November 14, 2024 • 17 mins
Coming up today, a local school principal speaks out about online bullying.
Some good and bad news for a couple of major local projects.
A Bundy boy singing the praises of Lifeflight to raise money.
And a Bundy mother and daughter among Queensland nominees for the Australian of the Year Awards
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I welcome to your local news Fix. Iheartwhite bay Burnette.
I'm Bruce Atkinson, joined by Nami Lynch.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
On today's episode, a local school principle speaks out about
online bullying and mixed news for a couple of major
projects for our region.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
A local school principal is urging parents to step up
and take more control of their kids' social media use.
Dan McMahon is the chair of the Queensland Catholic Secondary
Schools Principals Association. He's also the principal of Shaloam College
in Bunderberg, where fourteen year old student Isla Marshki took
her own life last month. Online bullying was a contributing factor.
(00:38):
Mister McMahon says poor online behavior is causing big problems
for our kids.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
How young people and adults behave online is a regular
problem for us. You know, I've been in a teaching
for forty plus years. I don't think young people have
changed terribly much in that time, but what has changed
is the online space. The introduction of internet and social
media has made a profound impact on how young people behave.
(01:06):
And my experience is they just make terrible mistakes online.
Mind you Soto adults, that we're a digital citizenship at
times is really flawed, and I don't think the social
media companies, the giants of social media are doing nearly
enough to address those issues. And I get a bit
(01:27):
angry about that that they're happy to rake in the
advertising dollars and have the reach and the influence that
they do, but I don't think they're taking responsibility for
the harm that's being done.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
What are you seeing in regards to online bullying at
your school but also more widespread as the chair of
the Queensland Catholic Secondary Schools Principals Association.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Well, I certainly think i'd speak for all of my
colleagues that this is a problem for every one of us,
that young people can use social media to just inflict
harm on each other and say things. Young people are impulsive,
you know that they it's part of growing up that
they It's why we say, you know, boys just do
(02:06):
silly things at times. Kids will put stuff online without
thinking about it, without thinking through the ramifications, and it
just has a much greater reach, you know. And when
you and I are at school, Bruce, if I had
to fight with you, it's you and me and I'm
saying something to you. Now online I can say it
to hundreds of people at the same time about someone,
(02:27):
and I can gather in friends and connections and it
just spreads. It's much more widespread tool than before. So
that just gives us huge issues to follow up at school,
to make sure that we keep looking after kids feeling safe,
being respected, and trying just to encourage people just to
(02:47):
be kind as a first option rather than being hurtful.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
And in the newsletter, and you're saying that parents need
to take more responsibility to looking out for their kids.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Absolutely, you know, like as a parent, I know how
difficult it is, but you know, I remember giving my
children their first phone. You know, that was lovely and
they thought that was wonderful. You know, in hindsight, I
should have put more guidelines in place than around how
it's used and what they do with it and who
they contact with that that's a parent's job. I wouldn't
(03:19):
let a stranger walk into my child's bedroom in my house,
but by giving them access to an unfettered access to
social media, that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm letting any
random stranger into my child's bedroom through social media so
I think parents do have to take some responsibility. I think,
as difficult as it is, I think parents should know
(03:39):
their child's passwork, should know should be their friends online,
should be able to read what their children are seeing.
And it's not an invasion of privacy. It's a duty
of care. And I think that thing where we let
ourselves to the book and say, oh, I'm respecting their
privacy or I trust my child, really the evidence is
that's just not good enough. Not about I trust. I
(04:01):
do trust my children, but I don't trust a whole
lot of other people out there that I don't know
and I've never met, who are interacting with my child.
So I really would encourage every parent in every school
to just be more involved with that. There's too many
things that can go wrong with that, not list of all.
Then you know the social media apps like you know,
and I mentioned Snapchat or discord. I cannot, for the
(04:24):
life of me see the value of an app the
delete content within a minute of it being posted. It's
just an encouragement for people who want to be hateful
and hurtful.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
You describe it in the newsletter. Social media apps are
just evil.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Well, some of them, I think I can't, you know,
like I'm on Facebook, it's Instagram. It's got great benefits
of keeping people connected, but they need to be used well.
But apps like you know, and I suppose I'm singling
out something like Snapchat, I just haven't seen a positive
benefit for that app at all, and certainly from the
(05:00):
evidence I've seen, it would be easy for me and
I think any principle in Australia to describe it as evil.
