Search

Placeholder Content Image

The truth about ‘illegal’ car snacks revealed

<p>Be it a long haul trip between towns, a coastal getaway, or an early morning Saturday sports run to the local oval, drivers all across Australia have found themselves steering to the drive-through or reaching in the Esky for a much-needed snack. </p> <p>And while rumours have swirled for years that such an act could put hungry drivers behind bars, they don’t have to fear any longer. Road rules may differ from state to state, but at the end of the drive, the answer remains the same: it isn’t illegal to eat while driving in Australia. </p> <p>There are, of course, various conditions that come along with the ruling, and most circle back to whether or not a driver is in complete control over their vehicle at the time of snacking. </p> <p>For example, in New South Wales, if you are found to have lost control of your vehicle due to eating, police officers have the power to impose a fine of $481 and three demerit points. </p> <p>In Victoria, there is no specific rule that prevents drivers from digging in on their drive. However, they can still receive a careless driving charge if eating is found to have a negative impact on either their concentration or their control over their vehicle. This charge comes with a penalty of $444 and - like New South Wales - three demerit points, as well as a maximum of 12 court penalty units if the driver is found guilty by a magistrate. </p> <p>The state of Queensland follows suit - it isn’t illegal there either, though “distracted driving” remains a real threat, with research even determining that eating can be just as dangerous as texting while behind the wheel. And drivers found to be travelling without control over their vehicles can face a fine of up to $575. While this is larger than either New South Wales or Victoria’s financial penalty, the demerit point cost remains the same at three. </p> <p>As a spokesperson for Queensland Transport and Main Roads told <em>Drive</em>, “a driver must always have proper control of their vehicle and drive with care and attention for the safety of other road users.</p> <p>"While there are no specific laws prohibiting a driver from eating while driving, it is up to the driver to ensure they remain in proper control of their vehicle and sufficiently alert to the road environment."</p> <p>And for drivers in the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania, Western Australia, and South Australia, <em>Drive</em> have reported that the message essentially remains the same. While there are no rules that specifically prohibit behind-the-wheel snacking, a driver can - and will - face penalties if they are found to be demonstrating poor control of their vehicle.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

Australia’s top towns revealed

<p dir="ltr">A study has compared 752 small Australian towns and crowned the 36 at the top of the pack. </p> <p dir="ltr">The study was <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/australias-best-towns-kiama-margaret-river-shoalhaven-among-the-top-places-to-live/news-story/695405e2e1787d67e64a93495a6cb8e6">published by <em>The Australian</em></a>, and saw demographer Bernard Salt consider criteria such as unemployment, diversity, median income, technical skill, and education across the 752 towns in his mission to declare the best of the best in each Australian state and territory. </p> <p dir="ltr">More specifically, Salt looked at towns that: </p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Earn more than $1,282 per a week household median income</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Less than 5.1 per cent unemployment</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">More than 15 per cent attained university education</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">More than 36 per cent with technical (trade) skill</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">More than 12 per cent workforce owner/manager</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">No less than 14 per cent born overseas</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">At least 17 per cent volunteer</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">At least 14 per cent provide unpaid care e.g., for example to a relative</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">More than 59 per cent have no long-term health condition</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">More than 6.5 hours per a week in unpaid domestic housework</p> </li> </ul> <p dir="ltr">Salt’s findings revealed a town in each state and territory that was “drawn from a list of 36 finalists that survive most of the filters”, and ultimately declared to be a step above the rest. </p> <p dir="ltr">For Queensland, Tamborine Mountain came out on top. </p> <p dir="ltr">For the Northern Territory, it was Nhulunbuy. </p> <p dir="ltr">For South Australia, Mount Barker. </p> <p dir="ltr">Western Australia, Dunsborough. </p> <p dir="ltr">Victoria, Bright. </p> <p dir="ltr">Tasmania, Legana. </p> <p dir="ltr">And last but not least, Kiama took the trophy for New South Wales, as well as bragging rights as “the standout overall.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“In the modern era, say the 2020s and beyond, I think that small-town Australia, as well as big-city Australia, needs skills, training, entrepreneurial energy and a measure of diversity to deliver opportunity to residents,” said the founder of The Demographics Group.</p> <p dir="ltr">“What this exercise shows is that across the continent Australians want more or less the same thing when it comes to living in a small town,” Salt went on, “proximity to a capital or major regional city; a tree-change or a sea-change environment; or, better still, all three criteria jammed within a single location offering views and amenity.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“The Australian people have spoken through their collective responses to the census,” he concluded. “Sea-change, tree-change, big-city access and a place of their own within which they can potter about and steadily make improvements, while also volunteering, caring, and making a contribution to the local community. That is the essence of small-town Australia.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And of course if you disagree with the metrics and the logic of how the top towns were selected, then you are free to <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/top-towns">jump on to the website</a>, access the model, switch around the metrics and come up with your own version of Australia’s top towns. Hours of fun for the demographically inclined.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty </em></p>

