Good Morning
One gets the feeling we haven't heard the last of the war of words over the Gabba. Likethis passive aggressive tweet from former Lions player Jamie Charman: "How does a bloke who mows lawns for a living have more pull than our Sports Minister @MickdeBrenni". Frustration understood. Disrespect unnecessary. And let's not forget the Gabba wasn't always going to be the venue for the AFLW grand final. That was a last-minute suggestion once the success of the Lions became evident. In fact, Caroline Wilson writes today that the whole AFLW competition feels "born in haste and raised on the run" . Anyhoo, with showers forecast for the rest of the week, it might not be the choice of venue that determines crowd numbers. And now on with the news.
1. Trump wasn't wire-tapped but his associates are now being probed
Donald Trump's face overnight with FBI director James Comey saying there's no evidence that Trump Tower was wiretapped last year. However, there is now an investigation into possible ties between Trump associates and Russia during the 2016 election campaign. Meanwhile, someone's found this 1988 Sesame Street parody of Donald Trump.
2. Senate likely to block changes to 18C
It seems federal cabinet last night decided it wants to drop "offend" and "insult" from section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, replacing them with "harass". The plan would see "humiliate" kept. The Liberal partyroom will discuss the proposed changes today but key Senate crossbenchers appear likely to defeat any major reform . (It's handy holding the balance of power - just look at this list of what Peter Wellington's ticked off in the past two years).
3. More homes protected under changes to BCC suburb plan
Brisbane City Council will today debate the latest draft of the Coorparoo and Districts Neighbourhood Plan, covering Coorparoo, Greenslopes, Camp Hill, Holland Park and Holland Park West. The big news - not just for those five suburbs - is that BCC has altered its initial plan to deem an extra 3555 homes "character residential". This could have flow-on effects across the city. Developers have responded by calling for "a degree of flexibility".
4. What not to do when $95,000 appears in your bank account
What would you have done in this situation? A retailer accidentally deposits close to $95,000 in your bank account. Your balance suddenly leaps from $5000 to almost $100,000. Do you, for argument's sake, book a 36-day luxury cruise from Florida to Sydney? This Brisbane woman did. But now the law has caught up with her and she's doing time. A cautionary tale for all of us. Finders ain't keepers.
5. Call to ban dugong and turtle hunting
There's pressure on the federal Environment Minister to toughen up rules around traditional hunting . It's claimed Indigenous hunters are using the Great Barrier Reef as a "supermarket" for dugong and turtle meat in an "uncurbed" practice putting the species in danger. For what it's worth, I travelled to Thursday Island last year and took part in a traditional feast which included dugong and turtle (pictured below). What I learned was that in the Torres Strait at least, hunting is closed in certain locations when dugong and turtle numbers are down. It seemed to me the rangers and locals were doing a good job of protecting what is an important source of food. The Bob Irwin Wildlife Foundation wants all hunting of vulnerable and endangered species banned.
Also catching my eye ...
In a world that seems to feed on outrage, it's hard to imagine anyone having a problem with this: Stephen Hawking is going into space. By the way, if you've never seen Professor Hawking performing Monty Python's The Galaxy Song, here it is. And while Hawking's going up, Harvey's going down. Harvey Norman, that is. Shares dropped 8 per cent yesterday and there's no obvious explanation. At one point, Gerry Harvey attempted to prop up the price by buying himself a lazy $8.7 million worth. His personal wealth ended the day down more than $100 million.
We do have an explanation for Lee De Paauw jumping into the arms of a crocodile on the weekend. He did it to impress a girl. And knowing that has completely changed John Birmingham's opinion of the "half-eaten north Queensland idiot". On a more serious note, the search is on for a croc thought to have killed Cairns spear fisherman Warren Hughes. And both incidents have prompted Katter's Australian Party to renew its push to legalise crocodile hunting.
What's coming up?
- Queensland parliament debates proposed changes to domestic violence laws
- Council presents a proposed Inner City Bypass upgrade to the state government
- A former north Queensland tour operator faces court over allegations of misleading ASIC
- The country celebrates cultural diversity for Harmony Day
And finally ...
Queensland Police Media have long been admired for their sense of humour on social media. Now their colleagues in NSW have confirmed what many suspected, that a deliberate "meme strategy" has been introduced. While most of their posts continue to be informative, it's what The Guardian calls "the sprinkling of levity" that's enabling police to "connect with a new demographic". I just don't understand what they have against pineapple on pizza! Now, here's your reward for making it all the way to the end of The Gateway. Finally revealed - how to cook the perfect fried egg. Enjoy, stay dry and I'll be back tomorrow.
