Man admits animal torture

The concern from Australia's peak animal welfare group follows the decapitation of a mouse in Queensland and the stabbing and exploding of possums in Tasmania.

Animal protection officers uncovered video images of the torture and both cases have ended up in court.

But the RSPCA says animal torture being posted on social media is a disturbing trend and it is getting worse.

"We're seeing close to between six and 10 incidents a week where animal cruelty is being posted on the internet or on Facebook," said Michael Beatty from the Queensland branch of the RSPCA.

"The worrying trend is that people seem to be showcasing their blatant disregard for animals on social media and on the internet and as well all know it's very, very hard to track the perpetrators down."

Mr Beatty says the latest case involved a young woman who was sentenced to 180 hours of community service after she filmed herself decapitating a mouse and posting the video online.

It took 40 seconds for the mouse to die.

"A mouse was purchased from a pet shop. It was quite obvious it was purchased for the process of sort of brutally torturing it and killing it," Mr beatty said.

"And the other disturbing aspect of course is that the person filmed the event and then posted it on a social media site."

Also before the courts is the case of two men in Tasmania who filmed themselves bashing, stabbing, exploding and torching possums.

RSPCA prosecutions officer Glenn Carey said the men went out in a vehicle to catch the brushtail possums and filmed the acts of cruelty.

The video was shown to the court yesterday.

"There was systematic killing and wounding of five possums over a sustained period," Mr Carey said.

"It was not just one act or one night."

Three counts were comprised of the men driving a car at the possums, one count involved the stabbing of a caged possum with a knife on a stick and a third count involved beating the possum to death with a broom handle.

Three of the possums were set fire to and blown up.

Mr Carey said the animals would have suffered much pain and they died in an extremely brutal way.

He said there were 270 carers in Tasmania who volunteered their time to raise orphaned possums and they had been devastated about the way the possums were treated.

Defence lawyer Sacha Wong said Hampton's co-accused was the main perpetrator.

Mr Wong said Hampton had not seen the footage between the time it was shot and the time he was interviewed by police.

"He found the footage quite disgusting himself," Mr Wong said.

"He is ashamed of his actions but has no explanation for them."

The court heard drugs or alcohol were not involved.

Julia Gillard open to media probe

IT hasn't been a good couple of weeks for those of us who are making a career in journalism.

The fallout from the News of the World phone hacking scandal has reverberated across the world. The deplorable actions of those at that newspaper has served to only increase the scrutiny of the ethics and actions of media organisations in the United Kingdom but also others in News Limited's worldwide network — which includes significant operations in its chief executive Rupert Murdoch's home country of Australia.

By virtue of the nature of the methods used by the News of the World to intercept phone messages, we would forgive anyone in the general public for not becoming a little more cynical about the measures that some members of the media will go to to get a good story.

But it has been particularly interesting that some prominent Australian political figures have taken the opportunity to seize on the outrage which has greeted the uncovering of the scandal in the UK to suggest that a inquiry should be conducted into media ethics in our country — particularly given they admit there is no evidence that tactics used to obtain stories in the UK are employed here.

Liberal leader Tony Abbott is riding a popularity wave at the moment — not surprisingly he doesn't see the need for an inquiry. But we do know that many on the conservative side of politics have accused the ABC and Fairfax's The Age newspaper of having a leftist bias.

News Limited chief executive and chairman John Hartigan said last night he believed an inquiry into journalistic conduct would be "totally unnecessary".

"You've got a statutory authority that looks at broadcast media, and I would argue that the behaviours of the press which operate under the Press Council, which is funded by ourselves, are no different to the behaviours of those that operate under a statutory organisation (the Australian Communications and Media Authority)," Mr Hartigan told ABC's 7.30.

"I know the newsrooms. I know how cultures develop and I'm hugely confident that there's no improper or unethical behaviour in our newsrooms."

He said the company would cooperate with any inquiry but found it disturbing Senator Brown wanted one that canvassed editorial content, including comment, analysis and opinion.

Mr Hartigan said the culture in the British media was different from that in Australia.

"They're very aggressive newspapers," he said. They're very sensational, they deal with people's lives, private lives and some of the behaviours that have come out are obviously being driven by the need to get in front of each other. I would argue very strenuously that we don't have those behaviours in Australia."

Lawyers yesterday debated whether the government had the same extent of powers over the print media as it does over radio and television, because it owns the communications spectrum.

Justin Quill, director of KellyHazellQuill Lawyers, said the issue was "not necessarily clear cut".