But it just does significantly more harm than good.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
A lot of the social media apps to have algorithms,
so if you're researching something that could be harmful, or
it could just send you down a rabbit hole and
lead to dark places, which isn't helpful as well.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Absolutely, and that's my complaint about the social media giant.
Mister Zuckerberg seems to know when I can purchase a
hose from Bunnings or online and send me all sorts
of information about hoses and accessories. If I just find
it incomprehensible that the same algorithms can't identify when people
are being hurtful or going down a harmful rabbit hole
(05:46):
and raising some red flags on that. It's just inconceivable
that they can't they don't have the technology to do that.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
You said, you've been teaching for forty plus years. What
do you think the landscape will be like if steps
aren't taken by social media companies, parents, the government say
within the next five to ten years, where do you
think we'll be with this whole issue.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
I don't want to make it an exact analogy, but
you know, it's like, you know, I read about gun
control in the United States, we all sort of scratch
our heads and say, oh, look, there's another example of
gun violence and wonder what's going to happen about it,
or what can we do? Or we we'll send people
thoughts and prayers. If we do nothing, we're just going
to keep seeing the same results. That's what will occur.
We'll keep seeing young people harmed and hurt, and we'll
(06:29):
just see a trail of destruction, which I hope is avoidable.
I really think now is a time to do something
about this. If we can make some good come from
awful circumstances, I think we should grab that opportunity.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Tragically. Eiler's death is one of two suicides by Shalom
College students in October eleven. Boy also took his own life.
It wasn't related to online bullying. Dan McMahon wants parents
and students to ask their kids and friends are you okay?
And if you are someone you know needs help, call Lifeline.
On thirteen eleven fourteen.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Life Flight has launched its Christmas appeal and a Bundee
family's leading the push for donations. Thirteen year old Eli
Jarrek had been climbing a tree in his Pine Creek
backyard in March when the branch he was sitting on
suddenly snapped and he plummeted six meters to the ground below.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
The tree is very special, hs, It's a place where
I like to hang out. I climb up and look
at the viv and see how hi.
Speaker 5 (07:29):
I heard a snap and a crack, so I looked
out the window and Eli was laying on the ground.
Honestly thought he was dead.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
He suffered life threatening injuries, including a punctured lung and
brain bleed. Life Flight critical care doctor Richard Parker raced
to the scene and immediately called in the rescue chopper.
He performed a doctor only procedure, placing Eli in an
induced coma for the flight to the Queensland Children's Hospital.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
So the procedurey I had was what we call a
rabid sequence intubation to protect his brain from a chuasic
brain in that's a doctor any procedure.
Speaker 5 (08:02):
We were up by the helicopter and News said to us,
he can probably hear you now, but we're going to
put him to safe so heavily that he won't be
able to hear you anymore. Us said, there, and we
were stroking him and just telling him that we loved him.
Then it was going to be okay. And but that
was just horrible, just thinking that you're saying goodbye, goodbye
to him.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
I sat over there, Cavy, sat where you are now.
A mom sat here messing up your hair for an
hour and a half in the flight, looking out the windows.
Speaker 5 (08:31):
I was just like, please don't let him die, Like
you know, what's our family going to be like if
we don't have him.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Elis since recovered well and he's back at school. To
show his gratitude to the Lifelike crew, he and his
mum have thrown their support behind the Services Christmas Appeal,
aiming to raise one million dollars statewide towards the Critical
Care Doctor program.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
After the break a Bunderberg mother and daughter have made
the list of Queensland nominees for the Australian of the
Year Awards.
Speaker 6 (09:00):
I Harb White Burnett, I Harb wide Burnette.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
You're listening to iHeart Wine Bay Burnett. I'm Naomi Lynch
joined by Bruce Atkinson.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
We're taking a look at two major projects in our
region this week. It's good news for one and bad
for the other. One of the first things the new
LNP state government did when coming to power was to
scrap the proposed pioneer berdic and Pump hydro project Nimckay. However,
they're proceeding with plans for the fourteen point two billion
dollar Barumba pump hydro at Imbul south of Gibbee. Deputy
(09:35):
Premier and Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Jared Blay
says it has their support.
