1. Australia was again helping out in the wake of disasters overseas, with NSW State emergency Agencies asked to send a 76-person specialist urban search-and-rescue team to Japan following its devastating earthquake and tsunami.
NSW State Emergency Operations Controller and NSW Police Force Deputy Commissioner, Dave Owens said the team would comprise firefighter rescue specialists, two structural engineers, eight paramedics, two doctors, and a police specialist.
2. Horse owners across NSW were being warned to protect their animals from insect bites suspected of causing a new and unusual neurological illness.
Chief Veterinary Officer, Ian Roth said the cause was likely an arbovirus. “We have had reports of horses displaying unusual neurological signs such as lack of coordination, increased responsiveness to touch and sound, facial paralysis and weakness in the hindquarters,” he said.
3. Victoria Police expanded their uniform standards to incorporate articles of faith from the Sikh religion, including the Force’s first official turban.
Superintendent Bob Hill said the move reflected the growing diversity of the Victoria Police workforce. “The Victorian community is the most ethnically diverse in the country and it is important that our police reflect this,” he said.
4. The Queensland environment was set to benefit from the recycling and sale of electricity poles and power lines damaged during its January floods.
Minister for Energy and Water Utilities, Stephen Robertson said the new $150,000 a year Energex Sustainability and Environment Fund would use money raised from selling replaced scrap metal and other products to benefit the broader community.
He said 3,317 tonnes of metal and 14,824 metres of timber were recycled by Energex in the previous financial year.
5. In other environmental news, owners of exotic birds in Western Australia were reminded that many were declared pests and their escape from aviaries must be reported.
Biosecurity Officer at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Paul Manera said such species had the ability to establish in the wild with possible impacts on agriculture, the environment and society. The warning was prompted by recent severe weather events that had caused property damage across the State.
6. In better news for Western Australia, the Weld Range in the State’s Midwest was added to the National Heritage List. The 45-hectare area included Wilgie Mia, Little Wilgie Mia and the Marlu Resting Place.
These sites contain sacred law grounds, dreamtime places, thousands of examples of rock art, extensive archaeological material, and the Wilgie Mia red ochre mine.
