Toowoomba

1. Horan accepts Darling Downs hospital board post

   Former Queensland health minister Mike Horan will take the role of chairman for the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Board when it is formed in July this year.

2. MP urges road train bullbar fines review

   Western Queensland MP Vaughan Johnson has asked the State Government to investigate why road train drivers have been fined for what he says are minor breaches over bullbars.

3. Race fans hope pigs fly

   Pigs will race in central-west Queensland today as part of a regional show.

4. Councils urged to help save koalas

   A Queensland wildlife scientist says councils cannot expect the State Government to be solely responsible for koala conservation.

5. Mobile classroom hits the road

   A big orange bus being touted as Australia's first mobile interactive classroom is touring regional Queensland.

6. Survey reveals milk price war hurting farm confidence

   The Queensland Dairyfarmers' Organisation (QDO) says unless governments act to end the milk price war, consumers will end up paying more in the long-term.

7. Qld's Mobile Women's Health Service faces review

   Queensland Health says a review into its Mobile Women's Health Service is about meeting current needs in rural areas and not about program cuts.

8. CSG will impact hundreds of bores: report

   A new report suggests more than 500 water bores on farms across Queensland's southern inland will be affected by the coal seam gas (CSG) industry.

9. Real estate agents face second ombudsman audit

   The Fair Work Ombudsman is continuing its investigation of Queensland's real estate industry.

10. Fears aired over skilled migration scheme changes

    A north-west Queensland mayor says he is worried about the impact of changes to the skilled migration program.

11. Remote students gather for NAPLAN tests

    Hundreds of remote students have gathered at Schools of the Air across Queensland this week to participate in national literacy and numeracy testing.

12. Qld councils poll criticised as lacking resources

    The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) says the state's Electoral Commission did not allocate enough resources to last month's council polls.

13. Man free after replica gun threat

    A man has walked free from court in Toowoomba on southern Queensland's Darling Downs after pleading guilty to threatening four teenagers with a replica gun.

14. Southern Qld shivers through cold snap

    A layer of frost covered much of southern inland Queensland this morning.

15. Miners urged to boost subsidised housing efforts

    The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) says the mining industry could do more to address rises in the cost of living caused by mining activity.

16. Vatican appoints new Toowoomba Bishop

    The Vatican has appointed a new Bishop for the Toowoomba diocese on southern Queensland's Darling Downs.

17. Form flaw threatens NAPLAN test accuracy, union says

    The Queensland Teachers Union (QTU) says it has found another serious flaw with the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests being conducted in schools this week.

18. MPs sworn in to new Qld Parliament

    Queensland's 89 MPs have been officially sworn in at Parliament House in Brisbane.

    Fifty-one MPs are new members who are familiarising themselves with the procedures of the House, including Premier Campbell Newman.

    Mr Newman will not give his maiden speech until Thursday, when the normal business of Parliament like Question Time begins.

19. Flood clean-up sees show go on

    The president of Mitchell's show society says it has taken a big flood clean-up effort to ensure the town's annual show in southern inland Queensland goes ahead.

20. Meatworkers to decide on new enterprise deal

    Union members at an abattoir on southern Queensland's Darling Downs will decide today whether to accept a new enterprise bargaining agreement as industrial action enters its fourth week.

21. Grass may offer lifeline to threatened butterfly

    Excitement is growing among conservationists over a plant that could save one of Queensland's most vulnerable butterflies.

22. Flying fox kill permits 'a last resort'

    The Queensland Government is set to overhaul rules to allow some farmers to kill flying foxes, but it says permits will only be issued to farmers as a last resort.

23. Ex-boyfriend jailed for Stanthorpe manslaughter

    A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to nine years in jail for the manslaughter of his former girlfriend on southern Queensland's Granite Belt.

24. Flood victims perfectly placed for Roma show

    Occupants of temporary flood accommodation at Roma in southern inland Queensland will have to share the showgrounds over the next two days, as local officials says the show must go on.

25. Indigenous diabetes 'shocks' AMAQ boss

    The president of the Australian Medical Association of Queensland (AMAQ) says he is "shocked" by what he has seen on a tour of the state's remote Indigenous communities.

