At a summit to save the Great Barrier Reef on 24 October, Premier Anna Bligh asked the public how to improve the sediment-laden water that threatens to choke the Reef. She still plans to triple Queensland's record export rate of climate-changing coal by 2030, and ignores Greens MP Ronan Lee's advice to restore water monitoring programs axed by her Government in 1999.

See also: "Queensland Government cracks down on farmers near Barrier Reef" on the ABC of 27 Oct 08, "Qld may regulate farms to save Reef" in SMH of 24 Oct 08, "Great Barrier Reef summit today" in The Australian of 24 Oct 08.

Trevor Rowe is chairperson of the Queensland Investment Corporation, a state-owned corporation that invests the super of Queensland public servants. He is now also the chair of BrisConnections, a private consortium that has been given the contract to build the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council's Airport Link car tunnel. So were is the superannuation of State government employees going, and what will be the most important urban transport investments in a future market that will be forced to acknowledge resource scarcity and the need for energy efficient transport?

Queensland Labor Premier Anna Bligh, in a letter published in the Courier Mail on 8 August, claimed concern at the decline in South East Queensland's koala population. However, it was her Government which only recently legislated, against community and local council objections, to fast-track the destruction of much of the remaining koala habitats in South East Queensland to make way for residential development.

What you can do: Email Premier Anna Bligh (premier [AT] ministerial qld gov au) and Deputy Premier Paul Lucas (deputypremier [AT] ministerial. qld. gov. au) to demand that they act now to end Queensland's economic dependency upon population growth, which threatens the koala and other native species, including the lungfish, with extinction.

See also: Locals join koala 'crisis' taskforce in the Bayside Bulletin of 7 Aug 08 including readers' comments.

The Yungaba Action Group is resisting the plans by the Queensland Government and the Brisbane CIty Council to allow to the historic Yungaba migrant hostel to be turned by the Singapore owned Australand into a private gated residential complex. (Originally published on this site on 15 Jun 08.)

Coming up: Fund-raising river cruise stopping at Yungaba on August 23rd.
What you can do: Nominate Yungaba as a site worth retaining.

The Electrical Trade Union's threat to disaffiliate from the Labor Party in protest at its treatment by the Queensland and Federal Labor Government begs the question of how trade unions can ever hope to be adequately represented in Parliament.

See also: QLD Labor stung by protests, poll in the Brisbane Times of 21 June 08.

A rally to protest about the costs of growth to the community and the invasion of housing and infrastructure into high biodiversity areas of South East Queensland will take place outside the Labor Party Conference at the Convention Centre on the Gold Coast this Saturday, 21st June at 10:30am.

See also: Protest at Queensland State Labor Party conference to Save the Mary River

At the elections of 15 March pro-developer councils were trounced in Redland City and on the Sunshine Coast, but this popular rejection of over-development means little to the State Labor Government of Anna Bligh and the property developers she serves.

See also: More chickens of population growth come home to roost in Queensland of 14 May 08, How to end the Queensland economy's addiction to population growth? of 26 Apr 08, Courier-Mail beats up on public for complaining about cost of 'progress' of 14 Apr 08, The Australian laments outcome of Queensland local government elections of 30 Mar 08.

Although over 90% of the world’s sharks, vital for the ecological integrity of marine eco-systems, have already been eradicated, the Queensland government plans to issue licenses for the finning of an unlimited number of sharks from the Great Barrier Reef.

Original media release from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society of 16 May 08.
What you can do: sign the petition, e-mail ThePremier[AT]premiers.qld.gov.au, …

See also: Greens call for protection of shark stocks of 4 Jun 08.

Mayor Bob Abbot's plans to cap Sunshine Coast population: applauded by residents; opposed by developers, Murdoch newsmedia, Queensland State Government.

See also Gold Coast's new Council urged to reconsider growth targets

Queensland's Premier Anna Bligh, Deputy Premier Paul Lucas and the developer Multiplex have all declined an opportunity to convince the Brisbane public of the merits of their plans to cover the northern third of the Brisbane River adjoining the CBD with a high-rise residential apartment complex.

Cate Molloy today pledged that if elected she would urge, if not demand, that the new Sunshine Coast Super Council adopt Adelaide City Council's new totally solar powered electronic bus system.

See also Cate Molloy agrees to be interviewed by OSCAR on condition that it is public

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh acts out of character in order to save one of the few remaining icons of Queensland's history in Brisbane's CBD.

Once a proponent of water fluoridation, Dr Doug Everingham, who served as Federal Health Minister in the Whitlam Labor Goverenment from 1972 until 1975, argues against the Queensland Government's plans to force Queenslanders to drink fluoridated water.

See also Qld Health staff doctored tooth decay data used in decision to force fluoridation

A delegation to the Queensland Premier, Health Minister and Chief Health Officer on the 12th February made them aware that Queensland Health staff have doctored tooth decay rates data used in the decision making process, however it appears that this is being ignored and that Legislation based on fraudulent data will be rammed through Parliament on Tuesday 26th February.

Independent Candidate for Wide Bay Cate Molloy vows to introduce bills to stop the Traveston Dam and forced council amalgamations.

Environmental laws don’t apply to mines is the message from Premier Bligh’s promise to pass special laws to override yesterday’s Court decision against Xstrata Coal, said the Greens today.

Australian Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland Larissa Waters will today meet Douglas Shire Council Mayor Mike Berwick to discuss how the Greens can help to overturn the decision to amalgamate local Councils.

The Coalition Government has exposed its hypocrisy on council amalgamations with its current attack on the Queensland Government according to Independent Member for Calare, Peter Andren.

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and his Local Government Minister Andrew Fraser have forgotten the meaning of the word 'democracy'. Mayors who consult with their own constituents over the question of the abolition of their local governments face instant dismissal. These provisions were added to the legislation which forces many Queensland local councils to amalgamate with neighbouring councils at the last minute when the legislation was rushed through in the early hours of Friday 10 August.

Those who have read "The Latham Diaries" will have found startling confirmation of the fact the State Labor Premiers are cynical enough to deliberately damage the electoral prospects of their Federal counterparts in order to better ensure their own survival at the state level.

The argument in favour of forced amalgamations has been comprehensively demolished by Professor Brian Dollery of the University of New England ...

Deborah Tabart, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Koala Foundation has written to the Queensland Environment Minister (see below) asking the the status of Koalas in the South East Queensland bio-region be upgraded from their current listing of 'vulnerable' to 'endangered' as a result of the alarming recent increase of Koala deaths. Deborah Tabart wrote:

Conservation groups throughout South East Queensland are asking the State Government to review the SEQ Regional Plan so that it reflects environmental concerns and sets sustainable levels for dwelling targets and habitat protection.

Gecko – Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council spokesperson, Lois Levy, says that members have concerns that the projected figure of 1.2million residents has not been updated to reflect the carrying capacity of
South East Queensland.

Residents of Mudgeeraba and Reedy Creek still don't know how their suburbs will grow following a public meeting on the Gold Coast's Local Growth Management Strategy held in Mudgeeraba last week.

I don't often find myself in agreement with Coalition politicians but Springborg was not too far wide of the mark when he said that the Beattie Labor Government was returned by default. Like the coalition, the Queensland branch of the Labor Party is a party which depends upon donations from property developers and land speculators.