This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEDT = Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time which is 11 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-09/di-crampton-and-mark-schiller/10483240
0 Comments
The commercial extraction of water from the New South Wales Northern Rivers is gearing up to become a key issue at the polls in next year's state election.
Two local Nationals politicians, Lismore MP Thomas George and Ben Franklin MLC, have called on the NSW Government to have its chief scientist and engineer, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, conduct a full and independent inquiry into the industry. Mr George has also demanded a total moratorium by his government on any new commercial water licences for off-farm use until findings of the inquiry have been released. "It's been on the agenda for a while now, it hasn't been only in the Tweed," he said. "The fact that it's at Alstonville now is another reason why we're responding." Politicians aware of concerns about water table Mr George said that following a couple of meetings this week across the region, he was certainly convinced about worry regarding the impact on the water table. "There's also a lot of concern being expressed to me about water being taken off-site for processing," he said. "This is an issue [and] we're calling on the government to stop issuing water licences where that will happen. "The Chief Scientist needs to be able to look into this and reassure the community and the users of what can be done to satisfy everyone's concerns." ![]() Ballina Greens MP Tamara Smith met with local farmers and landholders concerned about water extractions. (ABC Rural: Kim Honan) ![]() Ballina Greens MP Tamara Smith met with local farmers and landholders concerned about water extractions. ABC Rural: Kim Honan Greens candidate for Lismore and former CEO of the Environmental Defender's Office (EDO) NSW, Sue Higginson, has challenged Mr George's call for an inquiry saying it is not needed. "What we really need at the moment is for our councils to have planning powers over water mining," she said. "What we've seen is in the Tweed. We've seen Tweed Shire Council now apply for those planning powers to amend to its own Local Environmental Plan to have control over water mining in its LGA and it's been denied that from the NSW Department of Planning. "What we need is the direction and leadership to support our councils so they can just prohibit this type of development." Mr George plans to meet with the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Water, Niall Blair, next Monday but Ms Higginson is urging the Nationals MP to instead talk to the Minister for Planning, Anthony Roberts. 'Water the new gold': Greens MP While the growing water mining industry has mainly focussed on the Tweed Valley, there are concerns about an expansion into the Ballina Shire with a development application before the local council to extract and truck out local water. Tamara Smith, Greens MP for Ballina, assured a meeting of landholders opposed to the plan to extract water from the Alstonville aquifer that she wants a state-wide ban on water mining and would take it to the Greens party room. "The Greens are very concerned about water mining full stop [and] extractive industries like this particularly this close to the coast," she said. "We've been mostly focussed on spring water [so] this bore water is a whole new ball game and to me, it is absolutely next level concern because we're talking about our aquifers and our farmers rely on that. "As we move into warmer and warmer years, water is becoming the new gold and we should be doing everything we can to protect it." Ms Smith said it was "unacceptable" for one farmer to be making "millions of dollars extracting bore water" when their neighbour might not. "Next week I'll be doing a speech on the floor condemning the National Party for even considering giving a licence to extract bore water, it's a new low," she said. NSW Country Labor has also weighed into the debate, calling on local councils in the region to suspend the granting of future DAs for commercial water extraction enterprises. Candidates for the party in the seats of Tweed, Lismore, and Ballina promise that if a Labor Government is elected it will hold a Parliamentary Review into the licencing of water mining to ensure its sustainability and to address community concerns. http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-11-07/nationals-call-for-water-mining-inquiry-but-green-want-it-banned/10469622 The commercial extraction of water from the New South Wales Northern Rivers is gearing up to become a key issue at the polls in next year's state election.
