The countdown to Christmas is Santa’s busiest time of the year but he still manages to find time to answer letters from children.

 

Australia Post says Santa is expecting more than 150,000 letters for little Aussies this year.

 

Michelle Skehan from Australia Post gives Mark all the details about how to make sure your letter reaches the North Pole in time for a reply from Santa.

The Palaszczuk is playing down the importance of an online poll used to decide whether to change the name of the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital.

 

A Right To Information request has revealed thousands of responses came from a relatively small number of the same IP addresses.

 

State Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington tells Mark the whole process was a sham and a waste of taxpayers money.

Hellenika at The Calile Greek restaurant in Fortitude Valley has taken out the top spot in the Sunday Mail’s Delicious 100 list of Queensland eateries.

Hellenika was named the state’s best restaurant even though it only opened its doors just six weeks ago.

The restaurant is the work of Simon Gloftis and is the Brisbane equivalent of his popular Gold Coast establishment of the same name.

He tells Mark the key is using on the best and freshest Australian produce.

Interest in the band Queen and frontman Freddie Mercury has never been higher thanks to the new film Bohemian Rhapsody.

The death of Mercury robbed the world of his and the band’s incredible musicianship and showmanship, but Brisbane boasts one of the world’s best tribute acts Killer Queen.

John Blunt has been transforming into Freddie Mercury for a decade and he tells Mark the band has never been busier.

New research led by Brisbane’s QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute has found that if you have a taste for coffee it is a result of your genetic makeup.

The study looked at data from 400,000 people and it turns out people with a love of coffee are predisposed to enjoy the bitter taste.

Assoc Prof Stuart MacGregor is the head of the institute’s Statistical Genetics Research Group and tells Mark your genes also decide whether you like tea, brussel sprouts and even red wine.

Michael Beatty is perhaps best known to people as the face of the RSPCA in Queensland, a tireless campaigner for the protection of animals.

Many may not be aware that Michael had a long and illustrious career as a TV reporter around the world interviewing the likes of Jimi Hendrix and covering wars and royal weddings.

Michael has just published his autobiography Off The Beatty Track.

From next year students at USC will be able to take a course in surfing as part of their degree studies.

The Geography of Surfing course will only accept 20 students and places are already filling fast.

Course coordinator Dr Javier Leon tells Mark it might sound like a bit of fun but the course will be very serious work.

The annual Health Of Queenslanders has revealed shocking levels of tooth decay being experiences children, especially young children.

43% of five and six year olds have decay experience in their primary teeth.. while around 55% of children aged five to 14 have a history of tooth decay.

Dr Norah Ayad from the Australian Dental Association Queensland tells Mark part of the problem is that a large number of local councils in the state have stopped fluoridating their water.

All too often people sold a lemon struggle to get their new car fixed or in some circumstances replaced.

The State Government has introduced new laws that will allow people with vehicles worth up to about $100,000 to take action in the Queensland Civil And Administrative Tribunal.

State Attorney General Yvette D’Ath tells Mark she wants to see a more uniform national approach to ‘lemon’ laws.

Transport authorities are to grant US electric scooter sharing company Lime an exemption from state laws so it can conduct a trial in Brisbane this weekend.

The company, which is 125 cities around the world, is planning to introduce hundreds of the pay-for-use scooters to the city.

Pedestrian Council of Australia spokesman Harold Scruby tells Mark he’s seen the service in action in the US and it’s a menace.