News about Alison Smith

By releasing $350 million in infrastructure fees, the Queensland government will encourage developers to build more homes in metropolitan areas. Premier Steven Miles and Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon (far right) promised to fix the state's housing shortage by releasing more state-owned land for social and affordable housing on Saturday. Mr Miles said that if the number of households wanted to keep up with Queensland's growth, the whole system had to change.

He is best known for his prowess in the boxing ring and on the rugby field. Jordan Simi, on the other hand, is getting a new kind of fight involving brushes and canvases. The talk of the town is his forthcoming exhibition at Nanda Hobbs Gallery in Sydney, which will display his raw energy and fresh insight on art.

DOMINIC LAWSON: Our thoughts shift to food and drink as the holiday season heats up. The more we get outside, the more these cheer us up, like a bit of internal winter warmer. And yet, there is a nagging inner voice, supplemented by the diet industry and its assassinated proselytizers, advising us that we should avoid overdoing it, not to overdo it, or even that we'll have to pay for our seasonal indulgences, which is not in currency but in our life expectancy. I bring joyful tidings of great joy to those who have been made anxious by such warnings of festive overindulgence. The British Dietetic Association (BDA) has, as the New Scientist journal puts it, "torn up the standard healthy weight recommendations" - or at least for people over the age of 65. Last week, the BDA warned those of us who were deemed 'overweight' that losing any of our reportedly excess pounds would not be beneficial to our overall wellbeing.

A new research paper suggests prison sentences for irresponsible owners as pressure builds on Annastacia Palaszczuk's government for its review of volatile dog laws. The paper recommends bans and removal of permit options for several breeds, including Dogo Argentinos, Fila Brasileiros, Japanese Tosas, pit bull terriers, and Presa Canarios.

A toddler was left with serious neck and head injuries after being mauled by a pack of dogs at a family's house in the Gold Coast last week. Queensland Agriculture Minister Mark Furner convened an emergency meeting of the volatile dog task force on Wednesday, announcing several new fines for pet owners. Mr Furner has yet to announce the fines, but he did agree to raise the current fine, which is $42,000. He also confirmed that prison time would be considered, referring to legislation in NSW and Victoria.

Alison Smith was sentenced to five years in jail for fraudulently stealing £1.3 million from her then employer Eiran Civil Engineering over the course of nine years, according to judge Shomon Khan of Cardiff Crown Court.