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September 12, 2024 14 mins

This week ... a major police operation targeting the illegal movement of firearms. 
Battles for the RFS on and off the fire grounds.
The Federal Government called on to back the Bruce Highway.
And why more people are taking up Muay Thai. 

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
IHAB WIDEBA Burnett.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Welcome to iHeart Wide Bay Burnett, your local news fix.
I'm Bruce Atkinson, joined by Taylor Larson.

Speaker 3 (00:08):
In today's episode, the Big Guns called in for Bushfire
Season and the Combat Sport taking off.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
A major police operation to reduce the supply of illegal
firearms from the Wide Bay to the Sunshine Coast has
swooped on properties across the region. As well as guns,
specialist police found drugs and eleven properties they raided, including
in Gimpie, Mother Mountain and Kai Bomb further south at
Lansborough and the Glasshouse Mountains.

Speaker 4 (00:32):
Between the second and fourth September, officers from the Wide
Bay Technical Crime Squad, Sunshine Case Tachnical Crime Squad GIMBCIB,
the Drug and Series Crime rep and Operation Suport Command
executed a series of search warrants. The results in the
location of twelve firearms where fourteen people were charged with
a number offences now total the sixty three offenses people
were charged with throughout the course of the operation. This
represents an opportunity where police have taken twelve firearms off

(00:55):
the street and made a community safer from the execution
of these search warrants. Operation with Skyfall is a multifaceted
operation targeted at those who unlawfully have possession of firearms
within the community, but also working with licensed firearms holders
prevent them becoming victims of crime and having firearms stolen.
We know throughout the courses operation that we've recovered a
number of firearms during these search warrants that were unlawfully

(01:16):
taken or stolen from previous break in from licensed firearms holders.
So we'll be working with the community going forward and
licensed firearms holders prevent firearms getting into the hands of
criminals going forward.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
That's North Coast Regional Crime Coordinated Detective Superintendent Ben Fadian.
A range of guns were seized after police targeted several
key alleged defenders. The firearms we tested to see if
they're linked to any crimes.

Speaker 4 (01:41):
We located rifles, shotguns, and what you'd call a category
hatred a handgun style firearm. We receive information from the
community and also intelligence sources we had at our hand.
We conducted investigations in regards to those and identified people
we strongly suspected were in possession of these firearms. We've
executed search warrants and located those firearms.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Two of the people charge include a thirty year old
Gimbi man and a forty year old Carraman. Earlier this year,
several major drug operations allegedly run by organized crime gangs
in the Wide Bay also uncovered guns. Superintendent fadi In
can't say yet whether this latest seizure has organized crime links.

Speaker 4 (02:16):
In terms of any organized crime links, those investigations are
so long going. What I can say they is a
number of those firearms were stolen from previous break in
from licensed firearms owners. People do steal firearms from time
to time. That is why we want to work with
licensed firearms holders prevent them becoming victims of crime having
their firearms stolen.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
The first place.

Speaker 4 (02:31):
The advice I can give those licensed firearms holders is
to always secure their firearms, lock their safes, ensure they're
bolded to the floor, have a system of CCTV footage
at their home to record people coming and going, and
also speak with their neighbors. If they are away for
extended periods of times, I think it have someone watched
their house.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
He says.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Most firearm owners the law abiding and keep their weapons secure,
but there are penalties for those who don't.

Speaker 4 (02:52):
There are offenses under the Weapons Act for people who
store their firearms in securely. However, we want to work
with firearms holders. License firearms holders prevent that happening in
the first place by keep keeping them secure and preventing
the opportunity for these firearms to be falling in the
hands of criminals.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
The police operation is continuing.

Speaker 4 (03:07):
We receive intelligence since then and also Crimes Office reports
about further firearms offences within the North Coast region. Will
be actively pursuing those investigations, but also want to take
the opportunity to appeal to licensed firearms holders and members
of the community. If they have any information about unwawful firearms,
please contact Crimes Office on one hundred, triple three triples here.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
A fire conditions are elevated as we come into the
bushfire season on.

Speaker 5 (03:30):
The back of a wet summer. We've seen grassland full
loads expand right across the state and that's largely been
driven by a warmer and parts winter. So as we
headed to this summer, we are expecting to see elevated
fire conditions right across the state.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
That's Chief Officer of the Rural Fire Service, Ben Millington.
The season all Our look for the coming bushfire season
has just been released.

Speaker 5 (03:52):
We are expecting to see a average fire conditions in
various parts of the state, including the scenic Rim west
out of the Darling Downs in Charleville and north to Winton,
the back of the Sunshine Coast Hisland, but also up
in the northern parts of the state Townsville to Cape
York and Gulf Savannah where we had floods earlier this year,
and that's largely driven by grassland fueloads and also the

(04:15):
Warman of an average temperatures forecast over the coming month.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
For the most part, the Wide Bay is out of
the red danger zone, but that doesn't mean we can
be complacent. Even though it's warming up, there's still time
for burnoffs. Fieries conducted large hazard reduction burns at Codalba
and Electra this week and landowners have been granted dozens
of permits to burn across the region. Is it enough
to protect communities well, Ben Millington hopes so.

