Latest news with #TertiusPickard
Perth Now
08-08-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Big bin change coming for one Aussie state
The Queensland Government has initiated sweeping changes to the Sunshine State's way of tackling waste. Nearly 500,000 extra green bins will be rolled out across the state which will save 100,000 tonnes of green waste from going to landfill, the government said. Currently, funding has been approved for four LGAs, which will allow them to obtain new kerbside organic bins, replace older bins and bin lids with new ones and introduce education and awareness activities for recycling. The LGAs which have been approved include the city councils of Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Gold Coast and Brisbane City. Councils have been encouraged to sign up to the government's $151 million project so they can prioritise garden waste collection. NewsWire/Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia A government spokeswoman said green waste bins 'deliver a genuine win-win for the environment by diverting organic waste from landfill and reducing methane gas emissions'. 'To date, more than $41 million has been approved to seven Queensland councils across South East Queensland, Central and Far North Queensland,' she said. 'Less waste going to landfill means Councils avoid paying a waste levy, while freeing up greenfield housing sites for more homes.' Councils can apply for government grants which allow them to replace old dark green bin lids for new bright green ones, introduce recycling education campaigns and even rollout new bins across their communities. NewsWire/Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia Queensland Environment and Tourism minister Andrew Powell said his government was 'committed to reducing waste in landfill while increasing Queensland's recycling rate.' 'Every time a Queenslander puts items like grass clippings and tree branches in a green bin, they are helping us boost recycling rate,' he said. Moreton Bay mayor Peter Flannery said his LGA had diverted 'more than 20,000 tonnes of garden organics from landfill' since December 2024. 'This continued funding helps to support our commitment to going green and making it easy for residents to recycle garden waste at home.'
Perth Now
07-08-2025
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Calls for revamped charge to hit drivers
The federal body tasked with boosting Australian living standards has reissued calls for a national road user charge to help fund major infrastructure projects, which would also force drivers of electric vehicles to contribute to road maintenance. As it stands, EV drivers are not subject to the 51.6 cents per litre fuel excise drivers ultimately pay when refuelling at the bowser. The call to arms was detailed in the Productivity Commission's (PC) analysis of the National Competition Policy – the fourth of five reports handed to Jim Chalmers ahead of the Economic Reform Roundtable later this month. This follows long-term calls by the PC to enact a road user charges on all vehicle types, with a current charge only applied to heavy vehicles through a diesel excise. 'Road infrastructure should be funded through user charges (prices) that reflect the efficient cost of providing and maintaining that infrastructure,' the report said. 'By giving drivers a clear signal about the cost of infrastructure, they would have an incentive to use it more efficiently. 'Moreover, there will be a signal to infrastructure providers where changes in road capacity are warranted.' The Productivity Commission urged the federal government to consider national reform to funding roads infrastructure, which includes the use of a road user tax on all vehicles. NewsWire/ Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia It said national reform should be prioritised following the High Court challenge which overruled the Victorian government's attempt to put in place a 2 cents a kilometre on EV drivers in 2023. The PC also noted that the 'growth in use of electric vehicles' should be 'added impetus' for priority reform, with the commission set to give its final report to the Treasurer in late October. 'The decision of the High Court rules out state-based distance road user charges and means governments need to consider a national approach to road funding,' it said. 'This opens the opportunity to design a system that is less fragmented and better reflects the costs of providing and using road infrastructure.' In an earlier report released this week, the PC urged Labor to scrap subsidies on EVs, like the fringe benefits tax exemption on electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Instead, it said the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard should be the 'main tool for promoting clean vehicles'. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has previously doubted issuing a road user charge for EVs, but flagged tax settings may have to change as EV take-up increases. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Previously Mr Chalmers has said the government has no immediate plans to tax EV users, however he said discussions with the sector and states had been ongoing. 'Over time, the use of fossil fuels in our car fleets will come down, and EV use will go up,' he told reporters in July. 'We've seen that, and we're making a contribution to that with our policies and that will have implications for the tax base.' However, despite lags at a federal level, the NSW state government has flagged a distance-based charge for eligible EVs set to come into place from July 1, 2027, or when EVs make up 30 per cent of all new vehicle sales. The PC's analysis of competition policy also found regulating Australian standards with overseas standards could boost GDP by up to 0.2 per cent a year – a nominal increase between $1.9bn to $3.8bn. Occupational licensing reform, which would make it easier for workers to move interstate, was noted as a competition-boosting change which would result in the biggest affect on the economy, which could deliver between a $5bn to $10bn boost to GDP. This comes after the government flagged changes to design a national scheme for people in electrical trades in the March federal budget.
Perth Now
15-07-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Fear of measles outbreak in mining town
An isolated West Australian mining town is experiencing a suspected outbreak of one of the world's most contagious diseases after a miner and a Qantas flight staff member were diagnosed with the illness. It's understood the initial case developed in a miner who had been working at the BHP mine site in Newman, an outback WA mining town, in early July. BHP confirmed it was monitoring another staff member, still at the site, who had developed a confirmed case of measles and several others who were isolating as a precaution because they were presenting symptoms. Patient zero took flights within Western Australia in late June and early July. NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui Credit: News Corp Australia 'Our health and safety team has implemented precautionary measures for the wellbeing of our workforce and the community,' a BHP spokesman told Perth Now. It's understood the person harbouring the initial case of measles had flown on Qantas Flight QF1705 from Newman to Perth on June 23 before making their way back to Newman on flight QF1708 on July 2. A Qantas spokesman confirmed to Perth Now that one of the flight crew contracted measles after a flight in early July. 'We advised WA health of our team member's positive diagnosis and conducted contact tracing internally to identify other staff who may have been in contact with the impacted crew member,' he said. A Qantas staff member also contracted the illness. NewsWire/Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia The crew member is isolating, and no further symptoms are present. The WA Department of Health has advised anybody who 'visited an exposure location' during the indicated dates and times to pay attention to any possible symptom developments for 'between 7 to 18 days'. 'Persons who have received two measles vaccinations and those born before 1966 are considered immune to measles. On rare occasions, vaccinated individuals may develop a mild illness,' the department said. 'Anyone who has travelled overseas or attended any of the above listed areas, and are not immune to measles, are at risk of developing measles. Those presenting signs and symptoms of measles should be tested.'