Two local Nationals politicians, Lismore MP Thomas George and Ben Franklin MLC, have called on the NSW Government to have its chief scientist and engineer, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, conduct a full and independent inquiry into the industry. Mr George has also demanded a total moratorium by his government on any new commercial water licences for off-farm use until findings of the inquiry have been released. "It's been on the agenda for a while now, it hasn't been only in the Tweed," he said. "The fact that it's at Alstonville now is another reason why we're responding." Politicians aware of concerns about water table Mr George said that following a couple of meetings this week across the region, he was certainly convinced about worry regarding the impact on the water table. "There's also a lot of concern being expressed to me about water being taken off-site for processing," he said. "This is an issue [and] we're calling on the government to stop issuing water licences where that will happen. "The Chief Scientist needs to be able to look into this and reassure the community and the users of what can be done to satisfy everyone's concerns." ![]() Ballina Greens MP Tamara Smith met with local farmers and landholders concerned about water extractions. (ABC Rural: Kim Honan) ![]() Ballina Greens MP Tamara Smith met with local farmers and landholders concerned about water extractions. ABC Rural: Kim Honan Greens candidate for Lismore and former CEO of the Environmental Defender's Office (EDO) NSW, Sue Higginson, has challenged Mr George's call for an inquiry saying it is not needed. "What we really need at the moment is for our councils to have planning powers over water mining," she said. "What we've seen is in the Tweed. We've seen Tweed Shire Council now apply for those planning powers to amend to its own Local Environmental Plan to have control over water mining in its LGA and it's been denied that from the NSW Department of Planning. "What we need is the direction and leadership to support our councils so they can just prohibit this type of development." Mr George plans to meet with the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Water, Niall Blair, next Monday but Ms Higginson is urging the Nationals MP to instead talk to the Minister for Planning, Anthony Roberts. 'Water the new gold': Greens MP While the growing water mining industry has mainly focussed on the Tweed Valley, there are concerns about an expansion into the Ballina Shire with a development application before the local council to extract and truck out local water. Tamara Smith, Greens MP for Ballina, assured a meeting of landholders opposed to the plan to extract water from the Alstonville aquifer that she wants a state-wide ban on water mining and would take it to the Greens party room. "The Greens are very concerned about water mining full stop [and] extractive industries like this particularly this close to the coast," she said. "We've been mostly focussed on spring water [so] this bore water is a whole new ball game and to me, it is absolutely next level concern because we're talking about our aquifers and our farmers rely on that. "As we move into warmer and warmer years, water is becoming the new gold and we should be doing everything we can to protect it." Ms Smith said it was "unacceptable" for one farmer to be making "millions of dollars extracting bore water" when their neighbour might not. "Next week I'll be doing a speech on the floor condemning the National Party for even considering giving a licence to extract bore water, it's a new low," she said. NSW Country Labor has also weighed into the debate, calling on local councils in the region to suspend the granting of future DAs for commercial water extraction enterprises. Candidates for the party in the seats of Tweed, Lismore, and Ballina promise that if a Labor Government is elected it will hold a Parliamentary Review into the licencing of water mining to ensure its sustainability and to address community concerns. http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-11-07/nationals-call-for-water-mining-inquiry-but-green-want-it-banned/10469622 Posted November 07, 2018 06:23:03
An accelerated expansion of public transport on Queensland's Gold Coast could set the model for other parts of regional Australia where the population is increasing rapidly. While taking a train or tram to work has long been the norm for big-city commuters, it is often still not possible or practical for people living in regional Australia. Until recently the Gold Coast, like many area areas outside of capital cities, was a city where just about everyone jumped into a car to get around. But things are changing quickly. Under an ambitious plan, Mayor Tom Tate said the Gold Coast was undergoing a transport revolution, with a jump in commuters taking public transport from 3 per cent in 2011 to 9 per cent today. Cr Tate said the city was aiming for 12 per cent. "Normally it only moves 1 per cent after two or three years. The uplift has been incredible," he said. Cr Tate said the city's shift was being noticed around regional Australia. "We are being copied the most throughout regional Australia, people are looking to the Gold Coast what are they doing next?" he said. What has changed? ![]() The big ticket item for the Gold Coast hub has been the start of a light rail route along the coast. In the past year, the second stage of the city's light rail was opened, connecting the tram line to trains that head north to Brisbane. The Federal Government on Monday committed $112m to extend the same tram line south to the popular Burleigh Heads beach. While significant State funding is still needed for that project, the federal commitment takes the rail