Brisbane news live: Why were flu vaccinations axed at the Ekka?
Why were flu vaccinations axed at the Ekka?
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Yesterday, Premier David Crisafulli was questioned on why his government cut the flu vaccination program at the Ekka this year.
He responded by spruiking what his government had done this flu season – restoring free flu vaccinations that weren't funded, something he said was 'pretty important', and spending more money on advertising.
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'Right now, cases are down by about 2 per cent … it's a pretty reasonable indication of how seriously we're taking it.'
When asked if he had received a flu vaccination this year, Crisafulli said that was between him and his doctor, and he encouraged Queenslanders to take advice from their GPs.
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7.22am
Recognition to help 'end the cycle of violence': Rishworth
By Daniel Lo Surdo
Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth says Australia's plan to recognise Palestine is part of an international effort to 'stop the cycle of violence' in the Middle East, as Anthony Albanese faces criticism for the move.
Speaking on Nine's Today, Rishworth said Albanese's announcement yesterday was about 'joining the international momentum' to bring an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
'We need to end the cycle of violence,' Rishworth said.
'And this step is being part of an international community, including with Canada, the UK, France, to build momentum for the meeting in September to end the cycle and create what everyone has hoped for.'
Albanese's decision to recognise Palestine has been slammed by Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, who said it would put Australia at odds with the US, and slapped down by the Israeli government, which described the move as a reward for Hamas.
Why were flu vaccinations axed at the Ekka?
By Brittney Deguara
Yesterday, Premier David Crisafulli was questioned on why his government cut the flu vaccination program at the Ekka this year.
He responded by spruiking what his government had done this flu season – restoring free flu vaccinations that weren't funded, something he said was 'pretty important', and spending more money on advertising.
Loading
'Right now, cases are down by about 2 per cent … it's a pretty reasonable indication of how seriously we're taking it.'
When asked if he had received a flu vaccination this year, Crisafulli said that was between him and his doctor, and he encouraged Queenslanders to take advice from their GPs.
7.14am
Mostly sunny - will the weather hold out for the public holiday?
Brisbanites wake to another mostly sunny day today, with an expected maximum temperature of 22 degrees.
But the forecast for the Ekka public holiday tomorrow isn't quite as bright, with the weather bureau predicting a late shower.
7.07am
While you were sleeping
Here's what's making news further afield this morning:
Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was unequivocal: there was no move afoot for the Australian government to recognise a Palestinian state. Then, on Thursday, he picked up the phone.
Erin Patterson's mushroom murder case has prompted questions about why some evidence was withheld from the jury during her marathon 10-week trial.
A death notice in The Age newspaper announcing the passing of 'Joe', the incarcerated hero of singer-songwriter Paul Kelly's song How To Make Gravy, has prompted speculation a follow-up to the 1996 hit may be on its way.
US President Donald Trump has praised Vladimir Putin as 'respectful' for travelling to the US for a crucial one-on-one meeting this week, while appearing to again blame Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky for the war.
The notion that we need to take 10,000 steps a day to stay fit and healthy has been around for so long, few have thought to challenge it. But research shows you can achieve the same benefits while moving less.
Spurred by growing sex positivity in the mainstream, today's sexual wellness industry is booming. But the history of adult toys dates back 28,000 years. How did we get here?
6.53am
The top stories this morning
Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times' news blog for Tuesday, August 12. Today we can expect a partly cloudy day and a top temperature of 22 degrees.
In this morning's local headlines:
Where do Brisbane's highest-earning parents send their kids to school? Search our interactive chart to see the median household incomes at private schools across the city.
Work on the new RNA Showgrounds arena will start within weeks, Premier David Crisafulli has confirmed, signalling the start of Olympic-related construction in the 2032 host city.
A Chinese drone researcher whose student visa was denied over claims he was associated with weapons of mass destruction has lost his appeal against the immigration minister.
The family of murdered teenager Pheobe Bishop faced one of her alleged killers yesterday when the cases of Tanika Bromley and James Wood were mentioned at Bundaberg Magistrates Court.
