Canberra Now: Children in poverty, a huge pumpkin and contractor costs
Good morning Canberra,
Winter is coming. Or is it here already? It hit zero overnight and, this morning there will be patchy fog and a touch of frost, before temperatures head to 20 degrees Celsius with light winds later on.
Grab a cuppa and check out what's making headlines locally today:
Children living below the poverty line
ACTCOSS' latest cost of living report shows more low income residents are slipping behind on bills, as the high average income in the capital pushes up prices - for the fourth year running.
Read my full report here.
Pumpkin record smashed
The monster gourd weighed in at a tidy 271kg, with grower and Captain's Flat resident Michael Kiernan so taken by the win he was lost for words. In his father Terry's words, he was "up in the stratosphere somewhere".
Read Blake Foden's report here.
The cost of contractors
As Doug Dingwall reports, ABS officials have told a parliamentary inquiry that IT contractors cost double the salary of public servants doing the same work, while non-IT labour hire workers can receive up to 50 per cent more.
Boyd wants to remain part of the Green Machine
Despite talk of the Gold Coast Titans circling the front-rower, Boyd tells Caden Helmers he is focussed on playing for Canberra, and hopes that will continue.
Find Caden's story here.