Domestic Travel

Placeholder Content Image

Investigation launched after helicopter crash sees four dead

<p>Investigators have begun searching for answers about the fatal helicopter crash that left four people dead on the Gold Coast.</p> <p>After a mid-air collision on Monday afternoon, the distressing scene played out in front of thousands of guests visiting Sea World, and the busy Gold Coast Broadwater for the New Year’s Day public holiday.</p> <p>Initial reports suggest one helicopter was taking off as the other was landing when they collided.</p> <p>“One was trying to leave and they both smacked into each other,” a witness told 7NEWS.</p> <p>“Then they broth dropped and one of the helicopters actually lit on fire.”</p> <p>Another witness described the explosion that followed the collision.</p> <p>“We just looked up and they instantly hit each other,” she said.</p> <p>“Blades went flying, flames everywhere.”</p> <p>One helicopter fell upside down into a sandbank at the water’s edge scattering debris over a wide area around 2 pm on Monday near the popular theme park.</p> <p>On board, four people were killed and three passengers were critically injured.</p> <p>The second aircraft landed safely, but the windscreen was damaged. Queensland Ambulance supervisor Jayney Shearman said another six patients were treated primarily for glass shrapnel wounds.</p> <p>He said the “airframe has crashed and it was upside down”, and its front was severely damaged.</p> <p>The helicopter had no nose and no windscreen, after both were blasted off in the moment of impact and those below the crash could only run from the blades of the first helicopter spearing into the sand.</p> <p>Tourists became rescuers, as people on jet skis and in boats rushed to help the victims at the small sandbank before paramedics and police arrived on the scene.</p> <p>They were confronted with a “significant incident”, Queensland Police Acting Inspector Gary Worrell said.</p> <p>Members of the public rendered immediate assistance, working alongside police to remove people - including at least one child - from the wreckage as it burst into flames.</p> <p>They commenced first aid and tried to get those people to safety from the airframe that was upside down, Worrell said.</p> <p>Jayney Shearman from QAS said they attended to 13 people from both helicopters.</p> <p>“There were three critical patients that were treated and there were six with minor injuries that were all transported through to hospital,” she said.</p> <p>“The minor injuries were mainly glass shrapnel that had come from the impact.”</p> <p>Shearman said there were a number of critical injuries, “what we call multi-system trauma which means that there was a lot of impact to the body”.</p> <p>In the initial stages, she said, it was very important to have some basic life support which was being conducted by first-aiders.</p> <p>Two people, a woman and a child were taken to Gold Coast University Hospital while another child was airlifted to Queensland Children’s Hospital.</p> <p>Six other people are at Robina Hospital being assessed in the emergency department and it is understood some may be eventually transferred to Gold Coast University Hospital.</p> <p>Sea World’s chief pilot Ashley Jenkinson has been confirmed as one of the victims. He leaves behind a wife and a young son.</p> <p><em>Images: 7News</em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Mother's devastating tribute to fallen officer

<p>Sue Arnold, the mother of one of the fallen police officers killed during the horror ambush in remote southeast QLD, has shared a brief but touching tribute online.</p> <p>Constable Rachel McCrow, 29, and Constable Matthew Arnold, 26, were fatally shot at a property in Wieambilla, three hours outside of Brisbane as they carried out a missing persons call.</p> <p>“Rest In Peace, my beautiful boy,” she wrote.</p> <p>The two officers were brutally murdered by the two brothers who stood over them and shot them again at close range, even as Constable McCrow pleaded for her life.</p> <p>Neighbour Alan Dare was also shot and killed in the attack, which sparked a massive manhunt for the offenders – Nathaniel and Gareth Train, and Gareth's wife Stacey.</p> <p>Two other brave police officers, Constable Keeley Brough and Constable Randall Kirk, both 28, narrowly survived the attack, with Constable Brough becoming trapped in burning bushland as the assailants tried to smoke her out.</p> <p>Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers told NCA NewsWire that a team of 16 special forces officers were shot at as they tried to retrieve the bodies and rescue Constable Brough.</p> <p>“What I do know, is that after (the ambush), as the 16 went to retrieve Matt and Rachel, that they were fired at continuously,” he said.</p> <p>“They put their lives on the line to try to retrieve their colleagues in the hope they would be able to render first aid and save their lives but sadly that didn’t happen.</p> <p>Mr Leavers said constables Arnold and McCrow were “executed in cold blood”.</p> <p>The pregnant wife of Constable Kirk has also <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/pregnant-wife-of-surviving-police-officer-opens-up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared a touching update from hospital</a>, where her husband is recovering.</p> <p><em>Image: Supplied</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