Speaker 7 (09:40):
We've supported Barumba because it's a smaller pump hydro scheme
which we did back and we've got two local state
members up there, member for Gimpeia and the member for
Nenango who have been with you know, talking with their
community about this particular project and it had well advanced
more than Piney Berdican pump Hydro, I might add as well,
So I've spoken of the Coordinator General about that. They
(10:01):
did release not too long ago updated figures with that
the Coordinator General, which it is now a coordinated project
under the Coordinator General in the Department of State Development.
So I've got more confidence that being a coordinated project,
it will be able to be delivered on time and
on budget. Rather than the Pineyer Vertican pump hydro, which
was just a hydro hoax from the Labor Party. It
(10:22):
hadn't been given any approvals, it hadn't been a coordinated
declared a coordinator project from the Coordinator General, whereas Barumba
is and I have had those discussions with the Coordinator
General is working through at the moment, so we do
support the Barumba scheme.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
The Federal Coalition says it won't fund Barumba if it
wins the next election. Jared Blay is confident it can
be built without Commonwealth money. I'd like to hope. So, yep,
that's the good news. On the downside, Merrabra's munitions factory
has been overlooked for a major contract to manufacture artillery shells.
The one hundred and fifty five millimeter shells will be
made or the new facility in Melbourne rather than the
(10:59):
existing night A plant in Merroborough. NILA chief executive Ben
James is disappointed and says they could have produced the
shells two years sooner. Whide Bay Federal MP Lu O'Brien
says the government's decision doesn't make sense.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
When we've got the infrastructure here in Marrowborough to make
the best one hundred and fifty five millimeters artillery shells
that can be maked, can be forged, and also there's
room to expand as well. We've got the perfect setup
in Merroborough. The government contributed nearly thirty million dollars to
set it up in partnership with NIWA Munitions and Ryan Matteau.
(11:36):
They've got capacity to make these shells for Australia, which
is what the thirty million dollars out of the Building
Stronger Regions Fund was for a domestic capability. But now
this labor government's decided to partner up with the French
company Tallis and build them elsewhere. It just seems very
(11:57):
odd and it seems like waste of taxpayers money.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
The Nilea factory already employs one hundred and ten people
full time. Blue O'Brien says it's a missed opportunity to
bring more jobs and money to the city.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
So that's not including all of the jobs through construction
and the very specialized jobs that it takes to operate
that forge in the process line that creates those shelves.
But yeah, there would have been good opportunities, for better opportunities,
but for more employment. But labor has led us down badly.
(12:31):
Labor has let meraborrow down badly and we won't see
that growth under the current labor government.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
One hundred and thirty seven OSSI's are being recognized in
the lead up to the Australian of the Year Awards.
A Bunderberg mother and daughter making the list of Queensland nominees.
Taylor Larson has this story.
Speaker 6 (12:51):
Many around the Rum City with no Angels community group.
It's the result of more than nine years of hard
work from Sue and Jasmine Taska and they're not slowing down.
Speaker 8 (13:01):
We are a local Bundlebo charity and then inside that
charity we have social enterprises that fund everything we do.
So we have a second hand store, we have a
mini mart and a cafe. We have all of that
and so many people benefit from that and everyone can shop.
But the reason we have those things is to fund
our charity work. And then our charity work is a
(13:23):
support center which at the moment is temporarily closed, but
it is reopening and will be reopened before Christmas. But
it is a support center hub to help those struggling
for different reasons, sometimes financial reasons, social reasons, and in
that we include food, emergency hampers, we have showers, we
have laundries, we have mobile service charging, and then we
(13:46):
have other organizations that use the space. So we have
Bunderbog Street law. We have hair aids that come down
and they can tap into the clientele that we have
that are mostly those that are sleeping rough and we
have them come in and then they can offer free
services as well. But we also have our Christmas program,
so we do over three hundred hampers for families that
(14:09):
are struggling at Christmas, lots of toys for the kids.
And then we have a back to school program, so
that one's a massive one. Again it's usually services about
two hundred and fifty local students and we fund reason
we get them backpacked and we form with school supplies
so that every kid can start first day at school
with everything they need. And then the other big one
(14:32):
that we do is a school lunch program. Now that
program runs every single week of the year that the
schools are open, and we provide nearly three hundred school
lunches every single week and we deliver them to over
twenty different schools.
