Newsreel Australia

17/07/2025

New late-night bus services on the Sunshine Coast will provide local and visiting partygoers with more options to travel across the region and get home safely.

Sunshine Coast Councillor Taylor Bunnag said additional late-night services in Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, Buderim, Sippy Downs (UniSC) and Palmview would be trialled for 12 months from Friday, July 18.

“Sunshine Coast tourists and residents alike will soon benefit from new late-night bus services with improvements to route 616 and 600,” Cr Bunnag said.

He said the changes would see an additional 10 trips on route 616 after 10pm on Friday and Saturday nights, with both routes 616 and 600 also extended to service a new late-night bus stop 180m from Ocean St and the Maroochydore Safe Night Precinct (SNP).

“The late-night service between Maroochydore and Palmview is a welcome transport improvement for residents and visitors who love soaking up the atmosphere in Ocean St.

“By bringing services closer to Ocean St and expanding coverage, we’re making it easier for everyone; from students, to shift workers and late-night revellers, to get home safely and affordably.

“If people want to keep these extra services long-term, they need to get on board the bus and there’s a strong demand for these services, during this trial.”

Safe Night Precinct President Scott Hoskins said the trial was crucial for the sustainability of the SNPs.

Mr Hoskins said the extension of these routes and the addition of extra services would help improve walk-up access to public transport between the three localities of the Sunshine Coast SNPs at Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Caloundra.

He said the services provided safe and reliable transport options to local hospitality workers and those enjoying the Sunshine Coast nightlife.

“Everyone is going to benefit from a successful trial especially small businesses with additional inbound customers, as well as locals heading outbound to all of our other sub-SNPs in Mooloolaba and Caloundra.”

Mr Hoskins said while personal transport options operated on the Sunshine Coast, community feedback had shown that the demand far outweighed the availability of rideshare and taxi services in the area.

He said the introduction of additional late-night bus services would offset this demand and help patrons of late-night trading venues get between venues and home safely.

“It’s about getting people to their destination as much as it is about getting people home safely."

https://newsreel.com.au/article/government/more-late-night-buses-on-sunshine-coast/



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New late-night bus services on the Sunshine Coast will provide local and visiting partygoers with more options to travel across the region and get home safely. | Newsreel

17/07/2025

A ballet which can be enjoyed by people with no vision is a feature of Queensland Ballet’s Bespoke program which opens this month.

Choreographed by Toronto-born Robert Binet, Newborn Giants was created in collaboration with Devon Healey, a blind theatre artist and Professor of Disability Studies at the University of Toronto.

Mr Healey said the work, which will have its world premiere in Brisbane, invited audiences to move beyond the purely visual language of ballet and immerse themselves in a world that engages sound, vibration, imagination, and touch.

“Blindness and dance both push us to go beyond what we see. To truly feel, listen, and imagine,” he said.

“They invite us to experience the world with our whole bodies.”

Mr Binet said Mr Healey’s voice was interwoven through the score as Immersive Descriptive Audio (IDA), a poetic, textural narration, that blends the intentions of the choreographer, the lived experience of blindness, and the physicality of the dancers themselves.

“The result is a dance work that speaks equally to sighted and non-sighted audiences, without compromise.”

Newborn Giants is joined by the world premieres of Curious Beings and Nhamgan Ngali Nyin, we all see you on the Bespoke program.

Choreographer Amelia Waller, a former Queensland Ballet and Leipzig Ballet soloist, said Curious Beings was an exploration of human behaviour through the lens of artificially created beings, exploring the depths of identity, memory, and self-discovery.

“This performance follows characters who are devoid of any past experience or memory, embarking on a journey of exploration within a world that is unfamiliar yet boundlessly fascinating.”

In Nhamgan Ngali Nyin, we all see you, Choreographer Yolande Brown, a Bidjara woman and former senior artist with Bangarra Dance Theatre, brings her unique choreographic voice shaped by culture, place, and connection.

“A few months before I was asked to work on the Bespoke season, I met the amazing, friendly Fred Leone, who is a fountain of cultural wisdom,” Ms Brown said.

“Fred is a Butchulla man, and is one of the cultural custodians of K’gari, which is one of the most spectacular places on earth.

