Queensland government hits Underground Coal Gasification player Linc Energy with environmental damage charges

Anger and accusations fly over why an official investigation took nine months with little detail of what damage was caused.

15 April, 2014

Queenslanders dispatched to disaster management school

Catastrophic floods delivered harsh and real lessons for Queenslanders about how to deal with the forces of nature. Now the Newman government is trying to put that knowledge and experience to work by creating a disaster management training course.

11 April, 2014

Queensland hunts for new freight rail operator

The anticipated growth of freight rail use over the next decade has led the Queensland government to look for a new operator to manage heavier and more frequent loads.

31 March, 2014

New emergency vehicle sensors trialled on Gold Coast traffic lights

The Queensland government is seeking to reduce emergency service response times by trialling new traffic light triggers that can detect the flashing lights and sirens of approaching vehicles and automatically switch signals to green to minimise traffic disruption.

21 March, 2014

New Queensland planning reforms spruiked as economic stimulus

Ambitious reforms to demystify “complicated” planning laws are being spruiked by the Campbell Newman government in a long-term bid to boost economic growth across the Sunshine State.

18 March, 2014

Queensland applauds Abbott’s $6.7 bn for Bruce Highway

A federal government commitment to flood-proof Queensland’s Bruce Highway is being predictably hailed by the Campbell Newman government.

13 March, 2014

Entsch backs Mossman’s rejection of Woolworths traffic lights, slams Katter

The local member for Leichhardt is siding with his community while rejecting neighbouring interlopers.

13 March, 2014

Queensland takes American advice on natural disasters

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has flown to the United States to see first hand how a collaboration between the Queensland University of Technology and the California Institute of Technology can help mitigate and better manage natural disasters.

10 March, 2014

Legal lessons from the Queensland Health Payroll Report

By Michael Grosser* The Queensland Government’s procurement practices and the acceptance of the role of probity advisors have evolved considerably since 2007 when it commenced the procurement activity for the Queensland Health Payroll System. Probity is now recognised by Queensland Government agencies, statutory bodies and Government Owned Corporations as being an integral part of how […]

23 January, 2014

Queensland boosts public service pay by 2.2 per cent

By Paul Hemsley Queensland public servants have won a long awaited pay rise of 2.2 per cent per year over three years after the Newman government gave tactical ground in drawn out dispute with unions over what constituted “fair and reasonable” salary increases. The pay rise will be given to 48,000 Queensland public servants covered […]

11 December, 2013

Centrelink staff risk being stranded in desert

By Julian Bajkowski Centrelink staff working in the remotest parts of Australia could be placed at risk after the agency ordered the removal of survival tools like car recovery kits carried in vehicles working in the outback according to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU). The union is taking the Department of Human Services […]

10 December, 2013

QLD’s ban on IBM stays put as state government sues for damages

By Julian Bajkowski Queensland premier Campbell Newman has confirmed that a ban on IBM securing new public sector business in the state is still standing after the government commenced legal action for damages late last week in the Supreme Court of Queensland. A spokesman for the Premier told Government News that there has been “no […]

9 December, 2013

Queensland transport minister tries to sell second-hand train toilets

By Julian Bajkowski and Paul Hemsley Queensland’s Minister for Transport Scott Emerson has left little to the imagination on what he thinks about the state’s previous train procurement efforts after he announced that “the Newman Government will sell 50 toilets to finally wipe clean Labor’s failed attempts to deliver regional train travel.” It’s still a […]

6 December, 2013

Queensland doctor dispute goes federal

By Julian Bajkowski The industrial relations row over moves by the Queensland government to force the state’s doctors onto individual workplace contracts has escalated to a national level after the Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) Federal Council formally condemned the move as draconian and unfair. The entry of the AMA’s national arm into the dispute is […]

26 November, 2013