Repercussions of the 2011 floods in Brisbane are still being felt by residents with significant financial strain remaining for many, according to one of Australia’s largest debt collection agencies.
Melissa Rafferty, Account Controller at Prushka‘s Brisbane office, said business closures as a result of the floods has been a significant factor in causing residents to fall behind on debt repayments.
“The amount of businesses that closed as a result of the floods, which led to job losses, is one of the main reasons we are seeing households fall behind on their repayments,” Ms Rafferty said.
Ms Rafferty said that a lot of the financial stress currently placed on families also stems from electricity bills and child care costs.
“Electricity bills are much more of an issue today than they have been previously.
“Child care and education is another cost that often catches people unaware, with kindergarten the main area where we are having debt referred,” she said.
With over 50,000 clients nationwide, Prushka is able to gain a unique insight into economic climates at both a national and local level, with Brisbane one of 11 offices across capital cities and regional Australia.
Ms Rafferty said the combination of increased unemployment and cost of living expenses was having a substantial affect on Brisbane residents.
“There is a great deal of genuine hardship in the Brisbane area, with many residents fearing they may lose their jobs and face an even greater challenge to pay for rising household bills and petrol.”
“Many businesses can see that people are finding it hard to pay off debts at present, but they recognise that this is a difficult time so they are creating realistic instalment plans for customers,” Ms Rafferty said.
“It is important that businesses do recover their debts in a timely manner though, so that they do not pile up.”
For businesses that believe they may see an increase in debts owed, Prushka recommends that they review their business trading terms to protect themselves from losses.
Ms Rafferty has noticed that specific locations around Brisbane are reporting similar debts from certain industries.
“In Gympie and Toowoomba we are noticing debts from health care professionals and child care, while on the Sunshine Coast and Brendale there have been more building industry debts, such as in excavation and with electricians,” she said.
The Laura Street Festival 2013 is a celebration of music, arts, culture, community and life, and everyone is warmly invited to join in.
Come along to Laura Street in Highgate Hill from 1pm on Sunday, November 24, for an amazing free festival of music, dance, poetry, roving performance, arts, workshops, presentations and children’s activities across multiple venues along the street.
In its third year, the Festival aims to foster community entertainment, engagement and mutual benefit for residents, organisers and Festival-goers. This not-for-profit event is totally volunteer-run and performed.
Guests can tap their toes to tunes, gain new knowledge and skills, get creative with arts and crafts, and relax with fellow Festival-goers at multiple venues along the street.
The Festival presents over 30 musicians and live acts, including poetry and parade. Handy folk are ready to share their skills at free workshops.
Local artists and photographers will be exhibiting their works. Fest-goers can share their collective creativity by taking part in interactive art and craft spaces.
Tasty food and drinks (inc. vegan options) are available at retro prices. Water is provided so bring a bottle. A portion of vendors’ sales and donations to the Festival are gifted to charities.
Laura Street Festival is a drug-free, alcohol-free and tobacco-free event.
The Festival is a community event run by a handful of dedicated organisers and hosted by generous residents. It is a 100 % volunteer organised community festival, by and for the community. The performers contribute their talents for free to create an incredible day. To volunteer, contact the Festival.
Attendees can keep each other safe and happy by exercising respect, appreciation of diversity and awareness of others’ personal boundaries.
Residents of Laura Street and the Festival organisers encourage attendees to bring their love, laughter, sun protection, water and sense of adventure.
Walking, cycling or catching public transport to Laura Street Festival is recommended. South Bank Bus/train Station is a 5 min walk away.
When: Sunday, November 24, 2013 1pm – 10pm
Where: Multiple venues on Laura St, Highgate Hill 4101
What: Awesome music acts, arts, installations, poetry, dance, roving performance, parade, creative workshops, presentations, tasty food and drink and children’s activities.
Cost: Free entry, entertainment and workshops! Food and drinks at retro prices.
Check the websites closer to November 24 to view the full programme.
it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.. so we want to meet everyone.