Speaker 6 (14:46):
So you started the organization following personal battles.
Speaker 9 (14:50):
If you ever told me that we're going to be
selling groceries or giving away food, it was not even
a thought when we started. It was just like more
about giving people a purpose, a reason to get up
in the morning, because when you're going through something hard
that could be the hardest part of your days to
actually make yourself get up and do something.
Speaker 6 (15:10):
They're now state finalists for the Australian of the Year Awards,
nominated in the Local Hero category. So in Jasmine aren't
too sure who put them forward, but say their work
is reward enough.
Speaker 9 (15:22):
Nine and a half years ago when we started and
we're trying fundraise and people would go, angels, how are
you what? And now you can go out and you
can say with some angels, people know and what we
could do none of what we do without the community support.
And we are so lucky. And I'm not just saying this,
we're so lucky to live in a place like Bunderberg.
(15:43):
I feel like we really are like the middleman. So
we see an unfortunate side of people really struggling, but
we love that they have somewhere that they can come
and ask for support. And we want to make start
as easy as a possible thing, because to ask for
help isn't easy. But we love that we can be
a place where they come enos. But we also get
(16:03):
to see the other side of it, where we get
to see people coming and individuals, school communities, businesses, groups
that want to help. So many people want to.
Speaker 8 (16:14):
Help, and we love we get to see that side
where people we just want to help at Christmas or
we just want to help. How do you? How can
we do that?
Speaker 6 (16:22):
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Brisbane
on Monday. They then go on to become a national finalist.
In the meantime, the women aren't letting the nomination get
to their heads.
Speaker 9 (16:32):
Imposter syndrome they call it, because you do look at
what everyone else is doing and you go, oh, God,
I don't think we belong there, and this is the
absolute truth. So look, we're going to have a nice
trip to Brisbane.
Speaker 8 (16:45):
Yeah, we'll have a nice little mother daughter trip to Brisbane.
Speaker 9 (16:48):
Won't kill each other, no, and we will have a
nice night out. And honest to goodness, what happens at
the end of it, it doesn't, It doesn't really matter.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
That's all for this week. If you want to hear
this episode again or find previous ones, look up iHeart
White bay Burnett on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Bruceon Taylor will be back next week with more local,
trusted and free news.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
iHeart Bonnette
I welcome to your local news Fix. Iheartwhite bay Burnette.
I'm Bruce Atkinson, joined by Nami Lynch.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
On today's episode, a local school principle speaks out about
online bullying and mixed news for a couple of major
projects for our region.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
A local school principal is urging parents to step up
and take more control of their kids' social media use.
Dan McMahon is the chair of the Queensland Catholic Secondary
Schools Principals Association. He's also the principal of Shaloam College
in Bunderberg, where fourteen year old student Isla Marshki took
her own life last month. Online bullying was a contributing factor.
(00:38):
Mister McMahon says poor online behavior is causing big problems
for our kids.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
How young people and adults behave online is a regular
problem for us. You know, I've been in a teaching
for forty plus years. I don't think young people have
changed terribly much in that time, but what has changed
is the online space. The introduction of internet and social
media has made a profound impact on how young people behave.
(01:06):
And my experience is they just make terrible mistakes online.
Mind you Soto adults, that we're a digital citizenship at
times is really flawed, and I don't think the social
media companies, the giants of social media are doing nearly
enough to address those issues. And I get a bit
(01:27):
angry about that that they're happy to rake in the
advertising dollars and have the reach and the influence that
they do, but I don't think they're taking responsibility for
the harm that's being done.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
What are you seeing in regards to online bullying at
your school but also more widespread as the chair of
the Queensland Catholic Secondary Schools Principals Association.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Well, I certainly think i'd speak for all of my
colleagues that this is a problem for every one of us,
that young people can use social media to just inflict
harm on each other and say things. Young people are impulsive,
you know that they it's part of growing up that
they It's why we say, you know, boys just do
(02:06):
silly things at times. Kids will put stuff online without
thinking about it, without thinking through the ramifications, and it
just has a much greater reach, you know. And when
you and I are at school, Bruce, if I had
to fight with you, it's you and me and I'm
saying something to you. Now online I can say it
to hundreds of people at the same time about someone,
(02:27):
and I can gather in friends and connections and it
just spreads. It's much more widespread tool than before. So
that just gives us huge issues to follow up at school,
to make sure that we keep looking after kids feeling safe,
being respected, and trying just to encourage people just to
(02:47):
be kind as a first option rather than being hurtful.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
And in the newsletter, and you're saying that parents need
to take more responsibility to looking out for their kids.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Absolutely, you know, like as a parent, I know how
difficult it is, but you know, I remember giving my
children their first phone. You know, that was lovely and
they thought that was wonderful. You know, in hindsight, I
should have put more guidelines in place than around how
it's used and what they do with it and who
they contact with that that's a parent's job. I wouldn't
(03:19):
let a stranger walk into my child's bedroom in my house,
but by giving them access to an unfettered access to
social media, that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm letting any
random stranger into my child's bedroom through social media so
I think parents do have to take some responsibility. I think,
as difficult as it is, I think parents should know
(03:39):
their child's passwork, should know should be their friends online,
should be able to read what their children are seeing.
