Melinda Howells

Melinda Howells is one of the ABC's State Political Reporters based in Brisbane. She has covered four Queensland premiers and three election campaigns. Melinda started her career in the ABC's Mackay office in 2006 and has also worked in Bundaberg. She tweets at @MelindaHowells.

Contact Melinda Howells

• Archaeologists inspecting historic Brisbane buildings as casino construction begins

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted January 16, 2017 18:06:05

  The developers of Brisbane's Queens Wharf casino project say precautions are being taken to protect nearby historic buildings, as construction work ramps up in the area.

  Topics: urban-development-and-planning, community-and-society, history, brisbane-4000, qld

• Storm warning alerts issued 'on time' despite complaints in Brisbane

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted January 03, 2017 18:41:13 | Updated January 03, 2017 19:30:33

  Brisbane City Council says there were no problems with its storm warning system during Monday night's storm, despite more concerns that messages came through too late.

  Topics: storm-event, weather, storm-disaster, brisbane-4000, qld

• 'Demonically possessed': DJ says festivalgoers behaved erratically

  By Melinda Howells and Elise Kinsella

  Posted January 02, 2017 09:57:13 | Updated January 02, 2017 17:52:55

  A DJ at a rave where a man died on New Year's Day after taking an unknown drug says he noticed unusual behaviour from dozens of people at the event, with four in particular looking "out of control".

  Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, palen-creek-4287

• One Nation Queensland candidate withdraws after inappropriate tweets

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted December 20, 2016 14:02:16 | Updated December 20, 2016 16:53:57

  Pauline Hanson's One Nation party defends its vetting process after losing a candidate within days of announcing its team for the next Queensland election.

  Topics: one-nation, political-parties, government-and-politics, elections, state-parliament, currumbin-4223, qld, australia, brisbane-4000, southport-4215

• 'Tougher penalties needed' for attacks on bus drivers

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted December 19, 2016 16:00:20

  People who assault bus drivers should face extra penalties, in line with attacks on other public servants such as police and ambulance officers, unions say.

  Topics: activism-and-lobbying, assault, crime, government-and-politics, work, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

• New machine offers choice in treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted December 12, 2016 17:53:51 | Updated December 13, 2016 07:34:44

  Queensland skin cancer patients will be the first in Australia to be treated with a new machine for delivering radiation, which is less invasive and leaves less scarring than surgery.

  Topics: health, medical-procedures, skin-cancer, diseases-and-disorders, brisbane-4000, qld

• Prime Minister defends Queensland LNP in wake of George Brandis 'mediocre' critique

  By Melinda Howells and Kerrin Binnie

  Posted November 22, 2016 14:09:20 | Updated November 22, 2016 19:45:30

  Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull backs Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls, who has been facing criticism from within his own Liberal National Party.

  Topics: liberal-national-party-queensland, political-parties, government-and-politics, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

• Senators reject Brandis' criticism of 'mediocre' Queensland LNP

  By Kathy McLeish and Melinda Howells

  Posted November 22, 2016 07:21:32 | Updated November 22, 2016 14:23:28

  Two Queensland senators shrug off criticism from Federal Attorney-General George Brandis, who labelled his state LNP colleagues "very, very mediocre".

  Topics: liberal-national-party-queensland, liberals, alp, one-nation, political-parties, government-and-politics, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

• Queensland LNP 'very, very mediocre', Senator George Brandis says

  By Melinda Howells and Kerrin Binnie

  Posted November 21, 2016 17:38:27 | Updated November 22, 2016 06:33:46

  The federal Attorney-General is caught on camera making disparaging remarks about his Queensland conservative colleagues and a potential revisiting of the LNP merger.

  Topics: liberal-national-party-queensland, political-parties, government-and-politics, liberals, nationals, one-nation, federal---state-issues, federal-parliament, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

• Opera singer blinded by diabetes urges people to take disease seriously

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted November 11, 2016 07:18:00 | Updated November 11, 2016 17:56:34

  It took almost two decades for diabetes to take the eyesight of Brisbane opera singer Janelle Colquhoun, and she is warning other diabetics they could face a similar fate unless they take more care.

  Topics: diabetes, adolescent-health, womens-health, people, human-interest, brisbane-4000

• Taxi drivers heckle Deputy Premier Jackie Trad at protest against Uber

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted October 14, 2015 14:40:02 | Updated October 14, 2015 15:30:22

  Queensland's Deputy Premier faces dozens of angry taxi drivers outside State Parliament, protesting against ride-sharing service Uber.

  Topics: government-and-politics, states-and-territories, brisbane-4000

• Queensland Police to look at more hidden speed cameras

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted October 13, 2015 16:45:29 | Updated October 14, 2015 08:58:58

  The Queensland Police Service will consider using covert speed cameras more often to reduce the number of severe road crashes.

  Topics: police, state-parliament, brisbane-4000

• School principals not always informed of domestic violence orders

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted October 06, 2015 19:03:47 | Updated October 07, 2015 14:24:51

  School leaders want to be better informed about domestic violence situations at home to help students and families, the Queensland Association of State School Principals says.