extension a step closer to being built. Many hope the light rail will eventually make it all the way south to the Gold Coast airport at Coolangatta. If that did happen, it would give tourists and residents the ability to travel from Brisbane to any of the popular Gold Coast beaches via train and tram. Outside of the tram line, the State Government has also committed to building three new train stations in the city's north and Cr Tate is pushing plans for a commuter ferry to link up to the light rail. But it is not just new infrastructure changing transport on the coast. Cr Tate said about 60,000 seniors had signed up for free off-peak bus travel, and the city was pushing younger citizens to walk or cycle to work or places of study. What's driving the change? One big factor driving the change has been population growth. Cr Tate said council put a transport plan together in 2013, when it knew the city was growing by 12,000 to 16,000 residents a year. "We know that growth comes from Sydney and Melbourne, in catering for that, there are different ways of planning your city," he said. "So we planned to go up instead of going out, so people could stay closer to the shoreline instead of going out and spreading out like they did in places like Blacktown, Liverpool, Campbelltown," he said. Griffith University planning expert Paul Burton said the Gold Coast's growing population would lead to increased congestion without the investment in public transport. He said the light rail had been a good starting point. "I think what we are doing, what we have done, is built the beginnings of a good spine," he said. Professor Burton said the city next needed to link buses to the light rail. "It is the equivalent of the ribs that come off the spine, so that is the next stage is to look at those east, west connections." ![]() Professor Tate is also supportive of the Cr Tate's push for a ferry service. He said it would need to be fast enough to be a sensible commuting option, and technical and legal challenges may need to be resolved, but believes the project could work. "Cities around the world that are successful at managing growth capitalise on their waterways to move people and goods," he said. Not everyone is happy On the southern end of the Gold Coast in particular, some community groups have raised concerns about the light rail, because larger housing developments are allowed close to the tram line. Professor Burton said there needed to be higher density close to the city's best public transport to justify the public investment in the infrastructure. "The trick is to persuade people that the higher density you will see, does not mean the end of civilisation as we know it, does not mean high-rise. "You can significantly increase density without going very high and changing the inherent character in an area." Lois Levy from the environmental group Gecko put together a petition to the Queensland Government asking it to tighten state's planning laws. She said the investment in public transport on the Gold Coast had been essential, but she had concerns about the housing developments the light rail allows. External Link:A Queensland Government video showing the proposed third stage of the Gold Coast light rail "What has been happening, particularly at the southern end in the Palm Beach region, is a lot of high-rise developments are being approved, with what we consider to be excessive relaxations of density, height, lack of parking, setbacks, in anticipation of the light rail coming through," she said. Ms Levy said her group was concerned a canyon effect could be produced if there is high-rise down both sides of the city's coastal highway and future tram line. "If you could imagine driving down the Gold Coast Highway through Palm Beach there would be high-rise on either side, blocking out all of the sea views, any views to the hinterland, causing huge parking problems." Ms Levy said she was meeting with council this month to discuss the issue. Topics:transport,housing,regional-development,population-and-demographics,burleigh-heads-4220,broadbeach-4218 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-07/trains-and-trams-part-of-regional-transport-revolution/10470506
Moving a house to a new location can be a daunting process. There are lots of things that need to be managed before shifting to a new place. From cleaning to organising the house, packing to loading the belongings, everything needs to be done effectively and efficiently. During my house move, I made some common mistakes while packing my kitchen stuff. But thanks to Better Removalists Gold Coast who not only helped me in wrapping my kitchen’s perishable objects but also recommended me some quick yet time-saving kitchen packing tips. Today, I am sharing with you quick and easy packing checklist for your kitchen. The following tips will make your moving process a bit easier. 1. Cleaning is must Being one of the dirtiest places in the house, Kitchen needs in-depth cleaning before starting your packing process. You can avail professional cleaning services from an experienced cleaning company in Gold Coast for the purpose. The in-house cleaning experts know how to clean your house professionally to secure your bond money. In a nutshell, make sure you declutter your kitchen before getting into the packing stage. 