This could be Australia's most affordable mansion

<p>What could well be Australia’s cheapest mansion has been found – and it's listed for roughly a quarter of the value of Sydney’s median house price.</p> <p>89 Harris Street in Queensland's coastal town of Emerald is a Spanish-style property located three hours inland from Rockhampton, and it's on the market with an asking price of just $360,000.</p> <p>With a sweeping footprint, four bedrooms and statement kerb presence flourished by nine handsome arches, it is a true bargain.</p> <p>"EXTENSA MANSIÓN ESPAÑOLA!" headlines the listing. In English it translates to "extensive Spanish mansion".</p> <p>The town has experienced strong house price growth over the past five years.</p> <p>"This sprawling Spanish type mansion is one of a kind for sure. Extremely deceptive from the street, you will not believe the layout of this home," the listing reads.</p> <p>The vendors paid $300,000 for the five-bedroom, Spanish Mission-inspired property nine years ago, Domain's Pricefinder data shows. They scored it for under the asking price at the time, with historical campaign records on Pricefinder showing a $400,000 price guide.</p> <p>A mid-range home in Sydney, Australia's highest-value capital city, hovers around a median of $1,552,000.</p> <p>Inside Harris Street, vast red-tiled floors, wood chandeliers, a fireplace with an ornate chimney and decorative sconces in the living rooms and bedrooms lend character true to the Spanish style.</p> <p>The outdoor zone shows enormous promise, with a deep patio and large, built-in brick barbecue beneath an angled roof, with exposed beams.</p> <p>The median house price in Emerald is $345,000, according to Domain's latest House Price Report.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Real Estate

Placeholder Content Image

Queensland’s high-tech plan to make the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games smarter and greener

<p>With Brisbane to host the 2032 Olympic Games, Queensland is accelerating “smart” and “green” infrastructure projects right across the coast from Coolangatta to Coolum.</p> <p>So what practical steps is the state government taking to bring Brisbane closer to being a smart city while managing rapid growth? And what differences can city residents realistically expect to see for themselves?</p> <h2>Exploiting a quarter century of technological progress</h2> <p>Vastly more ambitious than the South Bank building boom, which preceded Brisbane’s World Expo 88 in the pre-internet era, Queensland’s current infrastructure programs are exploiting the last quarter-century of technological progress.</p> <p>Think sensor-triggered street lights, automated air conditioning and watering of parks and green facades. Envision robots for cleaning and construction, satmaps, swipe cards and QR codes. Data technology will be embedded in 32 existing and planned Olympic venues, the future athletes’ village at Northshore Hamilton (near Breakfast Creek) and the international media centres.</p> <p>Technology will also underpin a substantial city centre at Maroochydore. Here, a mid-rise precinct will be powered via a solar farm at nearby Valdora, and will include fibre-optic telecommunications cables. In what may be a first for Australia, a new system will sluice garbage from chutes through <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-21/maroochydore-rubbish-revolution-envac-underground/7864272">underground vacuum pipes</a>.</p> <h2>A ‘New Norm’ Olympics</h2> <p>All Games facilities must align with a set of 118 reforms the International Olympic Committee (IOC) calls its “<a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/faq/roles-and-responsibilities-of-the-ioc-and-its-partners/what-is-the-new-norm">New Norm</a>” guidelines.</p> <p>These were introduced in 2018 to improve energy efficiency, cost-effectiveness and long-term value from the huge development expenditure required of host governments. There had been concerns about integrity and wastefulness in the IOC’s old-school supervision of Games bidding and delivery processes.</p> <p>Brisbane’s Games win is accelerating and expanding some major public mobility programs offering “turn up and go” transport routes for the 4.4 million people expected to live in South-East Queensland by 2031.</p> <h2>Aerial taxis without pilots</h2> <p>The most provocative proposal – still speculative – is to introduce <a href="https://www.austrade.gov.au/international/invest/investor-updates/wisk-s-self-flying-electric-air-taxis-to-land-in-australia">aerial taxis</a> to fly passengers without pilots, but remotely supervised, between future “vertiports”.</p> <p>A prototype eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft is in Brisbane while its American manufacturer, Wisk Aero, seeks approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to operate commercially before the 2032 Games.</p> <p>Wisk (<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/3/23380518/wisk-aero-air-taxi-electric-autonomous-boeing-faa">backed by Boeing</a>) has completed more than <a href="https://wisk.aero/news/press-release/generation6/">1,600</a> test flights with six generations of aircraft. The Brisbane model has 12 lift fans on two 15-metre wings and is powered by a battery in the tail.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RLmeMgXbF9Q?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Delegates at a recent Smart Cities Council transport workshop I attended noted the potential of autonomous aerial vehicles to change patterns of housing development beyond road and rail links. Even so, Queensland is rapidly expanding its terrestrial network.</p> <h2>Land transport projects</h2> <p>Brisbane’s <a href="https://crossriverrail.qld.gov.au/about/rail-route/#:%7E:text=The%20Cross%20River%20Rail%20route%20includes%20a%205.9%20Kilometre%20underground,information%20on%20Brisbane's%20first%20underground!">Cross River Rail</a> line is being extended northwards through a new twin tunnel under Brisbane River and four new underground stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street and Roma Street.</p> <p>This project uses smart <a href="https://crossriverrail.qld.gov.au/news/first-mega-machine-ready-to-go/">tunnel-boring machines</a> to carve through the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-14/what-is-brisbane-tuff-volcanic-rock/12435462">tuff</a> (a type of volcanic rock, pronounced toof) that formed Brisbane’s geology more than 200 million years ago.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TpWitOUYlHY?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>As well as supporting the new health, science and education precinct near Boggo Road, this rail extension will connect the city’s southern suburbs with the existing line north from Bowen Hills.</p> <p>And work continues on extending the Brisbane-to-Gold Coast light railway (also known as the <a href="https://ridetheg.com.au/">G:Link</a>).</p> <p>This extension will provide eight new stations along a <a href="https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/projects/gold-coast-light-rail">6.7km track from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads</a>. The G:Link service uses German Bombardier Flexity carriages that are bi-directional and air-conditioned, with low-level floors matching station platforms and storage for wheelchairs, bikes, prams and surfboards. These are electric-powered via 750V overhead cables.</p> <h2>Superfast bus charging</h2> <p>More innovative is the Brisbane Metro project, which is being tested to potentially supply <a href="https://thedriven.io/2022/08/08/brisbane-confirms-order-for-60-all-electric-trackless-trams-with-flash-charging/">60 electric buses</a> (or “trackless trams”) to supplement the city’s existing fleet. These would be battery-powered by a combination of 600kW, six-minute, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KtciCz92VE">superfast “flash chargers”</a> at end-of-line stations and 50kW, overnight, slow chargers at depots.</p> <p>Each bus can be recharged up to 85 times faster than an electric car at home – but the flash system degrades batteries more than slow charging overnight.</p> <h2>Healthy footbridges</h2> <p>Although two of Brisbane’s four proposed “green bridges” for pedestrians and cyclists were <a href="https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-and-transport/roads-infrastructure-and-bikeways/green-bridges/st-lucia-to-west-end-green-bridge">paused</a> to prioritise flood recovery, new crossings from the city to Kangaroo Point and Newstead to Albion are expected to open in 2024.</p> <p>The Kangaroo Point green bridge will include a <a href="https://brisbanedevelopment.com/updated-kangaroo-point-green-bridge-design-to-include-bar-restaurant/">restaurant overlooking the botanic gardens</a>. Newstead bridge will join the <a href="https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-and-transport/roads-infrastructure-and-bikeways/green-bridges">1.2km-long Lores Bonney Riverwalk</a>.</p> <p>These are examples of a new phenomenon in public transport planning – to not merely move people between destinations but also boost their health and enjoyment outdoors.</p> <p>As Corey Gray, global CEO of the Smart Cities Council, told me at the Smart Cities Council conference:</p> <blockquote> <p>Smart cities are not ultimately about data and technology, but improving human systems.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193949/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/davina-jackson-122586">Davina Jackson</a>, Visiting Scholar, Department of Architecture, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cambridge-1283">University of Cambridge</a></em></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/queenslands-high-tech-plan-to-make-the-2032-brisbane-olympic-games-smarter-and-greener-193949">original article</a>.</p>