The Queensland government says there are 'questions to be answered' by the state's Victims' Commissioner, after a damning review into the performance of DVConnect, where she was chief executive for years.
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7NEWS
an hour ago
- 7NEWS
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley doubles down on calls to revoke Australia's recognition of a Palestinian state
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has doubled down on her calls to revoke Australia's recognition of a Palestinian state, after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the foreign policy shift. On Monday, Albanese revealed the government will join France, the UK, and Canada in recognising Palestine at a United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. More than 140 of 193 UN member states already recognise Palestine, including European Union member states Spain and Ireland. On Wednesday, Ley took aim at Albanese's plan, calling out widespread Palestinian support for Hamas. 'It's clear from the reports that are now emerging that this recognition from the prime minister is unconditional,' Ley said. 'There were several conditions placed on it notionally, but they can't reasonably be met. 'One of them is Hamas will be dismantled and taken out of any general election. Clearly, that is not possible, which is why the Coalition has made it very clear we oppose this. 'There can be no recognition without peace. They can be no reward for terror. We will reverse this decision because, ultimately, this is not in the interests of the Palestinian people. It is not in the interests of peace in the region, which we all want. 'We all want the war to end. The suffering to end. Gazans to be fed and the hostages to be released.' Barr raised statistics of Palestinian support for Hamas, recently published by The Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research, an independent think tank in the West Bank. An overwhelming 77 per cent of respondents opposed the disarmament of Hamas and about two-thirds opposed the expulsion of Hamas military leaders from the Gaza Strip if this was made a condition for stopping the war. But Barr pressed Ley on the 'credence' of the polling, given the conditions Gazans are currently living in. Ley replied: 'What does the Prime Minister mean when he says recognise Palestine? Is it the Gaza strip, where, as you say, the terrorists are in control and the war is raging and the hostages are still trapped in tunnels? 'Is it the West Bank? Where some of these figures show strong support for Hamas? What does it mean? What we know is, it will not bring peace. 'It will not make the world a safer place. It will not help deliver aid to those who desperately need it.' Ley argued Albanese needed to stay focused at home. She said while Australians care deeply about what is happening overseas, domestic problems are still weighing heavily on ordinary Aussies. '(Australians) are struggling right now with the basics. His first duty should be to them,' Ley said. Barr then referred to Ley's calls, just a few weeks ago, for Albanese to meet Trump, saying it could be considered a 'confusing message' given Ley is now pivoting to a domestic agenda. Ley replied: 'He has clearly been distracted for weeks, with respect to Palestinian recognition. That is not going to make the world a safer place or free the hostages. It is not going to deliver aid and not going to deliver the two-state solution. 'Meanwhile, Australians are struggling ... He is focusing on overseas matters, which aren't even in Australia's interests.' Barr argued domestic cost-of-living pressures are coming under control, with a third rate cut this year. Ley disagreed, saying: 'Australian families are still paying $1800 more for their mortgage. The RBA, while delivering welcome relief to mortgage holders, has said productivity and growth are weak. 'That means, living standards in Australia are going to decline further. 'We've already had the biggest drop in the developed world. These forecasts indicate that it is going to drop further. 'Now, I know people see this as a macro-economic discussion. But there are children sleeping in cars, getting out of those cars fully-dressed in their school uniforms. Parents who can't afford to put a roof over their heads. 'When you read the latest Anglicare report that said there's $33 left over for someone who is on the minimum wage after they pay rent, their groceries, and their transport costs — that isn't a cost of living crisis, that's a cost of survival crisis.'