2. Start with large items You can start your packing with the large items such as a table, chairs, microwave or BBQ, refrigerator, and other electronic appliances. Since these items need extra time and care, make sure you pack these items two days before your final move in Gold Coast. Use the following tricks to pack large items of your kitchen: Packing Heavy items Bubble wraps work wonders when it comes to packing heavy items such as a kitchen table and chairs. This will prevent it from sudden scratch or damage. Packing Electronic Items Moving electronic appliances, especially the heavy ones like a refrigerator can be challenging for those who are doing it alone. Make sure you have an extra helping hand or an expert removalist in Gold Coast to make your relocation process comfortable. You can find one here, https://www.betterremovalistsgoldcoast.com.au/packing-gold-coast/ To pack your electronics, switch the power off and get them cleaned as soon as possible. Once cleaning has been done, you can start with the packing. If you are packing refrigerator, make sure you tie the doors with the rope well. After that, you can wrap your fridge with the blanket to prevent any damage. On the other hand, you can use boxes and bubble wrap to pack BBQ oven or microwave, and mixer or juicer. 3. Pack small items Put unbreakable kitchen utensils like plates, spoons, and staples, in a box. Make sure you put them in an organised way. For example: Cover all the dishes with a packing paper and put them inside the box. Do the same with other kitchen utensils. After that, tape all the edges of the boxes to prevent any damage. 4. Pack breakable items very carefully Next in the line are delicate or fragile items like cups, dishes, glasses and other crockery objects that need special care. Wrap each of them either with the packing paper or newspaper. Don’t forget to tape the paper. After putting them into the box, make sure you fill the space with crumpled paper – this will protect your fragile items from being damaged. These are some essential packing tips that will help you pack your kitchen items with ease. So, have a happy and stress-free move! Posted November 11, 2018 05:00:00
![]() As gunfire ceased on the Western Front on the morning of November 11, 1918, Australia's first war correspondent Charles Bean observed "the gates to the future silently opened". The armistice which secured the end of World War I had been signed at dawn, marking the conclusion of a four-year conflict that had claimed more than 60,000 Australian lives. Confirmation would take several hours to reach Australia, where crowds were gathering in the streets at the first whispers of the news. In every town and city, people rejoiced at the end of 'the war to end all wars' and the beginning of a new chapter in Australia's history. 'Wild' antics in Sydney and Melbourne Sydney had celebrated the end of the war prematurely thanks to a false alarm on November 9. "There was big outpouring of emotion and excitement," said Ashley Ekins, head of military history at the Australian War Memorial. "And then again, just a couple of days later on the 11th, the news came that it was true. "It was a wild day. And when a public holiday was declared for the 14th of November, it meant that they actually got two. ![]() "They kept the pubs and the liquor stores closed during that period so things didn't really get out of hand." It was a different story in Melbourne, where the exuberant crowds could not be contained. "The news was received and church bells began to ring out along with factory hooters," Mr Ekins said. "The crowds ran wildly out of control in the city. They derailed tram cars and crashed one through the front window of an office building. "A lot of people [were] breaking into barricaded stores and stealing fireworks. "There was even an appeal for people not to explode fireworks in the interests of invalided soldiers, and particularly those suffering shell shock." Theatre performances stopped in Adelaide ![]() In Adelaide, people had been gathered outside newspaper and post offices waiting for news since the early evening of November 11. Pauline Cockrill from the History Trust of South Australia said it was around 7:30pm when the first newspaper reported the fighting had stopped. "By 10:30 that night, the whole of Adelaide's streets were milling with people just waiting for the news to be announced," she said. "The premier gave an unofficial announcement outside Parliament House. "As soon as the news came out they were singing patriotic songs, going up and down [the streets] with flags. There was a band that had been practising outside the railway station so they joined in as well." ![]() Cinema and theatre performances were stopped as the news broke. "There was just jubilation," Ms Cockrill said. "Everyone was very excited and singing and dancing just having a good time. They were relieved after over four years of war." The celebrations were followed by a public holiday on November 14 that included church services, victory parades and the sounding of The Last Post. News travelled down railway line Parties continued in rural towns as news of the armistice reached them from the cities. "The news went down to the post office or down the railway lines," Ms Cockrill said. "People had gone to bed but as soon as they heard the news they got out of bed and had these impromptu tin can bands people just banging kerosene tins and walking up and down the streets singing patriotic songs." ![]() In Mount Gambier, the official announcement came on November 12. Local historian Graham Roulstone wrote in 2016 that a crowd had gathered in the main street on the evening of the 11th as rumours started to reach the regional city by bush telegram. "The mayor, Mr Renfrey instructed the Town Hall bell to be rung but cautioned those gathered there to approach the news with caution, in case it turned out to be false," he wrote. "The crowd began to disperse about 11:00pm, though others arrived later and so the town remained active until about 4:00am the following morning." At midday on November 12, Mayor Renfrey read a formal announcement to 4,000 people gathered in front of the Town Hall that the war had ended. ![]() The rural town of Canungra, in south-east Queensland, did not hold its official celebrations until November 30. But impromptu celebrations started as soon as locals heard the news, according to Canungra resident Muriel Curtis who published a book on the district's history in 1975. "The news was telephoned to Canungra and such was the relief that people celebrated then and there," Ms Curtis wrote. "The mill hands stopped work and the whole head of steam was blown off by tying down the whistles, startling the countryside for miles around." 