26. Job agency questions local worker quota

    An employment agency in Queensland's southern inland says any attempt to limit 457 visa workers will hurt the region.

27. Study gets a line on fishing numbers

    A new study has shown more than 700,000 Queenslanders are keen fishers, with Mackay in the state's north having the highest participation rate.

28. Farmers forecast better disaster preparation

    The Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF) says a federal budget funding boost to the weather bureau will help farmers better prepare for natural disasters.

29. Qld mining towns face rental price hike

    A housing group says an acute lack of construction has caused median rental prices to climb by more than 50 per cent in some Queensland mining towns.

30. Qld rural doctors question federal budget

    Country doctors says the federal budget has ignored the needs of medical professionals living in regional Queensland.

31. Sugar industry laments no Budget tax sweeteners

    Sugar lobby group Canegrowers says it is disappointed the Federal Government has not delivered tax breaks in the Budget for the industry.

32. Budget 'bad for business' in Qld

    Two leading Queensland organisations say the Federal Budget has neglected the struggling business sector.

33. CFMEU warns against fly-in, fly-out 'push'

    A national union leader says Queensland's mining regions should be wary of becoming too much like Western Australia.

34. Queensland 'misses out' in Federal Budget

    Treasurer Tim Nicholls says Queensland has fared badly in the first Federal Budget since the change to a LNP Government in the state.

    Mr Nicholls says Queensland has missed out in areas like infrastructure and road funding.

    "There's a lot of pain with not much gain for Queensland in this budget," Mr Nicholls said.

35. Union pushes for paramedic pay rise

    Ambulance officers will start talks with the Queensland Government next week on their enterprise bargaining log of claims.

36. Curious cat sparks power outage

    A cat is being blamed for causing a power outage at Warwick on Queensland's southern Darling Downs this morning.

37. Tourism industry airs optimism

    Tourism Queensland says operators across the state are optimistic about the rest of the year, with all regions forecasting a boost in visitor numbers.

38. Qld workers await decision on CMI future

    More than 100 workers at a manufacturing firm on southern Queensland's Darling Downs should know their fate today after a meeting between creditors and administrators.

39. Labor hid cost to fix health payroll bungle: Springborg

    The State Government has accused Labor of deliberately hiding the cost of fixing Queensland Health's flawed payroll system.

    The former Bligh Labor government introduced the bungled system two years ago, causing chaos for thousands of staff who were unpaid, overpaid or not paid at all.

    The new LNP State Government says the cost of fixing the system has now soared to $412 million and rising.

40. Chopper rescues hurt 12yo bushwalker

    A 12-year-old boy remains in a serious condition in hospital after a bushwalking accident near Gatton in southern Queensland's Lockyer Valley yesterday.

41. Qld Government launches power prices review

    The Queensland Government has ordered a review power prices, which have increased by about 60 per cent in the last few years.

42. Hope new jet fuel test will take off

    A new type of jet fuel is being put to the test on a flight across Australia, with the trip keenly watched by aviation and liquefied gas sectors.

43. Suncorp won't offer new policies in flood-prone towns

    Queensland's biggest insurer Suncorp will no longer offer new policies in two regional towns until flood mitigation works are carried out.

    Roma and Emerald have been devastated by major flooding in recent years.

    The insurer says it has paid out $150 million in claims from residents and no new policies will be offered until levees are built.

44. Thousands march on Labour Day across Qld

    Thousands have turned out for Labour Day marches in Queensland, the first since 1998 under a non-Labor state government.

45. Santos $16b gas plant on track

    Santos says construction is progressing well for its $16 billion gas plant on Curtis Island, off Gladstone.

46. Exporter's collapse blamed for tomato price squeeze

    A fruit and vegetable wholesaler says the tomato market has experienced an obvious slump since the collapse of Australia's largest grower.

47. Uncertainty surrounds meatworkers' return to work

    It is still unclear if more than 600 striking workers at an abattoir on southern Queensland's Darling Downs will return to work next week.

48. Town fears difficulty replacing GP

    A south-west Queensland town is worried it may be left without a private doctor when the only local GP retires next year.