Domestic Travel

Placeholder Content Image

Brave grandmother defends grandson from group of violent thieves

<p>An elderly woman in Queensland has been injured while defending her grandson from a group of alleged teen thieves.</p> <p>The incident took place inside a carpark in a shopping centre, located in Maryborough, and the video has been shared around social media.</p> <p>Footage shows the group of youths opening the back of a red car and attacking the boy inside. They’re seen throwing punches and attempting to grab his legs. It is believed they were trying to steal the victim’s shoes.<br />The woman, who is understood to be the boy's grandmother, attempted to intervene by trying to grab one of the attackers, placing herself between her grandson and the other boys.</p> <p>The woman in her 70s was injured and the group fled before the police could arrive. They are yet to be charged but police urge anyone with information to come forward.</p> <p>“This was obviously a concerning incident, where a number of youths approached a youth in the carpark who was there with his grandmother,” Maryborough Inspector Paul Algie said.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

"Backbone of our unit": Tributes pour in for Aussie medic killed in Ukraine

<p dir="ltr">A young Aussie medic from Queensland has been killed by Russian artillery fire in the Ukraine, leaving his family mourning the tragic loss of their son.</p> <p dir="ltr">27-year-old Jed William Danahay, from the rural town of East Nanango was killed in Eastern Ukraine on August 24 – with his death confirmed by the Department of Foregin Affairs – while working as a combat medic, assisting frontline troops when they were injured.</p> <p dir="ltr">At the time, Danahay was driving the medical vehicle when he was targeted by Russian forces and subsequently caught in an artillery attack.</p> <p dir="ltr">The family of the victim, his two older brothers and parents, have described his incredible character and desire to help others.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Jed lived his life trying to help other people, in his short time on this earth Jed did more things than most of us will ever do in a lifetime,” the Danahay family said in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">They described his adventurous nature, which led him on many journeys around the world.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Jed died doing what he believed in, helping people who needed it. He was at his heart an optimist and always believed that things should be better.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Jed’s comrades in Ukraine described him as the backbone of their unit, a hero and someone who they could all trust their lives to.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He will be missed dearly by his friends and family.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The family concluded by saying if anyone wants to help, they encourage them to support the Ukrainian people.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: DFAT</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