And it's not an invasion of privacy. It's a duty
of care. And I think that thing where we let
ourselves to the book and say, oh, I'm respecting their
privacy or I trust my child, really the evidence is
that's just not good enough. Not about I trust. I
(04:01):
do trust my children, but I don't trust a whole
lot of other people out there that I don't know
and I've never met, who are interacting with my child.
So I really would encourage every parent in every school
to just be more involved with that. There's too many
things that can go wrong with that, not list of all.
Then you know the social media apps like you know,
and I mentioned Snapchat or discord. I cannot, for the
(04:24):
life of me see the value of an app the
delete content within a minute of it being posted. It's
just an encouragement for people who want to be hateful
and hurtful.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
You describe it in the newsletter. Social media apps are
just evil.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Well, some of them, I think I can't, you know,
like I'm on Facebook, it's Instagram. It's got great benefits
of keeping people connected, but they need to be used well.
But apps like you know, and I suppose I'm singling
out something like Snapchat, I just haven't seen a positive
benefit for that app at all, and certainly from the
(05:00):
evidence I've seen, it would be easy for me and
I think any principle in Australia to describe it as evil.
But it just does significantly more harm than good.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
A lot of the social media apps to have algorithms,
so if you're researching something that could be harmful, or
it could just send you down a rabbit hole and
lead to dark places, which isn't helpful as well.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Absolutely, and that's my complaint about the social media giant.
Mister Zuckerberg seems to know when I can purchase a
hose from Bunnings or online and send me all sorts
of information about hoses and accessories. If I just find
it incomprehensible that the same algorithms can't identify when people
are being hurtful or going down a harmful rabbit hole
(05:46):
and raising some red flags on that. It's just inconceivable
that they can't they don't have the technology to do that.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
You said, you've been teaching for forty plus years. What
do you think the landscape will be like if steps
aren't taken by social media companies, parents, the government say
within the next five to ten years, where do you
think we'll be with this whole issue.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
I don't want to make it an exact analogy, but
you know, it's like, you know, I read about gun
control in the United States, we all sort of scratch
our heads and say, oh, look, there's another example of
gun violence and wonder what's going to happen about it,
or what can we do? Or we we'll send people
thoughts and prayers. If we do nothing, we're just going
to keep seeing the same results. That's what will occur.
We'll keep seeing young people harmed and hurt, and we'll
(06:29):
just see a trail of destruction, which I hope is avoidable.
I really think now is a time to do something
about this. If we can make some good come from
awful circumstances, I think we should grab that opportunity.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Tragically. Eiler's death is one of two suicides by Shalom
College students in October eleven. Boy also took his own life.
It wasn't related to online bullying. Dan McMahon wants parents
and students to ask their kids and friends are you okay?
And if you are someone you know needs help, call Lifeline.
On thirteen eleven fourteen.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Life Flight has launched its Christmas appeal and a Bundee
family's leading the push for donations. Thirteen year old Eli
Jarrek had been climbing a tree in his Pine Creek
backyard in March when the branch he was sitting on
suddenly snapped and he plummeted six meters to the ground below.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
The tree is very special, hs, It's a place where
I like to hang out. I climb up and look
at the viv and see how hi.
Speaker 5 (07:29):
I heard a snap and a crack, so I looked
out the window and Eli was laying on the ground.