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Israel blocking Gaza aid against international law
Israel limiting humanitarian aid into Gaza goes against international law and is an 'affront to common decency', the prime minister says. Australia is among 29 countries that issued a joint statement overnight calling for urgent action by Israel to allow aid to enter Gaza. 'The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Famine is unfolding before our eyes,' the statement said. 'Humanitarian space must be protected and aid should never be politicised.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Israel's actions in blocking aid to the region was 'not defensible'. 'It's certainly not something that's consistent with international law,' he told ABC radio on Wednesday. 'We're also seeing people killed while trying to get access to food and water. Now, in 2025 that's completely unacceptable. 'It is an affront to common decency and community humanity what is happening in Gaza.' Israel has denied responsibility for the lack of food in the Gaza Strip, accusing Hamas of stealing aid shipments. It has also denied there is starvation among the population, although it has throttled the flow of food to Gaza for months, according to international human rights groups. The prime minister's latest comments come two days after he announced Australia would recognise Palestinian statehood at September's UN General Assembly, joining the UK, France and Canada in the move. The shift means Australia's foreign policy has diverged from that of the US, a key ally that has for decades opposed formal recognition of Palestine. However, the White House has declined to directly criticise Australia for its actions in recognising Palestine after US President Donald Trump suggested a similar move from Canada could affect trade talks. A spokesman told Nine newspapers the president had an open mind on the status of Palestine, despite not backing statehood. Mr Albanese said the US would have a critical role to play in peace talks. 'One of the things that has defined president Trump's position internationally on global affairs is that he is an advocate for peace and he's been an advocate for peace in the Middle East for a long period of time,' he said. While some have argued Australia's decision to break from the US could imperil the bilateral relationship, Flinders University international relations expert Jessica Genauer said the government's diplomatic calculus had helped dampen any impact. 'Because Australia waited until other important countries all said they're planning to recognise Palestine ... I don't think it will be singled out by the US,' Dr Genauer told AAP. 'The Trump administration is opposed to countries recognising Palestine, but I think that they would put Australia in with a whole group of other countries and it wouldn't particularly be detrimental to Australia's relationship.' Australia will join more than 140 UN member states in recognising Palestine, but Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the prime minister's priorities were wrong. 'He's clearly distracted by what he's been talking about now for weeks with respect to Palestinian recognition, that is actually not going to make the world a safer place,' she told Seven's Sunrise program. The coalition has pledged to reverse the recognition decision should it win the next election. Crossbench senator Fatima Payman, who defected from Labor in 2024 after criticising the government's stance on the Middle East, said recognising statehood was overdue but could not be an end point. 'Symbolism matters, but saving lives matters more so when we're thinking about what Australia needs to do next, it's to make sure that they keep that pressure on Israel,' she told ABC radio.
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blasts Australia's Palestinian statehood call as ‘largely meaningless' and ‘symbolic'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has labelled Australia's call to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly next month 'largely meaningless'. The Albanese government's move to formally recognise a Palestinian state has been blasted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the top diplomat deeming the action "largely meaningless". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday Australia will recognise Palestine at the United States General Assembly in September - a call which has since been heavily scrutinised across the political spectrum. Mr Albanese joins other world leaders including United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in signalling their countries' intentions to recognise Palestine next month. The Secretary of State slammed Australia and other Western countries on their calls, claiming that the future of the region affected by the Gaza conflict is "not going to be decided by some press release by a Prime Minister". "It's largely meaningless, right?" Mr Rubio said in an interview overnight when pressed on the stance of countries ahead of the UN General Assembly. "It's symbolic, and they're doing it primarily for one reason, and that is their internal politics, their domestic politics. "The truth of the matter is that the future of that region is not going to be decided by some UN resolution. It's not going to be decided by some press release by a prime minister or a president from some country. It's going to be decided on the ground." The remarks from the country's top diplomat follows mounting criticism over Mr Albanese's announcement on Monday, which the Executive Council of Australian Jewry promptly called a "betrayal and abandonment of the Israeli hostages who continue to languish in appalling conditions in Gaza'. Mr Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong both noted the need for hostages to be released and for Hamas to be removed from power, but ECAJ President Daniel Aghion said the announcement 'relegates all of these conditions to the status of a mere promise to be fulfilled at some future time'. 'And (it) says nothing about what will happen if those conditions are not met,' Mr Aghion said in a statement. 'For this reason, we feel that the course of action announced by the government is a betrayal and abandonment of the Israeli hostages who continue to languish in appalling conditions in Gaza without even access to the Red Cross. "This announcement gives them no hope for release. It leaves Hamas armed and in control of territory, and in a position to regroup and rearm, thereby creating the conditions for the next war rather than a comprehensive peace.'
