A Brisbane magistrate has criticised tap-and-go technology after a man went on a shopping spree when he found a debit card outside a supermarket. The court was told Colin Leslie Saunders used the no-PIN pay-pass facility to obtain goods illegally after finding the card at a Newmarket shopping centre. Wendy Cull, SM, said the pay-wave […]

Winning an Archibald prize is a dream of young artist who made her mark at 2015’s Adelaide Fringe Festival of the Arts. The very articulate and softly-spoken Tsering Hannaford, 27, whose ultimate goal is to develop a reputation and career in portraiture, has been working as a full-time professional artist since 2013. “I guess I […]

Gosford City Council town crier Stephen Clarke has been readying his voice, his moves and his outfit in preparation for the annual Australian Town Crier Championship. It is a special year in the event’s history, as it is being held in Parkes in conjunction with the 200th birthday celebrations of Sir Henry Parkes later this […]

Imagine what it is like to live in a corrupt country where the people are not free and the society illiberal. An unlucky country where people have bullets rained down on them for asking questions. This is what is like to be a journalist in Cambodia. Now let me introduce the remarkable young woman named […]

“A-lo!” She shouted down the line. (A mutual friend had warned me that the Sierra Leone-born Australian was “full-on”, “fiery”.) I took the phone away from my ear and placed it on speaker so I could better hear the electric mix of loud, bouncing West African intonations and subtle Australian inflexions bubbling from the phone. […]

A striking image of African migrants raising their phones to catch an elusive signal took out first prize in this year’s World Press Photo contest. The image, “Signal”, is on display at the New South Wales State Library in Sydney as part of a touring exhibition of the best photos. The year-long exhibition, which travels […]

Fines will double from $150 to $300 for misuse of disability allocated carparks on the Gold Coast, while people with permits may have to show photo ID with their displayed permit. Chairperson of the council’s Community and Cultural Development committee, Cr Bob La Castra, said the move was to show people that, “Hey, we’re serious […]

A State Government minister and a rail lobby group have congratulated Newsbytes on publicising the issue of water fountains being withdrawn from Brisbane railway stations. Transport Minister Scott Emerson said Newsbytes should be credited for breaking the story, while Rail Back on Track spokesman Robert Dow said Newsbytes deserved congratulation for the “fantastic outcome”. A […]

Thirty-one people were arrested as hundreds of police officers moved to evict protestors from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Musgrave Park, South Brisbane this morning. The Brisbane City Council ordered the eviction in preparation of this weekend’s annual Paniyiri Greek festival which uses the park. Police began closing nearby streets and surrounding the camp at […]

Of course you must stay with us, I assured my suddenly homeless son. For as long as it takes to rebuild. Which could be weeks, I thought, looking at the muddied wreck that had been home for the family of four. We’d seized as many of their possessions as we could, splashing through the rapidly […]

Sitting down to a good cuppa is not what it used to be.   Gone are the days of a cup of traditional black tea with a dash of milk and teaspoon of sugar.   Instead we have hibiscus, white dragon, rose and French vanilla flavours – all growing in popularity as young and old […]

With Australian Mark Webber (pictured) among the leaders in the 2011 Formula One series, it gives us spur to ponder the impact this global sport has had on our ordinary road cars over the years. Webber recorded the fastest lap at Abu Dhabi this month and is fourth overall. Ever wondered why brakes work better […]

Off the Wall Diner is a humble burger joint in Wellington Point that says without hyperbole and on the authority of Guinness World Records that it makes the world’s spiciest burger. The technical measure of spice heat is a “Scoville unit”. By virtue of some secret chilli concoction, Off the Wall’s “Megadeath Burger” has a […]

Young journalists should be critical but not cynical, urged Walkley award-winning journalist Tony Koch at Jschool’s annual graduation ceremony on Friday. Mr Koch, who received an honorary doctorate from Jschool in recognition of his contribution to journalism, said recruits to journalism should uphold the values of the profession and respect their role in society. They […]

Thousands of people gathered in Queen Street Mall on Friday night for a five-hour charity concert that raised more than $15,000 for the victims of the Slacks Creek house fire. Labeled the worst house fire in the state in a decade it claimed the lives of 11 people from the Tongan and Samoan community. Eight […]