Author: Wan Kerr

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Jarrod Bleijie has welcomed the appointment of Queensland’s eighteenth Chief Justice, The Honourable Tim Carmody.

Mr Bleijie said Judge Carmody would bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Supreme Court.

“Judge Carmody’s professional and life experience is both distinguished and diverse,” Mr Bleijie said.

“His Honour has the keen legal knowledge, administrative skills and integrity that are essential qualities for the role of Chief Justice.

“On behalf of the Government, I congratulate him on his appointment to this important role in Queensland’s justice system.”

Outgoing Chief Justice, Paul de Jersey, who will become Queensland’s Governor next month congratulated Judge Carmody.

“I congratulate the Chief Magistrate on his appointment and wish him well,” Justice de Jersey said.

“I am sure he will do his utmost to discharge conscientiously the high duties of this important office.”

Mr Jarrod Bleijie said Judge Carmody’s distinguished career was set against a background of diverse roles in the legal and general community.

“As well as a published legal writer on a variety of legal, anti-corruption and public administration issues, His Honour is also an adjunct Professor of Law at QUT and he was awarded the Centenary Medal for distinguished service to law and community in 2003.

Appointment welcomed by Police Union

The Queensland Police Union has welcomed the announcement by the Premier and the Attorney-General of Tim Carmody QC as Queensland’s next Chief Justice. Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said Tim Carmody was an outstanding appointment as Chief Justice and his appointment would prove to be a great benefit to the justice system in Queensland.

“Tim Carmody is a person who understands the legal system from all perspectives given his ‘experience rich’ background and he is a person who has a deep, accurate and genuine understanding of community expectations and public sentiment.”

“Tim Carmody is perhaps the first person to be Chief Justice of Queensland who is also a former police officer so he is someone who intimately understands the role police play in the criminal justice system and the amount of work required to place somebody before the courts as well. ” Mr Leavers said.

“The Queensland Police Union also briefed Tim Carmody on a regular basis when he was still a practicing barrister where he demonstrated his significant ability and insight as a legal advocate and senior member of the Bar, and these matters included the Police Union’s successes against the CMC on an issue of apprehended bias, as well as when the Police Union appeared before the CMC’s ‘Operation Tesco’ public hearings into allegations on the Gold Coast, which were also subsequently proved to be of little substance.”

Local lovers of Yoga – and there’s an awful lot of them wandering the streets of West End – will be heading over to Bowen Hills next month to take part in YogaFest, Australia’s largest Yoga Festival now in its 8^th year.

According to Festival organiser, Jonathan Murphy, YogaFest just keeps getting bigger and bigger, with this year’s event featuring more than 90 presenters, including some of Australia’s most experienced yoga teachers, dance, ayurveda, massage, delicious healthy food, yoga related market stalls, and inspirational music concerts.

“There’s something for everyone at the YogaFest,” says Jonathan. “Experienced yogis can choose from a large range of workshops over the weekend, or for those newer to yoga, there are gentler yoga classes available, meditation and relaxation classes, and the option to listen to music, enjoy delicious food, receive a massage, and relax in the garden between yoga classes.”

The festival features two full days of yoga and related workshops, finishing each day with music concerts.

The full festival timetable is available at www.yogafest.com.au

YogaFest – Brisbane Yoga Festival

12-13 July 9-6pm

Old Museum, Cnr Gregory Tce & Bowen Bridge Rd, Bowen Hills, Brisbane.

Tickets available online at www.yogafest.com.au

The Australian Human Rights Commission, the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry have jointly launched the ‘Know Where the Line Is’ awareness strategy intended to run in workplaces around the country to help workers and employers recognise sexual harassment and know how to take action.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick, said the ‘Know Where the Line Is’ awareness strategy features a video and a suite of workplace posters that illustrate the line between acceptable questions or comments and workplace sexual harassment.