49. Mayor up-beat about dam plan

    The Southern Downs Mayor-elect says the Emu Swamp dam project will continue to be a focus for the new council.

50. MP blames manufacturing woes on carbon tax

    The federal Member for Groom says the carbon tax is to blame for problems with the manufacturing sector on southern Queensland's Darling Downs.

51. Cripps pledges 'practical' support for landholders

    The Natural Resources Minister says he will adopt a common sense approach to issues affecting rural industries in Queensland.

52. Date set for newspaper launch

    A media company set to start up a newspaper in central Queensland says it has more plans for expansion.

53. Cost to fix health payroll could double: Springborg

    Health Minister Lawrence Springborg says the cost of fixing the department's payroll system could be more than double what the previous government predicted.

54. ECQ to blame for poor council vote: LGAQ

    The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) says the state's Electoral Commission is to blame for the poor showing of voters at the council elections.

55. Army may be asked to help cull outback pests

    A conservation group says it might be worth asking the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to help with feral animal control in Queensland's outback.

56. Call for basin authority to consider CSG impacts

    The Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF) says it would have liked the State Government to address coal seam gas (CSG) mining in its submission on the draft Murray-Darling Basin plan.

57. Call for doctor training to have rural focus

    The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (CRRM) says unless there is a change in training, doctors will continue to practise in Australia's capital cities at the expense of country communities.

58. Country racing bodies welcome Qld industry review

    Racing bodies in regional Queensland have welcomed State Government plans for an industry shake-up.

59. Minister orders probe into ballot paper shortage reports

    Local Government Minister David Crisafulli is investigating reports some electoral booths ran out of ballot papers on the weekend during Queensland's council elections.

60. Company director fined for underpaying staff

    A national company director has been fined $11,000 for underpaying 25 casual employees, including nine in Queensland.

61. Pest fish threat for Murray-Darling
    A pest fish has been spreading and eating native fish species and a survey warns it is close to reaching the Murray-Darling Basin. Cameron Wilson investigates.
62. 'Voter fatigue' blamed for low council election turnout

    The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) says it is disappointed by the low voter turnout at last weekend's council elections.

63. Striking meatworkers' demands 'reasonable'

    The Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union (AMIEU) says it still wants to negotiate a settlement with abattoir owners on Queensland's Darling Downs, despite extending industrial action.

64. Experts make wheat pest breakthrough

    Researchers in Toowoomba on Queensland's Darling Downs say they have made a breakthrough in fighting a pest that costs the northern wheat industry $50 million a year.

65. Threatened koalas listing creates unnecessary 'green tape'

    The Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) says the listing of koalas as a threatened species in Queensland will create unnecessary delays for developers.

66. Government to press on with council de-amalgamation offer

    The Queensland Government says it will push ahead with a review of options for councils wishing to undo forced amalgamations.

67. Mayor-elect hopes to boost Qld Govt ties

    The new Mayor-elect of the Murweh Shire Council says one of his first priorities will be establishing good contacts with the Queensland Government.

68. Meatworkers stage walkout

    The head of Oakey's Chamber of Commerce says week-long industrial action at the southern Queensland town's abattoir will hurt local business.

69. Business confidence soars in Qld after election

    The latest survey by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) shows business confidence in the state has increased by over 10 per cent, which is the highest level since the global financial crisis.

70. Power wins third straight Sao Paulo 300

    Australian Will Power triumphed in the Sao Paulo 300 for a third consecutive year, to secure his third IndyCar win in four starts this season.

71. Plans in place to train new mayors: LGAQ

    The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) says training will be available for the many new faces leading councils after Saturday's elections.

72. Regional Queensland votes for council changes

    Voters have delivered sweeping change to local councils in regional Queensland, with up to 45 new mayors elected.

73. Blame game begins after ALP poll 'disaster'

    A senior Brisbane Labor figure calls for the heads of several party officials in the wake of Labor's poor showing in the council election.

    Retired Labor councillor David Hinchliffe says the outlook for the party is bleak.

    Mr Hinchliffe has called for the resignation of ALP state secretary Anthony Chisholm and is urging several administrative committee members, including Bill Ludwig, to quit.

