An Initial Flood Watch has been issued for coastal catchments between Gladstone and the New South Wales Border.

The first flood watch, issued by the Bureau of Meteorology this morning, indicates that minor flooding across a large swathe of catchments, including Pine and Caboolture Rivers and their tributaries, is possible.

The Bureau released a video yesterday, detailing the impacts, with Southern States, New South Wales and Victoria, likely to experience the worst of the impacts.

Parts of Queensland will begin to see the effects of the trough from Sunday and into Monday. Rainfall during the past week has primed local catchments for future level rises.

Widespread 24 hour rainfall totals of 30-70mm are possible about coastal catchments south of Gladstone during Sunday and Monday. Isolated heavier falls in the range of 80-180mm are possible each day, these fall are expected from severe thunderstorms embedded in the trough. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings will be issued by the Bureau of Meteorology during the event as required. You can view all Queensland warnings here.

IF IT’S FLOODED, FORGET IT!!!

The warning is as follows:

IDQ20900

Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland

Initial Flood Watch for coastal catchments between Gladstone and the New South Wales Border

Issued at 11:12 am EST on Friday 1 December 2017

Flood Watch Number: 1

Minor flooding is possible across the Flood Watch area.

A trough system and an associated band of showers and storms will move into the southwest of the state during Friday, shifting gradually eastwards across the state during the weekend. The associated band of showers and storms will likely clear the coast on Tuesday.

Rainfall during the past week has wetted up some coastal catchments meaning river level rises are likely.

Widespread 24 hour rainfall totals of 30-70mm are possible about coastal catchments south of Gladstone during Sunday and Monday.

Isolated heavier falls in the range of 80-180mm are possible each day with severe thunderstorms. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings will be issued during the event as required.

Minor flooding is possible across the Flood Watch area and isolated heavy rainfall may lead to localised flooding.

Rainfall totals and river level rises are expected to be significantly lower than those experienced in the Wide Bay catchments in October, and certainly nothing comparable to the widespread rainfall and flooding seen in Cyclone Debbie.

The Flood Watch area will be refined as the location of the heaviest rainfall becomes more certain.

Catchments likely to be affected include:

See www.bom.gov.au/qld/warnings to view the current flood warnings for Queensland.

Flood Safety Advice:

This Flood Watch means that people living or working along rivers and creeks should monitor the latest weather forecasts and warnings.

• Remember: If it’s flooded, forget it.

For flood emergency assistance contact the SES on 132 500.

For life threatening emergencies, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.

Current emergency information is available at www.qld.gov.au/alerts.

This advice is also available by dialling 1300 659 219 at a low call cost of 27.5 cents, more from mobile, public and satellite phones.

Warning, rainfall and river information are available at www.bom.gov.au/qld/flood/

Final election counts are still being tallied but it’s becoming clear that the ALP has a stronghold in the Moreton Bay Region and Queensland as a whole.

Six of the nine seats that are within the boundaries of the Moreton Bay Region has been won or retained by Labor candidates.

Morayfield – Mark Ryan (ALP)

Redcliffe – Yvette D’Ath (ALP)

Murrumba – Steven Miles (ALP)

Bancroft – Chris Whiting (ALP)

Pine Rivers – Nikki Boyd (ALP)

Kurwongbah – Shane King (ALP)

The three remaining seats are still undecided:

Pumicestone – Micheal Hoogwaerts (ALP) and Simone Wilson (LNP) are running a very tight race. It could be a long wait to hear the results for this seat.

Everton – Tim Mander (LNP) holds the lead over David Greene (ALP).

Glass House – Andrew Powell (LNP) has the lead over Brent Hampstead (ALP).

Three nights ago, Australians started receiving calls all the way from Cameroon in Central Africa.

Calls were very short allowing practically no opportunity to answer them. Welcome to the call-back scam or as it became known in New Zealand in April this year, the Wangiri scam. Meaning “one ring and cut”.

One of Mackay’s very own police officers received this call in the very early hours of the morning two night’s ago.

This phone scam is so very easy to avoid once you know how it works. Here’s what you need to know:

• You receive a call which is almost impossible to answer at an inconvenient time.  You later identify the missed call – your curiosity peaks. You have a decision to make, do I call the number back or not? Many decide to call back – hence the scam name.
• The scammers establish themselves in locations where they can receive the highest possible yield for their international premium rate number (known as a toll number). This means that the revenue made from your international call to their newly set up phone number is shared between the telephone company and the scammers.
• The rates charged for these return international calls are the highest possible you could imagine. Prepaid users often find themselves with little to no credit left afterwards, other phone users only identify the damage incurred when they receive their next phone bill. Charges incurred during your call back are extremely excessive.
• To make it worse –  if you decide to call back this number, the person who answers your call will do every thing in their power to ensure you stay on the line for as long as possible. People have been told in these call backs that they have won large sums of money, that a family member has died or has been seriously injured – they have even been exposed to conversations of a sexual nature, all in an effort to keep them on the phone for as long as possible – ever increasing the cost to the victim.
• If you have received a call from this process, your details or your phone number have not been compromised. It is believed that the process of identifying phone numbers is an automated process – with every possible phone number combination being identified and called.
• It is expected that very large numbers of these scam calls could be made as a result.