Cla$sy Ba$terdz is an ongoing collaborative art project that was first created in 2012 by Lee Bliss Maloney, under the suspicion that the world would soon end.
This is a community based organisation designed and directed by Lee, with the aim of conserving the fragile ecosystem, we, and other equally important life forms inhabit, thereby preserving the planet and saving the world.
The forms we have begun our project with are: makeup, hair, illustration and photography. There are plans to lnclude audio and film in 2014. Celebrating a range of talents within the ba$terdz we have and are sure to meet, giving a platform for the silent and suppressed to express opinions on important environmental and human rights issues, as well as general logic and good advice. For example; plant a tree, wear sunscreen, quit smoking,
We want to recruit as many Ba$terdz as possible, paint them up, and give them beautiful portraits of themselves to keep forever, their friends see these, become interested and wish to join in, which of course they are welcome to.
This simply allows us to network and meet each other, gain knowledge, skills and confidence to go ahead with our love for the arts.
We have class and intelligence. We are the people, no matter if we are born into a circus tent or raised in a crystal castle, we are equals. We all want the best for each other and the planet, our only home. At the core of everybody is the purest desire for love, recognition and beautiful things surrounding us. This is only achievable if we stand together and fight the people (..machines) that work so diligently to tear down our home.
We can’t eat money, we can’t drink money and we certainly can’t receive love from money.
In an industry like this, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.. so we want to meet everyone.
The profit and proceeds we may receive in the future go towards funding to conserve land and wildlife and of course keeping our art alive so we may continue on this path.
A visit to Reverse Garbage is a step in the right direction this National Recycling Week.
This 14 year old Brisbane institution facilitates the re-use of materials in their existing form to minimise the energy and time required to recycle them, thus reducing carbon emissions.
“We provide public access to salvaged materials, encouraging consumers to reduce consumption of new materials and choose to re-use resources that were destined for the tip.” says PR Co-ordinator, Rozina Suliman.
Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week, established in 1996 brings attention to the environmental benefits of recycling at a national level.
“Reverse Garbage goes two steps further addressing the benefits of reducing and re-using before recycling.” Rozina says.
“Waste is something we do, not something that is and a visit to the Reverse Garbage warehouse highlights just how much useful stuff would go into Brisbane’s landfills if we didn’t exist.” Rozina says.
“We also educate on the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) through our workshop programs and talks.” Rozina says “and our workshops provide participants with a practical application to re-use materials we think we don’t want in creative ways to extend their life.”
For National Recycling Week, Reverse Garbage focuses on reducing consumption over the festive season, with Adult Eco-Art Workshop, Christmas Wreath Making on Saturday 16 November.
In the workshop, participants can create handmade non-traditional Christmas wreaths using old book pages, fabric off-cuts, paper, felt, cork and an array of other salvaged materials from the Reverse Garbage warehouse.
The Reverse Garbage Christmas Wreath Making Adult Eco-Art Workshop runs on Saturday 16 November 2013. All workshops are held at Reverse Garbage, 20 Burke Street, Woolloongabba.
National Recycling Week runs from Monday 11 November – Sunday 17 November, 2013.
After a hiatus of a few years, the indie folk-pop band is back in town as part of a national tour ahead of their forthcoming album release in 2014. It’s been four years since the popular Queensland-based musicians did a tour of this magnitude. The Carousel tour will take them to their favourite venues in metro centres and see them showcase material from their new album of the same name, due for release in February 2014.
women in docs would easily be one of the country’s most well-respected independent acts. Featuring esteemed musicians Roz Pappalardo [acoustic guitar | vocals | harmonica | banjo] and West End local Chanel Lucas [acoustic guitar | vocals | bass | ukulele], their acoustic style has earned them fans around the world. They’ve toured rigorously and their stirring and humorous live performances have endeared audiences throughout North America, Europe, New Zealand and Canada.
Dubbed as festival favourites, women in docs have performed at the likes of SXSW, Shanghai Spring Music Festival, and the International Folk Festival in Germany to name a few. Back at home, they’ve been on the bill at the Port Fairy Folk Festival, Big Day Out, Woodford Folk Festival and Adelaide Fringe Festival.