QLD Police announce passing of beloved police dogs

<p dir="ltr">Queensland Police have announced the deaths of two of their beloved dogs who assisted police on their missions.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a heartbreaking Facebook post, Queensland Police shared photos of PD Yogy and PD Hexa, sharing their incredible contributions. </p> <p dir="ltr">QPS Dog Squad reported the passing of retired Police Dog Yogy aged 11 years and Police Dog Hexa aged 16 years.</p> <p dir="ltr">“PD Yogy performed operational duties in the Gold Coast and Ipswich Districts from 2012 to 2020 and was highly regarded for his tracking ability,” the post read. </p> <p dir="ltr">When PD Yogy retired, he was living a “life of luxury” with his handler and family. </p> <p dir="ltr">PD Hexa underwent a Drug Detection and Cadaver Course and successfully completed it but did not go ahead with it. </p> <p dir="ltr">She was needed in a more important job - being a mother.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite this, PD Hexa still contributed to the QPS dog squad and Australasian dog agencies. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Rest in peace, our four legged friends.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

“No sentence will be adequate”: Judge delivers ruling on killer teen

<p>The Queensland teenager who was drunk and high on cannabis when his stolen Landcruiser ploughed into expectant couple Kate Leadbetter and Matthew Field has finally learnt his fate before a judge.</p> <p>The learner driver crashed the stolen four-wheel drive, killing the engaged couple and their unborn child, changing their devastated families' lives forever.</p> <p>A tragedy was "almost inevitable" when the drug-fuelled teen began driving recklessly and dangerously in the stolen Landcruiser, a court has heard. It took only 20 minutes before the teen ploughed into Field and partner Leadbetter.</p> <p>The driver, who cannot be named because he was 17 at the time, will be released from custody six years to the day after the horror collision.</p> <p>"One episode of offending ... resulted about 20 minutes later in the heart-rending death of an innocent young couple," Justice Martin Burns said to the teen during sentencing on Wednesday.</p> <p>"[The teen] ... drove ... so dangerously over a sustained period ... without any regard for the safety of anyone ... that something like the terrible tragedy which unfolded must be seen to be an almost inevitable consequence."</p> <p>The teen ran a red light at Alexandra Hills, colliding with a truck before rolling and hitting the couple.</p> <p>Mr Field, 37 and Ms Leadbetter, 31, were killed instantly, suffering "catastrophic injuries".</p> <p>The teen fled with minor injuries, stealing keys from a nearby house before being caught by a resident before police arrived.</p> <p>He later appeared shocked he was responsible for the couple's deaths when interviewed by detectives.</p> <p>He had been drinking and using cannabis from about 10 am the day of the fatality and had a blood alcohol content of between 0.151 and 0.192% two hours after the crash.</p> <p>Earlier, he'd gone with a friend to Cleveland to get more cannabis and was found with almost $6000 when arrested.</p> <p>Justice Burns said taking into account the teen's protracted period of extremely dangerous driving that culminated in a grossly negligent final act, he regarded the manslaughter offences as "particularly heinous".</p> <p>But the teenager had to be <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/brief-stay-for-teen-charged-with-murder-over-fatal-car-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sentenced as a child</a>, with the "grave nature of offending" balanced by his youth. The given sentence was also based on the teenager not intending to kill or do grievous bodily harm.</p> <p>The teen's upbringing was "marked by significant deprivation and neglect" with his mother being sent for psychiatric treatment and his father to jail, Justice Burns said.</p> <p>The teenager - who was first charged with murder, but pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and a raft of other charges - stood stony-faced as he was sentenced.<br />Justice Burns sentenced the teen to 10 years in detention, requiring him to serve 60% of that sentence. He will be released on Australia Day 2027, at the age of 23.</p> <p>However, Justice Burns added: "No sentence will be adequate ... [and] can't do justice to the suffering you have caused."</p> <p><em>Image: ABC</em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Brief stay for teen charged with murder over fatal car crash

