Tram line grants | AACTA lands on the GC | Yacht race naming rights | New vehicle fuel efficiency rules | Backburning worsens forest fires | World's first cybrothel | Atlassian's $1b quarter and more!
Volume 49 - Today’s newsletter is 1,587 words, a 5.5 minute read
Welcome to Thursday, February 8.
🎥 What to watch: The Ocean Film Festival World Tour is coming to the Gold Coast this month, brought to you by Australian Geographic, Stone & Wood, Padi and more.
In today’s email:
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television: To land on the GC for the first time
New Vehicle Australian Efficiency Standards: Proposed for manufacturers to comply with by 2025
$30k Light Rail Community Benefit Fund: Applications now open
Trending: Dogs off leash
Around The Web (Snippets): Atlassian’s $1b quarter, Ali Day’s Ironman win, In-car speed monitors, backburning making forest fires worse, dire new GC rental market data, the world’s first cybrothel, a historic waiter race returns and more
Councillor’s Corner PLUS a Mayoral Candidate for 2024
Upcoming Events
Weekend Weather and Surf
Live Gold Coast Housing Price Index
1. One Big Thing: AACTA makes Gold Coast debut this month
What’s Happening
The AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television) Festival is making its debut on the Gold Coast, accompanying the prestigious AACTA Awards to honour screen excellence in Australia.
The event will be a four-day epic that celebrates Australian film and TV with over 70 (mostly free) talks, screenings, special events and industry insights.
Why It Matters
The Gold Coast has had a stack of investment over the years aimed at cementing the city as Australia’s top spot for film and TV.
This pioneering event signifies the Gold Coast's ascent as a film and cultural powerhouse, spotlighting Australia's screen achievements and the region's capability to host such events.
By the Numbers
Over 70 sessions of cinematic celebration.
Four-day festival, running from February 8 to 11, 2024.
There will be two AACTA Awards ceremonies showcasing industry excellence.
Local Impact
In 2022-23, Queensland’s screen industry saw:
4,140 jobs created through supported productions
$582m QLD production expenditure
$11.57 was returned to the state economy for every $1 invested in production
63 productions produced
RECENT AUSTRALIAN HIGHLIGHTS • Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix • Bluey, ABC TV • Darby and Joan, ABC • Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann • The Portable Door, Stan • Black Snow, Stan • Love is in the Air, Netflix • Muster Dogs, ABC • Strait to the Plate Seasons 1 and 2, SBS Food /NITV • Rock Island Mysteries Seasons 1 and 2, Network 10 and Nickelodeon
RECENT INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS • Eden, directed by Ron Howard • Apples Never Fall, starring Sam Neill and Annette Bening • Thirteen Lives, directed by Ron Howard, Amazon Prime Video • Godzilla X Kong: A New Empire • Land of Bad, starring Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth • Wizards! starring Pete Davidson and Orlando Bloom • Ticket to Paradise, starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts
What The People Say
Baz Luhrmann (Elvis): “The Gold Coast is bursting with the energy, creativity, good food and great people essential to making a movie… I’ve been quoted saying, and will continue to say, that I would recommend to any filmmaker in the world to come to this exciting place.”
Michael Healy MP: "Our production capabilities... continue to go from strength to strength."
Tom Tate, Mayor: The event is "A testament to the power of dreams and cinematic brilliance."
Annnd, Action!
With the event locked in to return to the Gold Coast for the next three years, the AACTA Festival will undoubtedly become a cornerstone, further enriching the Gold Coast's cultural calendar.
This year’s event will include a Barbie BBQ Bash, a look inside the Matrix: A deep dive into special effects with Bruce Hunt, a sneak peek of Robbie William’s new film and heaps more.
To check out the full festival program, click here.
2. Australia Shifts Gears with New Fuel Efficiency Standards
What’s Happening
This week, the federal Government released its proposed New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, which incentivises car companies to supply new cars that use less fuel per kilometre.
Why It Matters
Australia joins the rest of the developed world on new vehicle efficiency standards with this move.
These standards aim to propel Australia towards sustainability, promising significant savings and environmental benefits, making it a pivotal moment for national automotive policy.
By the Numbers
2025: On January 1, the standards are likely to commence
$100 billion: Anticipated fuel savings by 2050 for motorists
369 million tonnes: Is the expected CO2 reduction from the initiative by 2050.
20 per cent: More fuel is used in Australian vehicles compared to those in the U.S., according to the Australian Government
Local Impact
The Gold Coast, known for its high uptake of electric vehicles, will continue to see benefits like reduced fuel costs for more motorists on average and cleaner air.
The Road Ahead
This policy signals a significant shift towards cleaner transport options, potentially boosting electric vehicle (EV) adoption and sparking innovation in the automotive sector.
