The recent tragic death of a young boy from Australian bat lyssavirus (ABL) produced a predictable chorus of calls to disperse flying fox colonies and kill flying foxes, all in the name of public health…
Dugongs rely on seagrass for food - damage to grass beds is a bigger threat to the species than Indigenous hunting.
sandwichgirl/Flickr
Jon Altman, Australian National University and Seán Kerins, Australian National University
In the 1990s some international animal rights and environment organisations instigated a concerted campaign to stop the hunting of pilot whales by Faroese people living in the northeast Atlantic. The thousand-year-old…
Indigenous Queenslanders should be able to choose their own path.
AAP/Dave Hunt
Funding cuts announced to Queensland Aboriginal communities last month will of course affect the budgets of Aboriginal Shire Councils. But their impact will be felt much more further afield than just within…
Science suggests poor soils, water availability and harsh climatic conditions should dull visions for a northern Australia food bowl.
Wakx/Flickr
With the recently leaked discussion paper by the Coalition reigniting old passions for a northern irrigated food bowl, Australia must again contemplate its vision for the north. Is this our chance to learn…
The burden of pain and discomfort, disfigurement and disability from dental decay is very large in Australia.
Pete Simon
Mandatory water fluoridation introduced by the former Queensland government is being rolled back by some local councils, which have been given the power to decide whether to continue with the public health…
Hotel Cunnamulla – where Terry Lewis’ rise began.
AAP/James Shrimpton
For his new book Three Crooked Kings, author and journalist Matthew Condon had unprecedented access to the jailed Queensland Police Commissioner Terry Lewis who speaks for the first time about the events…
Homophobic bullying is a problem that needs urgent attention in Queensland schools.
Bullying image from www.shutterstock.com
There has been a series of disturbing homophobic bullying incidents in Queensland schools in recent months. Some of the cases reported in the media included a Brisbane student being allegedly told by male…
South East Queensland’s grid of water treatment plants are meant to drought proof the region, but could help in floods too.
AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Over the last six years, there have been major investments made in “climate independent” water supplies and other measures to help “drought-proof” most of Australia’s capital cities. These have included…
Can on-field adulation translate to off-field trustworthiness?
AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Darren Lockyer knows a thing or two about conversions, having banged hundreds between the posts and over the crossbar during his rugby league career. He retired on a high in 2011, having captained the…
There are opportunities for compromise between development and conservation in Cape York, but they’re en route to being missed.
hindesite/Flickr
World Heritage sites in Australia have often been born out of battles between conservationists and development-oriented state governments. Little regard has been paid to land owners: until now. February…
Queensland MP Andrew Laming’s inflammatory comments about violence in Logan were insensitive and misdirected.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Mobs tearing up Logan. Did any of them do a day’s work today, or was it business as usual and welfare on tap? That’s how MP Andrew Laming responded to recent violence in Logan between Aboriginal and Pacific…
Queensland Campbell Newman with new housing minister Tim Mander, who replaced Dr Bruce Flegg, who resigned over accusations of impropriety.
AAP/Dan Peled
After a tumultuous first year in power for Campbell Newman’s Liberal National Party, Queensland now offers more hope for Julia Gillard at next year’s federal election. Which way the Sunshine State will…
A coal seam gas production well between Tara and Chinchilla, Queensland.
Jeremy Buckingham
Concerns about the unconventional gas industry’s environmental impacts have been around for some time. The major issues are its effect on surface and groundwater, and growing evidence of greater-than-anticipated…
Are the perceived risks of uranium mining real or outdated?
RaeAllen
The Queensland State Government recently announced it would take up uranium mining again. The topic of uranium mining often raises concern about environmental risk. While past uranium mining in Queensland…
Queensland unveils tenders for two new boot camp programs for young offenders.
flickr.com
The Queensland Attorney-General, Jarrod Bleijie, has authorised a tender process for the operation of two youth boot camps. The camps, aimed at 13 to 17 year olds, are to be trialled in Cairns and on the…
The mother (centre) of the four young girls at the centre of a custody dispute arrives at court hearing in Brisbane.
AAP/Dan Peled
Last week’s Media Watch programme on the ABC discussed the role of the Australian media in the custody case of four Queensland children that has created headlines across the country over the past few months…
In some parts of Queensland, half the plant species may be displaced.
Laura Thorn
Climate change will place increasing pressure on Australia’s natural environments in the future. Queensland is no exception. CSIRO and the Queensland Government recently conducted an in-depth review and…
A sign outside an Aboriginal community near Darwin, noting the ban on consuming alcohol in the area.
AAP/Xavier La Canna
The newly elected conservative governments in Queensland and the Northern Territory have opened the way to relaxing laws restricting access to alcohol in Aboriginal communities. In Queensland, a number…
Killing starfish one by one is no long-term solution.
Paul Cizek
A recent report on coral loss from the Great Barrier Reef has pointed the finger at cyclones and Crown of Thorns starfish. The real culprit is human activity, and until we reduce port activity and pollution…
Brigalow trees are vital for soil health and erosion control. They’re only just recovering from 19th century clearing. Why does the Queensland Government have it in for them?
Arthur Chapman
The Queensland State Government has recently proposed changes to the Vegetation Management Act 1999. Under the planned reforms, landowners will be able to clear and thin out vegetation using self-assessable…