<p>The sentencing of a Queensland teenager who was charged with murder over a crash that claimed the lives of Matthew Field and Kate Leadbetter has been delayed.</p> <p>Matthew Field, aged 37, and Kate Leadbetter, aged 31 – who was six months pregnant - were walking their dogs in Alexandra Hills, southeast of Brisbane, on Australia Day in 2021 when a four-wheel-drive ploughed into them.</p> <p>It was alleged that the driver – a boy of 17 at the time of the accident who cannot be named because of his age – ran a red light in a LandCruiser. He collied with a truck before the car rolled and hit the couple.</p> <p>The couple died at the scene and it was alleged the teen fled before stealing keys from a nearby house.</p> <p>He was arrested by police and set to be sentenced in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday June 7.</p> <p>At the time of his arrest the teen was charged with two counts of murder, offences relating to dangerous driving while under the influence of an intoxicant, failing to fulfil duties at the scene of a crash, wilful damage and burglary.</p> <p>However, at the hearing on June 7, Justice Martin Burns delayed submissions due to legislation requiring a biological parent of the teen to be in attendance.<br />He ordered the teen's mother attend court, adjourning the hearing until she arrives.</p> <p><em>Image: ABC </em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Bride's horror story after discovering bloodstains on her wedding dress

<p>A young bride has relived the moment she discovered blood-sucking leeches underneath her wedding dress just moments after her first dance.</p> <p>Madalyn Wise, from Queensland, said she and her husband Jayden were whisked away to a “sludgy grass” area to take intimate wedding portraits after they tied the knot in the NSW Hinterlands early 2021.</p> <p>Three hours later, she was on the dancefloor with friends and family when her quick-thinking mother-in-law pulled her into the dressing room after spotting blood on her white dress.</p> <p>At first, Madalyn thought the stress she experienced in the lead up to her wedding day triggered an “early period”. However - upon a closer inspection, leeches were found including a “fat and thick” one behind her knee joint.</p> <p>“There were three leeches - one underneath my foot, one in the pit of my knee like the armpit of my knee and there was another one crawling up my leg,” Madalyn said on TikTok.</p> <p>“The fat one filled up with blood and dropped off my leg on the dancefloor, which is why so much blood started to come out on my dress.</p> <p>Madalyn said she suspected the leeches crawled up her legs while she was posing for pictures in a wet area.</p> <p>“In the lead up to our wedding, we had a lot of rain... So during the photo shoot, we did have to go into some really long, sludgy grass to get some nice photos,” she explained.</p> <blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@madalyn.wise/video/7101834441022000385" data-video-id="7101834441022000385"> <section><a title="@madalyn.wise" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@madalyn.wise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@madalyn.wise</a> There’s always something that doesn’t go quite right at your wedding, right? 😂🤦🏻‍♀️ <a title="leech" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/leech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#leech</a> <a title="weddingtiktok" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/weddingtiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#weddingtiktok</a> <a title="wedding" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/wedding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#wedding</a> <a title="weddingnightmare" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/weddingnightmare" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#weddingnightmare</a> <a title="foryoupage" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/foryoupage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#foryoupage</a> <a title="fyp" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#fyp</a> <a title="ohno" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/ohno" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#ohno</a> <a title="♬ Oh No - Kreepa" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Oh-No-6586947002464996102" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ Oh No - Kreepa</a></section> </blockquote> <p>“Basically what I think had happened was we went and did this photo shoot in the afternoon, at some point during the shoot, the leeches made their way up my leg while we were going through the sludgy grass.</p> <p>“The leeches were there from the photo shoot until our first dance. So it was literally on me throughout my whole reception - throughout dinner, the speeches and our first dance.”</p> <p>Just minutes after dancing with her new husband in front of guests outside, everyone returned to the barn where they “danced the night away”.</p> <p>“I think I had been dancing with my friends for maybe one or two songs and all of a sudden, my mother-in-law grabs me and she’s like ‘Come with me’... then she starts lifting up my dress,” Madalyn recalls.</p> <p>Upon checking, they spotted two leeches on her - while the third was found on the dancefloor.</p> <p>Her wedding coordinator sponged all the blood out of her dress while her photographer bandaged her leg up.</p> <p>“We ended up finishing off the night just dancing, mingling with guests and I was showing everyone my bandaged leg. I ended up putting my dress back on because all the stains were out.”</p> <p>Madalyn said everything turned out “fine” after her wedding night - but she did experience itching around the affected areas on her leg.</p> <p><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Noosa resident sells home for 190 times what they paid for it

<p>A buyer has swooped in on a waterfront mansion in Noosa Heads, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.</p> <p>The property comes with a $17 million price tag and cost the vendor only $90,000 when purchased in the mid-'80s.</p> <p>On the numbers, it truly is the deal of a lifetime.</p> <p>The six-bedroom house at 32 Noose Parade was built in 1985 on a plum parcel of land, capturing 20-metre river frontage.</p> <p>The sold price for the brick home on highly-sought after Noose Parade, on the Noosa River, has not been disclosed, but the advertising campaign called for offers over $17 million.</p> <p>If the property achieved close that sum, which it is understood to have, it would be second highest sale ever in Noosa Heads, behind $19.5 million paid this year.</p> <p>The Sunshine Coast and Queensland property record is $34 million paid for the stunning 17 Webb Road, Sunshine Beach, in June last year.</p> <p>Listing agent for 32 Noosa Parade, Tom Offermann, said the riverside location is the "holy grail" for property seekers in Noosa Heads, and the home sold for its land value. He declined to comment on the buyer or their plans for the property.</p> <p>Offermann, director of Tom Offermnan Real Estate, said Noosa Parade has immense appeal and homes often only come to market when vendors reach older age.</p> <p>The listing for 32 Noosa Parade gives away very little about the condition of the house, but the few photos attached hint that it is faithful to the original design.</p> <p><em>Image: Domain</em></p>