"(The commonwealth has) a specific authority over radio and broadcast through their telecommunication powers and control of the spectrum but they don't have any specific powers to regulate print," Mr Quill said. "In my view and experience, the actions of the Australian print media are ethical and do not warrant any government intervention."

Ms Gillard said the media could head off criticism by lifting its game. "If I could put it as clearly as I can . . . 'don't write crap'," she said. "Can't be that hard. And when you have written complete crap, then I think you should correct it."

The proposed inquiry, likely to be conducted by the Senate, would come amid a separate government "convergence review" of media ownership, local content and other rules for the telecommunications sector, television, radio and the internet.

The media last underwent a regulatory shake-up of ownership and other rules five years ago. The Australian understands opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull is not sympathetic towards a new inquiry.

Australian Press Council chairman Julian Disney said he did not believe standards in print journalism were lower than in the broadcast media, which is governed by ACMA.

He said the council was already undergoing changes to toughen its sanctions, develop new standards and attract funding from sources other than newspaper and magazine proprietors and warned that a new inquiry could slow or stall that work and take away from the convergence review.

Mr Hartigan said there was a greater diversity of media ownership now than at any time in Australian history and challenged Senator Brown's call for curbs on foreign ownership of Australian media.

"One of his suggestions is that media assets should be Australian-owned," Mr Hartigan said. "Does the senator mean companies like Google, Yahoo, Facebook or Twitter should not operate in Australia or that Channel Nine and Channel Seven should get rid of their foreign shareholders?"

University of NSW professor George Williams said there was "clear scope" for the commonwealth to further regulate newspapers under the Corporations Act. "But it couldn't impede the ability of the press to engage in political discussion and debate across its pages," he said.

Timothy Swan

Timothy Swan, 1758–1842 was a composer and hatmaker born in Worcester, Massachusetts. The son of goldsmith William Swan, Swan lived in small towns along the Connecticut River in Connecticut and Massachusetts for most of his life. Swan’s compositional output consisted mostly of psalm and hymn settings, referred to as psalmody. These tunes and settings were produced for choirs and singing schools located in Congregational New England. Swan is unique as an early American composer in that he composed secular vocal duets and songs in addition to sacred tunebook music. The tunebook, New England Harmony is a collection of his sacred music compositions, while The Songster's Assistant is a collection of his secular music. Swan was also a poet and teacher of singing.

Life Birth and Early Life

Born July 23, 1758, Timothy Swan was the eighth child of goldsmith William and Lavinia Swan of Worcester, Massachusetts. Not much is known of Swan's early years other than he resided in Worcester until his father's death in 1774.After the death of his father, Swan was apprenticed to a "Mr. Barnes" of Marlborough, Massachusetts. Barnes, an "importer of foreign goods" was a loyalist who eventually left the colonies to return to England as relations between the two became increasingly strained. This caused an end to Swan's brief apprenticeship in Marlborough.

Groton and the Singing School

It was after leaving Barnes' employ that Swan moved to Groton, Massachusetts to live with his older brother William. Timothy's elder brother had an active interest in music and may have influenced his brother. Shortly after arriving in Groton, Swan enrolled in a singing school that was taught by a "Mr. Gross. This experience is probably the only formal musical education that Swan ever had.

Cambridge and Northfield

In 1774 Swan left Groton to enlist in the Continental Army located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was here that he learned to play fife under the tutelage of a British Fifer. In 1775 a little less than a year after enlisting at Cambridge, Swan moved to Northfield, Massachusetts. It was here that Swan became apprenticed as a hatter with his brother-in-law Caleb Lyman. It is here in Northfield that Swan's attention focused on musical composition. His first composition "Montague" can be placed around 1774 when Swan was sixteen years old.

The Suffield Years

After completing his apprenticeship in 1780, Swan moved to Entfield, Connecticut and then to Suffield, Connecticut  two years later in 1782. It was in Suffield that Swan composed most of his music.

Marriage and Family

It is in Suffield that Swan was introduced to Mary Gay, the daughter Ebenezer Gay, third minister of the First Congregational Church of Suffield. Swan may have been introduced to Ms. Gay by his brother Benjamin Swan who was married to Lucy Gay, Mary's sister. His marriage to Mary on May 5, 1784 produced a large family similar to his own, ten children several of which were musicians like their father.

