairns-4870,longreach-4730,mackay-4740,ipswich-4305,grantham-4347,lockyer-4344,mount-isa-4825,rockhampton-4700,townsville-4810,bundaberg-4670,maroochydore-4558,southport-4215,toowoomba-4350,australia First posted September 20, 2018 11:36:24 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-20/underground-bushfires-warning-throughout-qld/10285138
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Strawberry sales have bounced back after a week that featured dumped strawberries, social media-driven strawberry recipe campaigns and strong support from state and federal leaders for the industry.
The result has been a surge in sales for strawberry growers after the previous disastrous week, which featured new reports of sabotaged strawberries and mixed messages from government agencies. At the beginning of the week, wholesalers were selling strawberries for $3 a box when they would normally get $16 a box. ![]() Cars queue at a pick-your-own strawberry farm in Queensland. (ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols) ![]() Cars queue at a pick-your-own strawberry farm in Queensland. ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols They were cancelling orders from growers around the country, who were in turn forced to dump their produce. The lower prices and support for farmers sent consumers on a buying spree later in the week, with many reports of outlets selling out. Coles reported a big spike in demand late on Thursday. A company spokesperson said, "We've been delighted to see customers buying strawberries and at some stores the demand has been so great we've sold out." The spokesperson said the company was working hard to get more strawberries in all stores "so customers can continue to support Aussie farmers". Customers have also been queuing at pick-your-own operations around the country as demand surges in that sector as well. ![]() Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Detective Superintendent Terry Lawrence and Gavin Scurr from Pinata Farms inspect metal detector technology. (ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols) ![]() Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Detective Superintendent Terry Lawrence and Gavin Scurr from Pinata Farms inspect metal detector technology. ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols Growers suffer big losses Meanwhile, the Queensland Premier inspected new safety equipment on a farm in that state. Annastacia Palaszczuk visited Pinata Farms at Wamuran where grower Gavin Scurr has just installed metal detectors. He has lost $25,000 a week since the crisis began and his total losses are close to $250,000. A West Australian grower has reportedly lost about $200,000 this week, equating to about $10 a box. But now, John Antico, from wholesaler Sinclair and Antico at Sydney Markets, sold out of strawberries on Friday morning and was ordering more pallets from growers across the country. Wholesaler Tom Cave also sold out as demand tripled from the low volumes he was selling early in the week. He is grateful for the big turnaround. "I just want to say thank you to Australia for really caring about our food industry." 'Devastating and disturbing' situation Mr Cave and his family have worked in the Sydney wholesale market for generations. He said he had never seen it so bad. "It's definitely been the hardest we've seen strawberry sales and we've been selling them for 50 years." ![]() A case of strawberry tampering was reported in Orange this week. (Supplied: Sinclair and Antico) ![]() A case of strawberry tampering was reported in Orange this week. Supplied: Sinclair and Antico Mr Antico said the crisis had been devastating for growers, and the copycat nature of crisis had been disturbing. "It was an act of bastardry," he said. Mr Antico spent the middle of the week dealing with a claim by a customer in Orange, in central-west NSW, that a punnet of strawberries he supplied had a needle in it. He is frustrated by what appear to be a large number of copycat offences, but he said Prime Minister Scott Morrison's decision to push for tougher penalties for food tampering offences had bolstered his spirits. "We're definitely seeing less needles in punnets and today is the first day in two weeks that we've sold out," he said. More strawberry needles More on this: http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-09-21/strawberry-sales-bounce-back-consumers-support-farmers/10289856 A Hendra virus infection has been confirmed in an unvaccinated horse that was euthanased on Wednesday by a private vet on property near Tweed Heads in northern New South Wales.
