23 January 2011 - Sinclair Knight Merz reported during the week that although its offices on South Bank in Brisbane were flooded at ground level and in the basement car park, the collective technical expertise of staff was able to quickly repair damage. Queensland regional manager Steve Raby said that the office situated close to the to the Brisbane River was evacuated but that “thanks to the efforts of SKM’s local team, the office was reopened on Tuesday 18 January. Essential services, including power, water, toilets, IT, telephones, fire alarms and airconditioning have now been restored.” He said that majority of SKM’s Brisbane-based staff was now back at work. Chief executive officer Paul Dougas said: “Fortunately the majority of our staff did not experience significant impact to their homes or suffer personally. However, we recognise that many people at SKM and in the broader community will be deeply affected by this disaster and we will continue to support... 
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LETTER – 20 January 2011 – I was told last Friday (14 January) that the Glebe Post Office will close as “planned” on 4 February and that stuff was already being moved out. The senior management of Australia Post don’t care about the needs of Glebe or its unusually large number of elderly pensioner residents. They also don’t give a stuff about the expensive “Future Ready” strategy they launched last year, which is sprinkled with words like “transparency” “community participation” “collaboration” “accountability” -   all rubbish as evidenced by their current behaviour. The first “Notice of Closure” appeared in the window of the post office in the first week of January – the middle of the Christmas Holidays. It said that there had been a “significant decline in customer numbers” even though no-one who uses the place had noticed any lessening of queue lengths.  It said “you can go to Annandale” – how many pensioners did they send on... 
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By Lyn Drummond 19 January 2011 – With some economists putting a figure of $20 billion on the Queensland flood damage, the terms of reference for the state government’s Commission of Inquiry has already come under fire for not being broad enough. The Federal Government has also established a business taskforce to mobilise flood recovery efforts. Architects are concerned that a preferred system of designing and building resilient homes is essential in the terms of reference and will submit proposals. (See our report ) Queensland Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek’s criticism that the inquiry lacked the ability to examine issues outside its specific terms was disputed on the ABC this week when Premier Anna Bligh said the terms of reference “go to every aspect of the management of this disaster.” Queensland inquiry’s terms of reference The Queensland Commission of Inquiry’s panel of three is headed by Queensland Justice Cate Holmes with Deputy Commissioners Jim O’Sullivan,... 
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By Tina Perinotto and Lyn Drummond 20 January 2011 – An estimated 600 residents and local politicians rallied in Sydney’s inner city suburb of Glebe on Thursday morning this week brandishing more than 4000 signatures in protest against the planned closure of the local post office. The closure will be one of 27 post offices that Australia Post seems determined to shut nationally, citing falls of 5 per cent in business. All except one perhaps – Woollahra, in the electorate of former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 14 January 2011 – The Planning Institute of Australia said on Friday that the Queensland flood crisis had focused the need for climate change to be considered in planning for the future and proved that modern planning protocols could work to protect communities, even in low lying areas. PIA national president Neil Savery said that major natural disasters had challenged civilisations throughout history and each time “the human endeavour rebounds with better built environments arising from the lessons learned. “In this case the extent of the influence of climate change on these floods and future similar events will need to be considered.” Read More  
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By Greg Paine Part of a series, Walking with the Elephant, on mindfulness Problem Acting alone to improve behaviours can be discomforting if you appear too different: “Almost no-one in society doing it”; and can lead to frustration if you think others are not as equally caring. Further, nagging and lecturing may not be positive models to encourage change: “When I started preaching his sort of thing … she got fed up … I was pricking her conscience. Which was difficult.” Solution In response, there is now growing acknowledgment of the importance of the self as example. It can have a number of self-reinforcing outcomes: consistent with the idea of small steps (Pattern 1), seeing each individual action as important to the greater, cumulative whole increases its value and promotes a sense of personal empowerment – that personal choices can make a difference, and may be an antidote to “society apathy/disinterest/ disengagement”. “Don’t view it as a burden, focus... 
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By Lynne Blundell 25 November 2010 – Better air quality, views, large windows, patient and staff focus – not doctors – and cities within cities…it’s all part of an evolving greener profile for hospitals. Hospitals have long been major energy munchers – they operate 24/7, their equipment is energy intensive and design has focused on medical priorities, not sustainability. And the worst of it all is that many of these highly institutionalised, inflexible monoliths with unhealthy air and depressing interiors are terrible places for the unwell. Read More  
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- By Michael Mobbs - FAVOURITES – 1 October 2009 - No city can be sustainable until it is a “city of villages”. Only in a village can we walk to work, or buy and carry home our food. Only in a village can new businesses be easily born and thrive – in a garage, or a kitchen, or a café – nurtured by low rent. It’s the birth rate of businesses that drives our economy (1). When that birth rate falls so too does creativity, diversity, robustness, self-reliance and productivity. Read More  
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