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.
Cave divers are searching for a rare colony of endangered ghost bats in Queensland's outback after flooding in 2023. The bats, which are Australia's largest carnivorous species, were feared wiped out by the floodwaters. Preliminary testing has confirmed their survival, but researchers found the population is genetically isolated and dwindling. The Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation is leading the project to understand and protect the bats.
Australia's leading saddle bronc riders will face three American riders at the Cinch International Australian Bronc Match in Warwick on Saturday, 24 October. American riders have won both previous editions of the event. Four of Australia's top five riders from the 2026 national standings are competing. More than $50,000 in prize money is at stake. The championship also includes a custom saddle made by a Beaudesert saddlemaker. The competition is expected to begin at about 6pm at Warwick Showgrounds.
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The DMC Boys, a reggae-rock band from Doomadgee in Queensland's Gulf Country, hope to take their music worldwide. The band recently played their biggest show yet, opening for King Stingray at celebrations for the reopening of Burketown's airport. Lead vocalist Elijah Douglas said the band has inspired younger people in their community to learn music. Lead guitarist Tommy Lee Jack said music can be a healing process. King Stingray frontman Dimathaya Burarrwanga said opportunities for emerging artists remain scarce.
The mayor of Burketown in Queensland says the town's airstrip may need to move to a more flood-resistant site, even after a $27 million upgrade. The Queensland and federal governments funded the work, which raised the airstrip by 400 millimetres. Commercial flights are expected to resume in mid-November after about nine months of repairs, during which the only access was by bus on unreliable dirt roads. Mayor Ernie Camp said he remains worried the airstrip would not survive another flood like the one in 2023. A regional council group said long-term planning is needed to protect air services.
Queensland's youth justice department has terminated $280,000 in government funding for a Mount Isa youth crime prevention initiative. The funding went to Brodie Germaine for his Camp Fire program, which aimed to steer Aboriginal young people away from crime through fitness, mentoring and on-country activities. The department terminated the arrangement on September 29 and has sought repayment of unspent grant money. Germaine, 29, faces multiple drug-related charges. His case was mentioned in the Mount Isa Magistrates Court on Monday, and he is due back in court on November 9.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested after a 16-year-old girl died in a remote Northern Territory community. Police allege she was assaulted and say her death is suspicious. The girl attended a local clinic early on Monday with multiple injuries, suffered a cardiac arrest and died around 5.30am. Police say the man was believed to be in a domestic relationship with her and remains in custody. Police from Queensland are helping with the investigation, and extra officers have been sent to the community.
A 16-year-old girl has died after an alleged assault in the remote outback community of Alpurrurulam. She died early on Monday at the community's health clinic, about 1500 kilometres from Darwin. A 26-year-old man believed to have been in a relationship with her is in police custody, assisting with inquiries. NT Police Acting Commander Mark Grieve said the teen suffered cardiac arrest on arrival at the clinic, where staff also found various injuries to her body. Police believe her death is unrelated to recent community unrest.
A woman has died in the remote Northern Territory community of Alpurrurulam following an alleged assault. Police are treating the death as suspicious and a man is in custody assisting with inquiries. Specialist detectives and forensic officers are travelling to the community. Police were alerted about 5.30am on Monday after the local clinic reported the death. Local MP Chansey Paech has called for more support for remote communities, including police resourcing, peacekeepers and action on alcohol supply.
Northern Territory Police say a 16-year-old girl died in the remote community of Alpurrurulam after she was allegedly physically assaulted early in the morning. Police are treating the death as suspicious. A 26-year-old man, believed to have been in a relationship with the girl, is in custody assisting with inquiries. Acting Commander Mark Grieve said the death appeared unrelated to recent community unrest. The community has had no permanent police station since 2018, and a local MP has called for more police resources.
Doctor Winnie Yum and her partner, electrician Nelson Athanasiou, are spending a year at the Davis research station in Antarctica. Yum met Athanasiou in Mount Isa, where she completed her medical internship. Both applied separately for roles at the station and were placed at the same site. Yum says life there is simple, with food, rent and utilities covered. She describes working alone as a doctor and says sharing the experience with her partner has made it easier. The couple expect to return to Hobart in late November or early December.
Professional surfer Caio Ibelli has moved with his family to Mount Isa, a mining city in north-west Queensland almost 1,000 kilometres from the east coast. The Brazilian-born athlete won the Surfing Champions Trophy in the Maldives last month, then returned home to the outback. His wife, Talie, moved to the region after completing her medical degree. Ibelli says he loves the community and hopes to teach local children to surf one day.
A terminally ill grandmother in Mount Isa faces losing her home after the Indigenous housing corporation that owned it collapsed. Leonie Reading, who has lived in the house for 11 years, is among 50 residents affected by the auction of 25 properties. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Welfare Services (ATSICfWS) owes more than $1 million in unpaid council rates. The Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC) has taken steps to protect auction proceeds and is investigating the organisation.