  Topics: domestic-violence, schools, education, qld

• Pitt denies backflip on election pledge to scrap 'shameful' water laws

  By Melinda Howells and Mark Willacy

  Posted September 30, 2015 16:45:36 | Updated October 01, 2015 07:23:49

  Acting Premier Curtis Pitt denies the Queensland Government is preparing to backtrack on an election pledge by keeping controversial water reforms designed to help big mining operations.

  Topics: state-parliament, laws, water-management, alp, elections, brisbane-4000, cairns-4870, mackay-4740, townsville-4810, rockhampton-4700, mount-isa-4825, longreach-4730, toowoomba-4350

• Queensland voters may reconsider privatisation: Springborg

  ABC Radio Brisbane

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted September 29, 2015 11:55:13

  Queensland voters may eventually rethink their opposition to privatisation based on the experience of New South Wales, LNP leader Lawrence Springborg says.

  Topics: liberal-national-party-queensland, privatisation-and-deregulation, alp, brisbane-4000

• Queensland Government vows to maintain expensive industry assistance measures

  By Jessica van Vonderen and Melinda Howells

  Posted August 10, 2015 19:15:15

  The Queensland Government has vowed to maintain expensive industry assistance measures despite a report recommending a significant overhaul.

  Topics: government-and-politics, state-parliament, qld

• Computer glitch a blow to child protection system, family commission says

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted August 07, 2015 12:40:58 | Updated August 07, 2015 17:16:06

  Another fault in the Queensland Education Department's reporting of suspected abuse is a blow to public confidence in the child protection system, the Queensland Family and Child Commission says.

  Topics: schools, public-sector, child-abuse, law-crime-and-justice, qld

• Education Queensland official resigns after IT error bungles more child abuse cases

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted August 06, 2015 17:35:28 | Updated August 06, 2015 18:39:53

  A senior official in Education Queensland stands down as investigations continue into an IT bungle that resulted in cases of suspected child abuse not being passed onto police.

  Topics: schools, public-sector, child-abuse, law-crime-and-justice, brisbane-4000

• IT failure means hundreds of suspected child abuse cases not reported

  By Melinda Howells and Andree Withey

  Posted July 31, 2015 14:43:48 | Updated August 06, 2015 17:07:23

  A system failure has meant more than 600 suspected cases of child abuse reported by school principals were not forwarded to police, the Queensland Government says.

  Topics: child-abuse, public-sector, teachers, education, crime, qld

• Alan MacSporran named as Queensland's new corruption watchdog chairman

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted July 30, 2015 13:18:34 | Updated July 30, 2015 14:26:20

  Barrister Alan MacSporran, who recently led the inquiry into cruelty in the greyhound industry, is confirmed as the new chairman of Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission, ending a drawn-out stoush between Labor and the LNP.

  Topics: corruption, crime, liberal-national-party-queensland, alp, qld

• Queensland business confidence bounces back post-election

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted July 30, 2015 06:26:13 | Updated July 30, 2015 09:21:24

  Business confidence in Queensland bounces back from the initial downturn recorded after the Palaszczuk Government took office in January.

  Topics: activism-and-lobbying, economic-trends, alp, qld, brisbane-4000

• Annastacia Palaszczuk to review Queensland Cabinet at year's end

  By Melinda Howells and Maria Hatzakis

  Posted July 28, 2015 21:12:49 | Updated July 29, 2015 08:58:35

  The Queensland Premier is set to review the performance of her Cabinet at the end of the year and is not ruling out a reshuffle or adding extra ministers.

  Topics: public-sector, alp, state-parliament, brisbane-4000, qld

• Man, two children killed in caravan explosion in Mount Isa

  By Emma Cillekens, Allyson Horn and Melinda Howells

  Posted July 28, 2015 08:34:00 | Updated July 29, 2015 00:13:27

  Homicide detectives will head to Mount Isa to help investigate a caravan explosion that killed a man and two children early this morning.

  Topics: disasters-and-accidents, accidents---other, mount-isa-4825

• Superannuation payments to Gordon Nuttall not recovered by previous governments

  By Melinda Howells

  Posted July 23, 2015 11:26:48 | Updated July 23, 2015 16:27:14

  It appears that Queensland's previous Labor and LNP governments have not recovered superannuation payments to disgraced former MP Gordon Nuttall, the state's Treasurer says.

  Topics: crime, courts-and-trials, state-parliament, alp, corruption, qld

• Ipswich Mayor wears blonde wig in video podcast to mock Police Minister (video)

  By Chris O'Brien and Melinda Howells

  Posted July 23, 2015 07:17:09 | Updated July 23, 2015 13:43:31

  Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale mocks Queensland Police Minister Jo-Ann Miller in a video podcast posted online by Ipswich youth organisation Gen-Y.

  Topics: local-government, government-and-politics, offbeat, ipswich-4305

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