Riverina MPs have expressed shock and sorrow at the alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines outside her Wangaratta electorate office. Haines was critically injured after allegedly being struck by a Toyota LandCruiser on Monday afternoon. A 43-year-old man was arrested at the scene, and a knife was found inside the vehicle. Police and counter-terrorism authorities are investigating, and the motive remains unknown. One Nation MP David Farley urged people not to speculate, while Michelle Milthope and Nationals MP Michael McCormack praised Haines and wished her a speedy recovery.
Reigning PBR Australia champion Kurt Shephard won the Monster Energy Tour event in Mackay, scoring 89.90 points on Last Post in the Championship Round. His two-for-three riding gave him a 176-point aggregate and $7,300 in prizemoney, despite wet conditions. Shephard now leads the national standings with 2,758 points, 289 ahead of second-ranked Zane Hall. The Tour continues in Tamworth on 24 October 2026, before the PBR Australia Grand Finals in Townsville on 13 and 14 November 2026.
Global Grooves 2026, a free family festival, will be held at Queens Park in Mackay this Saturday, October 24, from 3pm to 8pm. The event will feature 13 cultural dance groups and bands, workshops and 17 food vendors. Performances include Latin, Irish, Scottish, Thai, Indian, Filipino, Indonesian and Chinese acts, opened by a First Nations Welcome and Smoking Ceremony. Market stalls will sell traditional fashion, accessories and gifts. Mayor Greg Williamson said the event would include both returning and new community groups. Global Grooves is an initiative of Mackay Regional Council.
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Young people aged 11 to 17 in Mackay can vote this week to choose 12 members of the third Mackay Youth Council from 21 candidates. Polling stations are set up at local schools, Headspace at Caneland Central and other community venues. Voting runs from October 19 to October 23, with counting starting on October 24. The successful candidates are expected to be sworn in for an 18-month term in early 2027. Mayor Greg Williamson said the council was the first in Australia to have an elected youth council under the Foundation for Young Australians' Young Mayors program.
Queensland paramedics say they are spending entire 12-hour shifts with patients stuck outside overcrowded emergency departments. Latest figures show 42 per cent of ambulance patients at the state's top 26 public hospitals waited more than 30 minutes to be transferred in August. QEII Hospital recorded the highest rate in Queensland at 64.8 per cent. A 51-year-old man was found dead about two hours after calling Triple Zero, and an investigation is underway. Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the government remained hopeful of meeting its target of under 30 per cent by 2028.
Australia's senior fast bowlers, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, have recovered from a heavy workload in the Durban Test. Pat Cummins also bowled 29 overs there. Hazlewood (35) and Starc (36) opening the attack at Kingsmead is only the sixth time in Australia's past seven Tests that two bowlers aged 35 or over have shared the new ball. Australia now faces a crowded schedule of matches, with pitches expected to demand more endurance. Hazlewood said he plays each Test as though it could be his last.
A coroner has suspended the inquest into the disappearance of Mackay schoolgirl Marilyn Wallman after a new witness emerged. Coroner David O'Connell said the family may suggest that brothers Noel and Tommy Morris were involved. Tommy Morris was not scheduled as a witness, and the court heard he had left Mackay for South Australia months after the disappearance. The inquest will resume on December 8. Witness Lyle Wright has given differing accounts of car colour and the whereabouts of Noel Morris.
A man who found part of the skull of Marilyn Wallman, a Mackay schoolgirl who vanished in 1972, has told an inquest he and friends used it as an ashtray at a pub. Greven Breadsell said he discovered the remains in 1974 at McGregor Creek near Mirani and initially believed they belonged to an Aboriginal person. He told police he kept the skull at his shed for several weeks. A 2015 video of his police walkthrough was played to the court. DNA testing in 2006 confirmed the remains were Marilyn's.
Troppo Markets has moved to Caneland Central in Mackay, where its first market lifted overall foot traffic by 20 per cent. The monthly market runs on the second Sunday of each month from 7.30am to 11.30am, with a gold coin entry donation. Several food outlets, including Laffo's, Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue, will open slightly earlier to serve market shoppers. Centre manager Mark Farquhar said management will monitor traffic, parking and pedestrian access during the first few markets. The centre's owner, Sentinel Property Group, says the event will help draw visitors and strengthen ties with the local community.
Australia won the first Test against South Africa by 214 runs in Durban after captain Pat Cummins moved Matt Renshaw down to number five. Cummins said Renshaw's strong play against spin in the one-day series prompted the change. South Africa named two specialist spinners for the match. Renshaw scored 190 in the first innings and 82 in the second, batting against spin well. The second Test begins in Gqeberha in four days, and Cummins said the batting order could change again depending on conditions.
Camryn, a heart surgery survivor, and her family will take part in the Two Feet & A Heartbeat charity walk in Mackay on Saturday, 17 October. The event starts at 3pm at Old Mulherin Park and brings together people living with childhood-onset heart disease, along with their families and supporters. Camryn was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot before birth and had a full repair at six months old. Her mother, Kimberly, says she has shown remarkable resilience. The walk raises funds for HeartKids, which provides information, hospital support and peer connections for affected families.
