The Australian Medical Association of Queensland is calling for water fluoridation to be mandated across the state.

This comes after six Cairns councillors voted against the reintroduction of fluoride in the local water supply.

AMAQ President Dr Nick Yim told Dean Miller on 4BC Afternoons, "It's a tiny amount added, and it has been proven to be safe since the 1940s.

"The main reason why it is added is that it has been shown to prevent dental decay especially in children."

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What are the words we stumble over?

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ASIC has surveyed just over a thousand Australians, finding that people are ready to spend $783 on average for Christmas. 

However, the median weekly income is $805.

ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland joined Dean Miller on 4BC Afternoons to discuss the survey results. 

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Advocacy group ‘Save The Koalas & Wallabies of Whites Hill’ is calling for the closure of the road up to Mt Gravatt Lookout Reserve at night, after two breeding koala mothers were killed.

It is estimated that more than 100 koalas have died in local suburbs over the past year. 

Spokesperson Sharyn Bartlam told Dean Miller on 4BC Afternoons, "While council has said that the gates are closed from 11pm to 6am, they're actually open."

"We have an obligation and a huge role to play in Brisbane in the survival of our koalas," Ms Bartlam continued. 

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Which sounds have been added to the NSFA for 2024?

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With the summer heat and heavy rain fueling rapid growth, neighbourly disputes over encroaching trees, falling branches, and clogged drains are inevitable. 

But what is the best way to handle these situations? 

 Director of Red Tape Busters Shane Bowering told Dean Miller on 4BC Afternoons, "It generally comes down to that first approach."

"If you make that first approach to your neighbour in a conciliatory manner and they're a reasonable person, you also take with you some documents or evidence from the Queensland Government website...That normally takes the sting out of it," Mr Bowering said.

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Yesterday, it was revealed that retirement village providers in Queensland are not required to pay back residents for 18 months after they leave. 

CEO of National Seniors Australia called for new state government legislation to amend the buyback timeframe.

However, Retirement Living Executive Director Daniel Gannon told Dean Miller on 4BC Afternoons, "Any suggestion that an operator is holding onto the money for 18 months after the home is sold isn't accurate."

"We don't see any problems in a significant reduction to the buyback timeframe, what we are seeing right around the country, is general harmonisation around 12-month buybacks," Mr Gannon continued. 

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Which Arnott's biscuit is Australia's favourite and what's yours?

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In Queensland, if a resident wishes to leave a retirement village, the provider is not required to pay back any money for a whopping 18 months. This can leave retirees and their families at risk financially.

Today, state ministers will meet for the Consumer Affairs Ministers Network meeting.

Chris Grice, the CEO of National Seniors Australia, believes this is a prime opportunity for the newly elected state government to amend the legislation regarding the payback period.

Mr. Grice told Dean Miller on 4BC Afternoons, "This is about making this issue out there in circulation." 

"We've got this inconsistency right across the country and Queensland is one of the key states where we have some good operators that are providing the money back to their residents in a six-month period... but we have got a big chunk of them who aren't."

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An Australian study spanning more than two decades has found that targeting preschoolers and their families may be the answer to the youth crime problem.

The Griffith University Pathways to Prevention Project aims to improve child development systems to reduce youth crime and foster community growth.

The leader of the project, Ross Homel, told Dean Miller on 4BC Afternoons, "It was fundamental to our approach that we work through the existing systems in the community."

"If you're ever going to have any hope of sustaining anything you do that's successful, then it's best done through existing systems," Mr Homel said.

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