Category: Queensland

Queensland Mothballs $223 Million Quarantine Camp Just 6 Months After Opening

The Queensland state government will shutter a $223 million (US$154.6 million) COVID-19 quarantine facility in Wellcamp, west of Toowoomba, just six months after it was opened. In the same announcement, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said another multi-million dollar, federal government-funded quarantine facility in Pinkenba, Brisbane—due to be finalised in a few weeks—would not be opened. On…


‘A Huge Shock’: Ambassador Warns Queensland’s Mining Tax Hike Could Deter New Japanese Investment

The Queensland government’s massive coal royalty tax could push away Japanese investors and undermine the decades-long partnership between both countries, Japan’s ambassador to Australia has warned. The stark comments from Yamagami Shingo come after the Palaszcuk government announced it would introduce three extra tiers of taxes to the state’s mining royalty scheme. Going forward, from July 1,…


Queensland Premier Will Address Public Service Integrity Report

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is expected to face a barrage of questions when she addresses the media two days after the release of a damning integrity review. Professor Peter Coaldrake’s landmark report handed down late on Tuesday pointed to a tolerance of bullying within the state’s public service and a reluctance to deviate from the…


Queensland Discards Vaccine Mandates at Most Workplaces

The Queensland state government of Australia is scrapping COVID-19 vaccine mandates in a large number of workplaces, including schools, childcare, airports, jails, aged care, and disability facilities. “Restrictions that have protected us have eased in sensible stages, and today, I announce with the advice of the Chief Health Officer, we are removing some of the…


Tourist Tax Proposed for Queensland, Australia

Tourists to Queensland could be taxed to visit the state’s attractions under a bold plan to generate more revenue for the sector. The Queensland Tourism Industry Reference Panel has just released a new Action Plan (pdf) aimed at reinvigorating the industry post-COVID and in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic Games. Among the 75 recommendations,…


University Launches Virtual Reality Headsets to Improve Quality of Life in Aged Care

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is launching a virtual reality (VR) toolkit titled Transforming Aged Care with Virtual Reality (TACWVR) on May 25, aimed at aged care seniors to give them a “better quality of life.” “We integrated VR technologies into three Australian aged care facilities to find ways of better socially connecting residents…


Senate Candidate Promises Pressure on State Leaders as Residents Forced to Hire Private Security

The former premier of Queensland, Campbell Newman, will pressure current state MPs to take action on criminal activity—if he is elected to the Senate—after residents in Brisbane were forced to hire private security to patrol their neighbourhoods. Incidents of youth crime have increased across the state with one notable incident involving former rugby union star…


Ambulance Ramping Continues to Rise in Southeast Queensland

Almost half of all patients waited more than half an hour in an ambulance before being admitted to a hospital in southeast Queensland in December. Queensland Ambulance Service figures show ramping rose two percent to more than 46 percent of patients in the heavily-populated southeast between November and December 2021. There was a major COVID-19…


Human Rights Commission Speaks Up on Vaccine Mandates in Queensland

The Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC), which has intervened in a number of Supreme Court cases challenging COVID-19 vaccine mandates, has said there is no “one size fits all approach” to determining the human rights compatibility of vaccine mandates. Throughout the pandemic, the QHRC has called on the Queensland state government to publicly release how…


Australian State to Lift Vaccine Requirement at Many Venues, Shift Focus on Boosters and Jabs for Kids

The Queensland state government of Australia has announced that it will lift COVID-19 vaccination requirements for a large number of venues, including cafes, cinemas, and galleries, as it refocuses its efforts on vaccinating children and pushing booster shots. From 1 a.m. on April 14, most venues that have been open only to vaccinated staff and patrons…