Speaker 5 (04:41):
We're all five service Queensland and now partner agencies such
as local government and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service have
undertaken over four hundred and seventy hazard reduction burns right
across the state. We are urging landowners to start preparing
now before we get right into summer proper. And there's
a number of things that they can do, including private
taser reduction burns, removing leaves from their gutters and overhanging branches,

(05:04):
but more importantly making sure their families have a bush
by survival plan. Bushfire survival plans are really important. That
something that families should be doing right now. You know,
it will certainly assist families in the event that fire
threatens their property what they will do, where they will go,
and what they will take. And it's a discussion that
they can have simply over the breakfast table or this weekend.

(05:24):
So we're really encouraging people to get those bush by
survival plans done now.

Speaker 3 (05:29):
The big guns have arrived in Bunderberg in preparation fire
and disaster recovery. Minister Nicky Boyd has announced the large
Air Tanker or LAT will again be based at Bunderberg Airport.

Speaker 6 (05:40):
Bunderberg is a fantastic location for US to be able
to deploy to both coastal and inland areas.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
It alone has a water bombing capacity of ten thousand liters.
A Eurocopter and water bombing black Hawk are also on
standby in Bundy. Queensland's aerial fire fighting fleet of thirteen
has a capacity of more more than thirty two thousand volitas,
and if that's not enough, the Fire Department has access
to around one hundred and fifty more on call aircraft.

Speaker 6 (06:09):
We are preparing to make sure that we're supporting our
crews that are working hard on the ground and protecting
Queensland communities. We've got twenty seven thousand rural firefighters that
right now are preparing and reacting to bushfires on the ground.

Speaker 3 (06:27):
The ROFAS is facing its own internal battle as well.
Allegations of a toxic culture against women have been raised
in State parliament this week. A former first officer of
fifteen years sees she and other female volunteers faced discrimination
and harassment and that their concerns weren't taken seriously. She
and the Member for Bernete, Stephen Bennett, calling for an

(06:49):
independent review.

Speaker 7 (06:50):
We can't have harassment, exclusion, outright hatred in the department
and against those people making complaints. This is out of control.
It must be done and we must have a full
investigation to get rid of this toxic environment.

Speaker 3 (07:05):
A spokesperson for Minister Boyd sees the allegations are deplorable
and it's important for the Triple c to independently assess them.
She's previously said this type of behavior isn't acceptable and
he's urging anyone aware of similar incidents to report them
so they can be investigated properly.

Speaker 2 (07:24):
After the break, urgent calls for the federal government to
back the Bruce I.

Speaker 1 (07:29):
Herb White by Burnet, I Herb.

Speaker 3 (07:33):
White by Bernard Welcome back to iheartw Bay Burnette. I'm
Taylor Larson, joined by Bruce Atkinson.

Speaker 8 (07:40):
This is a serious, serious matter. This is infrastructure that
the government provides to the people of Queensland. This is
infrastructure that's killing the people of Queensland and we need
to do better. Everyone needs to do better. State Federal
Labor Coalition, we all need to do better.

Speaker 2 (07:57):
That's the Member for Wide Baylu O'Brien's speaking in Federal
Parliament this week about the danger posed to motorists using
the Bruce Highway. Mister O'Brien, as a former police forensic
crash investigator and dealing with dozens of fatals on the
Bruce has left him with PTSD. He's also a road
safety campaigner and says the undivided highway from Gippee to
Cairns is unfit for purpose.

Speaker 8 (08:19):
Matrists on the Bruce Highway know what it's like to
dodge potholes or to have their bones rattled and tires
bursts a hit. Instructions on a defective road, you recall
the flash of panic on an narrow undivided section when
the driver coming towards you loses concentration and drifts into
your lane, praying that they come to their senses before

(08:40):
it's too late, and also the anxiety that comes with
sharing a single lane road with B doubles, or even worse,
when you're teaching your learner driver kids to drive in
an environment on a single lane road with B doubles.
Successive governments have expected to just accept crashes, fatalities, injuries

(09:03):
and near misses as part of driving on the Bruce
Highway in regional Queensland. All motyrists on the highway experience
these things, and for too many it can lead to
the last thing they experience.

Speaker 2 (09:16):
He says the carnage won't stop unless the federal government
urgently spends more money to make the road safer.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
In Wye Bay.

