20 tonnes of oil washed up on the beaches of Moreton Island since 3am this morning.
The Hong Kong-flagged ship, Pacific Adventure, lost several 20-foot containers of oil in rough seas.
The oil was also mixed with ammonium nitrate – a poisonous white powder used in fertiliser and explosives.
Channel 7 News helicopter pilot Greg Rogers saw the damage first-hand.
“The beaches for about 10km south of Cape Moreton… are just black,” Mr Rogers said.
The boat was en route to Indonesia from Newcastle in NSW.
Many working Australians may not be aware they might not be eligible for the government’s $900 payout.
Thousands of people who were not required to pay tax or received government rebates may not be eligible for the money.
QUT Senior law expert and practising accountant, Alistair MacAdams, said it’s possible that hundreds of thousand of workers won’t be able to access money because they receive low income, spouse rebates or are senior Australians.
He said workers that earned less that around ten thousand dollars, such as apprentices, would not receive the bonus.
You can read more about the stimulus package here.
Natural carbon sinks, such as oceans and forests, are becoming unable to keep up with the rising levels of carbon dioxide worldwide, according to scientist’s at the International Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.
CSIRO scientist and co-chair of the Global Carbon Project, Dr Mike Raupach, said grasslands and oceans are absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere faster than ever, but are not keeping pace with rapidly rising emissions.
Dr Raupach said this study is based on identifying several issues that could cause the stabilising carbon sinks to be weakened or even reversed.
Whale campaigners are outraged with negotiations between the International Whaling Commission and Japan over whaling.
Conservationists are worried the talks that took place in Rome would encourage other commercial whaling nations to start whaling again, if Japan won the negotiations.
Talks revolved around allowing Japan to continue whaling closer to its coasts while remaining out of Antarctic seas.
Greenpeace issued a direct statement saying no whales were saved at the meeting, and they are calling urgent action to modernise the IWC to stop whaling.
The Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers’ Union say they would be willing to hold off on pay rises if it meant workers would remain in their jobs.
Many retail and hospitality businesses are worried they won’t be able to afford the increased wages, penalty rates and loadings, when the Government’s Fair Work laws come into play.
The Union said they would prefer people to keep their jobs than be put off due to wage increases. They said they would be happy to phase the increases in over a 5 year period.
Blogged by Ellie
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