Latest news with #DepartmentofTransport
The Age
9 hours ago
- Business
- The Age
Brisbane news live: Lord mayor accuses PM of ‘misinformation' on Story Bridge
Latest posts Brisbane mayor accuses PM of 'misinformation' By Brisbane's lord mayor has accused the prime minister of peddling 'misinformation' over Story Bridge funding. Anthony Albanese told ABC radio last week the crumbling asset was a 'local road' and therefore responsibility for its maintenance fell on council. Adrian Schrinner disagreed. 'It's called the Bradfield Highway and part of the national movement network and listed on the federal Department of Transport's website,' he said in council chambers yesterday afternoon. 'Calling it a local road is a bit of an interesting thing. I think that would have been fed to him by the local Labor opposition here. Loading 'It was misinformation because it certainly isn't a local road.' The stoush comes amid negotiations for a funding arrangement with the federal government for multimillion-dollar restoration works. The lord mayor said Albanese was otherwise being 'very reasonable', and federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Catherine King was engaging in negotiations. 'We're dealing very closely with minister King, who didn't call it a 'local road' and actually said it's the second most important bridge in Australia,' Schrinner said. 7.14am The weather this Wednesday Thought it was cool in Brisbane overnight? Make sure you have an extra blanket on for tonight, then, when the overnight temperature is set to plunge to a chilly 11 degrees. Before then, Brisbane is set for a mostly sunny day, with a top of 22. The days ahead a predicted to be much the same, with just a few degrees' difference. Here's the seven-day outlook: 6.52am While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: Senator Dorinda Cox called One Nation leader Pauline Hanson a 'f---ing retard' in a text message leaked after she defected to Labor. The mother and sister of Cairns-born man Lamar Ahchee, who was arrested for allegedly taking delivery of 1.7 kilograms of cocaine, wept during a meeting with him, his lawyers say. Accused killer Erin Patterson has told the jury about her relationship with her in-laws and ex-husband, as well as her love of mushroom foraging. Joe Biden's inner circle lied about the president's mental state. Now, journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson have written a damning account. Elon Musk amplified his criticism of the sweeping tax and spending bill that US President Donald Trump has been pushing fellow Republicans in Congress to embrace, calling it a 'disgusting abomination' that will increase the deficit. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it any more,' Musk wrote in an X post. Australians' living standards are being undermined by restrictions on where homes can be built and the types of businesses being established across the nation's cities, the OECD has found. We inhale about 15 cubic metres of air every day, and you can bet that air contains a good dose of mould spores. But when does it become risky to health? Medical experts have laid bare the risks of the Run It Straight social media craze, which has already ended in tragedy. But contestants say they're 'blessed' to compete.
Sydney Morning Herald
9 hours ago
- Climate
- Sydney Morning Herald
Brisbane news live: Lord mayor accuses PM of ‘misinformation' on Story Bridge
Latest posts Brisbane mayor accuses PM of 'misinformation' By Brisbane's lord mayor has accused the prime minister of peddling 'misinformation' over Story Bridge funding. Anthony Albanese told ABC radio last week the crumbling asset was a 'local road' and therefore responsibility for its maintenance fell on council. Adrian Schrinner disagreed. 'It's called the Bradfield Highway and part of the national movement network and listed on the federal Department of Transport's website,' he said in council chambers yesterday afternoon. 'Calling it a local road is a bit of an interesting thing. I think that would have been fed to him by the local Labor opposition here. Loading 'It was misinformation because it certainly isn't a local road.' The stoush comes amid negotiations for a funding arrangement with the federal government for multimillion-dollar restoration works. The lord mayor said Albanese was otherwise being 'very reasonable', and federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Catherine King was engaging in negotiations. 'We're dealing very closely with minister King, who didn't call it a 'local road' and actually said it's the second most important bridge in Australia,' Schrinner said. 7.14am The weather this Wednesday Thought it was cool in Brisbane overnight? Make sure you have an extra blanket on for tonight, then, when the overnight temperature is set to plunge to a chilly 11 degrees. Before then, Brisbane is set for a mostly sunny day, with a top of 22. The days ahead a predicted to be much the same, with just a few degrees' difference. Here's the seven-day outlook: 6.52am While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: Senator Dorinda Cox called One Nation leader Pauline Hanson a 'f---ing retard' in a text message leaked after she defected to Labor. The mother and sister of Cairns-born man Lamar Ahchee, who was arrested for allegedly taking delivery of 1.7 kilograms of cocaine, wept during a meeting with him, his lawyers say. Accused killer Erin Patterson has told the jury about her relationship with her in-laws and ex-husband, as well as her love of mushroom foraging. Joe Biden's inner circle lied about the president's mental state. Now, journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson have written a damning account. Elon Musk amplified his criticism of the sweeping tax and spending bill that US President Donald Trump has been pushing fellow Republicans in Congress to embrace, calling it a 'disgusting abomination' that will increase the deficit. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it any more,' Musk wrote in an X post. Australians' living standards are being undermined by restrictions on where homes can be built and the types of businesses being established across the nation's cities, the OECD has found. We inhale about 15 cubic metres of air every day, and you can bet that air contains a good dose of mould spores. But when does it become risky to health? Medical experts have laid bare the risks of the Run It Straight social media craze, which has already ended in tragedy. But contestants say they're 'blessed' to compete.