Honestly thought he was dead.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
He suffered life threatening injuries, including a punctured lung and
brain bleed. Life Flight critical care doctor Richard Parker raced
to the scene and immediately called in the rescue chopper.
He performed a doctor only procedure, placing Eli in an
induced coma for the flight to the Queensland Children's Hospital.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
So the procedurey I had was what we call a
rabid sequence intubation to protect his brain from a chuasic
brain in that's a doctor any procedure.
Speaker 5 (08:02):
We were up by the helicopter and News said to us,
he can probably hear you now, but we're going to
put him to safe so heavily that he won't be
able to hear you anymore. Us said, there, and we
were stroking him and just telling him that we loved him.
Then it was going to be okay. And but that
was just horrible, just thinking that you're saying goodbye, goodbye
to him.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
I sat over there, Cavy, sat where you are now.
A mom sat here messing up your hair for an
hour and a half in the flight, looking out the windows.
Speaker 5 (08:31):
I was just like, please don't let him die, Like
you know, what's our family going to be like if
we don't have him.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Elis since recovered well and he's back at school. To
show his gratitude to the Lifelike crew, he and his
mum have thrown their support behind the Services Christmas Appeal,
aiming to raise one million dollars statewide towards the Critical
Care Doctor program.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
After the break a Bunderberg mother and daughter have made
the list of Queensland nominees for the Australian of the
Year Awards.
Speaker 6 (09:00):
I Harb White Burnett, I Harb wide Burnette.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
You're listening to iHeart Wine Bay Burnett. I'm Naomi Lynch
joined by Bruce Atkinson.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
We're taking a look at two major projects in our
region this week. It's good news for one and bad
for the other. One of the first things the new
LNP state government did when coming to power was to
scrap the proposed pioneer berdic and Pump hydro project Nimckay. However,
they're proceeding with plans for the fourteen point two billion
dollar Barumba pump hydro at Imbul south of Gibbee. Deputy
(09:35):
Premier and Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Jared Blay
says it has their support.
Speaker 7 (09:40):
We've supported Barumba because it's a smaller pump hydro scheme
which we did back and we've got two local state
members up there, member for Gimpeia and the member for
Nenango who have been with you know, talking with their
community about this particular project and it had well advanced
more than Piney Berdican pump Hydro, I might add as well,
So I've spoken of the Coordinator General about that. They
(10:01):
did release not too long ago updated figures with that
the Coordinator General, which it is now a coordinated project
under the Coordinator General in the Department of State Development.
So I've got more confidence that being a coordinated project,
it will be able to be delivered on time and
on budget. Rather than the Pineyer Vertican pump hydro, which
was just a hydro hoax from the Labor Party. It
(10:22):
hadn't been given any approvals, it hadn't been a coordinated
declared a coordinator project from the Coordinator General, whereas Barumba
is and I have had those discussions with the Coordinator
General is working through at the moment, so we do
support the Barumba scheme.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
The Federal Coalition says it won't fund Barumba if it
wins the next election. Jared Blay is confident it can
be built without Commonwealth money. I'd like to hope. So, yep,
that's the good news. On the downside, Merrabra's munitions factory
has been overlooked for a major contract to manufacture artillery shells.
The one hundred and fifty five millimeter shells will be
made or the new facility in Melbourne rather than the
(10:59):
existing night A plant in Merroborough. NILA chief executive Ben
James is disappointed and says they could have produced the
shells two years sooner. Whide Bay Federal MP Lu O'Brien
says the government's decision doesn't make sense.
Speaker 4 (11:11):
When we've got the infrastructure here in Marrowborough to make
the best one hundred and fifty five millimeters artillery shells
that can be maked, can be forged, and also there's
room to expand as well. We've got the perfect setup
in Merroborough. The government contributed nearly thirty million dollars to
set it up in partnership with NIWA Munitions and Ryan Matteau.
(11:36):
They've got capacity to make these shells for Australia, which
is what the thirty million dollars out of the Building
Stronger Regions Fund was for a domestic capability. But now
this labor government's decided to partner up with the French
company Tallis and build them elsewhere. It just seems very
(11:57):
odd and it seems like waste of taxpayers money.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
The Nilea factory already employs one hundred and ten people
full time. Blue O'Brien says it's a missed opportunity to
bring more jobs and money to the city.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
So that's not including all of the jobs through construction
and the very specialized jobs that it takes to operate
that forge in the process line that creates those shelves.