'Funeral' for the Kaiser ![]() The rural Victorian town of Kaniva chose to delay their formal celebrations until 1919 when most of their troops had come home. Resident Bruce Meyer said the small community had been hit hard by the deaths of locals. "There are hardly any families that didn't have somebody that went overseas," he said. "I can look at four relatives that were killed in the First World War and that's pretty common. "Probably those 20-odd families that had people die in it, they still had to get themselves together." ![]() On July 19, 1919, the town held a huge party which included the staging of a mock funeral for Kaiser Wilhelm II. The day was celebrated throughout the British empire as Peace Day, in recognition of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles that had officially ended the war the month before. Parties weren't the end of troubles The celebrations, no matter how joyful, could not make up for the devastating impact of the war, according to Ashley Ekins. "The losses, of course, were extreme 60,000 men that really couldn't be easily replaced," he said. "In many ways, Australia in the interim years was a nation in mourning." ![]() Still left to arrange was the huge task of bringing troops home an exercise that would take nearly a year. Once home, they would be faced with the challenge of readjusting to civilian life. "The fact was these men came home, mostly, completely changed by the experience," Mr Ekins said. "They had been out of sight never out of mind on the other side of the world, fighting a war that was probably inconceivable to most Australians. "The people at home had never really known what those men had done." Topics:history,community-and-society,world-war-1,adelaide-5000,canungra-4275,qld,duntroon-2600,act,kempsey-2440,mount-gambier-5290,nsw,north-sydney-2060,sa,townsville-4810,kaniva-3419,vic http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-11/how-australia-celebrated-the-first-armistice-day-100-years-ago/10454904 Posted November 10, 2018 07:30:00
![]() Athlete flings might be fairly common during big events such as the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, but it turns out that it is not just young sportspeople seeing the sparks fly at sporting tournaments. The Masters Games, for those aged 30 and older, is also a romantic occasion, as Di Crampton found out 11 years ago. The Gold Coast woman had her eye on a man from the south. "It was awesome, just awesome. Everything just worked out perfectly," Ms Crampton said. At the 2007 Masters Games in Adelaide, she met Mark Schiller. He was technically there for the hockey and love was an unexpected bonus. "It's so much better than going to a pub, your chances are so much higher," Mr Schiller laughed. "She was just a bubbly personality, just out there, it was great. It was totally different from other people I meet and it was just fantastic." While the pair's Masters Games relationship has blossomed, other athletes apparently prefer keeping things low key. "Some are friendships I guess and some are a little bit more," Ms Crampton said. "Some don't see one another or have any communication for that 12 months [between tournaments] and then you see them together and having an absolute blast." Married at the Masters two decades ago ![]() Brisbane husband and wife Paul and Tina McBain also met at the Masters Games. "I was with another young lady and Tina comes up and plants a big kiss on me at the table and then runs away," Mr McBain recalled. Mrs McBain said she "had inside contacts to say that he was the one". "It's like an old people's Schoolies. What happens at Masters stays at Masters," she said. ![]() Soon after meeting, they were married, choosing to hold their wedding the night before a Masters Games tournament started. Their honeymoon? Eight days of softball. Now, the McBains say they are taking every day as it comes, as two brain tumours mean Mrs McBain is on the sidelines this year. But the couple just could not miss an event that has given them so much. "Unending love, I think," Mr McBain said. The McBains are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary this year. Topics:sport,sports-organisations,relationships,exercise-and-fitness,southport-4215,brisbane-4000,adelaide-5000,sa,qld http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-10/masters-games-love-like-schoolies-for-oldies/10482984 Posted November 07, 2018 06:23:03
The Gold Coast City Council is proposing a commuter ferry service for the Gold Coast. Supplied: Gold Coast City Council Topics:transport,southport-4215 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-07/artists-impression-of-a-commuter-ferry/10470400 Posted November 07, 2018 06:23:03
The Gold Coast City Council is proposing a commuter ferry service for the Gold Coast. Supplied: Gold Coast City Council Topics:transport,southport-4215 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-07/artists-impression-of-a-commuter-ferry/10470400 This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
AEDT = Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time which is 11 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-07/light-rail/10470208 |
Archives
March 2023
Categories |