The band first came to prominence in the late 1990’s with their debut self-titled EP. They now have seven releases under their belt, and their eighth, Carousel, is set for release on Friday 7th February 2014. The new album has been an ongoing work in progress by the girls – something they’ve penned and tweaked over the last few years. The result is a different look at women in docs, while still adhering to their roots.
Chanel says it’s been a process of three years of songwriting, recording, re-recording and hard work to create Carousel. With all the members of women in docs being based around Australia, it’s been a challenge combining everyone’s schedules and getting them together to record. “Roz and I have been writing songs every time we do get together – backstage at gigs, in rehearsal rooms, on airplanes, in the car on the way to gigs,” says Chanel. “We have even been sharing files via Skype and Dropbox – it really is an album created via modern technology. As a result, the songs are fantastic. We think it is our best yet. We have really focused on the songwriting and on working together as a team to create something that’s essentially women in docs. It is a polished, catchy set of tunes that we are very proud of.”
Roz says they are both really excited about sharing tracks from the new album with audiences on this tour. “I think the new songs capture a sense of maturity from us as songwriters, producers, touring artists and humans,” she says. “We’ve grown up a lot in the last few years that we’ve been off the road and our music careers have grown both as women in docs, solo artists and arts workers in a broader context. The shows will be fun, high energy and reflective at the same time. We’ll be playing the songs from our new album Carousel, along with some of our tried and true favourites, which we love playing as they’ve brought us many years of happiness.”
women in docs fans will be eager to see the band in concert. Prior to their recent touring hiatus, they were known as one of the hardest working touring bands in the business, constantly on the road. Roz says they are equally as eager to get back on the road again. “We love the road,” she says. “In fact, it’s the reason why we started women in docs in the first place – to travel, meet people and be inspired. We’re really looking forward to dusting off the Doc Martens, getting in the tour van and playing these venues. We’ve worked really hard to present this show in venues that we think reflect where we are with our careers and the kinds of songs we’re now writing. We think our audiences have grown with us – so we can’t wait to play some of our favourite venues and some venues we’ve always wanted to play.”
As they gear up for the run of dates, women in docs are also releasing the first single off of the album, the title track Carousel. Chanel says they chose this track as the first preview to the album as it was one they wrote together. “It’s about a common theme for women in docs – travel,” she says. “But it also explores the ideas of freedom, not being tied down and following your dreams. These are also themes within the album as a whole. The title of the song – Carousel – references a baggage carousel at the airport, but also the fun of a show-ride carousel. women in docs are known for their energetic live shows, sense of humour and fun, as well as our songwriting and harmonies. We hope that this collection of songs encompasses all of that.”
women in docs hit the road in November. Tickets are on sale now.
Cr Helen Abrahams with Mike Meade from Reclink and an event attendee
People’s Park in Boundary St a focus for community engagement.
On October 10, the Inner South Interagency Network (ISIN) held an event for the local West End Community as a part of Mental Health Day.
The local community was invited to join us for an afternoon of sausages, singing and fun activities at People’s Park in Boundary Street, West End. The event was attended by a wide variety of people including those with a lived experience of mental ill health, local service providers and the general public.
Music was provided by the Richmond Fellowship’s Choir and a drumming circle supported by Reclink, drawing in passing crowds. A free sausage sizzle, cold drinks and fruit were also provided to the general public.
Activities on the day included art and craft, yoga, hula hooping, juggling and a yarning circle. Information about support services for those experiencing mental health difficulties was also available on the day.
Richmond Fellowship Choir serenading in People’s Park
The event was kindly funded by the local councillor Helen Abrahams, via the Suburban Initiative Fund. Over 150 people attended the event and ISIN hopes to make the event an annual occurrence.
Repercussions of the 2011 floods in Brisbane are still being felt by residents with significant financial strain remaining for many, according to one of Australia’s largest debt collection agencies.