74. Quirk triumphs in Brisbane mayoral election

    The Liberal National Party's Graham Quirk will be returned as Brisbane's mayor after a convincing win in the council election over Labor candidate Ray Smith.

    But elsewhere in Queensland the council elections signalled big change, with about 35 new mayors elected across the state.

75. Candidates count down to Toowoomba council poll

    Five men, including two councillors, are lining up to try to unseat Peter Taylor as Toowoomba's mayor at tomorrow's local government election.

76. Voters gear up for council elections across Qld

    Residents in Queensland's 73 councils go to the polls on Saturday, but many have already cast postal votes.

77. Qld workers face job losses amid CMI closure

    About 200 jobs are on the line in southern Queensland after national manufacturing firm CMI Industrial was placed in voluntary administration.

78. Outgoing mayor urges less rural red tape

    A retiring south-west Queensland mayor has made a plea for the new State Government to consider the unique challenges facing smaller, remote councils.

79. Retailer vows to fight shopping centre plans

    A developer says it is confident of overcoming a legal challenge to a shopping centre it is building in Toowoomba's north.

80. Council maintains fluoride fight

    A south-west Queensland council is fighting to be exempt from new State Government requirements for fluoride to be added to a town's water supply.

81. Union vows action over LNP public sector revamp

    Queensland's public servants will take industrial action next week to highlight concerns over forced redundancies.

82. New tool to boost irrigation efficiency

    Farmers can now go online to work out how much water is needed to feed their crops.

83. Candidate airs missing ballot paper fears

    A Toowoomba mayoral candidate says he is worried some voters still have not received their ballot papers.

84. Group urges compulsory CSG compo register

    A landholders' group says farmers should be made to reveal their compensation agreements with coal seam gas (CSG) companies.

85. Poison restrictions hamper wild dog battle

    The man charged with controlling the spread of wild dogs in Australia says restrictions on the use of a key poison are hampering the fight against growing numbers.

86. Social media raises interest in Anzac Day

    The RSL says social media is renewing interest in the Anzac legend.

87. Qld Cabinet approves changing lying to Parliament laws

    The State Government is to consult Queenslanders about a possible seven year jail term for people who knowingly lie to parliament or a parliamentary committee.

88. Call to change incentives to attract rural doctors

    A Health Workforce Queensland (HWQ) spokesman has told a Senate committee in Townsville in the state's north that smaller regional centres are missing out on extra doctors.

89. Authority outlines endangered snails plan for $1.4b dam

    SunWater says it will move a colony of endangered snails from the site of the proposed Nathan Dam in southern inland Queensland.

90. Government freezes Qld electricity prices

    Premier Campbell Newman says average households will save about $120 a year thanks to a Queensland Government freeze on electricity prices.

91. Resources boom driving Qld's economic growth

    An independent financial forecaster says economic growth is roaring back to life in Queensland thanks to the resources and development boom.

92. Tarong power station gets extended life

    The operators of a power station in southern Queensland's South Burnett region says a multi-million-dollar refit will prolong its life by at least 25 years.

93. New Qld ministers sworn in

    Two new ministers have been been sworn in at Government House in Brisbane this morning.

94. Company reveals 'ambitious' CSG target

    Forums across western Queensland have heard coal seam gas (CSG) production could begin as early as 2014.

95. Housing market holds back Qld economy: report

    The latest State of the States report shows the Queensland economy is being held back by the struggling housing sector.

96. Fog shrouds Qld's south-east

    Fog blanketed much of Queensland's south-east this morning, with motorists urged to take care on roads.

97. CSG companies move to reassure landowners

    Coal seam gas companies (CSG) will outline some of their plans for western Queensland at community forums this weekend.

98. Mental disorder sufferers face rental 'stigma'

    A Toowoomba charity says landlords have been reluctant to rent homes to people with mental disorders.

99. Development approvals speed up

    A Western Downs developer says the pace of development approvals is picking up in the region.

100. Council probes flood management measures

     The Western Downs Regional Council says a flood study it has commissioned is among a number of flood management strategies it is examining.