Latest news with #DavidCrisafulli
ABC News
5 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
Queensland government may not release taxpayer-funded drug testing review after axing service
The Queensland government is refusing to say if it will publicly release an independent taxpayer-funded evaluation of the state's now-axed drug checking sites. The former Labor administration commissioned the University of Queensland (UQ) to assess the services, including whether they reduced harm and contributed to early warnings about the circulation of dangerous illicit substances. Documents show the evaluation, which was due to be handed to the government late last week, cost taxpayers $453,286. Drug checking services allow individuals to submit small samples of substances, meant for personal use, for testing by health professionals. In April this year the CheQpoint testing sites in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast closed their doors after the LNP opted not to provide ongoing government funding. Mobile drug checking at future schoolies celebrations on the Gold Coast has also been scrapped. Despite other states recently starting drug checking services, the Queensland premier and health minister have repeatedly said they do not support the measure. Last week a spokesperson for health minister Tim Nicholls said the UQ evaluation report "will be considered by Cabinet", which could mean it is kept confidential. When asked yesterday if the report would be released, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said he had not seen it and the government's views on pill testing "haven't changed". "I should have a read of it for sure, but I make the point that our policy position won't change," Mr Crisafulli said. The Loop Australia is a not-for-profit group of chemists and health workers involved in delivering the services. Its chief executive Cameron Francis called on the government to release the report, and said a similar evaluation of Canberra's drug checking service was made public. He said the report would "show the community" the benefits of drug testing. "I know what some of the data in the report would contain, because it is the data that our service has provided to the evaluators," he said. "We know that around one in four people that come through the service will use less drugs after talking to one of our staff members, we know that we refer large numbers of people into ongoing support or treatment." Queensland Opposition Leader Steven Miles said Mr Crisafulli should listen to the health experts who say pill testing saves lives. "They're calling for this report to be released," Mr Miles said. "But he won't listen because he's caved into the far-right ideologies of his party — now Queenslanders are paying the price." Queensland's pill testing closures came as deadly synthetic opioids called nitazines continued to circulate in Australia causing overdoses and deaths. Mr Francis said evidence showed testing improved public safety. "Without drug checking we've got no way of warning the community about the dangerous drugs that are circulating until people have either overdosed, ended up in hospital or passed away," he said. Australia's first fixed-site drug checking service opened in Canberra in mid-2022. Victoria started pill testing at music festivals late last year and plans to open a clinic in mid-2025. New South Wales has also kicked off a 12-month drug checking trial at some music festivals. Medical groups and harm minimisation experts have slammed the Queensland government's closure of drug checking services. In April, Queensland Chair of the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP), Dr Cathryn Hester, said the state did not have overdose monitoring or early warning systems. "I fear that once these drug testing services end, we will see more overdoses because the people taking them, including young people with their whole lives ahead of them, simply don't know what they're ingesting," Dr Hester said.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Community reels over toddler, mum's deaths
A community is reeling after a mother accused of fatally stabbing her three-year-old daughter died in custody, sparking a corrective services review. A vigil to remember "beautiful little girl" Sophia Rose near Bundaberg in southern Queensland was held before locals heard the tragic news of her mother Lauren Ingrid Flanigan's death. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli on Monday said "some explanations" were needed over the Brisbane death in custody, with a review underway. Emergency services found Sophia outside a home with several stab wounds on May 26 and she died at the scene. After being charged with her daughter's murder, Flanigan was found unresponsive in her cell at Brisbane Women's Correctional Centre on May 30. The 32-year-old had suffered a "medical emergency" in her cell before being rushed to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane where she died two days later on Sunday. Queensland Corrective Services on Monday said a report would be prepared for the coroner, describing it as "standard practice for all deaths in custody". Mr Crisafulli said questions needed to be answered in a "full and thorough" investigation into Flanigan's death to ensure the incident was not brushed "under the carpet". "This incident proves that there are some explanations that are needed," he told reporters on Monday. "We owe it to everyone involved, people who work in the facility, families of people who have tragically lost their life, to get to the bottom of it." He said the corrective services system needed to be reviewed in the wake of Flanigan's death. "For those who do need to be held in custody, we have a duty to provide safe facilities," he said. "I think it's important that we don't brush it under the carpet." The Moore Park Beach community is grieving after coming together to celebrate Sophia on Sunday. Hundreds came dressed in pink and with sparkles, Sophia's favourite things, at the gathering organised by Bundaberg local Trish Mears. Sophia was remembered for her love of dance and a child who had an "absolute love of life". "She was just a beautiful little girl who was just full of life and lit up a room when she walked into it," Ms Mears told AAP. Friends, family and supporters blew bubbles and wrote messages in the sand while Sophia's favourite song, "Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay, played. "It was absolutely beautiful and I could certainly feel her spirit there," Ms Mears said. The vigil aimed to kickstart the healing process for the grieving community with many attendees who did not know each other sharing hugs and kind words, Ms Mears said. But the news of Flanigan's death ensured Sunday ended on a "tragic" note, she said. Ms Mears, the president of Moore Park Beach Arts Inc, said the community would also honour Sophia at their local festival in August. A GoFundMe set up for Sophia's father and siblings has so far raised $55,000. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