Singing Schools and Tunebooks

Supplementing his work as a hatter, Swan began teaching singing-schools in he area. It was during this time that his music was first printed. In 1783 Composer-compiler Oliver Brownson included six of Swan's tunes in the third issue of Select Harmony. This was followed by requests from other compilers and publishers to include Swan's tunes in their tunebooks and other publications. By 1800, his tunes were being printed in larger areas: New York, Virginia, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

This rise in interest in his music prompted Swan to publish his music himself. Collaborating with Alexander Ely, Swan published The Songster's Assistant in ca. 1786. The tunebook was a collection of secular duets. Swan contributed half of the songs in the collection.

In 1801, he published New England Harmony. Unlike The Songster's Assistant, New England Harmony was a collection of sacred music. The tune book contained over 104 pages of original music. The collection contained many tunes that had been previously printed including his first tune Montague. The tunebook was not well received and Swan did not publish another collection after 1801. Even though the last tunebook did do well, Swan's music was still in demand and was published in later compilations by other tunebook compilers.

Return to Northfield

In October 1807, twenty-five years after settling in Suffield, Swan and his family moved back to the town of his childhood. The reason for the move is not known, however the decision may have been prompted by his mother's failing health, who died six years later in 1813. Upon returning to Northfield, Swan went into business with his nephew Josiah Dwight Lyman, as a milliner. Swan continued to compose music and receive requests from other compilers seeking to purchase the copyright of some of his more popular tunes.

Death

On July 23, 1842 at the age of 84, Timothy Swan died in his sleep in Northfield, Massachusetts. Around the time of his death the style of psalmody that he composed had given way to more proper compositions more along the lines of the European school of musical composition. An obituary published in the Boston Daily Advertiser dated August 5, 1842 noted: "Timothy Swan, 82, generally known to the public as the author of China and other pieces of sacred music, which have so long held a place in successive musical collections, that the have seemed to belong to an age long gone by"

Tony Abbott, Wayne Swan clash over carbon tax

Mr Swan on Friday named Sydney's The Daily Telegraph as one newspaper that constantly opposed a carbon price.

"It doesn't care how it does it," he said of the News Limited publication.

Referring to the phone hacking scandal embroiling media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News International organisation in the United Kingdom, Mr Swan told reporters in Perth that such practises were "absolutely unacceptable".

But he said he welcomed and accepted statements made on Thursday by News Limited's chief executive officer in Australia, John Hartigan, that the company was not engaged in those sorts of practises here.

But the treasurer said some media outlets in Australia did have a political agenda.

Mr Swan said: "This is just a despicable act and a new low from Mr Abbott."

"Mr Abbott could not even mention in his budget reply speech the floods in Queensland and their impact on Queenslanders in our economy," he told reporters in Cairns.

"Now he is somehow seeking to link for political purposes our plans to reduce carbon pollution with the floods in Queensland."

Meanwhile, Ms Gillard said she understood the residents of Victoria's Latrobe Valley were anxious about the impact of the carbon tax package but believed the region had a strong future.

Ms Gillard has met workers from the Hazelwood Power Station, which is likely to close under the federal government's carbon tax plan.

She said the workers asked some hard questions as she explained the package.

"There's a lot of anxiety there and that's why I'm here to talk issues through with people, to be there directly available to have a conversation," she told reporters.

She said the government would be working alongside communities through the process.

"I am very confident that the Latrobe Valley has a bright future," she said.

But Ms Gillard was unable to say if any Latrobe Valley power station would definitely close, saying it had to go through a tender process and any closure would take a number of years.

The federal government's carbon tax plan states that 2000 megawatts of the nation's dirtiest power generators would close by 2020.

Rockhampton

Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the river mouth, and some 600 kilometres (370 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane.

The 2006 census recorded the Rockhampton Statistical Subdivision to have a population of 74,530 people. Rockhampton hosts a significant number of governmental, community and major business administrative offices for the central part of the state.

Rockhampton experiences over 300 days of sunshine each year, which lends itself to tourism activities all year round and an abundance of outdoor activities. Popular attractions include Riverbank Parklands, a riverfront parkland attraction located on the banks of Fitzroy River; the Capricorn Coast, the coastal strip between Yeppoon and Emu Park and Great Keppel Island, a large neighbouring island off the Capricorn Coast, the vast majority of which is national park.

History

The European history of the area began in 1853, when the area that would become Rockhampton was visited by the Archer brothers Charles and William, who were seeking grazing lands. They were acting on information from earlier expeditions by Ludwig Leichhardt and Thomas Mitchell, who had explored the area in 1844 and 1846 and noted suitable land for grazing then.