It is the first outbreak of the bat-borne disease in the country in more than a year, with the last reported horse death in Lismore in August last year. Hendra virus was first observed in 1994 when scientists identified the previously unknown virus after the death of Queensland horse trainer Vic Rail and 13 of his horses at Hendra, a Brisbane suburb, in 1994. hendra factbox About Hendra virusThe Hendra virus has killed four people in Australia, and is often likened to Ebola. It is said to be one of the most challenging and dangerous diseases Australian scientists have ever worked with.The Hendra vaccine for horses was released in late 2012 on a minor use permit, and has since been registered.The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority says that even if a horse is vaccinated, there is still a chance the animal can contract and pass on the Hendra virus. The NSW Department of Primary Industries' chief veterinary officer Dr Sarah Britton said there were two horses that were owned by the neighbour that had been may been contact with infected horse. "Those horses are under some movement restrictions and being monitored," she said. The dead horse and the two on the neighbouring properties had not been vaccinated against the deadly zoonotic disease. "The owner of those two horses has been advised to vaccinate them against Hendra and hopefully that has been conducted," she said. But Dr Britton said the owner did not have a high risk of exposure to the horse and was not being tested or treated for Hendra. "The horses are out in the paddock and owner hasn't had any close contact or a risk factor for it," she said. "The horse is dead now so they don't need to wear any PPE (personal protective equipment) but they need to disinfect and decontaminate the area and Local Land Services' vets have been in to help with that process." Dr Britton said there were flying foxes in the vicinity of the property. "The best way that we can minimise infection in horses is by vaccinating the horses." ![]() Various species of bats are thought to be reservoirs for viral diseases such as Hendra. (iStockphoto/CraigRJD) ![]() Various species of bats are thought to be reservoirs for viral diseases such as Hendra. iStockphoto/CraigRJD "Certainly if people understand that they should keep their horses away from flowering or fruiting trees, don't put their feed and water under the tree and try to minimise any interaction they could potentially have with bats. "When you see these cases like this and people exposed the fact that you can actually prevent this and people don't have to go through this, I think it's a very simple solution to a problem that doesn't need to exist. "If more people vaccinated we wouldn't be seeing Hendra cases." Since the first case of Hendra in the Brisbane suburb Hendra in 1994 more than 100 horses have died as a result of the virus and four humans. Earlier this year horse owners launched a $53 million law suit against the pharmaceutical company responsible for developing the Hendra vaccine. New research into treating people infected with the Hendra virus The latest fatality to a horse exposed to the Hendra virus comes as researchers at Charles Sturt University (CSU) hope to be a step closer to treating people hit by the disease. The "protein" which attacks the immune system in humans is also found in the equally deadly Nipah virus which, like Hendra, is transmitted from bats. However, unlike Hendra which is transmitted via horse, it is pigs which Nipah first attacks before being passed on to humans. While Hendra is better known in Australia, CSU researcher Professor Jade Forwood said Nipah was a major concern in Asia, India and Bangladesh. "This protein helps to dampen our immune response to the virus. The virus makes the protein and allows the virus to replicate more efficiently," he said. "It causes more disease and we are interested in how and why this protein is causing these effects." ![]() Professor Jade Forwood working in the laboratory on research into the Hendra and Nipah viruses. (Supplied: Charles Sturt University) ![]() Professor Jade Forwood working in the laboratory on research into the Hendra and Nipah viruses. Supplied: Charles Sturt University Knowing the cause provides the researchers hope that a drug could be manufactured to assist people to recover from the two diseases. The protein stops DNA material in human cells from being able to fight the virus once it enters the body. "We are looking at how that W protein gets trafficked in and out of. If we can understand that then we can start to design drugs to inhibit that process" Professor Forwood said. The work is aiming for a method of treatment and not a vaccination designed to stop the transmission of the two diseases. "Our research would be along the lines of treatment so that a person infected by either Hendra or Nipah the hope is that it will enable humans to fight back against these viruses." While it is being developed to treat people already infected "theoretically" it could be possibly used as a form of vaccination. "If you were to treat or inspect a horse that is infected with Hendra, then yes theoretically you could take the drug and this would also help protect you against that virus." "But this is very much different to a vaccine which is aimed at building up your immunity to that actual virus." http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-09-14/hendra-virus-confirmed-on-nsw-property/10248080 Posted September 17, 2018 06:56:39