Herald Sun
24-06-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Qatar Airways suspends all flights after Iranian strikes on US air base
Australian travellers are being warned to closely monitor their flight schedules after several planes were diverted and an airline suspended all flights amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Iran launched an attack on the US' Al Udied Airbase in Qatar overnight, following the US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities days earlier. The attack was thwarted without casualties, Qatari authorities have said. Flights for a major Middle Eastern airline have been cancelled, causing chaos for thousands of Australian travellers. Picture: Supplied Qatar Airways temporarily suspended all flights in the wake of the attack, due to the closure of air traffic movement in the State of Qatar. 'We are working closely with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to support any passengers that have been impacted, and will resume operations when the airspace reopens,' the airline said in an online statement. 'The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority.' Flights are avoiding Iran as the country launched missiles into US' Al Udied Airbase in Qatar. Picture: Flightradar The airline has since confirmed it was reinstating its flights as the airspace reopened. Additional staff have been deployed at Hamad Interational Airport and other airports to assist passengers affected by the delays and cancelled flights. 'As operations resume, we anticipate significant delays to our flight schedule,' the spokesman said. 'We would advise passengers to check or the Qatar Airways mobile application ahead of travel.' The temporary closure of the Qatari airspace forced several flights from Australia to divert to other countries. A Virgin Australia spokesman told NewsWire two flights operated by Qatar Airways had been diverted on the way to Doha. Flight VA1 (Sydney–Doha) was diverted to Bengaluru and VA15 (Brisbane–Doha) diverted to Muscat. The flight from Sydney to Doha was forced to perform a U-turn halfway through the flight, before landing in Bengaluru in India. 'Both aircraft landed safely,' they said. 'Guest recovery is being co-ordinated by Qatar Airways, including support on the ground and assistance with onward travel arrangements.' Qatas have also diverted flights amid the missile strike on US Al Udied Airbase in Qatar. Picture: NewsWire/Tertius Pickard Qantas flights have also been impacted by the closures, with one flight from Perth to London being diverted to Singapore, carrying 199 passengers and 14 crew. 'Due to airspace closures and congestion through the Middle East resulting in air traffic restrictions, QF9 (Perth-London) has been diverted to Singapore and QF33 (Perth-Paris) is returning to Perth,' the spokesman told NewsWire. 'We continue to monitor airspace availability closely and will alter our schedule as required. 'We thank our customers for their patience and understanding.' The Qantas spokesman said all passengers and crew would be provided overnight accommodation. The diverted flight will impact another flight's departure, due to a lack of aircraft on the round, with recovery being assessed. The QF33 flight from Perth to France has returned to Perth, carrying 216 passengers and 14 crew, while the QF1 flight from Singapore to London is continuing as scheduled, and is travelling north of the impacted airspace. The Qantas spokesman said the QF2 flight from Singapore to Sydney is not affected. Flight VA1 from Sydney to Doha was forced to perform a U-turn and diverted to Bengaluru in India. Picture: Flightradar Passengers scheduled to travel on Virgin Australia flights between Australia and Doha are advised to closely monitor their flight information. Doha is one of the major stopovers for Australians travelling to Europe, which is entering its summer season. One Australian who was planning to fly to Dublin on Tuesday told Today he saw 'lights coming from the distance' as missiles hit the skies. 'And at first it sort of it felt like sort of dull fireworks there, with a bit of rumblings going off,' he said. On Tuesday morning, Foreign Minister Penny Wong condemned Iran's strikes on the US bases of Qatar and Iraq, reiterating calls for 'de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy'. 'There have been disruptions to flights with temporary airspace closures in the region,' she said. 'Closure of airspace around transit hubs may impact flights globally, causing delays and cancellations. Australians travelling should seek updates from their airlines and follow (Smartraveller). 'Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government's 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre 1300 555 135 (within Australia) and +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas).' More to come Originally published as Qatar Airways reinstates all flights after Iranian strikes on US air base
Perth Now
23-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Chaos for Aussies as airline suspends flights
Flights for a major Middle Eastern airline have been cancelled, causing chaos for thousands of Australian travellers. NewsWire/Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia A major airline has cancelled all flights and others are being diverted amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Iran launched an attack on the US' Al Udied Airbase in Qatar overnight, following the US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. Qatar intercepted the missiles without any casualties. Qatar Airways confirmed on Tuesday morning it would be suspending all flights amid the closure of air traffic movement in the State of Qatar. Flights for a major Middle Eastern airline have been cancelled, causing chaos for thousands of Australian travellers. NewsWire /Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia 'We are working closely with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to support any passengers that have been impacted, and will resume operations when the airspace reopens,' the airline said in an online statement. 'The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority.' The closure of the Qatari airspace has reportedly forced several flights from Australia to divert to other countries, as per Today. More to come
