Australian farmers will no longer be allowed to use pesticides containing Endosulfan. Photo: ABC online

More than 60 countries have discontinued Endosulfan products after research showed it had a negative impact on ecosystems and the health of farmers.

World Wildlife Fund Conservation Policy Officer Julliette King said the ban had been a long time coming.

“Endosulfan has been banned by a whole range of different countries progressively over a number of years,” she said.

“The United States and Canada acted to ban it this year and Australia is now catching up.”

Health Risks to Farmers and Ecosystems

The United States Environmental Protection Agency banned the chemical after deciding it posed an unacceptable risk to the neurological and reproductive health of U.S farmers.

Ms King said more research is needed to determine the instances of Endosulfan-related health problems in Australia

“There hasn’t been a lot of research conducted in farmers in Australia but those human health risks have been recognised around the world,” she said.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority (APVMA)  regulates pesticide chemicals in Australia and is responsible for the ban.

APVMA Manager of Public Affairs Doctor Simon Cubit said prolonged exposure to Endosulfan from spray drift and run off could cause significant environmental damage.

“These effects are not dramatic but over a long period of time they are likely to lead to chronic effects on some aquatic communities,” he said.

Farmers Reduce Pesticide Use

He also said the chemical was no longer popular in the agricultural industry meaning farmers should not be affected by the ban.

“We believe at the moment it’s not used very much at all,” he said.

“In 2005 the APVMA concluded a significant review of the use of Endosulfan and imposed quite significant restrictions.”

Queensland Farmers Federation Chief Executive Officer Dan Galligan said farmers try to avoid using pesticides.

“Farmers use as little chemicals as they can because of the cost on the bottom line,” he said.

“Banning products, removing the options form the market place, sometimes just increases the cost of production and that cost can’t be passed on to consumers.”

Regardless, he said some farmers still use Endosulfan products out of necessity.

“Some of those crops and farmers rely on Endosulfan  because of a lack of other choice rather than that being the primary chemical they would use,” he said.

More Chemicals to be Banned

Despite the recent ban environmental protection organisations want more pesticides removed from Australian shelves.

Ms King said there was a number of dangerous chemicals still available for purchase.

“Getting rid of Endosulfan is not the end,” she said.

“The APVMA has been reviewing the safety of at least nine chemicals for more than thirteen years…. we have a long way to go.”

Mr Galligan said removing some of the chemicals listed would be unnecessary.

“Farmers have been asked to implement tighter restrictions on the way they use chemicals under review,” he said.

“It’s not like nothing happens in a review phase. If there is cause for increased restrictions the federal regulator can call for those and farmers need to comply.”

In a week-long tournament filled with tension and a tremendous atmosphere, Victoria and New South Wales dominated but Queensland snared some fantastic victories as well.

The standout victory for the home state was the outstanding effort by Jake Duffy to clinch the Under 13 Boys Singles Gold Medal.

Under 13 Boys champion Jake Duffy serving. Picture: Courtesy of Table Tennis Australia.

He caused the upset of the tournament in defeating number 1 seed Dominic Huang from Victoria in the semi final four sets to one, and followed that up in the final by conquering Daniel Zhou by the same margin.

Duffy said he was ecstatic to win the gold.

“It was a great experience because it was the first time I’d ever won a medal at nationals, and then to top it off it was the gold in the singles so it was an experience I will never forget,” he said.

Other especially gutsy performances were by Jenny Zhang in the Under 15 girls singles, and Naoya Yamamoto in the Under 18 boys.

Zhang’s valiant run came to an end in the quarter finals.

The highlight of her tournament was her defeat of the number 3 seed, when she rallied from three sets to love down to win 11-9 in the seventh set.

Yamamoto also competed strongly to finish fifth in the Order of Merit for the Under 18 boys.

Queensland Coach Ashleigh Stevenson lauded the team spirit displayed by the home squad.

“A big improvement I noticed this year was the way the Queensland team supported each other,” she said.

“If some team members weren’t playing, they were often sitting on the bench clapping for other Queenslanders, and it didn’t seem to matter if they were boys or girls or different age groups.”

Stevenson said the week was an intense one for her but well worth it.

