Smoke is continuing to affect large parts of Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Logan, as authorities monitor multiple hazard reduction burns across the region.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service says the fires are under control, and smoke is expected to clear by the end of the week.
As of 9am, there were burns in Brisbane, North and South Stradbroke Island, Bundaberg, Wallu, Tin Can Bay, Marcus Beach, and Happy Valley on K’gari.
Air quality was rated as poor in the Redlands, Rocklea and South Brisbane yesterday because of the smoke haze. However, conditions had improved on Friday, according to the Department of Environment.
Gold Coast have welcomed back Wil Powell from his five-match suspension for Sunday’s clash with Fremantle, but star spearhead Ben King has been ruled out.
Powell was handed his hefty suspension for directing a homophobic slur at an opponent during Gold Coast’s loss to the Brisbane Lions on May 5.
Powell was suspended for directing a homophobic slur at a Brisbane Lion in May.Credit: Getty Images
“He’s learned some lessons … and went through some good education,” Suns coach Damien Hardwick said.
“He’s a player that we’ve missed. He’s very good at all facets of the game. I can’t wait to see him play on the weekend.”
The news isn’t as good for King, who has kicked 38 goals this season but will miss out because of the knee injury he suffered at training last Saturday.
Suns co-captain Jarrod Witts is back from injury, while Brayden Fiorini, Nick Holman and Jed Walter were all dropped.
Fremantle lost Michael Walters (hamstring) and axed Josh Draper in the wake of last week’s 67-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.
Dockers defender Heath Chapman is expected to return from hamstring soreness.
Brisbane woke up to another hazy day this morning as council and state authorities continued conducting controlled burns across south-east Queensland.
Smoke settles over the city during sunset on Wednesday evening.Credit: Jenna Matus
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Indigenous elders are vowing to fight the federal Coalition’s plans to build nuclear power plants, warning the development will be a “death sentence” for their connection to country.
One of the sites earmarked for a nuclear plant, Tarong in Queensland, is located on Indigenous elder Aunty Jannine Smith’s country.
“Over my dead body. I will be in a tent outside Tarong gates,” she told AAP.
“It’s a death sentence to that land.
“It’s not happening. I can guarantee you now it will not happen at Tarong.”
Smith said building a nuclear plant on that land would be “severing the connection to that sacred site of ours”.
“We are the custodians of the land, the land is our mother and we don’t own our mother, we care for her,” she said.
The Queensland Conservation Council’s Paul Spearim said “white Australia has a short-sighted approach to country”.
He pointed to Maralinga and Emu Field in South Australia where the British held nuclear tests, exposing more than 1000 Indigenous people to radiation.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is continuing to spruik his nuclear power plan this morning, telling Nine’s Today Show Australia is an outlier in not embracing nuclear energy.
Dutton said Australia was the only county in the top 20 economies in the world that had not embraced nuclear.
The Coalition’s energy plan has received criticism from its opponents, in part, for the uncertainty it has created among investors set to plough billions into Australian renewable energy.
Dutton said he was not concerned about the “billionaires who want to make more money off the Australian taxpayers.”
“I want to bring Australians power prices down. I want to make sure that we’ve got reliable power. And as we find out today that the independent regulator is warning that we’ll get blackouts and brownouts under this government,” he said.
“I want to make sure that we’ve got cleaner energy and nuclear is a zero emissions technology, and it’s been used in Australia since 1958.”
The southbound lanes of the Bruce Highway on the Sunshine Coast have now reopened after an earlier crash involving several vehicles.
However, the northbound lanes remained closed about 9.30am, after an earlier crash near Coochin Creek between a vehicle and motorbike.
The rider suffered critical injuries.
Smoke is continuing to affect large parts of Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Logan, as authorities monitor multiple hazard reduction burns across the region.
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service says the fires are under control, and smoke is expected to clear by the end of the week.
As of 9am, there were burns in Brisbane, North and South Stradbroke Island, Bundaberg, Wallu, Tin Can Bay, Marcus Beach, and Happy Valley on K’gari.
Air quality was rated as poor in the Redlands, Rocklea and South Brisbane yesterday because of the smoke haze. However, conditions had improved on Friday, according to the Department of Environment.
The Bruce Highway on the Sunshine Coast is closed in both directions after two crashes in the north- and southbound lanes involving multiple vehicles.
A vehicle and motorbike crash was reported about 6.45am in the northbound lanes near Coochin Creek, with the rider suffering critical injuries.
Emergency services are also responding to a nearby crash involving several vehicles in the southbound lanes.
Police said diversions were in place via Roys Road and Steve Irwin Way.
The highway was expected to remain closed for some time.
The forecast is for a mostly sunny day, with a chance of smoke haze this morning.
Making news elsewhere:
Donald Sutherland, the towering Canadian actor whose career spanned M.A.S.H. to The Hunger Games, has died at 88.Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
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