Vegetarians and vegans often cite ethical concerns for their decision to give up meat and animal products but their position may not be as benign as they believe.

In his new book On Eating Meat author, farmer, restaurateur, critic and chef Matthew Evans (aka The Gourmet Farmer) looks at the ways we produce and consume meat.

He tells Mark growing vegetables can sometimes come at a high cost for native wildlife.

The musical School Of Rock is wowing audiences at QPAC and it is little wonder given the performance of its lead Brent Hill, who plays failed rock star Dewey Finn.

At the weekend he won a Helpmann Award for best actor in a musical, the highest accolade the Australian theatre community has to bestow.

Brent tells Mark it was sixth time lucky.

New figures have revealed a growing problem with violence and assaults against teachers in Queensland’s state schools.

In the 11 months to the end of May teachers made 442 WorkCover claims related to assaults, 45 more than for all of the previous financial year and a 76 per cent increase on four years ago.

Queensland Teachers’ Union president Kevin Bates tells Mark the increase in numbers is because teachers are no longer willing to accept violence as “part of the job.”

New figures show that last financial year in Queensland there was a total of 16,322 cars, motorcycles and trucks reported stolen.

That was a more than 15 per cent increase in the space of just twelve months and police say the vast majority were crimes of opportunity.

Police are appealing to drivers to take some basic security precautions and property crime detective Acting Senior Sergeant Lee Fortune tells Mark it is worth looking at installing a GPS tracker.

New research done by Brisbane’s QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute has found a genetic link to the eating disorder anorexia nervosa.

The study looked at the genes of 72,000 people and identified eight linked to the condition raising hopes the breakthrough could eventually lead to drug treatments.

Anorexia has often been dismissed as a psychological condition but the Queensland Director of the Eating Disorder Centre Metro North Dr Warren Ward tells Mark

that it now looks like “genetics loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger.”

70 high-care nursing home residents remain in temporary accommodations after suddenly being forced from their Nerang aged care facility last Thursday.

The residents became the meat in the sandwich in a contract dispute between the owner of the home People Care and the company hired to run the home, HelpStreet.

An emotional HelpStreet founder Kris Bunker tells Mark he welcomes moves to have the Aged Care Royal Commission investigate and he stands ready to help in any way he can.

A Brisbane local has beaten home a field of almost 300 horsemen and women to take out Australia’s toughest endurance ride, the Tom Quilty Gold Cup.

Kaylea Maher covered the 160 kilometre of challenging trails in just 10 hours and 8 minutes.

She tells Mark there are a lot of factors that go into winning the Gold Cup but much of the credit belongs to her mount Matta Mia Dimari.

Australia was officially declared polio free in 2000 and there hasn’t been a case of the virus “in the wild” since 1972, but there are fears the crippling disease could be set to make a comeback.

A recent outbreak in PNG means it is at our doorstep while immunisation rates for the virus in the Gold Coast Hinterland have fallen below 80 per cent, while there have also been falls in Surfers Paradise, Noosa and the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

AMA Queensland vice president Chris Perry tells Mark if immunisation rates don’t improve and the virus finds its way here it could spread like wildfire.

Actress Sigrid Thornton has never been busier.

She’s about to appear in the Foxtel drama “Lambs of God”, which follows in the wake of her role in the prison drama “Wentworth” and ahead of the long awaited “Seachange” reboot.

Still, the Brisbane native is making time for an intimate show at the Powerhouse Theatre later this month called Frank and Fearless.

She’ll be joined on stage by her mother Merle, a pioneering social activist, and Sigrid tells Mark it’s all about Brisbane, women’s rights and music.

Under mounting pressure from seniors groups the Federal Government has moved to cut the Deeming Rate used to decide how much pension a retiree is entitled to.

Savings over $51,800 will now be deemed to earn 3 per cent, while savings under that figure will be deemed to earn 1 per cent.

Nationals Seniors has been driving the campaign for change and chief advocate Ian Henschke tells Mark the government still needs to pass the decision making on the rate from politicians to an independent authority.