world news

Day zero approaches for Stanthorpe as locals face prospect of levy to cover cost of trucked-in water

Locals describe it as the "worst drought in living memory" but things are about to get worse in the Queensland town of Stanthorpe with its water supply just weeks from drying up.





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Flu kills Queensland mother of three, leaving husband grieving for 35-year-old 'soulmate'

Jacinta Foulds's husband shares his grief just hours after the 35-year-old's death to warn others how suddenly influenza A can kill, saying: "I've lost my soul mate and the mother of my children. If you're sick, go to the doctor".




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Flu shot more likely to save your life than not getting it, says influenza researcher

An influenza expert says getting vaccinated against the infectious disease is more likely to save your life than going without the flu shot, yet only around 30-40 per cent of people are getting their jab.




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Muckadilla pub in Queensland outback gutted by fire in matter of minutes

Outback journalist Jaimee-lee Prow is on the spot in the southern Queensland town of Muckadilla as fire guts the local pub.




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Woman killed, man and three children hospitalised after fiery crash in rural Queensland

A car carrying two adults and three children hit a tree and caught fire at Durong, about 90 kilometres north-west of Kingaroy this afternoon, with the driver believed to have swerved to avoid a kangaroo.




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Mehmed Solmaz jailed for 25 years for killing ex-wife Fatma Solmaz after fight over heater

A Melbourne man who killed his former wife with an electrical cord and then fled to Queensland is jailed for 25 years for what the judge described as a crime of "extravagant drawn-out violence".




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Naponi survived a violent husband, then faced a new battle getting her community to believe her

The man Naponi married tried to kill her more than once. Even after he was finally taken to a psychiatric hospital, Naponi faced another battle: convincing her community to believe her story.






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Streetscape from the Toowoomba suburb where Naponi lives




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Church in Toowoomba




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Naponi at home




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Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk visits drought-ravaged Granite Belt




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Vincent O'Dempsey charged with murder over cold case disappearance

Police allege Mr O'Dempsey killed Vincent Allen, who was last seen alive in 1964. His body has never been found.




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gympie muster naked winner




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The Gympie Country Music Muster is getting naked to 'strip away' mental health's stigma

Not many music festivals would encourage fans to get naked for their events, but the Gympie Music Muster in south-east Queensland is doing just that.





world news

New Hope threatens to sack 150 coal miners unless New Acland mine expansion approved

New Hope says the Queensland Government must approve its New Acland mine expansion by this weekend or redundancies will begin on Monday, in what is considered the state's longest-running mine dispute.




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Critical water restrictions in southern Queensland see tradies banned from using water

Car and house washing are off limits in Queensland's Southern Downs as residents are urged to use no more than 100 litres a day.




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MC Sally Rigney thanks guest speaker Leanne Murphy at Weengallon Pink Ladies Day.







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Pink Ladies Day 2019 hosted 750 women in the middle-of-nowhere town of Weengallon.





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A committee of volunteers has been running the annual Weengallon Pink Ladies Day for the past 20 years.




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Iconic Weengallon Pink Ladies Day bush charity event ends on high with record crowds

Every year for the past two decades, the tiny Queensland town of Weengallon has played host to huge crowds of women dressed in pink who gather for a good cause.




world news

Queensland drought-ravaged community needs request in writing for government help

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk visits drought-ravaged Granite Belt, where dam levels are so low water could run out by December. She vows she will not allow that to happen but needs a written request for help from council.





world news

Bought and sold 20 times, but no-one's slave: Hayfa Adi's story

Hayfa Adi was abducted by Islamic State militants in northern Iraq, held for more than two years and repeatedly raped, beaten and traded like livestock. Now living in Australia, she is trying to find out what happened to her husband.



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world news

Queensland's bushfire emergency uncovers reluctant hero firefighter

Ballandean rural firefighter Aaron Cox whose viral photo captured the hearts of Queenslanders following a horror bushfire emergency says he's glad the image gave people an avenue to thank the wider firefighting community.




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How Australia's largest swimming pool was built on a natural mineral spring at Helidon

For a time in the 1960s, a natural spring at the foot of the Great Dividing Range was home to Australia's largest swimming pool and legendary "mini-Woodstock" rock concerts.




world news

Widow calls for suicide prevention services in regional cities after husband's death

Beth McEwan's world was shattered when her husband Grant took his own life last year. She says he fell through the cracks of the mental health system in their regional city and is calling for services to bridge the gap between hospital and home.




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Couple builds rain-mimicking sprinklers for garden

Using his experience as a scientist, Toowoomba gardener Peter Williamson and his horticulturalist wife Charmaine have developed a sprinkler system that simulates rain.




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DIY recycled watering system that 'mimics rain' keeps garden alive in drought-stricken Queensland city

As Queensland's Darling Downs continues to experience one of its worst droughts on record, a scientist and a horticulturalist have developed a recycled watering system to keep their garden alive.




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Student climate striker Ariel Ehlers, 12, goes it alone in Chinchilla, a hotbed of coal and gas

A Year 6 student who lives in a town surrounded by mines and CSG wells demonstrated by herself during last week's climate strike. But the reaction to her protest proved she was anything but alone.




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Dairy farmer says exodus could have been prevented if supermarkets passed on milk price increases

Another Queensland dairy farmer forced to send his herd to the meatworks says it may not have come to that if major supermarkets had passed on milk price increases.




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Roma Saleyards celebrate 50 years of cattle sales and look to the future despite ongoing drought

Over half a century, the Roma Saleyards in southern Queensland have become more than just a place to sell and buy livestock. They're a meeting point, a social occasion and even an unlikely tourist destination.




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Bushfire destroys home in Lockyer Valley town of Laidley as locals told to seek shelter

At least one home is destroyed and there are fears for several others as fire crews deal with a bushfire emergency at Laidley in Queensland's Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane.




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Bushfire closes Warrego Highway as dozens of blazes burn across Queensland

The blaze, which is now contained but still smouldering, had prompted a warning for locals in nearby Marburg to evacuate. The warning has been lifted but authorities are still fighting about 30 fires across the state.




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Credit cards, drought, bad loans create crippling debt for rural Australians

In a small town in country Australia an elderly man is praying he won't live to 91, like his father. He doesn't have the money, and it feels like debt is closing in on him.




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Queensland farmers finding solace in glimpses of green as drought grinds on

Some southern Queenslanders say they're watching Midsomer Murders just to get a glimpse of flowing water. Despite the "pathetically dry" conditions, they are finding much-needed solace in their gardens.




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Ongoing drought, calicivirus decimate feral rabbit populations in Queensland's Southern Downs

A combination of drought, disease and concerted eradication efforts have seen a huge drop in Queensland's feral rabbit population to their lowest levels in more than 30 years.




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Bald Hills head-on crash cuts short Shahid Islam's life, days from a fresh start

The 36-year-old's family were preparing to embark on a new chapter in their lives, moving closer to friends and community. Now they're preparing the husband and father's funeral.




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Kurdish Queenslanders desperate to hear from families trapped in Syrian conflict

The battle between Turkey and Syria may be 13,000 kilometres from Toowoomba, but the effect of the war is being anxiously felt by the Queensland city's new Kurdish community.




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Groundwater impact review questions Government's own report on controversial New Acland coal mine

Drought-stricken Queensland farmers are worried about where their underground water is going as a new report questions the impact of a controversial coal mine.




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Flying foxes




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Job applicants forced to give blood tests, waive privacy rights to work on Shell's QGC project

A company working on the Shell-owned Queensland Gas Corporation project tells job applicants they will not be accepted until they submit to blood tests to check if they are at risk of heart attack, high cholesterol and other conditions.