Irish Examiner
15 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Viaduct the 'most challenging section' of South Kerry greenway to build
The Glinsk Viaduct and Drung Hill tunnels in South Kerry, one of the rail engineering wonders of the Victorian era and the jewel in the crown of the long awaited South Kerry greenway, is proving "challenging" to turn into a cycleway, a meeting has heard. 'The pace' of the 32km paved greenway project between Glenbeigh and Cahersiveeen, unveiled as a template for all other greenways in June 2014 and billed to open in 2016, was raised at a meeting of the Kenmare Municipal District. However, planning challenges, including a lengthy oral hearing, and opposition by some of the 197 landowners along the route, meant it finally got the go-ahead in 2020. Various sections are 'at different stages of construction', with around 8.5km currently being built, but no section will open this year, the council told the meeting. "The most challenging section' , the 11-span viaduct, 73 ft above the Glinsk Valley and old sandstone tunnels at Drung hill, is now approaching, the meeting was told. Tender documents are being drawn up for this section between Mountain Stage and Kells Post Office. 'There are engineering challenges,' engineer Padraig Teahan admitted, after Fine Gael councillor Teddy O'Sullivan Casey asked if there were ' issues with the viaduct'. 'It's an old structure and has to be brought up to standard,' Mr Teahan said. 'From an engineering perspective, that section is proving very challenging,' the engineer told Mr Casey. The viaduct opened for rail traffic in August 1893 as part of one of the most scenic rail journeys ever opened in Ireland. In its 2013 application to the Department of Transport's national cycle network funding scheme, Kerry County Council said 'initial structural inspection of the Glensk Viaduct and the tunnels at Drung Hill suggest that they will require only minor repair and environmentally sensitive lighting.' The cost estimate at the time was €4.8m with the scheme to be completed in 2016. Earlier this year, €7.2m, the bulk of the greenway funding for Kerry, was allocated to the South Kerry greenway via the active travel scheme of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). Kenmare Municipal District Council chairman and Fianna Fáil councillor Tommy Cahill said the failure to open even one section this year was 'very disappointing'. A number of businesses had closed waiting for the greenway to open. 'It is very disappointing. It is a lifeline for businesses who are only hanging on,' he said. The current management approach by TII did not allow for separate phases of the project to be opened, the council said. This article was funded by the Local Democracy Scheme. Read More Cork and Kerry secure major share of €67m greenway funding
West Australian
a day ago
- Automotive
- West Australian
Driving Change: Wunan helps overcome barriers to licences in the Kimberley
The biggest obstacle to getting her driver's licence for Kununurra woman Rose Lewis was simply getting behind the wheel. With no family car, the road to 50 hours of supervised driving — and her licence — seemed like a long and winding one. But East Kimberley Aboriginal organisation Wunan changed that by offering her driving lessons from her workplace at its head office where she was employed as a receptionist. 'I never had a car for a long time like my family didn't, and so the drivers would actually pick me up from my work and take me out, which is really great,' she said. Ms Lewis is one of 1,637 people across WA who have obtained their driver's licence through the Department of Transport's driving access and equity program. DAEP supports people who face barriers in the licensing process to obtain their driver's licence, develop safe driving habits and improve their employment opportunities. Many learner drivers struggle to obtain a licence because they do not have regular access to a vehicle to complete the required 50 hours of supervised driving, or they can't afford a driving instructor to teach them. The DAEP provides grants to community-based organisations to deliver projects on the ground, improving access to appropriately licensed vehicles, driving supervisors and instructors and providing road rules education and assistance with identity documents. Assistant transport minister Jessica Stojkovski said the program did not just offer participants the keys to a car. 'The keys are actually to opportunity,' she said 'Getting your driver's licence, it's not just your photo and details on an ID. It's the capacity to be able to go out and get a job. 'Also the work Wunan are doing along with the driving instructing is important. That is, getting some of those health checks done, making sure that their vision and their hearing is good, working through any illiteracy issues as well.' Ms Stojkovski said some family and domestic violence refuges were referring women to Wunan to obtain their driver's licences so they can have greater access to services and job opportunities. 'I think the impact of this program is widely felt,' she said. Almost $26 million in grant funding has been delivered through the program to 29 organisations across WA since it was established in 2022. That includes five organisations in the Kimberley with 1,258 people participating in the program and, so far, 488 licences being issued.
IOL News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- IOL News
Driving licence printing machine fixed but huge backlogs remain
The Department of Transport has repaired the driving licence card printing machine after months of downtime, but a significant backlog of unprinted cards remains. Image: File Millions have been spent on repairing and maintaining the driving licence card printing machine. The Department of Transport announced earlier last month that the driving licence printing machine was fixed and operations have resumed. The machine had been inoperative since February 5, resulting in a backlog of 747,748 unprinted cards. To reduce the backlog, the Department of Transport's Driving Licence Card Agency extended the working hours of its staff members. In light of this, in a parliamentary question and reply, Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi asked Transport Minister Barbara Creecy about the number of times the machine broke down and how much it cost to repair it. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Zibi then asked how many employees it takes to operate the machine and how much overtime pay has been paid to employees due to lost printing time because of machine breakdowns. Zibi also asked Creecy if there was progress in acquiring a new card machine. Creecy said the backlog of driving licences as of May 15 was estimated at 733,000 cards. Creecy revealed the machine's major breakdowns in the past financial year are as follows: 2022/23 - 26 working days 2023/24 - 48 working days 2024/25 - 17 working days 2025/26 - 38 working days Over the same period, repairs and maintenance costs: 2022/23 - R9,267,862,33 2023/24 - R1,651,772,57 2024/25 - R544,747,64 2025/26 - R624,988,10 (to date) Overtime payment, over the last few financial years, has been: 2022/23 - R1,435,376,79 2023/24 - R1,608,102,52 2024/25 - R1,351,473,78 2025/26 - R0,00 Creecy said it takes four people to operate the machine. About progress made with the process to acquire a new driving licence card printing machine, Creecy said: 'The Minister has directed that a declaratory order be sought from a competent court on the tender to acquire a new machine, in order to ensure that no further irregular expenditure occurs.'