“On one side of the line is an acceptable behaviour, on the other, a behaviour that is typical of sexual harassment,” she said, “For example, one of the posters reads ‘how was your weekend… /…did you get any?’. The posters also feature advice on how the target of the harassment, as well as bystanders, can take action or seek help.”

“From the research the Commission has done on the prevalence of sexual harassment, we know that many people who experience it know that they are experiencing something that is not right, but are not sure what it is, or that it is unlawful,” she said. “We found that one in five people who say they have not experienced sexual harassment then go on to describe experiences that would constitute sexual harassment under the legal definition.”

President of the ACTU, Ged Kearney, said research also shows that people who experience sexual harassment rarely report it. “The hidden nature of this issue means that we must enlist the support of bystanders – we need our colleagues in the workplace to be aware when harassment occurs, and to stand up against it.”

CEO of ACCI, Kate Carnell AO, said the ‘see-talk-support’ messaging in the campaign was developed specifically with bystanders in mind.

“Workplaces have a leadership role to play when it comes to ending workplace sexual harassment. We want people and businesses – small, medium and large – to ‘see’ the sexual harassment that may occur around them and recognise those behaviours that cross the line. But we also want people to ‘talk’ about this issue and to raise awareness in their teams about how harmful harassment is not only for the individuals who experience it, but for workplaces as a whole,” Ms Carnell said.

The three leaders said they also hoped the strategy would help to provide a ‘call to action’ for Australian employers to support their staff in taking bystander action if they see or hear sexual harassment.

Resources for employers and employees are available on the Know Where the Line Is website, including the Commission’s new ‘Ending workplace sexual harassment: A resource for small, medium and large employers’: www.knowtheline.com.au

On May 12, International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world in recognition of the significant contribution nurses make to the health of society.

In Brisbane’s south, three dedicated nurses are providing health care to the most vulnerable in our society, people who are homeless.

St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane (SVPHB), along with Micah Projects and Mater Health Services, provide an onsite seven-day nursing service that offers support, health assessment, education, medication management and general coordination of healthcare needs for tenantsat Brisbane Common Ground.

Brisbane Common Ground(BCG) is an innovative, supportive housing development at 15 Hope Street, South Brisbane, that provides 146 studio and one-bedroom units for people who have experienced homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless.

Many of the residents at BCG have been unable to access health care services in the past, but with the stability that comes withsafe and reliable housing, their health is now a priority.

Registered Nurse Arif Mansuri, who has worked at BCG since it’s opening, has seen firsthand the difference basic healthcare can make in the lives of homeless people.

Recently Arif helped care for an elderly woman who was experiencing anxiety, depression and overall bad health for years.

“I remember the first day I met her, she was so scared and unwell and she tried to hide it for a long time. But because we provide in-home care the other staff and I were able to pick up on it and see she received the correct multidisciplinary care she needed,” Arif said.

“She is now enjoying life. She has joined our meditation and art groups and when I see her she always has a smile on her face.”

SVPHB general manager Cheryle Royle said the support we provide BCG is helping break down barriers homeless people face in receiving adequate healthcare.

“Homeless people encounter multiple barriers to accessing services for their general health including the fear of experiencing the social stigma that comes with being homeless,” Cheryle said.

“I’m proud of our involvement which not only includes nursing care, our specialists are now visiting BCG and in the future we hope to establish an onsite GP clinic.”

Arif believes the unique delivery of care provided at BCG is what makes it so successful in helping residents.

“The key to providing healthcare to formerly homeless people is to develop a friendship with them first. There needs to be trust,” Arif said.

“Myself and the other two nurses at BCG believe in active listening and are always non -judgemental of our patients.”

“Nothing is more rewarding then when a patient comes up to you smiling and gives you a hug and says how well they are doing and much they are enjoying life again.”

Dredging of more than 13 million cubic metres of seabed due to commence in the Moreton Bay Marine Park for the next stage of Brisbane’s second runway highlights the need for strong protection in our marine park said the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) today.