Real Estate

Placeholder Content Image

Supercheap Auto hero finally speaks

<p>Darren Woolfe – the former Supercheap Auto worker who found viral fame recently – has finally broken his silence.</p> <p>After being labelled a <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/supercheap-auto-hero-flooded-with-job-offers-after-being-stood-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hero by many</a>, with the clip of him apprehending an alleged shoplifter amassing more than 7 million views – he remains remarkably humble, saying he was just doing his job.</p> <p>“You don't expect that to happen when you go to work, you don't expect someone to be filming something like that. You go in and do your job and go home,” he shared.</p> <p>His employer was not so quick to praise, however, and temporarily stood him down from his role – which he revealed, even two weeks on, has been especially hard.</p> <p>“It's been a struggle, a huge impact on myself and my family... they are my number one focus at the moment.”</p> <p>Supercheap Auto have been widely slammed online over standing Mr Woolfe down but said it had policies in place that prevent confronting alleged shoplifters for everyone's safety.</p> <p>The owner of rival store Autobarn at Burleigh Heads, Michael Farrar, said that he has lost more than $15,000 worth of goods to shoplifters in the last year.</p> <p>And so Mr Woolfe has now taken up new job with the new company.</p> <p>'In businesses you can measure a lot of things with KPIs like performance, but loyalty you can't measure,' Mr Farrar said.</p> <p>'So I thought he's a very loyal kind of guy and the sort of person I want on my team.'</p> <p>Mr Woolfe shared that he is looking forward to clocking in at his new job at Autobarn, and finally putting his viral fame behind him.</p> <p>'It's a new start for me... I just want this finished,' he said.</p> <p><em>Image: Nine </em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

QLD police slammed over Hitler image used in training graphic

<p>A silhouette looking like Adolf Hitler has been used in a Queensland Police domestic violence module.</p> <p>The Hitler-looking silhouette was used as part of a coercive control online training program, with the figure asking questions of a domestic abuse victim.</p> <p>Queensland Police said the image was accidentally used on two of the pages in the training program which may have been viewed by 8,641 officers.</p> <p>“One of the images in the online training package inadvertently included an inappropriate background image,” they said in a statement.</p> <p>“A silhouette image depicting a male officer in a peak cap was unintentionally used after searching ‘police officer silhouette’ on design program, Canva.”</p> <p>Queensland Police confirmed the image is being removed.</p> <p>The domestic violence module was designed to show officers the impact of coercive control on victims.</p> <p>It helps train officers to identify perpetrators and how to take the right action within their legal limits.</p> <p>Real life experiences are used as case and investigative studies.</p> <p>Deputy Police Commissioner Tracy Linford was thoroughly grilled over the mishap by 4BC radio host Neil Breen in an interview on Wednesday over how such an “embarrassing mistake” could be made.</p> <p>“If that sort of mistake is getting through into the coercive control online training module, what else is going wrong?” Breen said.</p> <p>“I think the Queensland Police Service is broken on this issue and you’re (Ms Linford) at the helm of it.</p> <p><em>Image: 7News</em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Clive Palmer rushed to hospital

<p>Mining magnate Clive Palmer has reportedly been rushed to hospital in an ambulance after developing Covid-19 symptoms.</p> <p>It is understood the 67-year-old unvaccinated billionaire turned politician was taken to Pindara Private Hospital on the Gold Coast. Earlier this week, Mr Palmer postponed his National Press Club address.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">The NPC has been informed as of 10am 22/02/2022, that <a href="https://twitter.com/CliveFPalmer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CliveFPalmer</a> has been directed not to travel due him showing COVID-like symptoms. Therefore, today's address has been cancelled. All ticket holders will be refunded. If you have any queries please call the Club.</p> <p>— National Press Club (@PressClubAust) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressClubAust/status/1495899557934387206?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>He had been due to travel from the Gold Coast to Canberra but pulled out after suffering “flu-like symptoms”, according to his spokesperson.</p> <p>“Clive Palmer has been directed not to travel due to him showing Covid-like symptoms,” the NPC said on Tuesday.</p> <p>Mr Palmer has publicly opposed Covid-19 vaccine mandates via his United Australia Party, as well as supporting the anti-lockdown rally which was held in November: “I’m not vaccinated and I don’t intend to be,” he said at the time.</p> <p>Mr Palmer was recently in Sydney, where he stayed on board his luxury yacht. He had travelled to NSW to testify at his defamation trial against Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

