Kate McKenna, ABC.net.au

Kate McKenna

ABC.net.au

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Recent:
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Past:
  • ABC.net.au
  • The Courier-Mail

Past articles by Kate:

Scrutiny of youth justice laws 'cements Queensland as a backwater', youth advocate and lawyer Katherine Hayes says

Youth Advocacy Centre CEO Katherine Hayes' comments came after a parliamentary committee released a report recommending the Palaszczuk Government's proposed youth justice law changes be passed. → Read More

Auditor-general's report reveals staggering COVID burden on Queensland's health system

COVID-19 cost Queensland Health about $1.3 billion last financial year, including almost $200 million in expected write-offs for unused rapid antigen tests (RATs), a report by the state's auditor-general has found. → Read More

Youth justice overhaul 'directly at odds' with Path to Treaty and Closing the Gap, Queensland government warned

Advocates warn proposed law changes will disproportionately affect First Nations children. → Read More

Children held in Queensland watch houses for almost 40 days, review ordered into escalating crisis

The mother of a 17-year-old describes the impact on her son of the 31 days he spent detained in a watch house cell intended for stays of up to two days. → Read More

Advocates say children are being held in adult watch houses in Queensland for weeks at a time

Advocates and lawyers say Queensland's youth justice system is at crisis point, with some juveniles reportedly held in adult watch houses for weeks at a time. → Read More

Queensland government considers giving affected GP clinics more time to make arrangements for payroll tax

The Queensland Treasurer is in discussions with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk about a plan to pause the implementation of payroll tax assessments on some GP clinics in a bid to curb increasing doctor fees. → Read More

Queensland weather pushes power grid to the limit as BOM warns of ongoing heatwave

Queensland's energy minister says the state will have enough electricity supply to make sure the "lights stay on" as the heatwave intensifies today with more balmy nights. → Read More

Former Queensland corrections boss Keith Hamburger says 'urgent' change needed to fight youth crime

Queensland's former corrective services boss says "urgent " change is needed to deal with youth crime in the state, and expert voices are being ignored for political gain. → Read More

Voluntary assisted dying laws come into effect today in Queensland, so how does it work?

Voluntary assisted dying is now legal in Queensland — the fourth state to have a scheme in operation – 15 months after laws passed state parliament. → Read More

Queensland to change laws to allow United Nations physical access to mental health in-patient wards

More than a month after the UN's torture prevention body was denied access to sites where people were detained, new laws will be introduced in Queensland to give inspectors greater access. → Read More

Queensland Health modelling reveals number of people expected to use voluntary assisted dying laws in 2023

With just over a month until voluntary assisted dying is available in Queensland, modelling projects about 400 people will use the laws to legally end their life in 2023. → Read More

How will Queensland Police Service improve its response to domestic and family violence after inquiry condemns 'failure of leadership'?

The report highlights problems of misogyny and racism, and points the finger at the most senior ranks of the Queensland Police Service for failing to act when concerns were raised in the past. Here's some of the most damning findings. → Read More

Fourth COVID-19 wave has arrived in Queensland, says Premier, masks advised from Friday

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says a jump in active cases and a doubling in COVID-19 patients in hospitals has heralded the arrival of Queensland's fourth wave of the pandemic, with the use of face masks recommended from tomorrow. → Read More

Queensland's youth justice system 'in crisis' amid human rights breaches, children's commissioner warns

Australia's youth justice system is in "a state of crisis" with more children being locked up in watch houses and detention centres, the National Children's Commissioner warns. → Read More

Queensland's overhauled sex education teaches prep students consent basics, while teenagers learn 'how to say no'

Students as young as five will be taught body privacy as part of Queensland's overhauled sexual education that will today see educational materials rolled out across the state. → Read More

About 50 homes affected for world's 'largest' pumped hydro scheme near Mackay

The Queensland government's proposal to build the world's "largest" pumped hydro scheme west of Mackay will affect about 50 homes, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says. → Read More

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces $62b clean energy plan including 'world's largest pumped hydro energy storage'

Annastacia Palaszczuk announces a higher renewable energy target as part of the state's 10-year energy plan that she says will support 100,000 jobs. → Read More

Two senior employees of Queensland's state-run forensic lab stood down immediately in wake of DNA testing scandal

The action comes a day after it was revealed DNA samples from major crimes in Queensland dating back to 2018 will be re-examined and expert witness statements issued by the forensic lab since 2018 will be corrected. → Read More

Some Queensland patients waited almost eight hours on an ambulance stretcher as ramping peaked in June

Some south-east Queensland patients were left on an ambulance stretcher, waiting for an emergency department bed for almost eight hours, official figures reveal. → Read More

Queensland's Griffith University offers state government student accommodation block to address housing crisis

Gladstone's George Parkyn says he is not convinced the Queensland government's housing crisis talks will lead to real change for him and says they are a "waste of time and money". → Read More