ABC News QLD: Mount Isa faces an uncertain future, with the imminent closure of its copper mine
ABC iview Home
Watch all your favourite ABC programs on ABC iview.
More from ABC
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Foul reality behind city's newly-approved micro-apartment development
Filthy scenes of human waste, used needles and makeshift beds are commonplace for this inner-city strip, but a new development might be what finally flushes it clean. Stirling Street in Perth, a whisper from the notorious local homeless 'badlands', was last week approved for the $22 million development of a new micro apartment complex. Locals say it's a long overdue solution for a problem that has been spiralling out of control for years, costing them thousands in signage and clean-up fees. Of the 88 flats, 64 will be just 26 sqm and the rest will be 41 sqm lofts. 'We've had people defecating and urinating out the back. We've actually got a sign now telling people not to do it,' director at local business Media Junction Interact Digital, Justin Walker said. 'The worst thing is the dumpings. You'll get a homeless person that will stay out the front for a day or two but then when they leave there's a whole heap of rubbish.' He added that police nor the local council were prepared to 'do anything about it', and routinely thrust the onus onto businesses to keep the area presentable. 'There's a very bad homeless situation, all the businesses have been affected,' Mr Walker said. 'People live at the back of their businesses for months on end, we had one next door for about four months.' It wasn't just unpleasant on the eyes and nose, the disaster has also been posing safety risks. 'The guy two doors down is dealing with syringes, so he's got a duty of care issue for himself and his staff. So he can't be not cleaning this stuff up,' Mr Walker said. 'It's a shame because it has the potential to be a really good part of Perth. 'But put it this way, there's nothing we haven't seen at this point.' An overhaul of Stirling street was long overdue Mr Walker argued, and he wasn't alone. 'This area needs a bit more gentrification, because at night-time it's not very nice,' director at Cable 8, also on Stirling Street, Ren Stefanuto said. Asked if the area would be too dangerous for an average person to visit at night, he replied 'sh*t yeah', adding 'I don't think you should come near it'. Mr Stefanuto hoped the development would attract a suite of different people including hospitality workers and holiday-makers. 'I think it's a great idea,' he said. Owner of nearby cult eatery Compton Burgers, John, echoed the sentiment. 'I think it will be good for the neighbourhood, and there will be more people around,' he said. He had high hopes the block would attract 'good people' who would have a positive impact on the street, particularly in the evenings. 'It's not a good environment here at night, you get all sorts of people coming here,' John said. There has been cautious optimism the complex will help clean up the street and its surrounding businesses, but some locals anonymously told they weren't convinced. They argued it would take far more than a new building to solve such a raging problem, that has routinely forced businesses to close for weeks at a time due to destructive behaviour. A few streets over is the Zen Apartments which was the first to development – going up in 2014 – to contain micro units for Perth, with the smallest measuring in at 33 sqm. South of the river in O'Conner is another complex, built in 2019, that has units as small as 25 sqm. The new Stirling Street apartments will be some of the smallest in Australia, measuring a square metre or two under the standard 'micro apartment' benchmark. They will be fully furnished with a balcony, bed, kitchenette, bathroom, lounge and dining space. There is a proposed communal roof terrace, office space, gym and laundry. The apartments are not for individual sale but would be leased by a dedicated property manager, with leases running between three months and three years. Developers say FIFO workers, students and young professionals without cars will be the target market – for a building of 88 apartments, there are 25 car spaces. There are many established micro apartment complexes across Australia, and this latest project is not the first in Perth. But Perth is in the grips of a massive spike in property prices, on the same galactic trajectory as Adelaide and Brisbane.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Ricky Stuart: You always just want the best for your kids
21m ago 21 minutes ago Sat 21 Jun 2025 at 5:00am Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Play Duration: 49 minutes 31 seconds 49 m
ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
ABC News QLD: Mount Isa faces an uncertain future, with the imminent closure of its copper mine
ABC iview Home Watch all your favourite ABC programs on ABC iview. More from ABC We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
