Michelle Rafferty joined ABC Gold Coast in June 2015 after stints in the national broadcaster's Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Albury newsrooms. She has appeared on programs such as 7:30 and Midday, as well a presented news and finance for ABC News 24.
Michelle has broken a range of original stories covering everything from over-the-counter cannabis sales to paedophiles infiltrating the after school care system.
She can be contacted with stories ideas via email or Twitter at: @raffertyreports.
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| UpdatedQueensland's Premier tells the state's politicians not to "bask in the glory" of the baton relay around Australia, instead urging everyday people to be nominated as bearers.
Topics: commonwealth-games, commonwealth-games-organising-committee, sport, government-and-politics, southport-4215, qld, brisbane-4000
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A controversial instrument landing system has been approved for Gold Coast Airport, but the system can only be used in poor weather conditions.
Topics: air-transport, urban-development-and-planning, coolangatta-4225
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| UpdatedA Gold Coast community group vows to fight a proposal to raise the three-storey height limit of buildings at the Southport Spit.
Topics: activism-and-lobbying, urban-development-and-planning, community-and-society, government-and-politics, tourism, company-news, business-economics-and-finance, the-spit-4217, qld, australia, southport-4215
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| UpdatedA woman linked to a fatal shooting on the Gold Coast has presented to police and been charged with a motor vehicle offence.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, murder-and-manslaughter, carrara-4211, qld, mermaid-beach-4218
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The alleged national president of the Lone Wolf Outlaw Motorcycle Gang is refused bail in a Gold Coast court.
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, courts-and-trials, crime, drugs-and-substance-abuse, drug-offences, southport-4215, qld
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| UpdatedToxicology results detect a mixture of LSD and MDMA in a batch of illicit drugs that caused 12 people to fall ill on the Gold Coast on the weekend.
Topics: drugs-and-substance-abuse, drug-use, drug-offences, emergency-incidents, surfers-paradise-4217
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Two police dogs escape injury after being involved in a car crash while responding to an emergency.
Topics: police, animals, road, ashmore-4214
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| UpdatedThe Gold Coast Airport Corporation has refused to comment on a 2008 report that the site was contaminated with fire-fighting chemicals.
Topics: land-pollution, water-pollution, environmental-management, health, coolangatta-4225
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Aged 81, Peter Steele, hopes to raise money to establish habitats for koalas by becoming one of the oldest men to circumnavigate the globe in a sailing boat.
Topics: human-interest, animals, sailing, qld, australia
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| UpdatedA former solider who lost his legs in the line of duty and vowed to represent Australia in the Paralympics qualifies for the paracanoe event at Rio.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, sport, paralympics, brisbane-4000, qld, southport-4215, mermaid-beach-4218
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The Gold Coast City Council will explore three designs for a cruise ship terminal offshore from the Southport Spit.
Topics: urban-development-and-planning, states-and-territories, local-government, southport-4215
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| UpdatedNew figures suggest demand for rental properties on the Gold Coast has eased slightly.
Topics: housing-industry, states-and-territories, housing, southport-4215
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A 27-year-old man has been charged over an attempted robbery on the Gold Coast in which a shopkeeper was stabbed in the neck.
Topics: crime, main-beach-4217, southport-4215
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An apartment block was evacuated and one person was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation after a fire on the Gold Coast last night.
Topics: fires, schools, labrador-4215, tallebudgera-4228
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A United States Texas Ranger is urging Queensland Police to learn and implement child protection techniques developed by his agency.
Topics: child-abuse, crime-prevention, crime, police, southport-4215
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The Member for Surfers Paradise does not support moving 24-hour police stations out of his electorate.
Topics: police, states-and-territories, activism-and-lobbying, crime-prevention, surfers-paradise-4217
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More than 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for an exit on the M1 motorway on the Gold Coast to remain open.
Topics: activism-and-lobbying, urban-development-and-planning, states-and-territories, elanora-4221