“My work is in response to this incredible place that has deep First Nations history, and roots and stories.”

Access ticket details in our story 👇

https://newsreel.com.au/article/arts/ballet-goes-beyond-visual-for-non-sighted-audiences/



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A ballet which can be enjoyed by people with no vision is a feature of Queensland Ballet’s Bespoke program which opens this month. | Newsreel

17/07/2025

South-East Queensland researchers will be monitoring heartrates and tracking eye movements to protect society’s most vulnerable from fake online content.

The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) is leading a national research project to identify those most susceptible to believing and sharing political deepfake videos.

Project lead Associate Professor Renee Barnes said as artificial intelligence evolved deepfakes and misleading digitally created content had become increasingly difficult for people to distinguish from reality, impacting national security, elections and trust in media.

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) has enabled the mass creation of these videos that are at the leading edge of video-based disinformation,” Dr Barnes said.

“As we’ve seen in the US elections, they have the potential to impact Australian electoral outcomes and political processes if left unchecked,” she said.

“To have any chance of disrupting mass spreading of political deepfake videos and protecting those most vulnerable to deception, we need to better understand how people behave and react to them.”

Dr Barnes said the research would explore individual motivations and behaviours, down to heartrates and eye movement, to identify which sectors of the community were more likely to believe and share deepfake content.

“Sometimes people know they’re fake, but share them anyway and that’s something we need to better understand. We also want to know what motivates those who demonstrate pro-social behaviour, such as fact-checking and reporting these videos,” she said.

“By building a profile of the demographic, cognitive, emotional and relational factors that make certain groups more vulnerable to deepfakes, we can inform practical interventions, such as education and technological tools, to protect people from deception.”

Dr Barnes said other members of the three-year research project were UniSC Associate Professor Rory Mulcahy, Dr Aimee Riedel, from Griffith University, and Swinburne University of Technology’s Dr Lucas Whittaker.

https://newsreel.com.au/article/education/bid-to-save-most-vulnerable-to-deepfake-manipulation/



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South-East Queensland researchers will be monitoring heartrates and tracking eye movements to counter fake online content. | Newsreel

16/07/2025

There is just one chance for Brisbaneites to catch Trifole (Truffles) – a visually stunning modern fable set in the Alba white truffle region of Italy – set to screen across Australia as part of the Espresso Cinema Italian film series this winter.

The story follows Londoner Dalia who returns to care for her aging grandfather Igor, an expert truffle forager.

Armed with his loyal dog Birba, she hunts for a prizewinning truffle to save his home.

Trifole is a moving story of family, connecting to nature and enjoying life’s simple pleasures, the film delves deep into the culture, history and spectacular landscape of Piedmont in northern Italy, the world’s truffle capital.

The film stars Italian screen icon Margherita Buy, 90 year-old Umberto Orsini, Ydalie Turk (also co-writer), and Birba the dog, a real-life truffle hunting star.

It will screen just once at 2pm on August 10 at New Farm Cinemas.

Curated and created by ABCG Film, Espresso Cinema brings a hit of Italian cinema to Australia this winter with an exclusive event series of fresh, new and acclaimed Italian films, from the Venice Film Festival and beyond.

https://newsreel.com.au/article/arts/italian-truffle-hunt-produces-cinema-gold/



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There is just one chance for Brisbaneites to catch Trifole (Truffles) – a visually stunning modern fable set in the Alba white truffle region of Italy | Newsreel

16/07/2025

Brisbane’s newest bridge has shared Queensland’s top urban design award with a tribute to a slice of regional history.

The 470m Kangaroo Point Bridge was the joint-winner of the Minister’s Award for Urban Design alongside Mary’s Place in Dalby, on the Western Downs.

Housing and Public Works Minister Sam O’Connor said the Kangaroo Point Bridge, which also won the Movement and Place Award at the Queensland Urban Design Awards, was a striking single-mast, cable-stayed pedestrian and cycleway connecting Kangaroo Point to the central business district.

Minister O’Connor said judges praised the project as a masterful balancing of complex functional and structural priorities with a deeply generous program of urban experiences, incorporating activated plazas, historic elements, a 100-seat dining pavilion, and sweeping views of both riverbanks.