![]() It is the little town with a growing problem. For years Kingscliff, in northern New South Wales, has been known as a quiet beach spot between the Gold Coast and Byron Bay. But things are changing. ![]() Since 2011 its population has grown by 13 per cent, and it is now big enough to be classified as a town and not a village. Kingscliff Ratepayers Association president Gaida Max has noticed extra residents moving in. "From my understanding a lot of it is coming from the Gold Coast, but there is a significant number also coming from southern states to a warmer climate," she said. The challenges of a bigger population With a population of more than 9,000 people now, Kingscliff is also experiencing growing pains. A planned major $500 million hospital is dividing residents. Ms Max said it is proposed to be built on state-significant farmland. "There is concern if the State Government rezones it, puts a hospital there, the domino effect with start on all the other agricultural land around the area," she said. ![]() The NSW State Government said the hospital will meet the needs of the growing population in the region. At the time the location was announced, the NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said three sites were investigated for the hospital. "These sites were assessed against the original evaluation criteria and this, along with community feedback, has confirmed the proposed site opposite Kingscliff TAFE remains the best site for the new hospital," he said. Parking problems and building height limits have also caused friction in Kingscliff as the town grapples with how it develops without losing its small town feel. While some residents fear Kingscliff could be destroyed by its own popularity, others are seeing benefits from its development. Growth supporting businesses ![]() Daniel John and two business partners bought a cafe in Kingscliff 12 months ago, after moving down the coast from Brisbane. He had earlier spent 11 years in the Army, and his cafe is named Brothers as a tribute to his time in the military. Mr John said the town's growing population has been good for business. "We're putting more and more staff on every holiday period just to try and keep our staff happy because you have to do that and then to keep the customers happy," he said. Mr John does not think the town is growing too quickly, and likened it to popular Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. "The way it is growing at the moment, it is not getting too big for its own shoes," he said. "Kingscliff itself is growing steadily, it is not going to be a rapid change overnight." What other areas are growing? Regional Australia Institute general manager of policy and research, Kim Houghton, said many of the people moving to Kingscliff are aged between 20 and 35 with children. "I was curious about who those people are are they people looking for lower-cost lifestyle near the Gold Coast? I think not," he said. "The average incomes of these new people is slightly higher than people who are there already, and there is a bit of a bulge in those people coming in, those younger families who are on quite high incomes." Mr Houghton said Kingscliff is not the only small town to deal with the challenges and opportunities that population growth brings. He said coastal areas that are close to a larger city and an airport and have good digital communication infrastructure tend to be most popular. "There is certainly a strong preference for Australians to live by the sea and you can see it in the mix of housing prices," he said. "The areas with the strongest growth now are typically slightly less expensive than the previous hot spots." Only time will tell how long Kingscliff remains a hot spot for, and how well it manages to blend the old with the new. Topics:regional,regional-development,housing,housing-industry,tourism,travel-and-tourism,urban-development-and-planning,kingscliff-2487,byron-bay-2481,mermaid-beach-4218,noosa-heads-4567,brisbane-4000 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-17/kingscliff-population-spike-causing-conflict-and-opportunity/10248408 Updated September 16, 2018 08:09:08
Map: Australia Australia's performance in the 23-19 defeat to Argentina has been furthered soured by an ugly scuffle involving a spectator and Wallabies forward Lukhan Tui after the full-time siren in Robina. As several Wallabies mingled with family members and fans on the fence of the western grandstand, a spectator began hurling verbal abuse at the players, including Adam Coleman. As the spectator was being encouraged to leave he and Tui were involved in a physical altercation before he was eventually removed. At his post-match press conference, Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said the incident was sparked by Tui's sister being pushed by the supporter near the tunnel. Cheika said Tui, whose stepfather died on Wednesday, had told his teammates after the game he planned to take some time away from the sport. "So I hope the fan's happy," Cheika said. "That's a pretty heavy thing to happen, he's just said it in the dressing room to the players now he's not going to be playing anymore because of that incident. "It's one thing being upset with a team ... [but] what went down there was the supporter pushed Lukhan's sister. "Lukhan didn't like that, and that's fair enough. External Link:@KapilJekishan tweets: Old mate getting stuck into Tui? This is real low #AUSvARG "Obviously that family's had a very big week and I don't think that's appropriate that that happened. "I know the guy probably doesn't know it's Lukhan's sister but still, you shouldn't be pushing a kid in the crowd anyway." According to a Wallabies spokesperson, Cheika is hoping to convince Tui to keep on playing despite his announcement to players. Rugby Australia is seeking CCTV vision from inside the stadium and will await reports from venue security before determining what course of action against the fan. Broadcast footage showed the fan hurling abuse at players before the push-and-shove with Tui unfolded. Other players, injured Wallabies centre Samu Kerevi and team staffers moved in to try and diffuse the situation. The fan was later led away from the area by his throat and was detained by Rugby Australia security guards, along with another offending fan. Police were on hand and have taken details but did not arrest either supporter. Pumas' first Australian win since 1983 ![]() The Wallabies were once again left wanting in key departments as an energetic Los Pumas outfit continued their stunning rise under new coach Mario Ledesma. Not since 1983, in the first Test meeting between the two nations, has Argentina tasted victory on Australian soil. External Link:Wallabies v Argentina summary But former Wallabies scrum coach Ledesma masterminded a drought-breaking result that will pile enormous pressure back on his old boss Michael Cheika. A long-range penalty from Emiliano Boffelli with three minutes to go sealed a famous victory for Argentina in front of a poor crowd of just 16,019. But Israel Folau bombed a