One of the quieter but undeniably positive announcements of the 2012 Federal Budget was the $4.8 million dedicated to improving the capacity of the Bureau of Meteorology to respond to severe weather events such as those that caused such devastation to scores of Queensland communities in 2010 and 2011. To quote Budget paper No. 2: "The Government will provide $4.8 million in 2012-13 to...
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The fresh new batch of mayors and councillors elected across Queensland at the weekend will barely have time to set down the champagne glasses before beginning the hard scrabble of improving the lot of their local communities. Budget deliberations loom large as the priority order of business for all councils, with the delayed elections ensuring there will be even more of a sense of urgency for...
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A lot has been said about the high turnover of mayors and councillors expected at Saturday's elections, so much so that a far more positive aspect of this poll is in danger of being overlooked.  The 2012 Queensland Local Government elections have a record share of women candidates standing for office. Of the 1531 people who have put their hand up to be either mayor or...
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