“It does get stressful – I was typically doing 12 hour days, sometimes more,” she said.

“But the crowds really got into it this year, so on the finals day there was a good atmosphere.”

Tournament director Lukas Kozak was pleased with how the tournament ran.

“It was the most kids we’ve ever had at the nationals, and a lot of parents were there as well, so the atmosphere was pretty alive,” he said.

The tournament was divided into teams and individual events, with the teams running from Sunday to Thursday and the singles and doubles running on Friday and Saturday.

Under 18 Boys champion Heming Hu launches a backhand. Picture: Courtesy of the International Table Tennis Federation.

New South Wales won three of the teams events, with Victoria picking up two titles and New Zealand one.

The standout Queensland team was the Under 18 girls, who snared a bronze medal behind the heavyweights New Zealand and Victoria.

It was Victoria who dominated the singles, providing four out of the six individual winners.

The other titles were won by Duffy and South Australian Vy Bui, who upset number 1 seed Lily Phan in the under 15 girls.

Under 18 girls winner Anna Du was crowned the junior player of the year.

For a full list of teams, singles, and doubles results, go to http://www.tabletennis.org.au/.

Under the new laws students will pay up to $250 for university services such as counselling, financial help and sport.

Vice Chancellor of James Cook University Sandra Harding said across Australia universities wanted the services fee.

“I ‘m not aware of any university that wouldn’t be supportive of this legislation,” she said.

The NUS has said a student levy would stop universities cutting into learning expenses. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

“In fact Universities Australia, which speaks for most of us, has applauded the legislation.”

National Union of Students Education Officer James Butchers said tertiary schools were struggling without the funds.

“What you see is the university being forced to take money out of teaching and learning to prop up student organisations,” he said.

Mr Butchers said students were not considered when the fees were removed in 2005.

“At the end of the day while the politicians were bickering vital services disappeared and students were much worse off for it,” he said.

Big student ‘tax’

“These changes will hit poor university attendees the hardest,” she said.

“It is not the student that works three part time jobs to get through uni that has the time to laze around and drink subsidised beer on campus.

“Similarly, a single mother studying a nursing degree should not be paying for the activities of a university ski club.”

Miss Uher also said the funding would mostly support unions who do not need the money.

“Student unions push a political agenda before the needs of actual students” she said.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is using the new dynamic of the 43rd Parliament to revert the changes to student services made by the Howard Government. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

“With the Labor Party now being led by former Australian Union of Students’ President Julia Gillard it is not surprising that they are yet again legislating for their own tribe.”

Rural students worst off

But Mr Butchers said rural universities had been particularly disadvantaged in the last five years.

“When you have young people in country areas seven times less likely to attend tertiary schooling that’s very disappointing,” he said.

Central Queensland University spokesman Marc Barnbaum said the money will help services regional students rely on.

“One of our core principles is supporting the student journey,” he said.

“We don’t just let students flounder on their own we make sure they’ve got someone to turn to and help them along the way.”

Julian Aalders values a piece of Nerida Slack-Smith's precious jewellry.

On September 29 the people of Moree, in northern New South Wales, took their precious antique items to be valued as part of the Healing Waters Festival.

The Healing Waters Festival is held annually to bring the community together and promote everything the town has to offer, including the hot spring baths.

Director of the Moree Plains Gallery, Katrina Rumley said the event was a great opportunity for the people of Moree to have their antiques valued by Sydney auctioneers Julian Aalders and Alexander Renwick.

Mr Aalders is a highly experienced and qualified auctioneer with a long list of achievements, including having worked extensively at Michael Nagy Fine Art, Flash Art Magazine, National Gallery of Australia and the Australian War Memorial.

“It was the idea of councillor Peter Strang and he suggested that because there are so many antiques in Moree it would be worth staging an event at the Gallery,” said Ms Rumley.

Ms Rumley knew the event would be successful after she received more than 50 phone calls the day before from locals and people from Narrabri and Inverell.

Councillor Peter Strang commented that the auctioneers did a very professional job and the event was well supported.

“It’s great to see so many people here to support the event, it’s really good for Moree,” he said.

