Harriet Tatham
Harriet Tatham joined ABC News in 2015. After starting out in Brisbane, Harriet moved to Rockhampton to report for ABC Capricornia, to Maroochydore to work for ABC Sunshine Coast, to Townsville to file for both ABC North Qld and ABC North West Qld, and finally to Mackay with ABC Tropical North. Harriet tweets from @HarrietTatham.
Queensland town can't find Australians for work
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Business operators in Longreach in central west Queensland say they are being forced to look overseas to fill staff positions, after placing numerous ads in local media.
Topics: unemployment, work, immigration, longreach-4730
Meet the outback school using fresh food to change lives
Posted
A remote school in north-west Queensland launches a nutrition program aimed at improving attendance and student health.
Topics: diet-and-nutrition, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, activism-and-lobbying, child-health-and-behaviour, education, schools, mount-isa-4825, sunset-4825, qld, australia
Outback Queensland town honoured in song
Posted
Known for its role in the formation of Qantas, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the pedal radio, Queensland's Cloncurry plans to honour its 150-year anniversary in song.
Topics: history, regional, cloncurry-4824
Queensland regional women lead the way across industries
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Females the world over are encouraged to 'Be Bold for Change' as they mark International Women's Day — something women across regional Queensland know all too well.
Topics: women, womens-health, women-in-agriculture, mount-isa-4825, longreach-4730, toowoomba-4350, mackay-4740
Meet the sewing machine collector who cannot sew
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Jim Young's treasured collection of sewing machines are all in perfect working condition, but their owner would not have a clue how to use any one of them.
Topics: craft, history, offbeat, human-interest, lifestyle-and-leisure, mount-isa-4825, brisbane-4000
'If it's flooded, forget it' aimed at city drivers say Gulf locals
Posted
Residents in Queensland's Gulf country are criticising the State Government's flooded road closure policy, and are calling for a permit system.
Topics: floods, state-parliament, activism-and-lobbying, food-and-cooking, community-and-society, normanton-4890, qld, townsville-4810, croydon-4871
Crocodiles spotted 250 metres from homes in Gulf of Carpentaria
Posted
As cyclonic rain drenches much across the Gulf of Carpentaria, saltwater crocodiles are being sighted just 250 metres from homes at Burketown.
Topics: crocodile, cyclones, burketown-4830
Mount Isa schools launch 'Buddy Benches', tackling mental health
Posted
A service club in Mount Isa, northwest Queensland donates specialised benches aimed at tackling mental health to almost every school in the town.
Topics: mental-health, youth, mount-isa-4825
App hopes to save endangered Indigenous Queensland language
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A unique partnership between a linguist, an app designer and a remote Aboriginal community is helping to ensure the survival of a rare Indigenous language.
Topics: aboriginal, aboriginal-language, internet-culture, information-and-communication, languages, university-and-further-education, research, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, gununa-4871
Flying art classes helping to overcome the 'tyranny of distance'
Posted
An art program in Queensland's north-west is working to rebut claims that students in remote and rural communities suffer locational disadvantage when accessing art.
Topics: access-to-education, art-and-creativity, mount-isa-4825
How small businesses cope with the loss of a national franchise
Posted
As small business owners come to terms with the temporary loss of the Mount Isa's Harvey Norman franchise, questions have raised about the symbiotic relationship between small businesses and national retailers.
Topics: community-and-society, fires, disasters-and-accidents, mount-isa-4825
Freedom of outback living inspires mum to illustrate
Posted
A Charleville mother says the freedom of outback living has allowed her to follow her artistic vision of illustrating a children's novel.
Topics: books-literature, arts-and-entertainment, visual-art, community-and-society, family-and-children, lifestyle-and-leisure, craft, work, charleville-4470
Modern life encouraging regional Queenslanders to seek literacy and numeracy help
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An increased focus on digital technologies is encouraging Queensland adults in regional and remote areas to seek out help with reading and writing, says a national not-for-profit.
