Palm Island residents are fearing for the worst from cyclone Yasi. Crikey spoke to former Palm Island mayor Robert Blackley who said: "People are woefully unprepared. The state of Queensland has abandoned us."
Political donations data released by the Australian Electoral Commission yesterday shows a multi-million jump in donations for South Australia and Tasmania -- the two states that held elections over the audit period.
Media wrap: The impact of cyclone Yasi, currently brooding off the far north Queensland coast, is "likely to be more life threatening than any experienced during recent generations," the Bureau of Meteorology has declared.
Crikey media wrap: From levee banks to levy banks, recovery from the recent Queensland -- and NSW and Victorian -- floods will cost the Australian economy an estimated $5.9 billion.
Labor's "Great Big New Levy" is certain to generate commentary and controversy, but what does a $1.7 billion levy look like in the context of the wider economy? It looks, well, minuscule, which makes you wonder why the government even bothered, writes Possum Comitatus.
Some important voices are missing in talks on how to fund the national response to the floods, writes Dr Cassandra Goldie, CEO, Australian Council of Social Service.
Appointing a sitting judge to chair Queensland's Royal Commission on the Queensland floods could blur the separation of powers between the executive and judiciary, says an expert in public inquiry. While another legal world watcher says complaints from the Bar could be just a case of barristers "beating their own drum".
As the floods in Queensland and Victoria gushed through homes, businesses and streets leaving tragedy behind, all of that murky water and grime sent moral compasses and other measures of taste and decency spinning in all directions.
From moveable houses to milk, Queenslanders are having to deal with higher prices on the essentials and more, writes Crikey intern Emma Buckley Lennox.
With the flood waters subsiding, Queenslanders are beginning to think about rebuilding their towns and cities, with discussion from academics, politicians and urban planners on appropriate places to rebuild starting to rumble, writes Crikey intern Emma Buckley Lennox.
