Queensland heatwave: People and pets try to keep their cool

Why did the dog walk into the bar?

Leila the dog eager for her first dog-friendly pint
at the Osbourne Hotel in Fortitude Valley.

Because Queensland's experiencing a heatwave and there's no let-up in sight.

Four-legged and two-legged patrons at a bar in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley cooled off with a cold drink.

A dog-friendly non-alcoholic "beer" was Leia the dog's tipple of choice.

Owner Kahli Ryan said heading to the bar on a hot day with her dog was a no-brainer.

"Can't go wrong, I get one, she gets one, win-win," she said.

In parts of the Darling Downs, Granite Belt and Lockyer Valley temperatures were set to hit 10 degrees above average on Sunday.

Read the ABC News story - “Queensland heatwave: People and pets try to keep their cool.”

Acland coal mine: Farmers silenced by agreements, Oakey Coal Action Alliance says

The company behind the New Acland coal mine on Queensland's Darling Downs is silencing nearby farmers with confidentiality clauses in signed agreements, an environmentalist says.

The New Acland mine produces about
 4.8 million tonnes of coal annually.

The Oakey Coal Action Alliance (OCAA) is using the Queensland Land Court to challenge an expansion of the mine to increase annual output, from 4.8 million to 7.5 million tonnes of thermal coal, across three new open-cut pits.

New Hope Coal plans to expand the mine onto 3,668 hectares of agricultural land — before it is expected to run out of coal this year.

OCAA secretary Paul King said New Hope had hired a consultant to negotiate "make good arrangements" to protect landholders surrounding the proposed stage three expansion.

"Those make good agreements they're insisting [on] have confidentiality clauses in them and we don't think that's fair," he said.

Read the ABC Rural story - “Acland coal mine: Farmers silenced by agreements, Oakey Coal Action Alliance says.”