In simpler terms, the scam only works if people call the number back linked to the missed call. If you identify this number from Cameroon as a missed call on your phone – do not call it back. Please understand that the scammers are likely to use different locations and different numbers. The same rules apply – don’t call back international numbers that you do not recognise.

Police are also warning people of a current smishing scam offering you the chance to win a Woolworths gift card if you reply with your personal details. The SMS message even refers to you by your name or nickname.

Smishing is a security attack in which the user is tricked into downloading a Trojan horse, virus or other malware onto their phone or other mobile device. Do not reply to message from unknown callers, confirm details of companies via legitimate sources and never respond to anything immediately.

Another scam involves getting users to click on a video link (either via email or SMS). It may try to lure you by suggesting the video is about you or involves you in some way. Never click on links in emails or messages sent to you by unknown sources.

Remember, you can report scams through A.C.O.R.N. (Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network) here.

To keep up to date with circulating scams, visit Scamwatch here.

If you have information for police, contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form 24hrs per day.

You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, by calling 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.

Words: Senior Constable Steve Smith

The Queensland Police Service is working to end violence against women both inside and outside the workplace.

They’re raising awareness of violence against women and respectful relationships by having a night in to get the word out!

This coming Friday, July 28 is White Ribbon Night.

Communities are encouraged to host a night in as a way of raising funds or simply increasing awareness of the impacts domestic violence has on women and their children.

White Ribbon Australia are encouraging people to be as creative as possible about staying in on July 28 to get the word out.

Did you know, at least one woman is killed every week by a current or former partner, while one in four children are exposed to domestic violence?

How can you get involved to help make a difference? This White Ribbon Night you can make a plan to host an event with family and friends. Some ideas for you include:

• Stay in or go out for dinner
• Host a movie night featuring films celebrating women
• Host a BBQ
• Hold a trivia night
• Wear black or white to work
• Purchase and wear a White Ribbon

Raising community awareness of domestic and family violence is a key step towards preventing this form of abuse. Together we can all help to eliminate domestic and family violence.

The QPS have joined 12 other State Government agencies in undertaking White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation.

The White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation program encourages organisations to improve their culture towards violence against women, reduce bullying and harassment and to promote respectful relationships.

Go to www.whiteribbon.org.au for more information on White Ribbon Night.

The latest round of the Queensland Government’s successful Get Started Voucher program opened last Wednesday with $2 million worth of vouchers on offer to the Community.

State Member for Morayfield Mark Ryan is encouraging parents to log on and get their application in for the latest round.

“These vouchers help out families with sporting club registration costs of up to $150 for their kids, have been one of the Queensland Government’s most popular programs in our region,” Mr Ryan said.

“The vouchers help eligible families afford the costs of signing their kids up to their local sport or recreation clubs.

“In fact, last round they were so popular we ended up releasing more vouchers.

“The vouchers are issued on a ‘first come, first served’ basis so you need to be quick if you want to secure this funding.

“I know that there are many families in our community who are feeling the pressure financially and these vouchers will help to take a bit of that pressure off and help their kids get involved in organised sport and recreation activities.”

Minister for Sport Mick de Brenni said more than 13,300 vouchers would be available through Round 10.

“More than 4,200 clubs across Queensland have registered for the Get Started Vouchers program, ensuring there is a huge range of activities on offer,” Mr de Brenni said.

“In previous July rounds of this program, we’ve seen the highest number of vouchers redeemed for sports such as rugby league, athletics, gymnastics, soccer and swimming.

“We know the importance of teaching children to live active lifestyles and these vouchers are important in removing some of the barriers for participation in organised sport and recreation.”

Get Started Vouchers is an initiative under the Queensland Government’s successful Get in the Game funding program, aimed at supporting grassroots sport and recreation.

For more information on Get Started Vouchers visit https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/sports/funding/getinthegame/getstarted/

Local residents and parents of students in the Caboolture region have raised concerns on many occasions in relation to the safety of students during school drop off and pick up times.

Unfortunately, speeding through school zones is a very real safety concern. Risks to pedestrians are increased, as the faster a vehicle is travelling, the longer it takes to stop and the greater the severity of impact.

State Member for Morayfield Mark Ryan said signs would be installed at Morayfield East State School,  Bellmere State School and Caboolture State High School, on both Lee Street and Charles Street over the coming financial year.

“We’ve already installed over 740 flashing signs across Queensland at it will be great to see more local schools benefit from our safety initiative,” Mr Ryan said.

