WEATHER REPORT AND TIDES It ll be a partly cloudy Friday on the Coast but the weather bureau says there s a zero per cent chance of rain for the region. Maximum temperatures will be slightly higher today, with Maleny expected to reach a top of 23C, Caloundra on 25C and Maroochydore, Noosa Heads and Nambour on 26C. High tide was at 5.18am at 1.67m and low tide will be at 11.46am at 0.47m. The next high tide will reach 1.54m at 5.55pm and low tide is scheduled for 11.53pm at 0.61m.
TRAFFIC
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Subscriber only Seventy-five women and children have been killed in domestic violence incidents in Australia since the beginning of 2020. On Wednesday night, more than 100 people came together at Maroochydore to honour those who have lost their lives and mark the beginning of Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month. The Let s Grow Together event, hosted by CentaCare and the Sunshine Coast Council, invited residents to join in a march from Cornmeal Parade to Cotton Tree Park which was followed by a candlelight vigil. After marching participants heard from domestic and family experts from CentaCare and Laurel Place, QPS Assistant Commissioner Ben Marcus and Kabi-Kabi educator and artist Dr Hope O Chin.
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Sunshine Coast Council has spruiked the benefits of paid parking after mapping out proposed options for public transport and 12 new parking facilities.
The draft options analysis mass transit report maps out how public transport could link the Coast in the future.
The proposal shows potential mass transit routes, regional rail extensions, high frequency and feeder bus networks and five new Park ‘n’ Ride facilities.
A carpark with up to 1000 spaces and bus transfer facility is also proposed to be located adjacent to the Bundilla Station.
A council spokesman said the State Government would be responsible for constructing and operating the Park ‘n’ Ride facilities proposed in the report.
PM Plans $10 Billion Insurance Premium Subsidy for Northern Australia
People in northern Australia will soon have cheaper property insurance as the federal government announced a subsidy plan for the region from next year.
A reinsurance pool backed by a $10 billion government guarantee will be in place from July 1, 2022, to relieve the high premium cost burden on homes and businesses due to frequent natural disasters like cyclone and floods in recent years.
“This would reduce insurance premiums across Northern Australia by over $1.5 billion for households, strata, and small businesses over 10 years,” the federal government announced in a joint media release.
It is expected that over 500,000 residential, strata, and small business property insurance policies are eligible to be covered by the reinsurance pool.
Sunshine Coast MPs have warned a $2.6 billion light rail system between Maroochydore and Kawana could ruin chances of having heavy rail from Brisbane to the region. Kawana MP Jarrod Bleijie and other Sunshine Coast MPs have called on the Sunshine Coast Council to prioritise heavy rail before throwing its support behind an expensive local public transport network. The council has released a comprehensive report into several mass transit options costing between $881 million to $2.6 billion to connect Maroochydore and Kawana. Residents have eight weeks to have their say on the draft options analysis report, including on what their preferred public transport would be.