Organisers have announced a second round of artists for the Toyota 55th Tamworth Country Music Festival, which runs from 15 to 24 January 2027. A one-off tribute to the late Dolly Parton features Amber Lawrence, Max Jackson, Melody Moko and Michael Waugh, alongside previously announced acts. Ticket sales are tracking ahead of last year. The Pub Group has added headline shows, including Mack Geiger, whose show is the fastest selling ever at the Longyard Hotel and across The Pub Group. Brad Cox will play two Tamworth shows, an afternoon acoustic set and an 18+ full band show.
A Mackay grandfather dying from asbestosis has been awarded nearly $1.9 million, Australia's largest compensation payment on record. Robin Smith developed the disease after exposure to asbestos while working as a plumber at the Mackay Harbour Board from the mid-1960s. The court found he was exposed to asbestos cement pipes at the port between 1981 and the mid-1990s. About $800,000 of the award was for pain and suffering. Experts told the court his condition is progressive, irreversible and fatal, with a life expectancy of about five to six years.
A Queensland adjudicator has rejected an urgent application to shut down an electric vehicle charger at The Pavilion Apartments in Bulimba. Resident Kin Chen had argued that the basement car park lacked adequate fire safety systems for a possible EV fire. The adjudicator found there was no immediate urgency, as the charger has operated since about 2020. The body corporate committee later granted retrospective approval with conditions, including annual servicing. The wider challenge to that approval is still to be decided.
Hope Vale angler Justin Convent won the adult prize, a Quintrex boat with a motor and trailer, at the Cooktown barramundi competition. More than 1100 anglers entered the event held from Friday to Sunday. Junior winner Nickalah Cobus also took home a boat. Thomas Hone caught the heaviest fish, weighing 7.4 kilograms. Local business owners said the weekend brought many shoppers into town.
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Gympie Regional Council is asking the community to help shape renewed playgrounds at Crab Creek Park in Tin Can Bay and Clive Colburn Park in Kandanga. Both projects were funded in this year's Budget and aim to deliver modern, safe and accessible play spaces. The Crab Creek playground sits on the foreshore and is popular with locals and visitors. The Clive Colburn playground is heavily used on game and training days at nearby sporting fields. Surveys close at 5pm on Thursday, 12 November 2026, and the renewals are expected to be completed by 30 June 2027.
Isaac Regional Council has announced a delay in kerbside waste collection for Moranbah residents. Due to mechanical issues, the general and recycling collections scheduled for Tuesday, 27 October 2026, will be completed on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. Residents are requested to keep their bins at the kerbside until the delayed collection. The council has expressed apologies for the inconvenience caused and thanked residents for their patience. For further details, residents can contact the council's 24/7 Customer Service Centre.
Gleneagle State School celebrated 70 years of play on September 16 with an Under 8s Day attended by more than 150 community members. Children, parents and extended family took part in pony rides, cookie decorating, loose parts play, sensory play and hula hoops. Local police and firefighters also visited. Under 8s Day coordinator and Prep teacher Shannon Taylor said the event gave families and younger children a welcoming way to connect with the school before starting Prep.
Retired dentist Peter Lynch has designed a $4 plastic basket that lets pickers pack mulberries directly into punnets. His Sunshine Coast hinterland farm, Kureelpa Mulberry Company, says the change has cut fruit damage by 80 per cent and reduced labour costs. The farm's four-week harvest depends on daily pickers, and the couple is concerned that cuts to working holiday visa numbers could make hiring difficult. Two French working holiday makers on the farm said a second year in Australia is uncertain.
Children aged 0 to 5 are invited to a Pop Up Playtime session at the Cooktown Botanic Gardens on Wednesday 18 November. Titled Bugs in my Backyard, the morning takes place at the Botanic Gardens Yarning Circle. Activities include bug hunting, bug-themed stories and hands-on discovery among the plants and pathways. Children can look under leaves for beetles, watch butterflies and find out what else lives in the gardens.
Nebo residents face a planned water supply outage from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Thursday, 29 October 2026, while the council carries out repairs at the Emergency Services Building. About 11 properties on St Lawrence and Kemmis Streets will be affected. Once supply returns, some households may notice discoloured water. Residents in that situation are advised to flush their taps and avoid using washing machines until the water runs clear. Flushing water can be reused on gardens or lawns.
Mining companies in Queensland's North West Minerals Province are struggling to find workers as drilling ramps up and new jobs open. AIC Mines chairman Aaron Colleran said hiring has been difficult everywhere, including at its Eloise copper mine near Cloncurry. The Australian Resources and Energy Employer Association estimates the industry will need 24,000 new workers across the country by 2027. Queensland Resources Council figures point to competing skill needs and fewer young people entering trades and mining careers. Industry leaders say apprenticeships must grow to ease the shortage.
Entries for the 2026 Spring in the Mary Photo Competition close this weekend, on October 31. The Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee is inviting photographers of all ages and skill levels to share spring images from across the region. Six award categories share $2,500 in prizes, including a Junior category for entrants aged 16 and under. Entrants may submit up to three original photographs taken within the Mary River catchment, using a camera or smartphone. Images, a short caption and an entry form are to be emailed to the committee.
Tamborine Mountain U3A is bringing mature residents and retirees together through a wide range of classes and events. The group has run on the mountain since 2007. Members can take part in activities including ballet, card games, pickleball, language classes and novel discussions. Branch Secretary Bev Kirk says the group helps prevent loneliness and keeps members engaged. The U3A also runs events at local businesses, including a Great Gatsby Murder Mystery Night on October 23 at the Fox and Hounds.
