Hundreds rally for same-sex marriage

Hundreds of people calling for legalisation of same-sex marriage protested outside Sydney’s Town Hall on Saturday. Co-convenor of the Community Action Against Homophobia, Cat Rose, told the crowd protests would put pressure on the Labor Party before its national conference in December when changes to the law would be debated. The group seeks repeal of an amendment to the Marriage Act in 2004 banning same-sex marriage. More than 400 people marched through the CBD... Read More

Miracle of birth at the Ekka

A variety of smells, sights and people greet you as you enter the gates of the RNA Showgrounds for 2011’s “Ekka” – the Brisbane Exhibition. The show itself has been running since 1876 and has changed a lot since. The first show bag was a bag of coal and it was given to everyone who attended. In 2011 however things are much different. There are the usual suspects. You can pick up a dangerous yet delicious dagwood dog or you can take a ride on one of many different... Read More

Ratepayers will foot the bill for dismissal

Any legal costs and damages related to the sacking of a council employee with a controversial husband will be paid by ratepayers, according to Lord Mayor Graham Quirk. Opposition leader Shayne Sutton said at this week’s Brisbane City Council meeting a former employee of Cr Fiona King was considering legal action for unfair dismissal. She asked who would pay the costs. “It’s been reported that your administration sacked a staff member because her husband had been hired... Read More

Row over future of historic church

A war of words has broken out between Brisbane city councillors over an historic church at Wynnum slated for demolition to make way for a six-storey office block. At this week’s council meeting Cr Amanda Cooper blamed Cr Peter Cumming for supporting demolition instead of removal of the former Baptist church. Ms Cooper, who chairs the Neighbourhood Planning and Development Assessment Committee, accused Cr Cumming of failing to protect Brisbane’s heritage. She was “disturbed... Read More

Juggers play it fast and furious in New Farm

It looked like the rehearsal of a medieval battle scene. People fighting with swords and spears, wearing track pants and t-shirts, were thrown into relief against a darkening sky in New Farm park. The mystery was solved when someone handed me a green leaflet that said: Jugger. Jugger is a game based on the 1989 film Blood of Heroes, re-titled Salute of the Jugger. Starring Rutger Hauer and Joan Chen, the film is set in a harsh post-apocalyptic world where teams of roving bands... Read More

Award for couple who fostered 130 kids

Humble grandparents from a remote property in Logan Village have finally been given the recognition they deserve after dedicating their lives to fostering children. Last week Wayne and Eileen Hughes were awarded the 2011 Foster and Kinship Excellence Award for Queensland’s south-east region at a special ceremony in Queensland’s Parliament House. Every year carers are presented awards from seven different regions around Queensland as part of the annual Foster and Kinship... Read More

Fires to burn around Brisbane

More than 400 hectares will be burnt off over 30 sites around Brisbane in coming months in an effort to prevent disaster in the bushfire season. Brisbane City Council says it has already done 16 burns of more than 200 hectares. The council plans to burn up to 417 hectares this year. The council’s hazard reduction burns aim to reduce fire fuel such as dead wood by 75 percent across 60 to 80 percent of the land being burned. “Some areas of the forest are left untouched,... Read More

Bligh calls for more optimism

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has called for less pessimism and more optimism about the economy from Australia’s politicians. “We are better placed than just about any other country on earth at the moment, but I don’t think that is how Australians feel,” she said yesterday. Australians were at risk of falling into a self-defeating mood, Ms Bligh told the Queensland Media Club. “You are not going to see either side of politics stop doing a critique of each other, and... Read More

Ash Grunwald loves that life on the road

Ash Grunwald’s music is a mix of grungy folk dashed with a side of electric blues. His latest tour, “The Road Dog Diaries”, was named simply for the road tripping lifestyle he’s adopted. “It comes from the title of my blog and it is basically what I am – a road dog. Always moving and on the road,” he says. The blues artist comes from a background in Melbourne but spent a lot of time living in the country as a teenager, so naturally life on the road can be... Read More

Council fails seniors: Labor

The Brisbane City Council has shirked its responsibility to seniors, the Opposition said today. Opposition leader Shayne Sutton criticised the council’s plan to deliver a seniors-friendly city, and called their draft Seniors Strategy for 2011 to 2016 a disgrace. “It’s noble and idealistic,” she told today’s council meeting. “We need more detail… More concrete policies and initiatives.” The draft strategy aims to support seniors both financially and socially,... Read More

Residents oppose 36-hectare school sports complex

More than 100 Corinda residents have opposed a move by Brisbane Boys’ College to build a huge sporting complex in the suburb. After buying Corinda Golf Course the Toowong-based private school has made a second attempt to get council approval for a sporting complex on the 36-hectare site at Cliveden Ave and Oxley Rd. Long-term Corinda resident Jenny Joyce addressed the Brisbane City Council last week, chastising the school for their “callous disregard” for the many residents... Read More

Breastfeeding rate lower in Brisbane

Women who decide to breastfeed need more community support than ever, according to a Brisbane lactation consultant. Alexandra Read, who has worked as a certified consultant for 12 years, said women still faced societal pressures if they decided to breastfeed their child. “We are coming out of a period, the 1960s and ’70s, that was a predominately bottlefed era,” she said. Although nine out of 10 women initially chose to breastfeed, the number dropped dramatically after... Read More

Review: Dr Zhivago

Based on an iconic book and epic three-hour movie, the musical adaptation of Dr Zhivago has a lot to live up to. After all, song and dance would not be the first choice for many to convey the loneliness, individualism and ideology explored in Boris Pasternak’s novel. Yet director Des McAnuff and composer Lucy Simon manage to capture the classic love story, using every feature of a modern musical to its full advantage. The music score is amazing, sweeping the audience off... Read More

Need a Council story? Just make it up

It seemed like a relatively straightforward task for Newbytes trainee journalist Abanob Saad, but it resulted in extraordinary behaviour from some of Brisbane City Council’s “media advisors”. Saad’s job was to research and write a news story about the BCC’s recent installation of speakers and Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in Fortitude Valley and the Brisbane CBD. Abanob Saad is one of about two dozen trainee journalists studying at Brisbane’s private journalism... Read More

Ethnic groups to monitor government plans

The Ethnic Communities Council Queensland has said it would closely monitor a new Bligh government policy that recognises the state’s growing multiculturalism. Ms Bligh’s policy, A multicultural future for us all, applies to the whole of government and includes legislation to support interpreter, employment and transport services for migrants. But Ethnic Communities Council Queensland’s executive manager Ian Muil said the ECCQ would watch the policy’s execution. “It... Read More