golden chance to win it for the Wallabies after the siren. ![]() Folau had an unmarked Bernard Foley to his right but inexplicably chose not to pass the ball to him and instead coughed up possession as he tried to score himself. Australia spent most of the second half searching for the points that would have given it the lead after Dane Haylett-Petty's 54th-minute try reduced the margin to 20-19. But repeated turnovers and penalties trademark deficiencies of the Wallabies in recent years saw them come up with nothing in what proved a miserable night at the office. It did not start that way though, with three tries in the space of eight minutes early in the first half setting the tone for a frenetic clash. First, the Wallabies crossed for the opener after some gorgeous openside play from Haylett-Petty and Reece Hodge to set up Will Genia. External Link:Wallabies v Argentina chalkboard Los Pumas responded quickly. Hauled down just short of the tryline, a prone Jeronimo de la Fuente popped up a ball for Nicolas Sanchez to streak through and score. Four minutes later, Folau found himself in space and made the most of it, burning four Argentine defenders with right steps before planting down in the left corner. External Link:Wallabies v Argentina match stats But the Wallabies could not find another try for the remainder of the half despite enjoying good field position, with their malfunctioning lineout handing Argentina a series of reprieves. The visitors eventually made the most of it, destroying the Australian defence with an energetic 36th-minute counter-attacking burst that finished with Bautista Delguy shrugging off a Haylett-Petty tackle to go under the posts. Sanchez extended Argentina's lead to six points with a 48th-minute penalty and the Pumas were never headed from this point. Rugby Championship ladder External Link:Rugby Championship 2018 ladder AAP/ABC Topics:rugby-union,sport,australia,qld,robina-4226,argentina First posted September 15, 2018 19:51:49 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-15/rugby-championship-live-scorecentre-wallabies-argentina/10241732 Updated September 08, 2018 10:34:13
![]() Weighing in at 135 kilograms, Gary Fitzgerald knows all about failing to kick bad habits. Key points:67 per cent of participants reduced their total body weight by more than 5 per cent75 overweight volunteers participated in the study and were broken into three different groupsStudy found that changing behaviours helped change the bio chemistry of the brain The Sunshine Coast former policeman has been an off-and-on dieter for years, getting down to a healthy size 14 then ballooning back to a size 44. But for the last 30 days he's been following a scientifically-based program, developed in Queensland, that's given him the mental discipline he needed to start kicking his bad habits and get healthy. "Before I started this I was going to pay $26,000 to have my stomach cut in half," he said. "I have tried everything and failed. "But the course taught me first up, that 45 per cent of things that cue your habits are geography. That they are automatic and beyond your conscious awareness. "So I used to get up in the morning and have my breakfast of five wheat bars and sit on the lounge and watch television. "All of a sudden I'd been there for two hours, a classic couch potato. "Now the first thing I do is put my runners on, then I have a healthy breakfast of fruit and home-made nut bread." The 56-year-old is now walking 20,000 steps a week and has learnt all about the triggers that make him buy and eat the wrong foods, with the help of a life "health" coach. "It is learning about what cues those habits. Those are the habits I am learning to change," he said. ![]() The course is based on a world-first study by Dr Gina Cleo, a dietitian and research fellow at Bond University on the Gold Coast. She recruited 75 overweight volunteers and randomised them into three groups a habit-forming group, a habit-busting group and a control group. "So the habit-forming group had 10 healthy tips to perform every single day and the trick there is about repetition and having a cue to trigger you to do the new behaviour," she said "Whereas the breaking-habits group had a text message which reminded them to do something different every single day. "These tasks were focused on breaking usual routines and included things such as drive a different way to work today, listen to a new genre of music or write a short story." What you need to kick bad habits:Commitment to a course of actionCourage and patienceA burning desire to changeStart smallBe aware of triggersAvoid old behavioursSupport and accountabilityTrack your progress and incrementally reward yourself (with non-food rewards, such as a massage, new clothes) Dr Cleo said most people who diet gain 50 per cent of the weight lost in the first year after losing it. But in her study both groups lost between 3 and 4 kilograms over the 12-week period, and 6 kilograms over a year. "Some 67 per cent of participants reduced their total body weight by over 5 per cent," Dr Cleo said. "And they kept it off, reducing their overall risk of developing type-two diabetes and heart disease. "Often we try to make these grand and elaborate changes to our lifestyle and we get too overwhelmed and lose self control to continue those long term. "So habit changers are really about doing small manageable tips and doing them consistently and building on those. "That could be something as simple as putting on your runners and you might do that until it feels like second nature. "Then you might walk outside your house go around the block and all of a sudden you are going out for a walk and not having to use a lot of self control to do that. "I actually had a client who used to stop into a fast food chain every time she got home from work. "She would get triggered and go past and say to herself 'don't go in, don't go in', and the first thing she would do is go into that drive through. "So I said to her 'why do you not just drive a different way?', and automatically the trigger is gone. Why you may find it hard to kick bad habits:Fear of failureAvoiding the mental discipline neededLack of energyLazinessIngrained behaviourFocusing on changing the habit, rather than the triggerOld behaviour can be