“The Kangaroo Point Bridge is not just a way to cross the river, it’s a destination in itself that offers spectacular views, places to dine, and a new way to connect with the city,” he said.

Minister O’Connor said Mary’s Place was a new public park that had transformed the site of a fire-damaged pub into a symbol of regional renewal.

“(It) tells a story of loss, resilience and renewal — turning a burnt-down pub into a vibrant public heart of the community.”

He said Mary’s Place, designed by Blight Rayner Architecture, was built on the site of the Commercial Hotel, which burnt down in 2018.

“The park is named after long-time publican Mary Barry and serves as a hub for events, gatherings, and to showcase public art.”

https://newsreel.com.au/article/government/past-and-present-honoured-in-design-awards/



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Brisbane’s newest bridge has shared Queensland’s top urban design award with a tribute to a slice of regional history. | Newsreel

15/07/2025

The eastern end of James Street is about to be transformed into a slick new retail, dining and office precinct, with two new major developments in the pipeline.

Leading the transformation is James Place, a major six-storey “timeless and connected” destination development by Forme at 75-85 James Street, next to the former Agnes Bakery.

The project replaces a 1980’s apartment building, home of the old flower market and two pre-1911 workers cottages.

It will be joined by a second development by GRAYA at 54 James Street, currently home to Bed Bath N' Table. While plans are yet to be finalised, this smaller site is expected to deliver a high-end retail, hospitality, and office destination.

Forme Managing Director David Calvisi said his firm had spent years acquiring 12 individual titles, paying just over $26 million for the 2600sq m site.

Designed by architects Richards & Spence (the team behind The Calile Hotel), the six level James Place will feature an open-air plaza layered with landscaping, textured materials and natural finishes.

The upscale precinct will include a sophisticated mix of fashion, hospitality, and wellness brands across 4200sq m; alongside 4500sq m of office tenants – plus a rooftop venue offering sweeping city views

Construction is underway with the 200-car basement nearly complete. The slab on the ground is expected to be poured within weeks, with overall completion anticipated in late 2026.

Mr Calvisi said the goal was to build on James Street’s established momentum, while introducing a curated mix of established and emerging brands, and hospitality groups “known for delivering exceptional service and creating atmosphere.”

“James Street is arguably Australia’s leading retail precinct – it’s vibrant, distinctive and virtually without vacancy,” Mr Calvisi said.

“There’s clear demand for premium retail, but also a lack of commercial office space that meets the same elevated standard. James Place responds to that.

“It offers a new kind of work environment, one that is connected, refined and calm, while remaining fully in sync with the energy of the street.”

Mr Calvisi said Graya’s appointment as the builder was a natural choice to construct James Place.

“Rob (Gray, Graya managing director) is a good friend, and we share a mutual respect for what it takes to bring something like this to life, and that’s been evident throughout the process,” Mr Calvisi said.

Meanwhile, just a block down the street Graya is working on its own project to bring the old Bed Bath n Table site to life.

Graya recently purchased the landmark 943sq m site for more than $20 million after a competitive bidding war with multiple parties from Australia and internationally.

Plans for the site are yet to be finalised, but Mr Gray said his vision was to deliver a world-class development that would further elevate James Street’s reputation as a premier lifestyle destination.

“Sites like these are truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and will cement Graya’s legacy in South-East Queensland,” Mr Gray said.

“Our plan is to create a landmark building that will enhance James Street as a destination for high-end food and beverage, luxury retail, and office space.”

https://newsreel.com.au/article/business/new-life-for-james-streets-once-forgotten-end/



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The Eastern end of James Street is about to be transformed into a slick new retail, dining and office precinct, with two new major developments in the pipeline | Newsreel

15/07/2025

New skin swabs could detect Parkinson’s disease up to seven years before symptoms appear.

Researchers in the United Kingdom are developing non-invasive sampling methods to detect early signs of the disease by analysing the chemical makeup of skin.

Professor Perdita Barran, from The University of Manchester, said a recent study found compounds found in sebum, the oily substance produced by our skin, held key biomarkers for identifying Parkinson’s in its earliest stages.