Ms Rumley also said the event attracted many new faces and it was lovely to see more people taking an interest in the gallery.

“It’s unusual for the gallery program because usually we’re presenting; so it’s brought a whole new part of the community to the gallery which is fantastic for us,” she said.

From 10am to 12 noon locals could attend the road show with antiques and memorabilia and compare their treasures over some morning tea.

All money raised goes back into the gallery to help support future programs and events at the gallery.

“It was a great fundraiser for the gallery, it cost $10 for two items and the money will be donated to future programs,” Ms Rumley said.

The Adoption Act includes less restrictions on contact between children and genetic parents aiming to promote a healthy relationship between the two.

President of Jigsaw Post Adoption Support Dr Trevor Jordan said the policy was a move forward from Australia’s history of  ill-thought-out custody laws.

(left to right) Richard Spencer, Michael Tizard, Minister Reeves, Dr Trevor Jordan all celebrate the creation of Queensland's post adoption service. (Photo courtesy of Benevolent society).

“Suddenly the focus is on adopted children ‘coming home’ and being able to re-unite with their genetic parents later in life,” said Dr Jordan.

“We’re finally starting to see some kind of focus on child-centred policy which is something everyone just seemed to forget about before.”

Dr Jordan said this was crucial because of the very real and natural curiosity many adoptees feel about their past.

Adoptee Beau Chambers said he is grateful children will be able to get the kind of access to their genetic parents he was denied.

Under the old laws Beau was forced to wait until he was 18 before he could find his biological mother.

“It added a whole extra level of complicated emotions to my feelings on being adopted,” he said.

“I don’t resent my situation but I always think that I’ll never get to experience the sibling rivalry and things other people do.

“If these new laws had existed sooner I wouldn’t have missed out on those moments.”

Queensland Minister for Child Safety and Sport Phil Reeves says it is important to balance this ability to know about one’s parents without infringing an individual’s personal right to privacy.

“This is the most significant reform on adoption to take place in Queensland and is a big step forward,” he said.

“Previously the laws were decades old and now the policy is much more modern.”

But it is not all smooth sailing, as some believe the government has missed an opportunity for serious reform.

The Queensland Government's news laws still exclude same-sex couples from the right to adopt. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

The Queensland Government still chooses to exclude same-sex couples from being able to adopt a child.

The issue has become increasingly prominent following the debate on gay marriage during the recent federal election.

Mr Reeves has remained steadfast on the issue and said the government has no intention of changing the law.

Action Reform Change Queensland spokesman Rodney Goodburn said steps to legalise same-sex marriage in New South Wales show Queensland to be a backwards state.

“There needs to be a change from discriminatory laws we currently have in place,” he said.

“By not including gay adoption in the latest legislation we’ve missed an important chance.”

Dr Jordan said there is a positive side to consider with this decision.

“Because of their eagerness to adopt, a lot of same-sex couples are happy to help foster special needs and troubled children,” he said.

“Consequently there are some fantastic results happening between these people and the children which might pave a way for change.”

Scammers choose victims carefully, often contacting users showing 'signs of weakness and vulnerability': Qld police. Photo credit: Sunshinecity

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) are urging dating website users to be vigilant after reporting a dramatic increase in the number of victims to online romance scams.

The QPS warn scammers create fake dating profiles and lure victims in with false promises before trying to swindle them out of large amounts of money.

The romance ploy is the fastest growing scam type in Queensland, now making up 76 per cent of ‘advance fee fraud’ losses, police say.

Profiling victims

QPS Fraud and Corporate Crime Group Detective Superintendent Brian Hay said in a police media statement that scammers choose their victims carefully, often contacting users showing “signs of weakness and vulnerability”.

“Victims are overcome by the attention paid to them by the scammer, and rather than see the offenders for what they are, they are more interested in what their life could be based solely on the lies told to them during conversations,” he said in the statement.

‘Unending love?’

Brisbane woman Yvonne, who wishes to remain anonymous, was almost fooled into transferring $30,000 to ‘Ricardo’, a man she met through a dating site.

“From the beginning, Ricardo seemed keen to start a relationship,” Yvonne said.

She says he shared many of her values, claimed to be a committed Christian and “adored” his family.