an identityLow self-esteem "We are actually changing the bio chemistry of our brain, we change the physical brain anatomy. "When we perform a behaviour over and over again we have these neural pathways in our brain that get stronger so it is easier to perform that habit. "But if you change that behaviour to do something different you actually change the structure of your brain ... so that you are building new neural pathways that make it easier to do the new behaviour. "So consistency makes that new habit easier to perform until it seems like second nature." Dr Cleo said it was hard to break habits "quickly" with study participants taking anywhere between 18 days and up to a year to kick a series of habits. "It depends on how complex the behaviour is that someone is trying to change," she said. ![]() "It takes willpower in the beginning to change any kind of behaviour but then that willpower is taken over by automaticity, which is like when you brush your teeth something you do automatically without thinking about and that is because they are your habits." Program to be rolled out around the world The Sum Sanos program, which is Latin for "I am healthy", is about to be rolled out nationally as well as in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Singapore. Queensland cardiologist Dr Geoffrey Holt said with two in every three adults overweight or obese and one out of every four children overweight or obese, the burden of disease, particularly diabetes, has increased dramatically. "The question is what can we do about it? We have been spectacularly unsuccessful to this point," he said. "What it needs is a consciousness that something has to change. "And there is no question that if you establish a relationship with an individual they are much more likely to go in the direction you have agreed. "I think the strength of her program is that people are consciously doing things that create the sort of behaviour that is going to lead to the results we need. "So losing 6 kilos in a year by developing the right habits which hopefully you will continue indefinitely, that's when we should see positive results." Mr Fitzgerald has lost about 5 kilograms he walks everywhere including to the pub, buys fresh food and makes his own meals. His life coach will continue to text, call and visit once a month over the next year. "I sleep so much better, my resting heart rate has dropped from 76 to the mid 50s in the morning," he said. "At the beginning of the month I was on blood pressure tablets, heart tablets, gout tablets, depression tablets. "Now I've dropped one and the dosage on two. And I feel accountable. "I am aware of the cues, the triggers which lead to bad habits. Those cues now have no power over me. "It is like a magic trick once you know a magic trick it does not have the power to amaze you." ![]() First posted September 08, 2018 08:14:22 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-08/habit-busters-success-via-world-first-queensland-study/10205300 Updated September 10, 2018 12:10:00
![]() Noosa on Queensland's Sunshine Coast has surpassed the Gold Coast as the frontrunner in the state's property market with the strongest growth, the latest industry report from the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) says. REIQ chief executive officer Antonia Mercorella said Noosa was clearly now the state's "most prestigious" property market. "The supply there is quite limited the demand is always strong because it's such a special place," Ms Mercorella said. Property owner Paul Turner, who is based in Sydney, has seen the value of his investment at Little Cove at Noosa Heads skyrocket over the past five years. "It was just a matter of time it's in a good location and it's a demand and supply situation," he said. The average house price in Noosa for the June 2018 quarter was $695,000 with growth of 6.9 per cent, compared with an average price of $622,000 on the Gold Coast and growth of 4.5 per cent. ![]() Prices on the Sunshine Coast were also around $22,000 more expensive than the median house price in Brisbane, which also broke sales records. The average home in the Brisbane area sold for $673,000 a 2.5 per cent increase on last year. Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay and Redland areas also saw considerable growth, between 2 and 4 per cent over the 12-month period. The REIQ said Brisbane's steady and sustainable growth had increased buyer confidence. "That's what makes our [Brisbane] market quite attractive, we haven't seen that frenzied, accelerated growth that's been seen in Sydney and Melbourne," Ms Mercorella said. "There's optimism there, but it's also not frenzied, so it doesn't provoke that fear of a boom and bust cycle." The top performing suburb in Brisbane's southside was Holland Park West, where prices grew by 24.5 per cent over the past quarter. ![]() Darren West, a sales agent in the area, attributed the growth to the highly sought-after schools and facilities around Holland Park. "We get a lot of teachers, police and a lot of nurses," Mr West said. "We've got a lot of families moving in we've got beautiful workers' cottages which are primed for renovating. "It's just such a family area that's why we get a lot of sales coming through." Ms Mercorella said the REIQ had really never seen this level of transformation in Brisbane before. "We know that our population is on the rise, we know that there's lots of really exciting, very large-scale projects that will fundamentally change our city," she said. Former frontrunner, the Gold Coast, continued performing well for both sales and rentals for the June 2018 quarter. Brisbane's unit market struggled, with a continued reduction in demand. The REIQ said the oversupply had triggered an annual price fall of 2.2 per cent to $440,000. Topics:economic-trends,business-economics-and-finance,housing-industry,industry,housing,government-and-politics,brisbane-4000,qld,australia,noosa-heads-4567,noosaville-4566,southport-4215,maroochydore-4558 First posted September 10, 2018 11:59:02 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-10/record-house-prices-brisbane-noosa-beats-gold-coast-qld/10220878 Updated September 13, 2018 07:26:41
