Word: queenslanders
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...East Timor six years ago. Nor will it calm Indonesians who claim that, by giving all but one of the group visas, Australia is meddling in their country's affairs and stoking separatist fervor. The men, women and children landed in a homemade outrigger canoe on the far northern Queensland coast in January. Since then, their case has led to the recalling of Indonesia's ambassador, prompted an increase in Indonesian naval patrols, and abruptly put an improving relationship, as Prime Minister John Howard delicately conceded last week, "under strain...
Tropical Cyclone Larry announced itself with a roar of wind through the streets of Innisfail around 5 a.m. last Monday. The day before, the 8,500 residents of the tiny far north Queensland town had enjoyed some blue skies and a light breeze, making the urgent warnings on television and radio sound faintly ridiculous. But 650 km to the northeast, Larry was sucking power from the moisture-laden tropical air, its growth favored by circulation patterns over the warm coral seas south of Solomon Islands. Overnight, the 200-km-wide Category Four storm zeroed in on the cane and banana...
...left a smear of destruction more than 60 km wide. One man was dead and dozens injured; property damage was estimated at more than $A1 billion; tens of thousands of hectares of bananas, sugar cane and other crops were flattened; more than 100,000 homes in north Queensland were left without electricity; hundreds are homeless. The federal government announced a $A100 million relief package, and former Defence Force chief General Peter Cosgrove has been put in charge of the reconstruction effort. Some 450 State Emergency Services personnel have joined 300 soldiers, many of whom participated in the Banda Aceh relief...
...week's end, Cyclone Wati, formed in Larry's wake, was stirring up waves as it tracked southeast, parallel to the Queensland coast. Meteorologists said it was unlikely to hit land, which is some comfort to the people of Innisfail. As Jenny Hocke says, "It's something I don't think we could ever go through again.'' It may be a long time before Innisfail suffers again; but there are ominous signs it may be struck even harder next time...
...Which means, at the very least, getting enough attention. Across Australia, a mish-mash of standards means staff-to-child ratios vary widely from state to state. In New South Wales, for example, there must be one carer for every five children under the age of three; in Queensland the maximum ratio is 1 to 4. Another essential is qualified staff. More child-care centers mean more jobs, but the industry struggles to keep workers from deserting the profession because of burnout and low wages - a qualified child-care worker might get $A35,000 a year. At Whittlesea Child Care...