But yeah, there would have been good opportunities, for better opportunities,
but for more employment. But labor has led us down badly.
(12:31):
Labor has let meraborrow down badly and we won't see
that growth under the current labor government.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
One hundred and thirty seven OSSI's are being recognized in
the lead up to the Australian of the Year Awards.
A Bunderberg mother and daughter making the list of Queensland nominees.
Taylor Larson has this story.
Speaker 6 (12:51):
Many around the Rum City with no Angels community group.
It's the result of more than nine years of hard
work from Sue and Jasmine Taska and they're not slowing down.
Speaker 8 (13:01):
We are a local Bundlebo charity and then inside that
charity we have social enterprises that fund everything we do.
So we have a second hand store, we have a
mini mart and a cafe. We have all of that
and so many people benefit from that and everyone can shop.
But the reason we have those things is to fund
our charity work. And then our charity work is a
(13:23):
support center which at the moment is temporarily closed, but
it is reopening and will be reopened before Christmas. But
it is a support center hub to help those struggling
for different reasons, sometimes financial reasons, social reasons, and in
that we include food, emergency hampers, we have showers, we
have laundries, we have mobile service charging, and then we
(13:46):
have other organizations that use the space. So we have
Bunderbog Street law. We have hair aids that come down
and they can tap into the clientele that we have
that are mostly those that are sleeping rough and we
have them come in and then they can offer free
services as well. But we also have our Christmas program,
so we do over three hundred hampers for families that
(14:09):
are struggling at Christmas, lots of toys for the kids.
And then we have a back to school program, so
that one's a massive one. Again it's usually services about
two hundred and fifty local students and we fund reason
we get them backpacked and we form with school supplies
so that every kid can start first day at school
with everything they need. And then the other big one
(14:32):
that we do is a school lunch program. Now that
program runs every single week of the year that the
schools are open, and we provide nearly three hundred school
lunches every single week and we deliver them to over
twenty different schools.
Speaker 6 (14:46):
So you started the organization following personal battles.
Speaker 9 (14:50):
If you ever told me that we're going to be
selling groceries or giving away food, it was not even
a thought when we started. It was just like more
about giving people a purpose, a reason to get up
in the morning, because when you're going through something hard
that could be the hardest part of your days to
actually make yourself get up and do something.
Speaker 6 (15:10):
They're now state finalists for the Australian of the Year Awards,
nominated in the Local Hero category. So in Jasmine aren't
too sure who put them forward, but say their work
is reward enough.
Speaker 9 (15:22):
Nine and a half years ago when we started and
we're trying fundraise and people would go, angels, how are
you what? And now you can go out and you
can say with some angels, people know and what we
could do none of what we do without the community support.
And we are so lucky. And I'm not just saying this,
we're so lucky to live in a place like Bunderberg.
(15:43):
I feel like we really are like the middleman. So
we see an unfortunate side of people really struggling, but
we love that they have somewhere that they can come
and ask for support. And we want to make start
as easy as a possible thing, because to ask for
help isn't easy. But we love that we can be
a place where they come enos. But we also get
(16:03):
to see the other side of it, where we get
to see people coming and individuals, school communities, businesses, groups
that want to help. So many people want to.
Speaker 8 (16:14):
Help, and we love we get to see that side
where people we just want to help at Christmas or
we just want to help. How do you? How can
we do that?
Speaker 6 (16:22):
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Brisbane
on Monday. They then go on to become a national finalist.
In the meantime, the women aren't letting the nomination get
to their heads.
Speaker 9 (16:32):
Imposter syndrome they call it, because you do look at
what everyone else is doing and you go, oh, God,
I don't think we belong there, and this is the
absolute truth. So look, we're going to have a nice
trip to Brisbane.
Speaker 8 (16:45):
Yeah, we'll have a nice little mother daughter trip to Brisbane.
Speaker 9 (16:48):
Won't kill each other, no, and we will have a
nice night out. And honest to goodness, what happens at
the end of it, it doesn't, It doesn't really matter.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
That's all for this week. If you want to hear
this episode again or find previous ones, look up iHeart
White bay Burnett on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Bruceon Taylor will be back next week with more local,
trusted and free news.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
iHeart Bonnette
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