AMCS Marine Campaigner Fiona Maxwell said ‘This is one of the biggest sand-dredging exercises in Brisbane’s history. The dredging planned for Moreton Bay Marine Park only increases the vulnerability of the Bay and its incredible marine life, highlighting the need for strong protection.’

‘This massive dredging program adds pressure to the Bay at a time when the Government is also considering winding back our marine park protection’ said Maxwell.

‘We were alarmed at the Newman Government’s announcement that they are considering allowing fishing back into some of Moreton Bay’s fully protected marine national parks.’

‘Instead, the Queensland Government needs to limit the impacts of this dredging and ensure that those areas in the marine park that are fully protected remain that way so that our Bay is as healthy and resilient as possible.’

‘Research from Australia and overseas consistently shows that fully protected areas, work at building resilience to threats and protecting and recovering marine species and habitats’ said Maxwell.

‘Government studies also show that the great majority of recreational fishers, both in Brisbane and throughout Queensland, believe that our highly protected marine national parks are a good and reasonable thing’

‘If the government wants to do something that genuinely earns the support of recreational fishers and the broader community of Moreton Bay, they would do well to address real issues like pollution and habitat loss.’

‘Taking action on these issues, and maintaining existing protections, would mean a healthier, more resilient Bay for the benefit of everyone,’ concluded Maxwell.

The RSPCA has released a compilation of its quirkiest animal cruelty call-outs. Responding to everything from highly distressed individuals reporting cruelty towards statues, having mistaken them for a dog, or reports of crocodiles appearing in suburban backyards, RSPCA Inspectors take every job very seriously, but sometimes all is not as it seems.

The RSPCA’s TOP TEN quirky animal cruelty call outs that weren’t what they seemed.

A person called about an abandoned goat that had been left unfed for days, which was actually an abandoned mattress in a paddock.

A man rang about his dog which had been ‘hexed’ by his neighbour to attack him when he said a certain word. He wanted the RSPCA to “find out the word from his dog”.

A woman rang in anger to complain that her neighbours had left their white Bulldog in a yard without shade and when she left a note in their mailbox telling them to provide their dog shelter, they had put up a beach umbrella for the dog. The dog was a statue.

A highly distressed woman called about a mini crocodile in her backyard which was threatening the lives of her children. After receiving a photograph from the caller the animal was identified as a blue-tongue lizard.

An inspector went to rescue a bird that was heard trapped in the roof for a number of days. It was in fact the smoke alarm battery signal to change the battery.

A caller rang about a cockatoo that was so stressed in its small cage that it would not move. An inspector found an ornamental bird in a cage.

A gentleman called from a supermarket and said he was in the presence of an animal killer. Someone was buying head lice treatment.

Two security dogs had managed to get themselves ‘tangled’ on a tether. When the Inspector arrived at the property both dogs came running out without any problems. The Inspector had to explain to the informant the process of dog mating.

A woman rang at 10 pm worried that a possum up a tree may not be able to get down.

Several complaints of two cows in a paddock with no shelter. These are two steel cows in a field just outside of the town of Nowra on the NSW South Coast.

WALK TO FIGHT ANIMAL CRUELTY!

MILLION PAWS WALK Sunday 18 May – Australia’s biggest & best dog event!

On Sunday 18 May 2014, more than 20,000 people and their dogs will walk in Queensland to show their support for animals in need. Will you join them on the walk to help stop animal cruelty? Register for the Million Paws Walk today!

Funds raised from registrations, merchandise sales and fundraising pages, will help to provide essential care, veterinary treatment, food and shelter for more than 18,000 dogs that RSPCA Qld cares for each year. Sign up today to help give another dog a second chance at a happy life.

Regardless of the breed, size or age of your dog – everyone is welcome – as long as they are fully vaccinated, friendly and registered with your local council. No four legged friend? No problem! Even those without pooches are welcome to join in the fun.

Register online before 16 May to take advantage of ticket price savings…and then start fundraising to help fight animal cruelty!

To register: http://www.millionpawswalk.com.au/Queensland/Walk_locations/REGISTER_NOW_.htm