In January 1854, the New South Wales Government proclaimed two new districts: Port Curtis and Leichhardt (roughly today's Fitzroy Region), and settlement began in earnest in 1855.

The Fitzroy River provided a convenient waterway for shipping of supplies for those who followed them, and a settlement grew on the riverbanks just downstream of a bar of rocks which prevented further upstream navigation from the coast. These rocks were incorporated with the traditional English term for a village, and the name "Rockhampton" was born around 1856, though was not proclaimed officially until 25 October 1858. The town was surveyd at this time and the first sales of building allotments were held that year.

Small amounts of gold were found at Canoona, to the north of the site of Rockhampton, in 1859. Miners rushed to the new field, using the site of Rockhampton on the Fitzroy River as the nearest navigable port. The Canoona field proved to be very disappointing and thousands of would-be gold seekers were left stranded at Rockhampton. Although many returned south, others stayed, adding to the infant town's population. By 1861 the town boasted a regular newspaper, banks, court house and School of Arts. Direct shipments of imported goods and migrants from the United Kingdom began to be received during the 1860s. During the 1860s and 1870s Rockhampton developed as the main port for the developing Central Queensland hinterland; the main export at that time being wool.

In the 1880s and 1890s, sea ports were established on the coast, adjacent to the mouth of the Fitzroy River. Broadmount was on the northern side and Port Alma on the south. Railways were subsequently constructed to carry goods to the wharves at these locations, the railway to Broadmount opening on 1 January 1898 and the line to Port Alma opened on 16 October 1911. Maintenance on the Broadmount line ceased in August, 1929. The following month, the wharf caught fire and the line was effectively closed in July, 1930. The line to Port Alma closed on 15 October 1986.

The significant gold deposit at Mount Morgan to the southwest was discovered in the 1880s, and Rockhampton became the main port through which the wealth of Mount Morgan gold was channelled. Due to the wealth of Mount Morgan, Rockhampton weathered the severe economic depression of the 1890s and many of the town's substantial brick and stone public buildings date from this period. The historic streetscape of Quay Street still displays a number of substantial historic buildings, built when Rockhampton was envisaged as being capital of a state of North Queensland. Most prominent of these is the sandstone Customs House (1900), which today houses an information centre. Other important nineteenth century buildings include the Post Office (1892), the Supreme Court House (1888), and St Joseph's Cathedral (1892).

The City of Rockhampton was proclaimed in 1902. The rail connection south to Brisbane was completed in 1903, but it was not until 1921 that the northern connection to Mackay was finally completed. A railway west from Rockhampton was started in 1867 and by 1892 had reached the terminus at Longreach, 700 kilometres away. This further strengthened Rockhampton's role as the port for the whole of Central Queensland.

Quay Street, Rockhampton in 1912, taken from the Riverbank. The old Fitzroy River Bridge can be seen in the background.

A passenger tramway began operating on 16 June 1909, making Rockhampton the only provincial city in Queensland to have a street tramway. Purrey steam trams ran on a number of routes throughout South Rockhampton, totalling 10 kilometres of track. The discomfort of passengers riding in steam trams in a tropical climate in part led to their demise in 1939, replaced by a bus network run by the City Council.

During the Second World War, a US army base was established outside the city; it hosted up to 70,000 servicemen en route to action in the Pacific Ocean and New Guinea.

The Fitzroy River Barrage was commissioned in 1971. The barrage has a capacity of 81,300 megalitres and holds back a lake 60 kilometres long. The barrage was funded by the City Council to provide a reliable source of water to the city, and to effectively drought proof Rockhampton.

In 2003, Rockhampton was the centre of significant national media interest after local teenager Natasha Ryan was found in her boyfriend, Scott Black's North Rockhampton home after being missing for five years. Ryan had been presumed to be murdered.

Geography

Rockhampton lies just north of the Tropic of Capricorn in Central Queensland. A sculpture originally marking the latitude was later moved into town to be more accessible to tourists. Although the Tropic of Capricorn is represented on maps as a "dotted line" that lies at 23° 26' 22", there is actually a bio-geographical overlap of Tropical and Temperate zones more than 500 km wide; Rockhampton is roughly at its centre on the East Coast of Australia.

The city is located on the banks of the Fitzroy River, approximately 40 kilometres from the river mouth. The Berserker Range lies on the eastern side of the city, with the Athelstane Range to the west, leaving the city in what many refer to as a hole. The coastal area to the east of the city is known as the Capricorn Coast, with the rapidly growing town of Yeppoon its major centre.