ABC News
a day ago
- Business
- ABC News
Queensland government unveils long-term tourism strategy Destination 2045
The Queensland government has launched an ambitious 20-year tourism plan but won't say how much the new strategy will cost. The Destination 2045 campaign aims to make the Sunshine State the events capital of Australia, support 45 new eco-tourism experiences, and rejuvenate the Great Barrier Reef islands. The government also wants to attract more visitors through targeted marketing and create a fund to secure new direct flights, including from India, as well as enhance connections to regional Queensland. The strategy aims to double the annual total visitor expenditure to $84 billion and add almost 40,000 new tourism industry jobs by 2045. Premier David Crisafulli said the plan is something "industry has been crying out for". "We are determined to make sure that Queensland's tourism offering goes to the next level," he said. "We unashamedly want to be the events capital of the country. We want to have connections from throughout the globe coming here." "We want to have 45 new eco-tourism products by 2045. It's big, it's bold, it's ambitious, but it has to happen." When pressed on the total funding for the strategy, Mr Crisafulli couldn't provide a dollar amount, and instead pointed to the government's first budget due to be delivered later this month. "There will be significant funding in the budget and beyond," he said. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has lent his support to the strategy, saying the "Gold Coast is here to help". While only a handful of Gold Coast projects are currently outlined in the tourism plan, Mr Tate is confident more opportunities for the city will "slip in" as the strategy is rolled out across the next two decades. "There will be an ongoing conversation to say, 'have a look at this one you haven't looked at yet'," he said. Mr Tate noted a direct connection between Australia and India was "paramount" for tourism and investment in south-east Queensland, but was agnostic about which airport flights from the subcontinent would arrive. "For me, whether tourists from India land in Brisbane or the Gold Coast, it makes no difference, it's the same destination. It really is team Queensland," Mr Tate said. Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Natassia Wheeler commended the government's partnership with the industry, with more than 1,500 stakeholders involved in the formation of the strategy. "To see a plan today come to life that listens to industry, backs industry, and has a plan that doesn't address what we need 20 years from now, but addresses the challenges on the ground today that industry are facing, is absolutely critical." Tourism and Events Queensland chief executive Craig Davidson pointed to the exclusive Brisbane shows of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2026 as evidence of the pull of the state in the events sphere. "They are here because of a team Queensland approach. They're not here because we have the biggest chequebook," he said. "They're here because they met with all of us in one room, and we can make decisions quickly on the spot. That's why the Military Tattoo is here, and that's the approach we need to take if we're going to win in that event space."
The Age
a day ago
- Business
- The Age
‘Tasmania, we're coming for you': 20-year tourism plan to make Queensland No.1
The Crisafulli government has announced a 20-year plan for the tourism industry, with the state's tourism minister suggesting Queensland would rival destinations such as Tasmania and New Zealand by 2045. Destination 2045: Queensland's Tourism Future includes six strategic priorities to build Queensland's tourism industry, with plans to expand ecotourism, attract world-class events, create a fund to entice direct flights to new markets, rejuvenate the Great Barrier Reef islands and boost marketing. The first 45 ecotourism projects to be delivered include the Thorsborne Trail on Hinchinbrook Island; the Wangetti Trail, north of Cairns; the Whitsunday Skyway in Airlie Beach; the Ngaro Trail on Whitsunday Island; and upgrades of day use areas in Lake Eacham and Springbrook National Park. The LNP government opened public consultation for Destination 2045 in December. Loading On Monday, Premier David Crisafulli and Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell unveiled the resulting plan, calling it 'a visionary roadmap to supercharge the state's industry into a new era of growth, innovation and global leadership'. 'We know we live in an amazing part of the world, and what this is about is unlocking opportunities for people to deliver a tourism product and for people to be able to work in the industry as we open up this great state to the globe,' Crisafulli said. India has been identified as a 'burgeoning market' for Queensland to tap into. 'And the best way to we can do that is by bringing a direct flight into Brisbane,' Crisafulli said. Powell said the focus on ecotourism would promote visitation and conservation of unspoilt natural areas.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Tasmania, we're coming for you': 20-year tourism plan to make Queensland No.1
The Crisafulli government has announced a 20-year plan for the tourism industry, with the state's tourism minister suggesting Queensland would rival destinations such as Tasmania and New Zealand by 2045. Destination 2045: Queensland's Tourism Future includes six strategic priorities to build Queensland's tourism industry, with plans to expand ecotourism, attract world-class events, create a fund to entice direct flights to new markets, rejuvenate the Great Barrier Reef islands and boost marketing. The first 45 ecotourism projects to be delivered include the Thorsborne Trail on Hinchinbrook Island; the Wangetti Trail, north of Cairns; the Whitsunday Skyway in Airlie Beach; the Ngaro Trail on Whitsunday Island; and upgrades of day use areas in Lake Eacham and Springbrook National Park. The LNP government opened public consultation for Destination 2045 in December. Loading On Monday, Premier David Crisafulli and Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell unveiled the resulting plan, calling it 'a visionary roadmap to supercharge the state's industry into a new era of growth, innovation and global leadership'. 'We know we live in an amazing part of the world, and what this is about is unlocking opportunities for people to deliver a tourism product and for people to be able to work in the industry as we open up this great state to the globe,' Crisafulli said. India has been identified as a 'burgeoning market' for Queensland to tap into. 'And the best way to we can do that is by bringing a direct flight into Brisbane,' Crisafulli said. Powell said the focus on ecotourism would promote visitation and conservation of unspoilt natural areas.
