FIVE years ago, double the amount of young people turned apprentices. The drop, tradies say, is because they don’t like to work hard. AUSTRALIA is on the verge of an apprenticeship drought — and some tradies are claiming it’s all down to the younger generation being a “bunch of softies”. Apprentice numbers continue to drop across all Australian states as younger people begin to favour...

On 11 January 2018 a worker was seriously injured in an explosion at a waste treatment plant at the Townsville golf club. Early investigations indicate this may have involved an explosive gas or substance in the pump room, but the ignition source has not been confirmed. The worker received extensive burns requiring hospital treatment. Investigations are continuing. Preventing a similar i...