Thousands of children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) are missing out on National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding because there are so few specialists who can diagnose and assess the impact of the disorder. Samara (last name withheld) from Rockhampton in central Queensland has two foster children who have FASD, but Samara considers herself lucky because she has access to funding from the NDIS. Her children are at the opposite ends of the FASD spectrum. Her 10-year-old daughter has a severe brain impairment while her six-year-old son's disorder manifests itself in behavioural issues. Access to NDIS funding has meant Samara has a support worker for her daughter that frees up time to spend with her son. FASD facts:Alcohol can cause damage to an unborn child at any time during pregnancy, even before a pregnancy has been confirmedUp to 5 per cent of the population is thought to have FASDIn some Indigenous communities it could be up to 12 per centThere are five FASD clinics in AustraliaThe Federal Government will provide $9.2 million to the National FASD Strategy which launches this yearSources: Dr Heidi Webster www.nofasd.org.au "It allows my six-year-old to participate in martial arts and it means we can do all of these things that we couldn't do before because we were going to therapy all the time," Samara said. However not everyone with FASD is as fortunate as Samara's children. There are only a handful of clinics in Australia where children can access specialists to carry out in-depth assessments that can then qualify them for NDIS funding. FASD is thought to affect up to 5 per cent of the population, which means about 1.3 million people. As of June this year, the NDIS approved plans for 265 people with a primary disability of FASD. A spokesperson from the NDIS said the number of participants was likely to be higher as they may have FASD but not record this as their primary disability. ![]() Samara is concerned that if her six-year-old did not have the funding it would have a dramatic impact. "It has allowed him to stay in a mainstream school with the help of his therapists [and] it's helped us get access to medication that's supported him," she said. "I worry for children with FASD especially at the end the spectrum he's on. There's a great risk of entering the criminal justice system and substance abuse, and I feel he'll be one of those children if he doesn't receive the support he's currently getting." Samara said she had the financial means to pay thousands of dollars to make the 1,600km round trip from Rockhampton to the Gold Coast clinic to have a diagnosis and thorough assessment. "It took quite a bit of work," she said. "My eldest was on the waiting list for the fetal alcohol clinic on the Gold Coast for just over two years and then my youngest just over 12 months." Despite it being an ordeal, Samara said it was more than worth it. Life-changing early intervention Information from the FASD specialists on the Gold Coast were fed back to the family's therapists in Rockhampton, and they now have recommendations and goals to work towards. Samara said the diagnosis and assessments had cemented the importance of early intervention. "My 10-year-old didn't have any early intervention because we weren't sure what we were dealing with, whereas my six-year-old has had early intervention since he was three," she said. "He's made really good gains because of that early intervention." The early intervention for Samara's son has meant he has had access to speech therapists, occupational therapists and psychologists and, as a result, has made significant improvements. Samara paid for this therapy privately until the NDIS funding came through, but now these specialist services are paid for. Not so lucky John (last name withheld) also lives in regional Queensland and has spent the past six years trying to get a diagnosis for his 14-year-old daughter. He's been to myriad specialists, including psychologists and paediatricians to search for answers, but no-one has been able to explain his daughter's extreme behaviour. This has caused her significant issues throughout her childhood, especially at school. Recently, John contacted the Russell Family Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Association (RFFASDA) and he is closer to an answer. His daughter's symptoms are straight out of the FASD textbook and he has booked to see a paediatrician with an understanding of the condition. "A diagnosis would make a huge difference and maybe the teachers would know how to better deal with her," John said. Access to FASD assessments RFFASDA founder Anne Russell said every person with FASD should have access to the NDIS. Ms Russell said early intervention between birth and age seven was critical for therapists to help improve a child's potential, something parents did not have easy access to before the NDIS. She said parents needed to be vocal advocates for their children to get an FASD diagnosis and access treatment. "I think the NDIS will be a great thing, but parents are going to have to push for a while, and they are really going to have to put their foot down," Ms Russell said. An FASD diagnosis means health professionals can perform thorough assessments to show the functional impact of the disability which is what the NDIS funds and this is a complicated process. In a diagnostic guide for health professionals published in 2016, the authors described FASD as a hidden harm because it is so under-recognised. The authors, from the University of Western Australia and the University of Sydney, noted that health professionals were often unaware of how to diagnose FASD or where to refer patients for diagnosis or treatment. Barriers to diagnosis As well as FASD being under-recognised by medical professionals, another barrier to diagnosis was the stigma associated with the disability. "Doctors feel they don't want to burden Mum if there is nothing that can be done for the child because the brain injury is irreparable; it's irreversible," Ms Russell said. ![]() "But there is so much that can be done through early intervention. You can access specialists, therapists, and really improve the life of a child." Although there were limited diagnostic clinics in Australia, this should not stop parents from seeking a diagnosis. Ms Russell said if a child was under the care