Professor Barran said scientists analysed skin swabs from participants with Parkinson’s, healthy volunteers, and those with a sleep disorder called isolated REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (iRBD), a known early warning sign of Parkinson’s disease.

She said the results showed that people with iRBD had distinct chemical profiles in their sebum that were different from healthy individuals, but not yet as pronounced as those with established Parkinson’s disease.

“This supports the idea that Parkinson’s disease leaves a detectable trace on the body well before physical symptoms appear.

“This is the first study to demonstrate a molecular diagnostic method for Parkinson’s disease at the prodromal or early stage.

“It brings us one step closer to a future where a simple, non-invasive skin swab could help identify people at risk before symptoms arise allowing for earlier intervention and improved outcomes.”

https://newsreel.com.au/article/education/skin-swab-detects-early-signs-of-parkinsons/



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New skin swabs being developed in the United Kingdom could detect Parkinson’s disease up to seven years before symptoms appear. | Newsreel

15/07/2025

Chatbots have been shown to provide lower-quality answers when prompts are not in "standard English".

A Cornell University study has found Amazon’s AI shopping assistant, Rufus, gave vague or incorrect responses to users writing in some English dialects, such as African American English (AAE), especially when the prompts contained typos.

Study co-author Allison Koenecke said with chatbots increasingly used for high-stakes tasks, from education to government services, the team wanted to study whether users who spoke and wrote differently, across dialects and formality levels, had comparable experiences with chatbots trained mostly on Standard American English (SAE).

Associate Professor Koenecke said the study used a tool to convert standard English prompts into five widely spoken dialects: AAE, Chicano English, Appalachian English, Indian English and Singaporean English.

She said the researchers also modified the prompts to reflect real-world use by adding typos, removing punctuation and changing capitalization.

“The team found Rufus more often gave low-quality answers that were vague or incorrect when prompted in dialects rather than in Standard American English (SAE).

“The gap widened when prompts included typos.”

Associate Professor Koenecke said one example was when it was asked in SAE if a jacket was machine washable, Rufus answered correctly.

She said when researchers rephrased the same question in AAE and without a linking verb – “this jacket machine washable?” – Rufus often failed to respond properly and instead directed users to unrelated products.

“Part of this underperformance stems from specific grammatical rules.

“This has serious implications for widely used chatbots like Rufus, which likely underperform for a large portion of users.”

Associate Professor Koenecke said the study highlighted the need for dialect-aware AI auditing and urged developers to design systems that embraced linguistic diversity.

https://newsreel.com.au/article/business/chatbots-struggle-to-interpret-different-lingos/



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Chatbots have been shown to provide lower-quality answers when prompts are not in ‘standard English’. | Newsreel

15/07/2025

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has recommended surcharges be removed for payments made by credit cards.

A RBA consultation paper, released as part of its review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging, states surcharging was no longer achieving its intended purpose of steering consumers to make more efficient payment choices.

In a statement, the RBA said it “would be in the public interest” to remove surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa cards.

“Consumers currently pay around $1.2 billion in card surcharges each year,” it said.

Th RBA said avoiding surcharges had become harder as cash usage declined, businesses were increasingly charging the same surcharge rate across debit and credit and there were significant challenges with enforcing the current surcharging rules.

“Removing surcharging would make card payments simpler, more transparent and help to increase competition in the card payments system.”

In other recommendations, the RBA suggested lowering the cap on interchange fees paid by businesses and requiring card networks and large acquirers to publish the fees they charged.

Feedback on the consultation paper is open until August 26.

Access a link in our story 👇

https://newsreel.com.au/article/economy/rba-recommends-removal-of-card-surcharges/



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The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has recommended surcharges be removed for payments made by credit cards. | Newsreel

14/07/2025

Brisbane scientists have mapped how dormant brain cells re-activate, offering hope of potential new treatments for brain cancer and degenerative disease.

In collaboration with The Francis Crick Institute, in London, researchers from QIMR Berghofer have unlocked how brain stem cells enter and exit a resting state called “quiescence”.

Study senior author Lachlan Harris said following decades of scientists believing the neurons we were born with were all we ever had, recent research had shown small populations of stem cells in the adult brain continued to generate new nerve cells throughout life, assisting us with memory and cognitive fitness.