QLD Police make a Brisbane boy's dreams come true

<p>A Brisbane boy has been gifted a support puppy in a heartwarming gesture from Queensland Police.</p> <p>Remi Rooney was given his new best friend, a Labrador puppy named Copper, on Tuesday to help him face the tragic reality of life without his parents.</p> <p>Remi lost his father back in June after he was allegedly killed by Remi's mother, who is now facing charges over the man's death.</p> <p>Bonita Vivien Coue was charged with murder after allegedly killing 51-year-old Kerry Rooney by stabbing him earlier in the year.</p> <p>The case has faced lengthy delays due to "significant" material being missing from a brief of evidence.</p> <p>Before his father died, Remi and his dad both desperately wanted to get a dog but couldn't get one in the unit they shared.</p> <p>But now, Remi's dreams have come true as he has a new best friend to keep him company.</p> <p>When Remi was surprised by the puppy, he was overjoyed and asked officers, "Is he mine?"</p> <p>Police responded with, "He's all yours!"</p> <p>Remi's grandmother Noeline spoke to <em>Sunrise</em> to tell them of the tragic impact her son's death has had on both her and Remi.</p> <p>“Remi’s been our main priority, but I’ve still lost my son.”</p> <p>“I try to cry quietly at the sink, but he’s got ears like elephants and he comes and says - are you upset?”</p> <p>Senior Constable Karen Edwards told Sunrise that the idea of gifting the puppy came from Remi's counsellor.</p> <p>“It all came about through a counsellor, when she said he really could do with something for him to love for himself.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Fugitive accused drug lord captured

<p><em>Image: NSW Police</em></p> <p>After being on the run for weeks, Sydney fugitive Mostafa Baluch has been found hiding inside a car being transported on a truck to Queensland.</p> <p>Police had been searching for the man since he cut off a tracking device and disappeared from his home in Sydney, on the Northern Beaches.</p> <p>The 33-year-old is charged with financing an attempt to important 900kg of cocaine into NSW earlier this year.</p> <p>It is believed he had been planning to flee overseas in hopes of dodging a potential life sentence for the alleged smuggling plan.</p> <p>Acting on information from investigators, Queensland police stopped a truck as it crossed the NSW border into Queensland at 1:00 am today.</p> <p>Officers located Mr Baluch, who was hiding inside a grey Mercedes. He was then arrested and taken to Southport watch-house, where a warrant was executed.</p> <p>Organised crime squad detectives are now travelling to Queensland, to seek Mr Baluch’s extradition to NSW when he appears at Southport Magistrates Court later today.</p> <p>Mr Baluch allegedly cut off tracking device that was on his ankle on October 25th, days after he was granted bail over the attempt to import cocaine from Ecuador to Australia.</p> <p>The drugs were seized from a vessel travelling off the coast of Ecuador in April and had a street value of $270 million.</p> <p>Last week police said evidence suggested Mr Baluch had a “senior role” in a wider criminal network and they had concerns for the public’s safety while he remained at large.</p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

“Blatant scare mongering”: QLD Premier cops flak

<p><span>Annastacia Palaszczuk has copped backlash from members of the Morrison </span>government after being accused of being "out of control".</p> <p>The Queensland Premier has been blasted over her refusal to agree to a plan to open state borders, with government members claiming she is keeping <span>Queenslanders in a “state of perpetual anxiety”.</span></p> <p><span>The </span>National cabinet has been working closely with the Doherty Institute, who have advised <span>lockdowns and enforced border closures would no longer be needed when </span>vaccinate rate reach a specific threshold. </p> <p>Despite this, <span>Ms Palaszczuk continues to defy instructions from federal government, </span>which has infuriated many senior cabinet figures of the Morrison government. </p> <p>Her concerns about opening borders stem from the issue over needing to vaccinate children under 12 against coronavirus, and how they would be put at risk. </p> <p><span>Ms Palaszczuk told parliament she wants more research into the impacts of COVID-19 on children and for this risk to be considered in the plans to open borders. </span></p> <p>“Unless there is an answer on how these young people are going to be vaccinated, you are putting this most vulnerable population at risk,” she said.</p> <p>“You open up this state and you let the virus in here, every child under 12 is vulnerable."</p> <p><span>Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews accused the Premier of “scaremongering”, while Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg continued to attack the Premier on <em>Sunrise</em> on Thursday morning. </span></p> <p>“It‘s a desperate denial of the reality and is not based on the medical advice,” he said.</p> <p>“The medical advice is that we should vaccinated people aged 12 to 15 – which we’re doing.”</p> <p>Joining in on the argument, <span>LNP senator and Assistant Minister for Women Amanda Stoker called Palaszczuk’s arguments “utterly unreasonable”.</span></p> <p><span>“No where in the world is there a vaccine that’s approved for under 12s, nowhere,” she said. </span></p> <p><span>“She’s set a goalpost that can be met by no one."</span></p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty Images</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Our Partners

Over 60

© Copyright 2024 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved.