Smoking bans to come into force in Queen Street Mall from September 1 will merely shift smokers and their litter to areas nearby, according to the the Queensland Hotels Association. QHA occupational health and safety manager Ross Tims said this week licensed premises would also suffer the full brunt of the laws because tourists and […]

Queensland children could still be concerned about the floods seven months after the deluge that affected Brisbane, according to a leading child development expert. Queensland University of Technology early childhood Professor Susan Danby (pictured) said the January floods had increased the risk of anxiety in children. “The floods raised real issues of uncertainty and unpredictability […]

The Queensland Health Department has been accused of letting down children by not having nurses in primary schools to detect health problems. Children affected included those with learning-related problems and children in remote regions, according to critics of the state department. School health programs were failing to diagnose children with health problems that affected their […]

The number of Brisbane cyclists with itchy heads may increase dramatically in the next three months, the Brisbane City Council trialling a shared helmet system for Citycycle. From next Monday a third of the bike fleet will have a helmet provided free of charge, one of the council’s seven improvements to increase the struggling scheme’s […]

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 […]

Recognised for her services to the elderly, 22-year-old Ebony Ryan of Taringa is in the running to be awarded the title of Queensland Young Volunteer. She spends 12 hours a week volunteering for Blue Care where she has three elderly charges. Every Thursday Ebony can be found with Ellen (pictured left with Ebony), one of […]

It’s a day all about relieving stress, where you’re encouraged to wear slippers to the office in an effort to boost morale. You may even decide to wear a poncho, or a red hat with bright orange socks. Whatever outfit you decide, it won’t matter. You will be letting the world know you’re taking part […]

A parliamentary estimates hearing scrutinised state Health Minister Geoff Wilson yesterday by about the missing $62 million in staff overpayments. The independent member for Gladstone Liz Cunningham questioned Mr Wilson on how staff could prove they were paid correctly, when the new payslips lacked the necessary detail. “It appears to me… they’re being required to […]

Brisbanites had the opportunity to add to their teddy bear collections this week, with lavender bears on sale to support the Leukaemia Foundation. The bears and other lavender gifts were sold to support the annual Lavender for leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma appeal, held every June. Volunteers wearing lavender took to the streets throughout the city […]

School children are getting healthier and roads less congested, transport chairman Julian Simmonds told Tuesday’s Brisbane City Council meeting. Cr Simmonds said the council’s Active School Transport program had resulted in a 35 percent increase in the number of students walking or cycling to school. “So that’s a 35 percent decrease in the number of […]

Bright red lips filled King George Square on Monday morning as Queensland’s first MS Awareness Week kicked off. People passing through the square were encouraged to get their lips painted by Academy of Makeup artists and to pucker up to the “Kiss MS Goodbye” wall to show their support. The vibrant red runway carpet, balloons […]

The Brisbane City Council is facing criticism over the CityCycle Scheme, an initiative that encourages people to hire bikes to help with city congestion, environment and personal health. More than 1000 bicycles have been placed all around the city of Brisbane since the scheme’s launch nearly eight months ago and about 180 are hired out […]

Skin cancer victim Daryl Braithwaite endured the strong Queensland sun yesterday, to wow the crowd at the Council’s Green Heart Fair at Chermside. The Australian pop icon, who made his name in the ’70s band Sherbet, was the climax of the festival, a initiative of Council’s Green Heart (sustainability) campaign. Green Heart is Council’s attempt […]

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 […]

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 […]