Category: News

With only 24 hours left until the end of the financial year, now is the ideal time to add your support to our access to justice campaign for environmental legal matters.

To ensure big business and mining interests don’t go unchallenged please support the Environmental Defenders Office Queensland and make a tax-deductible donation today.

Is it ok to build a new coal mine that will damage the environment if it brings jobs and prosperity? What if a proposed development that will provide houses for an expanding population is opposed by a community group trying to protect habitat for koalas?

There are always two sides to every argument and most often there are many different views on an issue. Yet any rational person will accept that all of the arguments need to be heard and, especially when they are legal matters, that both sides are able to access adequate support and legal representation. Indeed, access to justice is the cornerstone of a fair and just society like ours.

As ordinary people try to participate in the legal system, they are often overwhelmed and struggle to have their voices heard. So when I see an individual, community group or farmer confronted by a big company and their well-resourced legal team, I know exactly how I feel, and maybe you can guess!

Fortunately there is a solution. For over 20 years I’ve worked at the Environmental Defenders Office Queensland, the one place that anyone in the community can contact to seek advice and support for environmental legal matters. We help ordinary people gain access to justice and assist with their legal representation in court.

Almost every day we receive emails and calls from people seeking advice and support. Every Tuesday and Thursday evening we staff our community legal advice line and the phone rings constantly. Through providing this essential service we’ve helped thousands of individuals and community organisations and yet, this very service is now in jeopardy.

The Environmental Defenders Office Queensland has had all of our State and Federal government funding cut without warning and if we are to continue to provide access to justice, we need your support.

If I can’t raise a minimum of $120,000 by 30 June, I’ll need to make tough decisions on the continuation of our access to justice services for environmental legal matters.

Over the past six months we’ve managed to keep things going, but this cannot continue beyond early July, when the decision on the future of our access to justice services needs to happen.

Will you help the Environmental Defenders Office continue to provide access to justice.

Please, will you make a tax-deductible donation today to keep the Environmental Defenders Office alive?

Right now the Queensland mining industry is booming at an unprecedented rate with over 30 proposed coal mines, 30,000 proposed coal seam gas wells and new and expanded ports on the Great Barrier Reef. Uranium mining is also now permitted.

Our support helps landholders, individuals and community groups to understand and act on their legal rights. This in turn protects the natural environment and communities against the impacts of major coal mines and massive coastal developments.

We’re committed to keep providing these services for free in the interests of access to justice; however, without government funding our hands are severely tied. Your support is essential if we are to provide this vital legal service which is relied on by individuals and communities.

To keep operating, we need funds for staff wages, rent, internet, and telephone – the basic essential costs to keep the access to justice service alive. This will ensure we can keep the community legal advice line operational, provide our free legal information seminars and advocate on urgent law reform such as protecting long-standing community legal rights to object to proposed mines, and much more.

Please, will you make a tax-deductible donation today to help the Environmental Defenders Office continue to provide access to justice.

In the next 12 months, will big business and mining interests have their way and go unchallenged? In this David and Goliath struggle, will we hear but a squeak from the little guy?

Please join me in supporting access to justice by making a tax-deductible donation to this special end of financial year appeal.

Yours sincerely

Jo-Anne Bragg
Principal Solicitor
Environmental Defenders Office (Qld) Inc

PS.  This really is a time of big decisions. Before 30 June, please choose to support the Environmental Defenders Office Queensland in our mission to provide access to justice by making a donation online today.

 

 

Jo

Access to Justice: Some things are not negotiable

The Joynt went off over the weekend with a three day party to say goodbye to West End.

Friday night merged into Saturday night with the Grimm Brothers, Frank Sultana and Mojo Juju on stage in the evenings and in the jacuzzi for much of the time in-between.

All performers spoke eloquently about the role that Jodi Craig has played in nurturing the local music scene and musicians such as themselves. Jodi presided over proceedings for a large part of the evening from her high perch overlooking the band.

