Queensland Premier's Literary Awards axed

       There's a new premier in Queensland, and among the first things he's chopped are the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards.
       As they put it on the official site:

The Queensland Premier's Literary Awards will not proceed in 2012.

       This is an award with a pretty impressive track record: among the winners of the fiction prize are:

• 2010 - Summertime by J.M.Coetzee
• 2009 - Wanting by Richard Flanagan
• 2004 - Elizabeth Costello by J.M.Coetzee
• 2001 - True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
• 1999 - Fredy Neptune by Les Murray

       The decision has, of course led to lots of local complaining; see, for example, New premier tears up literary awards by Daniel Hurst in the Sydney Morning Herald.