of a paediatrician, parents should push for a diagnosis, and if they felt nothing was happening they should get a referral to another paediatrician. "It is absolutely critical to get a diagnosis. It's not just about that one child; a diagnosis is also a prevention," she said. "If my older son had been diagnosed, my younger son would not have FASD because presumably I would have found out what the reasons were for my son's issues and not used alcohol during my second pregnancy." Poor access to FASD professionals Julie Irwin is the chair of the newly formed FASD Central Queensland Alliance and said many children were going undiagnosed. "It would have to be in the thousands; there is no doubt about that," Ms Irwin said. She said that at one high school in the region the principal suspected 70 per cent of his students had FASD. The cost of getting to a clinic in the state's south-east corner was prohibitive for most people, and the barriers for people living in regional areas went beyond the financial difficulties. "It's actually also getting assessments from health professionals before they can go down there and get the diagnosis," Ms Irwin said. "There's a whole process that's extremely lengthy and costly and it's unaffordable and out of reach for so many families in this particular region." The alliance is raising awareness about FASD, and is working towards training central Queensland paediatricians and health professionals with a view to eventually having an FASD clinic in the region. "We do need funding from the Federal Government to do this, to expand the services that the paediatricians offer," Ms Irwin said. "That's certainly a barrier but it's an area of great need." ![]() Dr Sunday Pam, a paediatrician at Central Queensland Health in Rockhampton, will be heading to the Gold Coast clinic next month for specialist training. He agreed that diagnosis was a lengthy and complicated process, particularly for children with difficult behaviour as a result of the condition. This often presented as ADHD or Oppositional Defiance Disorder and a skilled team of psychologists, occupational therapists and speech therapists needed to work together with a paediatrician to make a diagnosis. The absence of a specialised clinic in the region was disadvantaging families and creating bottlenecks. "Many of the kids are not diagnosed, and many of the kids lose out on the opportunity to find the necessary support," Dr Pam said. "If you don't make a diagnosis, you can't get a full assessment from an allied health team and they cannot have any complete documentation to take to NDIS." It is even more difficult for those from lower-socio-economic backgrounds to get access. The waiting lists for each health professional in the public system can be at least six to 12 months through the public system. Impairment funded, not diagnosis A spokesperson from the NDIS said the health system remained responsible for the diagnosis of health conditions, clinical treatment and supports, as well as nursing care, rehabilitation and palliative care. The NDIS funds the reasonable and necessary disability-related supports for people to increase their social and economic participation. "Supports may include personal care and support, access to the community, therapy services and essential equipment," the spokesperson said. "A person will be considered eligible for the NDIS if, due to their impairment, their ability to undertake or participant in tasks such as communication, social interaction, mobility, self-care, learning and self-management is significantly impaired." Topics:family-and-children,alcohol-education,health,healthcare-facilities,health-policy,medical-research,doctors-and-medical-professionals,children,children---preschoolers,children---toddlers,infant-health,alcohol,child-health-and-behaviour,disabilities,pregnancy-and-childbirth,rockhampton-4700,southport-4215,cairns-4870,brisbane-4000,qld,australia First posted September 13, 2018 07:12:02 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-13/fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-obstacles-to-ndis-funding/10218842 Australia's largest dairy co-operative, Norco, will lift the price paid to its farmers by five cents a litre.
The move by the northern New South Wales-based dairy processor will cost an estimated $900,000 a month. While the increase is initially for milk supplied for this month and October, chairman and acting CEO Greg McNamara said the intention was to extend it. "The business is performing quite well so we've taken the opportunity to put a five cents a litre base price increase on all litres of milk made from September through to October with the intention of trying to take that further," he said. "We've got some ongoing initiatives to improve our overall cost structure, and all those things we are doing are there to benefit our farmers." Mr McNamara said the co-operative was frustrated with the conversation the industry was having around a 10 cent drought levy. "The fact that farmers need an uplift in price now not in six months' time to cope with the current dry conditions especially on the Darling Downs in south-east Queensland where 30 to 40 per cent of our supply is," he said. Norco has more than 200 suppliers from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, through the state's north coast and into southern Queensland. Norco suppliers welcome price increase ![]() Norco chairman Greg McNamara says processors need to increase the price paid to their suppliers. (ABC Rural: Kim Honan) ![]() Norco chairman Greg McNamara says processors need to increase the price paid to their suppliers. ABC Rural: Kim Honan Paul Weir, from Tuncester near Lismore, said the price increase was a good start. "For me here on the north coast, it's grain prices and irrigation that's lifted our feed costs considerably this is going to go two-thirds of the way to actually cover that grain price deficit that we have everyday," he said. Rural Newsletter Rural news in your inbox? Subscribe for the national headlines of the day. "I've roughly worked it out that it's costing about $500 a day the current grain prices and this five cents will sort of take you somewhere to $375 dollars a day, so it certainly narrows that gap up. "It certainly lifts the morale, I think that's