What The People Say
Chris Bowen: "Giving Australians more choice to spend less on petrol."
The Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA): “believes that the federal government is moving too far and too fast with these rules.”
Heidi Lee Douglas: "More choices of both electric and more efficient fuel-efficient vehicle models."
What To Look For Next
In a week that also saw Mr Bean’s Rowan Atkinson somehow seriously blamed for slow EV adoption in the UK, deliberation and debate on the rollout here will likely continue.
You can check out the proposed CO2 thresholds on page 32 here, in the Cleaner, Cheaper to Run Cars: The Australian New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.
3. Light Rail's $30K Community Boost
What’s Happening
Applications just opened for the Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3 project’s $30,000 Community Benefit Fund.
Why It Matters
Aimed at enhancing local initiatives from Broadbeach to Burleigh, this fund bridges infrastructure development with community growth, underlining the project's attempt at fostering better relationships with local communities along the line.
By the Numbers
$30,000 fund value for grassroots initiatives.
Up to $3,000 for individual projects.
Application period: January 29 - March 1 2024.
Local Impact
This time around, the targeted enhancement is for groups and organisations in the Broadbeach South, Mermaid Beach, Nobby Beach, Miami and Burleigh Heads areas only.
You’ll need to comply with a few other details, too, which you can check here.
How Your Group Or Organisation Can Apply
By clicking this link right here.
4. Trending
5. Around The Web (Snippets)
Local GC legend Ali Day won: The 2023-24 Nutri-Grain Ironman at Kurrawa Beach, ten years after winning his first Ironman series
Atlassian recorded its first-ever US$1b: Revenue quarter after rolling out AI collaboration abilities while also cutting operating losses in half
Southport’s Cohort Innovation Space launches: The Cohort Catapult program, aimed at supporting aspiring founders, small business owners, university students and entrepreneurs
In-car speed monitors to go in all new vehicles: Was detailed in a bill just introduced in California that would see internal speed governors and smart devices installed, automatically limiting speed to 10 miles above the legal limit
The GC’s first all-inclusive carshare service: Riide allows people 21+ to sign up with an app and instantly access a fleet of drive-and-drop vehicles, which you pay for by the minute
Backburning likely making Aussie forests more flammable: According to recent landmark research from The Australian National University (ANU)
New data reveals how bad the: Gold Coast rental market has really become
AI takes on sex workers: At the world’s first-ever ‘Cybrothel’, which just opened in Berlin
Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard (GCCM) have announced: That they are to be the Naming Rights partner for Australia’s newest ocean race – the inaugural Gold Coast City Marina Gold Coast to Mackay Yacht Race
Historic waiter race set to return for the first time since 2011: Where 200 waiters will run through the streets of Paris
6. Councillors’ Corner
Div 4 | Biggera Waters, Coombabah, Sovereign Island, South Straddie +3 I Cr Shelley Curtis
Div 11 | Burleigh Waters, Robina, Varsity Lakes, Cr Hermann Vorster
Local Elections CANDIDATES’ Corner
Introducing Sarah Denny for Division 6 Councillor
8. Upcoming Events
🎥 AACTA Festival | Beyond The Screen: February 8 to February 11; go behind the scenes and learn from some of Australia’s best directors, writers, TikTokers, gamers and artists at HOTA
🫂 Gold Coast Peer Support Group Meeting: February 9 from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm; for people with disability, run by people with disability at Nerang Library
🐲 2024 Lunar Year Celebration: February 10 from 3 pm onwards at Gold Coast Chinatown
🐉 Lunar New Year with Mark du Potiers: February 10 from 10:30 am onwards; making your favourite meal from paper and card and discover your Eastern Zodiac sign at HOTA
📍 Te Taangata: February 10 from 10:30 am onwards; cultural songs and dance, food, kids activities, traditional games, and more at The Great Lawn, Broadwater Parklands
🏈 Gold Coast’s Official Super Bowl Viewing Party: February 12 from 8:30 am onwards at the newly renovated TAB Auditorium
📋 Gold Coast – Understanding Epilepsy and Administration of Midazolam: February 13 from 10 am onwards; the Epilepsy Queensland educators will be offering an education session at the Robina Community Centre
Valentine’s Day Classical Performance: February 14 from 5 pm onwards; performance by Gold Coast String Quartet at Cavill Lane
Valentine's Day Bao Bun Workshop: February 14 from 6:30 pm onwards; craft authentic savoury chicken and lap cheong bao and sweet Nutella bao at Nerang RSL and Memorial Club
❤️🔥 Agapi & Other Kinds of Love: February 15 from 7 pm onwards; equal parts rap concert, poetic musical and classical history lesson at HOTA
🎞️ Chinese Film Festival: February 15 to February 18 at Dendy Cinemas Southport