Topics: access-to-education, adult-education, education, unemployment, rural-youth, community-and-society, regional, charities, distance-education, mount-isa-4825, qld
Community concern over closure of Mount Isa Link-Up office
Posted
A service that reunites families affected by Australia's forced removal policies is closing its Mount Isa branch, the only office located in western Queensland.
Topics: aboriginal, activism-and-lobbying, stolen-generations, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, mount-isa-4825
Honoured Queenslanders take a bow in Australia Day awards (photos)
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Queensland's first female premier Anna Bligh, sports stars Bronte Campbell and Mick Fanning, and television presenter Kay McGrath are among 121 people across the state to be recognised in the Australia Day honours list.
Topics: awards-and-prizes, human-interest, people, brisbane-4000, qld, australia, warwick-4370, southport-4215, mount-isa-4825
High-tech jobs and a 3D printing future emerge from recycling push
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A north Queensland recycling centre is setting the pace for the training of future tech employment by simply reincarnating short-lived IT device rubbish and a dream to begin production of 3D printers.
Topics: recycling-and-waste-management, environmental-impact, environmental-management, environmental-technology, mackay-4740, sarina-4737
Clermont reflects on centenary of one of Australia's deadliest floods
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On December 28, 1916, a "one in 500 year" flood event threatened to destroy the outback Queensland town of Clermont; 100 years later, locals reflect on the destruction.
Topics: emergency-incidents, floods, volunteers, community-and-society, history, local-government, emergency-planning, clermont-4721
Meet the north Queensland cane farmer who swapped his wheelchair for a tractor
Posted
A serious motorbike accident left Mackay's Paul Schembri without the use of his legs, but his inventive tractor modification has ensured he remains in the drivers seat.
Topics: disabilities, farm-labour, community-and-society, rural, accidents, rural-youth, mackay-4740, sarina-4737
Humanoid robot joins library staff in north Queensland
Posted
An emotionally intelligent humanoid robot joins library staff in Mackay, in a bid to prove that libraries are about more than just books and newspapers.
Topics: robots-and-artificial-intelligence, library-museum-and-gallery, community-and-society, children, mackay-4740
How to sync your Christmas lights with the radio
Posted
Ever wondered how Christmas enthusiasts sync their lights with a radio station? Here's how.
Topics: carnivals-and-festivals, community-and-society, consumer-electronics, engineering, radio-broadcasting, mackay-4740
A Big Country: Tuckshop celebrates school diversity Audio
Audio
Posted
There's not a pie or toastie in sight at the Mackay Central State School tuckshop. The school celebrates its cultural diversity by offering home made Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian and Italian cuisine to its students. Read more
Topics: education, multiculturalism, rural-youth, food-and-cooking, mackay-4740
Toys donated to women's refuge in memory of Shandee Blackburn
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Almost four years since Shandee Blackburn died after being stabbed 22 times in Mackay, mother Vicki Blackburn finds a purpose for one of her daughters favourite childhood possessions.
Topics: crime, courts-and-trials, family, women, mackay-4740
Driverless tractors changing life on the land
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Remote-controlled tractors will bring about a seismic shift in Australian agriculture by making farms "a hell of a lot more productive" and reducing farmer stress, agricultural consultants believe.
Topics: farm-labour, sustainable-and-alternative-farming, internet-technology, sugar, mackay-4740, qld
Woman whose mother died after crash with disqualified driver calls for tougher penalties
Posted
A woman whose mother died after a traffic crash involving a disqualified driver is lobbying the Queensland Government for a new driving charge with tougher penalties.
Topics: accidents---other, traffic-offences, activism-and-lobbying, mackay-4740
Celebrating a Maltese Christmas in tropical Queensland
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Despite being one of the world's most celebrated holidays, there is great difference in how we all celebrate Christmas — so how do Maltese people celebrate Christmas?
Topics: christmas, christianity, catholic, mackay-4740, malta
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