the most important thing for most farmers it's a dark time and everyone's contemplating their future and this does shed a little bit of light. "It's a great initiative and a great start from Norco." Mr Weir milks 350 cows a day on his farm near Lismore, but said there had been a significant drop in milk production. "I think there's 8,000 litres there today but last year that would've been about 10,000 litres, so we are about 2,000 litres down and that's purely because of grain and the seasonal conditions," he said. "With the current grain and hay scenario, we decided that we were going to just drop milk and drop production this year, take the cost out of the business. "We're feeding probably 3.5 kilograms less to 4 kilograms a day less per cow purely to offset that massive grain price hike." ![]() Dairy farmer Paul Weir says that his milk production is down 20 per cent on last year. (ABC Rural: Kim Honan) ![]() Dairy farmer Paul Weir says that his milk production is down 20 per cent on last year. ABC Rural: Kim Honan Mr McNamara was encouraged other dairy processors also lifted the base price for suppliers. "There is not one dairy farmer in Australia that is not actually feeling the financial pinch at the moment," he said. On Wednesday, Casino-based Richmond Dairies announced it would pay its suppliers an extra three cents a litre "drought support payment" backdated to August and to be reviewed monthly. "It's something that we had a look at what we could afford to do and obviously we operate in the very competitive export market," managing director Chris Sharpe said. "That's the number that we felt that the business could handle." http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-09-07/dairy-cooperative-norco-lifts-farmgate-price-by-5-cents-a-litre/10215068 By Rhea Abraham
Updated September 10, 2018 16:12:24 ![]() The family of a young woman punched and pushed in the face in a road rage incident has broken down outside a Gold Coast court as the man responsible walked free. Key points:Judge calls Valusaga's behaviour "excessive" and "unacceptable"Good character references from family and work colleagues taken into accountVictim's friend called the outcome "a slap on the wrist" Daniel Valusaga, 32, was given a wholly suspended 15-month sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting 22-year-old Kume Harris in January 2017. Valusaga was previously acquitted for assaulting the victim's father in the same incident, but pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm towards Ms Harris. The court heard Valusaga had approached the Harris family's car during the incident and that Ms Harris was in the car with her father and mother at the time. The court heard Ms Harris jumped out of the car to defend her father during a fist fight between him and Valusaga. She was trying to pull Valusaga away from her father when he turned around and palmed her in the face, before punching her. The court heard when she grabbed Valusaga's arm again he palmed her in the face one more time. In sentencing, Judge Katherine McGinness said the trial, which would normally have been dealt with in the Magistrates Court, had proceeded to the District Court due to Valusaga's prior offences. "It's amazing that you have not learned from earlier penalties imposed on you," Judge McGinness said. "If you had not approached the family, this would not have happened." ![]() Judge McGinness said his violent behaviour directed at a young woman who was much smaller than him was "excessive" and "unacceptable". In 2009, Valusaga was sentenced to nine years in jail for the manslaughter of 18-year-old Solomone Christopher Latu. Valusaga had gone to a party armed with a knife and meat cleaver, to seek revenge on the people who had beaten up his younger brother, Leon Valusaga. In sentencing, Judge McGinness said she had taken into consideration Valusaga's history of violent offences, along with character references from his family and colleagues. McGinness said it was clear Valusaga's employers thought highly of him and that he came from a close-knit family. The court also heard he had progressed within a company he joined in 2013 after being released from prison, and had since become financially responsible for his mother, brother and sister. Speaking to Valusaga's defence barrister, Judge McGinness said Valusaga was aware he had the support of his family. "Your client knows he's a very lucky man to have that level of support," she said. 'I just felt like screaming' Outside court, Ms Harris' family broke down in response to the judge's decision. Ms Harris' 24-year-old sister Grace was in court and said she was speechless upon hearing the judge's ruling. "I actually felt like just screaming while we were in there I can't even put it into words," Ms Harris said. "To me, he's just a monster. He's going to do it to someone else in the street, and sure enough, it's going to be another girl." ![]() Sarah Mackay, a friend of the Harris family who was in court during the sentencing, said the family would be devastated by the news their attacker walked from court with a suspended sentence. "I know for a fact they're very upset I know Kume is very upset." A victim impact statement tendered in court described how the incident had left Ms Harris traumatised with flashbacks of the event, and afraid of men in public places. "She doesn't go out without her father or her boyfriend now because she's afraid of men," Ms Mackay said. "I'm disgusted. He walked free. He got a slap on the wrist. "This just sends a message that violence against women is tolerated in our society because all you have to say is I didn't know she was female... and that one punch is tolerated." Valusaga's family did not respond to questions from the media outside court. Valusaga was asked if he would like to say anything to the victim or her family, but also declined to speak. The court ordered he pay $1,500 in compensation to Ms Harris. The Harris family said the money meant nothing to them. Topics:courts-and-trials,assault,southport-4215,brisbane-4000,qld First posted September 10, 2018 16:10:14 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-10/road-rage-attacker-free-gold-coast-court-suspended-sentence/10223004 |
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