Governance

Rockhampton is governed by the Rockhampton Regional Council. The Council consists of a mayor and ten councillors. The Mayor is elected by the public, and the Councillors are elected from ten single-member divisions (or wards) using an optional preferential voting system. Elections are held every four years. Brad Carter is the current mayor, having won the mayoral election in March 2008, for his first term.

The Rockhampton Regional Council local government area consists of four former local government areas. The first was the original City of Rockhampton, consisting of the Rockhampton City region as listed above. The second was the Shire of Livingstone (comprising of the Capricorn Coast and Byfield). The third area was the Shire of Fitzroy, (comprising Gracemere and smaller surrounding towns), and the fourth area was the Shire of Mount Morgan, (comprising the town of Mount Morgan.)

Before the time of the 2008 amalgamation, Rockhampton City had a population of approximately 74,530, Livingstone Shire approximately 28,266, Fitzroy Shire approximately 11,357, and Mount Morgan Shire approximately 2,925 people.

Central Queensland University

CQUniversity is an Australian public university based in Queensland. Its main campus is in North Rockhampton Queensland. However, it also has campuses in Bundaberg, Emerald, Gladstone and Mackay, as well as operations throughout Asia-Pacific. For instance, Melior Business School is one of its offshore delivery-sites outside of Australia. There are international campuses located in Melbourne, Sydney, the Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

History

CQUniversity started out as the Queensland Institute of Technology (Capricornia) in 1967, and after two years under the name of the University College of Central Queensland, in 1992 became an official university named the University of Central Queensland. In 1994 it adopted the name Central Queensland University. In 2008 it became CQUniversity in an effort to help the University remain an attractive career option.

Organisation

Governance

CQUniversity is governed by the CQUniversity Council, comprising the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and various elected and appointed representatives. Operationally, CQU is managed by the Vice-Chancellor. Faculties are managed by Executive Deans.

CQUniversity students are represented by the CQU Student Association (CQUSA) which is governed by a board of elected students from across the CQU campus network. The CQUSA provides academic advocacy and support and a range of campus support services for students based at the CQU regional and international campuses. Postgraduate representation is provided by the CQUniversity Student Association's, CQUniversity Postgraduate Research Students Committee.

Faculties

CQUniversity has two faculties - Arts, Business, Informatics & Education and Sciences, Engineering and Health. Prior to a restructure (into three faculties) during late 2005, the university had five faculties. In late 2008, the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Education and the Faculty of Business & Informatics were merged into the Faculty of Arts, Business, Informatics & Education.

Major areas of study

CQUniversity runs programs in a wide range of disciplines. The programs are generally grouped into the following sections: Built Environment and Design; Business and Tourism; Creative and Performing Arts; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Recreation; Humanities and Social Sciences; Information Technology; Primary Industries and Environment; Sciences; Double degrees; and Dual degrees. Information on the programs and courses available at CQUniversity is available in the CQU Student Handbook.

Campuses

CQUniversity has a variety of campuses and learning centres in different areas. At present there are five campuses that are within Central Queensland, delivery sites on the Sunshine Coast, capital city campuses in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, a campus on the Gold Coast and five overseas locations.

In addition to Rockhampton the Central Queensland campuses service students in Bundaberg, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay and surrounding communities. With these various locations, these regional campuses can cater for students who want to stay close to home. CQU also offers programs at delivery sites on the Sunshine Coast.

There are also campuses which cater to international students in such areas as Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney. CQUniversity also delivers programs in Hong Kong, New Zealand, Shanghai and Singapore. There was a campus located in Fiji which has shut down as of February 2007. A further international campus was also built on a custom campus in New Zealand, but this campus was shut down at the end of 2008.

The Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney campuses are run by a privately held entity called C.Management Services (CMS). Originally, this commercial entity was owned 50% by CQU and 50% by a private company Campus Group Holdings, which runs many educational institutions in its portfolio. As of early 2008, CQU is now a 100% stakeholder in CMS, with CMS still being kept and run as a private commercial enterprise, only fully owned by the university. The CMS operation is now being run as a 'government owned private corporation' due to being owned by CQU via a takeover funded by a Queensland Treasury loan.