After two months of phone calls, emails and text messages, Yvonne says she “felt she knew him really well”.

Ricardo often declared “his unending love” for Yvonne and asked if she felt the same.

“I told him I didn’t because I had never met him and didn’t believe that he could feel so much for someone he had never met,” Yvonne said.

Authorities say many scammers use a death or illness to foster a sense of closeness in the relationship and Ricardo said his mother in America had died.

Ricardo told Yvonne he was flying to America for the funeral and planned to bring a valuable painting back to Australia to sell.

‘Begged for help’

The day Ricardo’s flight was due, a woman claiming to be a Customs official phoned Yvonne, advising her Ricardo had been detained for undervaluing the painting and owed $70,000 in customs taxes.

Upset and worried, when Ricardo begged her to lend him $30,000, Yvonne said she would do “whatever she could to help”.

“I felt so sorry for him – losing his beloved mother, then getting detained and accused of something he was not guilty of,” Yvonne said.

Though she felt uneasy about transferring money to someone she had not met, Ricardo sounded sincere and Yvonne was confident she would be repaid.

But Yvonne’s bank questioned the transfer, informing her it was likely a scam, and Yvonne decided not to go ahead.

“Ricardo became angry and asked why I was not helping [him],” Yvonne said.

“I haven’t spoken to him since and am still feeling shocked about what he did.”

Keeping safe online

Some dating websites have also implemented their own security measures to try and minimise the threat from scammers.

3H Group CEO Dave Heysen, who manages Oasis Active, said the dating site blocks users from certain countries, had a community ‘dobbing-system’, and stops known scammers from accessing the site.

“With this kind of security, they [scammers] do get stopped quickly,” Mr Heysen said.

“But common sense is important too– call customer support if you have any doubts about a person – any requests for bank details should ring alarm bells.”

Related Links:

SCAMwatch, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) - recognising, reporting and protecting yourself from scams

ACCC – The Little Black Book of Scams – a resource highlighting popular scams

RSVP – Dating Safety guidelines: 10 ways to identify scams and keep safe online

Under the Bligh Government's proposed law amendments jealous ex-lovers will no longer be able to claim provocation as an excuse for criminal behaviour. Photo: Perry Woodward.

The government has announced new laws which will prevent murder charges from being downgraded to manslaughter if an offender claims they were verbally provoked.

The amendment stems from a review into the defence following the death of 16-year-old Taryn Hunt who was bashed to death with a steering wheel lock in 2005.

Her killer Damian Karl Sebo was sentenced to 10 years jail but acquitted of the charge of murder after he claimed he was provoked.

Queensland Attorney-General Cameron Dick says the amendment will ensure Queensland’s criminal code continues to reflect contemporary standards of justice.

“This change, which was recommended by the Queensland Law Reform Commission, will remove insults and statements about relationships from the scope of the defence,” Mr Dick said.

“The amendments will also recognise a person’s right to assert their personal or sexual autonomy and will reduce the scope of the defence being available to those who kill out of sexual possessiveness or jealousy.”

Mr Dick said the changes amending the partial defence of provocation will place the onus of proof upon the defendant and would “strike the right balance between the rights of the individual and the wider interests of the community”.

“These changes are further evidence of the Bligh Government’s commitment to modernising the state’s legal system,” Mr Dick said.

Deputy Liberal National Party Leader Lawrence Springborg said while the changes are welcomed by the opposition, they had come too late for many.

“While we have yet to see the exact legislation Labor is proposing, we believe these changes can’t come soon enough, although they will be too late for people who have lost loved ones only to see their killers acquitted through the accident/provocation defence,” said Mr Springborg.

“These changes should have been introduced two years ago, but they appear to be an attempt by the Attorney-General to grab a headline as he makes his run to replace Anna Bligh as premier.”

The Queensland Law Society (QLS) expressed their concerns over the amendments, saying the move would lead to less autonomy for juries.

QLS criminal law section chairman Glen Cranny told the Courier Mail the society had concerns about the attitude taken in changing the laws.

“We do have some concern about the approach of changing long-established laws on the basis of public disquiet about a couple of cases,” said Mr Cranny.