Dr Harris said, most of the time, these brain stem cells existed in a hibernation-like state, lowering their metabolism to preserve themselves for when they were needed most.

“It is an ancient biological strategy found across species in everything from yeast to humans, and in tissues ranging from muscle to blood,” he said.

Dr Harris said the new research outlined how brain stem cells shifted between different depths of rest, before becoming active again.

“This is the first time we’ve been able to show, in detail, how brain stem cells move between deep and shallow resting states and ultimately become active again,” he said.

“Understanding this process is crucial, because it underpins how the brain repairs itself and stays resilient against neurodegenerative disorders. But it also may have profound implications for brain cancer, where tumour cells hijack this ancient resting program to evade therapies like chemotherapy and radiotherapy.”

Dr Harris said brain tumours, particularly aggressive types like glioblastoma, were notoriously difficult to treat in part because some cancer cells could also slip into this dormant state, becoming invisible to standard treatments that target active cancer cells.

He said these “sleeping” cancer cells could survive initial therapy, only to reactivate later and drive tumour recurrence—a key reason why brain cancers so often devastatingly return after treatment.

Dr Harris said the current work opened the door to new therapeutic strategies.

“By learning how to manipulate the resting state in healthy brain stem cells, scientists hope to either wake up dormant cancer cells so they can be targeted by existing therapies or keep them asleep indefinitely to prevent tumour regrowth.

“This discovery is foundational because it doesn’t just advance our understanding of brain biology – it provides a roadmap for developing entirely new approaches to treating brain cancer or other neurological disease.”

Access the full study in our story 👇

https://newsreel.com.au/article/education/qimr-breakthrough-to-target-sleeping-brain-cancer-cells/



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Brisbane scientists have mapped how dormant brain cells re-activate, offering hope of potential new treatments for brain cancer. | Newsreel

14/07/2025

New proposed flight paths over Brisbane have been released. (See all the maps on our website)

Airservices Australia Head of Community Engagement Donna Marshall said the preferred flightpath options aimed to reduce the impact of aircraft noise over several Brisbane communities.

Ms Marshall said Brisbane residents were encouraged to provide feedback through a number of community sessions to be held throughout July.

She said community feedback was also open until August 17 via an onine platform.

“Airservices is eager to speak to as many people as possible on these flightpath options.

“Community feedback has already helped shape a number of preferred options. We are listening to residents who’ve consistently called for fairer distribution of aircraft noise, and we’re dedicated to incorporating community feedback into our final planning.”

Ms Marshall said proposed flightpath options included distributing flights more evenly over a wider area and reducing the concentration of flights over suburbs subject to both arrivals and departures and day and night flights.

She said the Noise Action Plan for Brisbane was developed to address aircraft noise impacts resulting from changes to Brisbane’s airspace, following the introduction of Brisbane Airport’s new parallel runway in July 2020.

See all the maps and access links to book a spot at a community session or provide online feedback in our story 👇

https://newsreel.com.au/article/business/new-brisbane-flight-paths-proposed-see-the-maps/



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14/07/2025

Photographers with a love of the Aussie bush are being urged sharpen their focus for Rural Aid’s annual competition.

The regional charity has launched its 6th Spirit of the Bush Photo Competition and is inviting all Australians to share striking images that capture the strength, resilience, and beauty of life on the land. (Enjoy a selection of last year’s winners below)

Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said the competition, which was accepting entries until August 31, was a powerful platform for rural and regional Australians to tell their stories through the lens.

Mr Warlters said this year’s competition came after another challenging season of natural disasters, with floods, fires, and droughts once again testing the resolve of the nation’s rural heartland.

“Every year, we are humbled by the entries we receive, each photo is a tribute to the unwavering spirit of our farming families and communities,” he said.

“The Spirit of the Bush competition is more than a showcase of talent. It’s a reminder of the grit and determination that keeps rural Australia going, even through the toughest of times.”

Mr Warlters said winners would be announced on September 15.

Access a link to enter in the story on our website: https://newsreel.com.au/article/arts/bush-life-in-the-frame-for-maximum-exposure/