Nostalgic, sad and poignant, the weekend was a celebration of West End culture and an affirmation that we will find a way to build on the great work that Jodi has done at the Joynt.

See Darren Godwell’s piece as published in the July edition.

Leading experts on how walking can help bolster a city’s health and sustainability are set to descend on Sydney for Walk21 – a three-day event to share policies, research and initiatives shaping walkable cities.

Co-hosted by the City of Sydney and the NSW Government, the event has attracted an impressive line-up of global policymakers, researchers and campaigners.

More than 500 delegates from the US, Asia, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia will discuss the importance of walking to individuals and communities worldwide.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore welcomed Walk21 to Sydney, saying it was the perfect location for this major event.

“Sydney is a global city made for walking, evidenced by the fact that in our city centre, more than 90 per cent of trips are made on foot,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Our world-famous harbour, landmark tourist attractions and great climate encourage Sydneysiders and visitors to get out in the fresh air and walk, whether they’re working, relaxing, shopping or exploring.

“The City is helping to encourage more people to walk more often by investing millions of dollars in developing a liveable green network of streets, paths and other infrastructure.”

As part of the City’s Sustainable Sydney 2030 vision, safe and attractive walking and cycling routes are being created to provide a liveable green network linking the City’s streets, parks and open spaces.

The Sydney Walk21 Conference will be staged at Luna Park from 21-23 October. Sydney is the 15th city to host the conference on walking and liveable communities, which launched in London in 2000.

International keynote speakers include respected planning and design experts Brent Toderian and Don Miskell, and transport management pioneer Rose McArthur.

They will join prominent local experts, including sustainability expert Professor Paul Newman, Professor Corrine Mulley and Professor Adrian Bauman, a leader in physical activity and health.

“Whether you are an architect, an engineer, work in the health sector or are a business owner, all of us can gain from Walk21,” the Lord Mayor said.

“This is a perfect opportunity to learn from one another and help make Sydney a world-class walking city.”

The first ever Indian international Film Festival of Queensland was inaugurated today afternoon at QUT, with Councilor Andrew Wines, Deputy Chairman of the Brisbane Lifestyle Committee, cutting the elegantly decorated cake  amidst a gathering of delegates and Indian movie enthusiasts.

The five day festival is being organized by the Queensland University (QUT) in collaboration with the Queensland government and the Brisbane City Council.

Representing the Brisbane city council and the Queensland government, Councilor Andrew Wines highlighted the council’s commitment to film and India.

“The Indian International film festival of Queensland is important to strengthen the economic bonds between India and the Queensland government,” Councilor Wines said during his inaugural speech.

The festival will be screening a series of selectively chosen independent movies at QUT and Event Cinemas, Myer Centre Elizabeth street.

Chayan Sarkar, the founder and the artistic director of the event, said that the Queensland and Victorian audience are continuing to appreciate independent Indian movies that do not fare commercially well.

“The movies I’ve chosen for the festival are handpicked for their simplicity and meaningful content,” Mr Sarkar said.

” These movies are critically acclaimed films that are not mainstream, but have the capacity to be appreciated beyond India,” he added.

Anne Demy Geroe, an ex Brisbane film festival director, expressed the belief that film festivals such as these exposes of the audience and filmmakers to the wide variety of good quality cinema.

“Many festivals choose the latest films to attract more media attention, but Chayan has chosen good content rather than new content,” she said.

As a part of the ceremony, a young Indian dancer, Tanya Unni, showcased her talent in mohiniyattam, a south Indian dance style, and enthralled the audience by enacting an Indian mythological story through her dance.

After the inauguration, a short film called ‘Dancing in the Rain’ was screened at QUT and the Australian premier for the feature film ‘Manjunath’ was held at Event Cinemas.

‘Dancing in the Rain’ is a modest film which packed a subtle message that ‘the solution for every problem is hidden within the problem itself, all you need is a different outlook’.