Research Centres

CQU has numerous research centres, research institutes and programs including:

Centre for Environmental Management

Centre for Plant and Water Science

Centre for Railway Engineering

Centre for Social Science Research

Primary Industries Research Centre

Institute for Sustainable Regional Development

International Program of Psycho-Social Health Research

Criticism

In 2006, CQU came under criticism by international students at the Melbourne campus describing themselves as "Cash cow" students after a majority of them failed a tax and accounting postgraduate subject. They complained of inadequate facilities, and an inability to dispute their grading. The claims were disputed by the university who suggested that the subject was "tough". Former Victorian premier John Cain is quoted as saying that the Melbourne CQU campus lacks the appropriate facilities expected in a tertiary institution, as it is run by a private company.

University ratings

CQU received seven five star ratings from the Good Universities Guide (GUG) in 2003, giving it the most top ratings of any regional university in Australia. This made it more highly rated than some older, traditional universities. In 2007, GUG awarded CQU five separate 5-star ratings, including for "Positive Graduate Outcomes" for the fourth year in a row.

In the Melbourne Institute's 2006 rankings of Australian universities, CQU was ranked thirty-second of 38 Universities ranked in Arts and Humanities, thirty-fifth of 39 Universities ranked in Business, thirtieth of 35 Universities ranked in Education, twenty-fourth of 28 Universities ranked in Engineering, 28th of 38 Universities in Science.

In 2006, CQU was announced as being the number one destination and largest provider in the country for international students studying within Australia (Term 1 2006) by IDP Education Australia. CQU graduates receive among the highest starting salaries in the country. CQU received the highest possible rating for educational experience and entry flexibility. CQU "was one of only three Queensland universities", (the others being Bond University and the University of Queensland) "to receive the highest rating for positive graduate outcomes" according to the Good University Guide.

Central Queensland

Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland (a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast and the area extends west to the Central Highlands at Emerald, north to the Mackay Regional Council southern boundary, and south to Gladstone. The region is also known as Capricornia. As this is an unofficial area, the boundary lines remain unclear causing some dispute over Mackay Regional Council as part of Capricornia and Central Queensland, or part of the Tropical North of Queensland. Residents of Mackay Regional Council can sometimes receive official mail from both Townsville and Rockhampton due to this regional dispute.

Economically, Central Queensland is an important centre of primary industries. Even so, Central Queensland includes the Bowen Basin which is rich in high quality coking coal, the Port of Gladstone produces 40% of the state's export earnings, the Fitzroy River is the second-largest river system in Australia and commands significant water resources such as Fairbairn Dam. Gladstone has a significant aluminium smelter, Rockhampton is the undisputed beef capital of Australia, and the region produces approximately 50% of the state's electricity.

Communities

For this purpose the area of Central Queensland was restricted to the areas encircled by the Dawson Highway between Gladstone and Springsure; the Gregory Highway between Springsure and Clermont, and the Peak Downs Highway between Clermont and enters North Queensland via Mackay - extended right to the eastern coastline.

Major cities in the region are Emerald, Gladstone and Rockhampton. Some communities on the Capricorn Coast include Byfield, Yeppoon, Great Keppel Island, Emu Park and Cawarral.

Citrus canker outbreak

In 2004, an orchard on Evergreen farm was the site of the first detection of citrus canker in Central Queensland. A significant part of the citrus growing industry was devastated when a total of 6,000 acres (24 km2) of crop had to be destroyed so the disease would not spread across the country. In 2005 several fresh outbreaks were reported so the eradication expanded to include private backyard trees. The outbreak's cause has not been fully explained despite a federal inquiry. In 2009 authorities from the Government of Queensland declared the eradication program complete.

Central Queensland gunman caught by police

Queensland police have begun a manhunt, after an officer opened fire on a man armed with a several guns, who fled into bushland on the state's central coast.

Police don't believe the gunman was injured in the confrontation with a dog squad officer last night, and a hunt is now underway in the Yeppoon area where he was last seen.

The man is being questioned over the whereabouts of three long-barrelled guns and two shotguns he was seen with on Thursday.

Advertisement: Story continues below

Rockhampton police had been hunting the man since he tried to steal a car on Thursday afternoon.

He was disturbed and fled into bush with the guns.

The man was seen that night throwing a brick at a police car and fleeing into bushland.

A dog squad officer who tracked the man said he became aggressive and the officer shot at him in self-defence.

The man wasn't hit and escaped unharmed.

Police believe he dumped the weapons between Yeppoon and Rockhampton on Thursday night and mounted police from Brisbane were called to assist in the search for the guns on Friday.