“We’re always concerned about changes to the law which take away from a jury’s discretion.”

The Bligh Government plans to implement the new laws later this year.

Research: one-in-five people will experience problematic drinking (Source: Indi Samajariva)

A new study shows Australians are among the world’s worst abusers of alcohol but a Queensland research group says governments are not prepared to fix the problem.

The study by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) found one-in-five Australians will experience problematic drinking in their lifetime, and four-in-five people with alcohol disorders go untreated.

Queensland Alcohol and Drug Research Education Centre director Professor Jake Najman says alcohol abuse is a “massive national problem”, with consequences including child neglect, drink-driving and fighting.

“Alcohol abuse is the second largest preventable problem in the country, second only to tobacco use,” he said.

“But it [alcohol abuse] has continued unabated for the last 20 years.

“The governments aren’t prepared to take the steps necessary to fix the problem.”

Prevention

Professor Najman says prevention, by increasing the cost of alcohol, will help lower Australia’s rate of alcohol abuse.

“At the moment, we’re keeping the cost of alcohol low and availability high,” he said.

“In some instances wine is cheaper than Coke; cheaper than soft drink – it’s extraordinary.”

NDARC Professor Maree Teesson says one reason for the low treatment rate of alcohol disorders is the “terrible stigma” associated with it.

“People are much less likely to want to own up to having a problem with alcohol,” she said.

Despite the seriousness of alcohol abuse, Professor Teesson says treatment is effective.

“People need to know that alcohol abuse which is impacting on their personal, home or work life can be treated,” she said.

The study was published online in Addiction and was based on the results of the 2007 National Mental Health and Wellbeing Survey.

Sexual harassment is any unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviour, physical, verbal or virtual, which makes a person feel offended or humiliated: AHRC. (Photo: Catherine Tucker)

Women’s rights advocate Melinda Tankard Reist says sexualising young women and girls has created a climate where sexual harassment “seems to be permissible”.

Ms Tankard Reist says sexual harassment begins in the schoolyard and the lack of education among young people makes them very vulnerable when entering the workforce.

She says the culture around sexual harassment of “it’s just a bit of fun” needs to change.

“Girls are harassed all the time – it’s part of life but this doesn’t excuse or justify it,” she said.

The acting Commissioner for the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commission (QADC), Neroli Holmes, says sexual harassment can occur in a variety of social settings but is most difficult in the workplace.

Ms Holmes says sexual harassment is “just as common” but there has been reported change in its nature.

“Just as frequently now [sexual harassment] can happen between colleagues,” she said.

Ms Holmes the “typical scenario” of an employer or boss abusing their position of power to seek favours from a younger, more vulnerable employee “still does happen quite often”.

New employees

Ms Reist says employees new to the workplace are focused on settling into the new environment and systems are more likely to be victims of sexual harassment.

“Their vulnerability as young people should not be preyed on by those who should be more responsible,” she said.

A now 49-year-old project manager, who did not want to be named, says she was harassed by her manager at the age of 19 and says she felt “there was nothing I could do”.

“It is difficult for young employees who are harassed because they are less likely to know how to handle the situation,” she said.

A national telephone survey conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in 2008 found 22 per cent of females and 5 per cent of males have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.

The 2008 AHRC survey also found there is a lack of awareness about what constitutes sexual harassment.

Both Ms Reist and Ms Holmes would like to see improved education programs in workplaces and school.

Ms Holmes says she hopes recent publicity of a $37 million sexual harassment case will give victims the confidence to speak up about sexual harassment.

‘A fine line’

Australians commenting on a virtual forum about sexual harassment say there is not enough awareness.

Business director Steve Traynor said on the forum there was a fine line between what was and was not acceptable.

A university student writing on the forum said a lack of education, monitoring and penalties for offenders were contributing factors.

Ms Holmes says if people think they are victims of sexual harassment, they should ask the person to stop and if necessary, make a complaint to their workplace superior or directly to the QADC.

Related Links:

Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commission (QADC) – Making a complaint

Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) – National telephone survey 2008

The Line, Queensland Government -Where do you draw the line?

Melinda Tankard Reist – Crime Commission report reveals failure to act on child-on-child sexual assault.