Meanwhile ‘Manjunath’ is a true story about an individual’s fight against the oil mafia which continues to plague the country, while conveying that ‘fighting for a cause you truly believe in, is worth dying for’.

For more details about the festival, visit http://www.iiffoq.com/

Public Warning- Richard Kiely and various aliases, the latest being Darren O’Donoghue

This is a warning by the Commissioner of the QBCC to the public under section 20J(1)(h) of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991

It is an updated version of warnings issued by the QBCC on 12 February and 7 April 2014.

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) has issued a warning about unlicensed individual Richard Kiel, who has been performing unlawful building work in Brisbane.

QBCC Commissioner, Steve Griffin, said Mr Kiely had been conducting the work in Mitchelton, Everton Park, Kallangur, Albany Creek, Aspley and Chermside.

“Anyone dealing with Mr Kiely should exercise extreme caution and seek legal advice before making any payments, to protect their interests,” Mr Griffin said.

He urged consumers, contractors and suppliers to be cautious in their dealings with Mr Kiely, who is also known as Darren O’Donoghue, Joseph Kiely, John Kiely, Cody Kiely, Darren Kiely, Shane Murphy and Richard Murphy.

Described as being of Irish descent with red hair and about 1.89m tall, he uses local signs and pamphlets dropped in letter boxes to advertise to carry out building work.

Mr Kiely does not hold QBCC licences and is therefore not able to carry out, or enter into contracts to carry out, building work, (including roof restorations such as ridge pointing, tiling and painting), concreting, boulder walls, pergola construction, paving and retaining walls, in Queensland at a value of more than $3,300.

The QBCC has received complaints about Mr Keily relating to unlicensed contracting, no written contracts, excessive deposits, incomplete work, defective work and taking deposits but not returning to complete the work.

Mr Griffin said Mr Kiely changes his mobile phone number on a regular basis so customers are unable to contact him about their complaints of defective and incomplete work.

The QBCC warns that the Queensland Home Warranty Insurance Scheme may not be available to all consumers if unlicensed contractors are engaged.

The QBCC urges homeowners to conduct research before engaging contractors, and to engage a licensed contractor even for small jobs.

If you are in doubt as to whether the entity you are contracting with is licensed or holds the correct licence to do the work, conduct an online licence search at www.qbcc.qld.gov.au or contact the QBCC on 1300 272 272.

Steve Griffin
Commissioner
Queensland Building and Construction Commission

“You’re disrespecting my staff and you’re disrespecting me. Get your stuff and f*** off back over the river where you came from.”

This was how the ‘no-dickheads’ policy was observed at one of West End’s favourite haunts. Bring your friends, enjoy a drink and love the music but leave your attitude on the northside.

Seven years ago Jodi found a small piece of West End that was crying out for love and attention. The former Coronation Hotel is a magnificent example of Brisbane’s colonial architecture from 1891. It was into this space that Jodi brought energy, love, hard work, perseverance and a passion for live music. The welcome mat was laid out in secret little spot on a street called Hope across from a working milk factory. Very West End.

Over the years The Joynt’s small venue hosted many of quirky performance and plenty of rising stars. Jodi’s support of musicians endeared her to many. For a time up-and-coming bands heard of this mystical place called The Joynt where punters were in your lap. If you played with heart and soul then all could have a rocking good time. The place had magic. Many shows felt as if the coolest 50 people in all of Brisbane had found the best venue and the best band for the first time.

Bertie Page and Lena Marlene charted the return of Brisbane’s cabaret from The Joynt. Incredible performers took to the stage, many for the first time, to ply their well-practiced, sometimes earnest, routines on expectant audiences. Bertie’s wit and verve was a perfect compliment to the sweaty rock bands –and she was more than a match for the odd stray yob.

One of my enduring pleasures is sitting out on the Montague Road side with a tallie, listening to the live sounds pouring off the stage while catching a glimpse of a train passing along the bridge between two factories.

That view, The Joynt and the woman that created it are irreplaceable. Thanks Jodi, we’ll see you around.