Speaker 8 (09:22):
This year there have been fourteen fatalities on our section
of the Bruce Highway between Gimpi and Maryborough, and at
Bororan we've seen the chaos, mayhem and massive disruption following
a tragic fatal crash that cut the highway for five days.
It's obvious how much work still needs to be done
to make the Bruce Highway safer from Gimpi going north,
but this work has become much harder by the Albanese

(09:46):
labor government's decision to cut funding to national highway projects
from eighty percent to fifty to fifty with the states
but only offering fifty percent of that cost will never
get it done.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
Lu O'Brien says regional Queensland motor rists shouldn't have to
drive on a road that's more likely to kill them
than the multi lane highways in a state.

Speaker 8 (10:05):
The RACQ has found that one thousand, four hundred kilometers
of the Bruce Highway between Gympian Cans is undivided, with
large parts rated at two stars out of a five
star safety rating, and that those traveling on the same
stretch of highway are five times more likely to be
killed than those driving between Sydney and Melbourne. This is

(10:28):
truly appalling. The government must restore its eighty percent funding
share and work with Queensland Government to prioritize and fast
track projects to make the highway from Gimpey to Cans
as safe as it is from gimpe to Melbourne.

Speaker 2 (10:43):
He's predicting the avoidable deaths will continue until there's action
to fix the road.

Speaker 8 (10:48):
No one can afford the years of procrastination and delay
that this government will cause with its funding cuts, which
doesn't only increase risk but guarantees tragedy. I've personally seen
what a difference that an upgraded world class four lane
divided highway makes in Wide Bay from Kuroi to now Gimpi.

(11:10):
We have that road as a result of, as I said,
partially the Labor government, predominantly the Coalition government. I worked
as an accident investigator on the old highway. I saw
what happens and dealt with it and delivered those terrible
messages to the families of the people who were tragically killed.

Speaker 1 (11:29):
On that road.

Speaker 3 (11:33):
A traditional sport is quickly becoming the combat sport of
choice for many around the region. Mui thai originated in Thailand.
Hundreds of years ago, warriors relied on it for self
defense on the battlefield. These days, the stakes aren't so high,
but interest is growing. Tyson Jasa owns built different striking
and coaching in Bunderberg is also the head coach.

Speaker 9 (11:53):
A lot of people confuse it with kickboxing, so mutai.
The best way to de scribe it is it's called
the art of eate Limb, punch, kick, knee, elbow, and
we clinch, but if it goes to ground, we stand
back up, so we don't fight on the ground. It's
just back and forward striking. A lot of people commonly
know MMA due to the UFC and stuff like that,
but I definitely think muyty is becoming more popular, and yeah,

(12:14):
more people are starting to find out about it and
show an interest. So it's definitely on the up and
it's definitely something I'd like to see grow as a sport.
I just like muytai because it builds confident people. It's
pure striking, and yeah, I just like to see if
I'm having to go at it.

Speaker 3 (12:28):
So far, the results have been promising for people who've
taken the plunge. A team recently competed at the Rumble
at the Ridge Fight competition down in Brisbane.

Speaker 9 (12:36):
Adam and Alis we're in for their debuts. Alice lost
a close split point decision, but for extremely well. Adam
came away with a win dominant performance. Clinton got a
draw again just by perfect technique, excellent performance and Hunter
actually won the Queensland title on a torn ACL. He
actually tore his ACL on the first round and continued
on through four more rounds and won the title.

Speaker 3 (12:55):
The team is now back in training camp preparing for
their next fights down in Caloundra in October.

Speaker 9 (13:01):
My fight team's up for four am starts. They train
twice a day while they're in camp, so four am
to six am they train with myself, so we do
some cardio pads and bag work and then they train
of an afternoon that can be strength and conditioning or
sparring back on the pads.

Speaker 3 (13:14):
Well combat sports sounds intimidating, Tyson says it is suitable
for men, women and kids. He understands why parents would
be anxious, but adds the pros outweigh the cons.

Speaker 9 (13:25):
It definitely teaches discipline and self control. I've got my
son and my daughter who are three and seven, and
they both hit pads as me. They understand the ins
and outs of it and they really look forward to it.
A lot of people worry that their kids are going
to go out and get in the flights and that
topic thing, but I think it really comes down to
the culture and the community you build inside your gym
and how you mentor and shape them kids. So no,
it's definitely something I'd incarriage all children to have a crack.

Speaker 3 (13:47):
At meantime, some big kids are switching over from other sports.

Speaker 9 (13:51):
I get a lot of boxes. A lot of NROL
footy players in the off season come up because it's
such a good workout, Like lots of people do, like
hit workouts and the food that topic thing, and then
they'll come over. I've got it's a different level of fitness,
so you've got cardio fit and then you've got flite fit,
so it's a total different level of fitness. So if
ever anyone's just looking for a really good workout of
burn some calories, you definitely come up and see us.

Speaker 2 (14:15):
That's all for this week. If you want to hear
this episode again or find previous ones, look up iHeart Wide.
Bay Burnett on the iHeartRadio app or your favorite podcast app.

Speaker 3 (14:24):
Tune in again next week for more local, trusted and
free news.

Speaker 1 (14:28):
I Have White Bonnette
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