“Our flashing signs have made school zones much safer ever since they started lighting-up our roads in 2011.

“This is because significant planning goes into ensuring the signs are delivered to where they’ll be most effective, benefitting the schools and communities that need them most.

“These signs play an important role in alerting motorists that they are entering a school zone, reminding drivers to slow down and keep an eye out for children.

“The signs only flash on school days and during school zone times, so motorists will be notified when children are likely to be around.

“Sticking to the speed limit is always vital, and I urge all motorists to follow the road rules and help us create a safe environment for students around schools.”

Schools are selected for flashing school zone signs following detailed analyses, which considers crash history, vehicle and pedestrian traffic, speed limits and visibility problems.

For more information on flashing school zone signs, visit https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/safety/school-road-safety/

Always wanted to remain fit and active whilst earning money? Nearly eighty percent of Queensland’s strawberry industry located within the Caboolture region and with strawberry season upon us, here is your opportunity!

The first punnets have been filled to the brim and thousands of vibrant, ripe red fruits are ready for the picking – sure sign strawberry season has started in the Moreton Bay Region.

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan Sutherland said Queensland’s strawberry season, running annually from May to October, was always a berry exciting time of year in Moreton Bay, with hundreds of local job opportunities expected to be ripe for the picking over the coming months.

“Queensland’s strawberry industry outputs up to 15,000 tonnes of fruit per season, equating to an incredible 60 million punnets of strawberries and injecting $180 million into the state’s economy annually,” Mayor Sutherland said.

“With almost 80 per cent of Queensland’s strawberries grown right here in Caboolture in the Moreton Bay Region and up to the Sunshine Coast, it’s an exciting time of year not only for local strawberry farmers, but also for local job seekers.

“As the season reaches its peak around August and September, plenty of on-farm employment opportunities will soon be up for grabs, including picking strawberries in the field or working in packing sheds to place fruit into punnets, checking quality and organising pallets for delivery to stores.

“While this type of physical, seasonal work may not be for everybody, it could be a great job opportunity for young people or residents looking for some temporary work, to earn some extra money for the family, or simply wanting to learn a new skill.

Local strawberry farmer, Laura Wells, together with David Fairweather and their families Schiffke and Stothart, have been operating the ‘Taste n See’ strawberry farms at Bellmere, near Caboolture, for 26 years and at other locations within the Moreton Bay Region for 45 years.

Mrs Wells said the local strawberry industry could be a significant employer of local people.

“Each season, Taste ‘n’ See alone produces around five million punnets of strawberries – 100 per cent of which have been stocked in Coles Supermarkets along the East Coast of Australia for the past ten years – from Far North Queensland down to Victoria,” Mrs Wells said.

“We’re always looking for more local people to join our team, as a returning workforce means less time and costs spent on training each year.

“Right now we employ around 160 people who have assisted with planting three million strawberry runners across our two farms, but during the peak of the season we will need to fill an extra 200 jobs once picking and packing gets underway.

“Our employees are like one big family during picking and packing season – while there’s a lot of hard work to do to ensure our strawberries are of the highest quality, we always find time to have a laugh.

“We do have a seasonal strawberry stall where people can buy fresh produce picked straight from the farm.” And according to Mrs Wells, that’s the best way to enjoy a strawberry, “fresh is best”.

“You can’t beat a freshly picked strawberry, and we try to maintain that fresh taste, look and feel through the way we pick, pack and deliver our produce to ensure our customers can experience that great, fresh taste as well.

“A nice tip – before you eat a strawberry, make sure you take them out of the fridge and serve them at room temperature. That way you’ll experience their true taste!”

Mr Fairweather said his morning ritual involved tasting a strawberry from each block, to check whether any nutrients in the soils needed to be altered to guarantee that perfect taste.

“A good strawberry should be vibrant in colour, have a glossy shine and a vibrant green ‘calyx’ [the green leafy part of a strawberry],” Mr Fairweather said.

“Our main aim is to provide a quality product for our consumers every time, so a lot of TLC goes into our farming practices to ensure we achieve that.”

Our strawberry industry offers more than just jobs and fresh produce for locals, PYO strawberry farms offer family fun for all ages!

For more information about applying for a job or taking the family strawberry picking head to: Stothart Family Farms, Schiffke Strawberry Farm or Rolin Strawberry Farms.

Fast facts about our strawberry season:

• QLD strawberry industry typically runs from May – October (peaking in August & September)
• Approx. 100 strawberry growers in QLD, covering more than 600 hectares of land
• Close to 80% of growers are located in the Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast Regions
• Area between Caboolture and Sunshine Coast offers perfect conditions for strawberry growing during winter (crisp winter nights, 20+ degree sunny days & not much rain)
• Strawberry industry injects $180million into QLD economy annually
• Up to 15,000 tonnes of strawberries produced in QLD per season, or 60 million punnets
• Good opportunity for local job seekers looking for seasonal work