Street poll: Will you watch the royal wedding?

How interested are Brisbane people in the forthcoming royal wedding? It’s less than 48 hours until Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot. As well as a guest list of more than 1900 people, the couple have invited the world to their big day via live streaming from their official website. The couple are to wed at Westminster Abbey on 29th April at an estimated cost of 10 million pounds. Details have been kept tightly under wraps and there is still no confirmed designer... Read More

Street poll: How do you rate emergency response services?

Emergency services responses at the time of Toowoomba’s tragic January 10 flash flood have come under scrutiny at the Toowoomba Hearings of the Queensland Floods Commission Inquiry. Husband and father of flood victims Donna and Jordan Rice told the inquiry of his sorrow. “I’m of the understanding that a triple-0 call is for emergency response and should be dealt with in this manner. I can’t help but ask the question if my wife and son had have connected with... Read More

Princely magic gives Titans a win

Scott Prince showed his true colors last night getting the Titans home in a nail-biter 20-14. After trailing for the entire match Prince (pictured left) levelled the scores with a couple of beautiful “show and goes,” getting him past the first and second line of defence before touching down behind the posts. Both sides then looked for field goals before two uncharacteristic mistakes from Tigers prop Todd Payton gifted Gold Coast excellent field position and Man of... Read More

Street poll: Should we ban the burqa?

France has passed laws to ban the wearing of the burqa in public places. The ban has attracted criticism from many people, including human rights groups, but some say there should be similar laws in Australia. We asked people in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall what they thought.  Read More

Street poll: What do you think of Brisbane losing Wayne Bennett to Newcastle?

Former Brisbane Broncos and current St George-Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett has signed a four-year deal with the Newcastle Knights at a reported $2 million per season. He had previously been widely tipped to rejoin the Broncos. South Sydney was another club chasing his services. Newsbytes asked people in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall what they thought of Wayne Bennett’s decision.  Read More

Street poll: Should women be in frontline combat?

Triggered by the Skype sex scandal, the Government has brought forward the initiative which would lift the ban on women in frontline combat positions. Defence Minister Stephen Smith said people’s roles in the forces should be based on their physical and intellectual capacity, not gender. “It opens up all of the leadership roles for women in defence – and that’s an unambiguously good thing,” he said. Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott supports... Read More

Street poll: Should cigarettes be sold in plain packaging?

New laws will force tobacco companies to use plain packaging plus graphic anti-smoking images on cigarette packs. Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon says the generic olive green packaging will take away the glamour of smoking. “Cigarette packs will now only show the death and disease that can come from smoking,” she said. However, the British American Tobacco Australia (BATA) has vowed to fight the proposed changes, saying that tobacco companies will be forced to compete... Read More

Newman claims win over water restructure

Premier Anna Bligh and Utilities Minister Stephen Robertson Campbell Newman today had his first big win in Queensland state politics according to parliamentary Opposition leader Geoff Seeney.   The Premier announced in Parliament today that retail water and sewerage price increases would be capped at CPI for the next two years. Local councils will be able to opt out of current water utilities and resume their management of water distribution. Mr Newman, elected this week... Read More

Flood victims to get up to $80,000 to rebuild

Up to $80,000 will be available in the third round of payments to victims of the recent wave of natural disasters in Queensland, Premier Anna Bligh told Parliament today. She said there were thousands of Queenslanders whose homes were not destroyed but who sustained considerable damage. “The third funding round will extend to those people whose homes may not have been completely destroyed but who have experienced other major structural damage – people who, for instance,... Read More

Mr Dick makes fun of someone’s name

Campbell Newman is like the character Newman (pictured) in Seinfeld, Minister for Industrial Relations and Education Cameron Dick said today. “Like the postman in Seinfeld, Campbell Newman is known for his shonky, shoddy and grand schemes that eventually come to nothing. Like the postman, Campbell Newman loves his position, loves his status, but never delivers,” Mr Dick said. The minister caused uproar during Question Time with his take on the popular ‘90s sitcom. “The... Read More

Newman’s first opponent comes out swinging

For Campbell Newman to become Premier he must first defeat Minister for the Environment Kate Jones in the seat of Ashgrove. Ms Jones today fired her first broadside in defence of her job by asking the parliamentary Opposition leader if under Campbell Newman the LNP would continue to oppose the 2006 reduction of tree clearing. “Campbell Newman will try to pretend that they have new policies on the environment, but they still stand by broadscale land clearing, and I will... Read More

‘Death of democracy’ in Quirk appointment – Labor

The LNP’s move to appoint Graham Quirk as Brisbane’s new Lord Mayor is “another chapter in the death of democracy” according to Deputy Opposition leader, Milton Dick. “We should be going to an election between Cr Quirk and Ray Smith (preselected Labor candidate for the mayoralty at the 2012 election),” he said. “Because of the manipulation that has been going on behind the scenes, our ratepayers and the people of Brisbane are being denied that opportunity.” Labor... Read More

Government accused of widespread health failures

Queensland Health again came under fire in Parliament today with Opposition and independent MPs targeting problems in Townsville and Bundaberg. Independent MP for Burnett Rob Messenger called for an investigation into the medical treatment received by mothers and babies at the Bundaberg Base Hospital maternity unit over the last 10 years. He said examples of substandard or negligent medical treatment at the maternity unit included misdiagnosis of ectopic pregnancies almost... Read More

Games bid will help disaster recovery

Queensland’s quest for the Commonwealth Games would help people get over the disasters of 2011, Premier Anna Bligh said today. “It is important that we do not lose momentum but continue to seek out new opportunities for Queensland. That is why our government remains absolutely committed to our Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games bid,” she said. Ms Bligh said there was a link between the Gold Coast bid and Brisbane’s 1982 Commonwealth Games bid. “In... Read More

Quirk sworn in as Lord Mayor of Brisbane

Brisbane’s new Lord Mayor, Graham Quirk, was sworn in at the Brisbane City Council Chambers today. Cr Quirk has been deputy for the past three years to former mayor Campbell Newman, who resigned last week to enter state politics. He said although existing plans for Brisbane would continue, there would be some changes in emphasis under his management. He promises to rollout plans to ensure improvement of traffic congestion and Brisbane’s flood recovery. Under a new motto for... Read More