For today’s news updates as they happen, follow us here.
For today’s news updates as they happen, follow us here.
Fourteen members of a fringe religious group accused of killing an eight-year-old girl have been found guilty of manslaughter in one of Queensland’s biggest trials.
Elizabeth Rose Struhs died on January 7, 2022 while lying on a mattress on the floor of her family’s Toowoomba home, west of Brisbane.
The religious group, known as the Saints, were accused of withholding lifesaving insulin from the girl.
Her parents, Jason Richard Struhs, and Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, were charged alongside 12 other members of the Saints.
Justice Martin Burns handed down his decision today, finding all fourteen guilty of manslaughter.
Mr Struhs and the Saints’ leader, Brendan Luke Stevens, were both charged with murder. But both were found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
When asked if they had anything to say, Mr Struhs said “no, your honour,” while Stevens said “not that I can think of”.
Read the full story of what Jason and Kerrie Struhs told police about their daughter’s death.
The heavy rain and potential cyclones predicted in far north Queensland have prompted dam operators to take precautions should the wet weather head further south.
Seqwater today started lowering the level of water in North Pine Dam, also known as Lake Samsonvale, from 63 per cent capacity to 54 per cent capacity.
“We are aiming to achieve the desired lake level in early 2025, however this timeline may vary depending on rainfall, catchment inflows and other environmental conditions,” Seqwater said in a statement.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for an area between Cairns and Tully, where there is a risk of flash flooding, due to a deepening trough in the Coral Sea.
Fourteen members of a fringe religious group accused of killing an eight-year-old girl have been found guilty of manslaughter in one of Queensland’s biggest trials.
Elizabeth Rose Struhs died on January 7, 2022 while lying on a mattress on the floor of her family’s Toowoomba home, west of Brisbane.
The religious group, known as the Saints, were accused of withholding lifesaving insulin from the girl.
Her parents, Jason Richard Struhs, and Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, were charged alongside 12 other members of the Saints.
Justice Martin Burns handed down his decision today, finding all fourteen guilty of manslaughter.
Mr Struhs and the Saints’ leader, Brendan Luke Stevens, were both charged with murder. But both were found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
When asked if they had anything to say, Mr Struhs said “no, your honour,” while Stevens said “not that I can think of”.
Read the full story of what Jason and Kerrie Struhs told police about their daughter’s death.
The Crisafulli government’s directive that no new patients be offered hormone therapy through the Queensland Children’s Gender Service will directly affect around 448 people.
New figures show the statewide service was treating 487 patients at the end of December, two thirds of whom were from Greater Brisbane.
Under the immediate restrictions announced by Health Minister Tim Nicholls yesterday, any existing patients receiving puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormone therapy will be allowed to continue.
But hormone therapy will no longer be offered to new patients in state facilities. At the end of December, there were 448 people on the service waiting list.
Nicholls used allegations around the authority for services conducted in far north Queensland to justify the immediate “pause”, which will also allow the LNP government to review the evidence base.
While an external evaluation of the service last year was largely positive, Nicholls said it wrongly set out to determine “how is the service delivered, not whether the service ought to be delivered”.
The Australian Professional Association for Trans Health (AusPATH) and Equality Australia condemned the move, however it was welcomed by the Australian Christian Lobby.
NRL legend Greg Inglis has joined rugby league’s coaching ranks, named as an assistant to Queensland Maroons women’s mentor Tahnee Norris.
The State of Origin great will be joined by North Devils helmsman Dave Elliott in helping Norris and fellow assistant Meg Ward in the state’s shield defence in 2025, after triumphing in the inaugural three-match campaign 2-1.
Inglis scored 18 tries in 32 appearances for Queensland, and another 31 tries in 39 Tests for the Kangaroos. He famously helped South Sydney end a 43-year premiership drought in 2014.
“He’s such a legend of the game. Greg’s always been an advocate for women’s rugby league,” Norris said.
“He’s previously been around our camps as a mentor, so to have the opportunity to put him on full-time this year is going to be a great asset for us.
“The knowledge he brings is just second to none. I know our outside backs in particular will learn a lot from him.”
A 60-year-old Queensland man with alleged links to outlaw motorcycle gangs has been charged after a raid on a Maroochydore backpackers hostel.
The raid, undertaken by Queensland and Australian Federal police shortly before Christmas, uncovered weapons, drugs and cash including a semi-automatic rifle, a revolver, ammunition, body armour, knuckledusters, a replica handgun and a gel blaster, 250 grams of cocaine, 400 grams of cannabis, 50 LSD tablets and $20,000 cash.
The man was at the hostel at the time and has been charged with various drugs and weapons offences. He was issued with a notice to appear in court today.
“The unlawful weapons and drugs seized in this warrant could have caused untold damage among innocent communities,” said Detective Acting Superintendent Craig Bowman from the Queensland Organised Crime Gangs Group.
The Star Entertainment Group isn’t involved this time, but its partners in the Destination Brisbane Consortium are still having trouble with their residential tower at Queen’s Wharf.
Delays, cost blowouts and design changes have seen many would-be apartment owners bail out, while deposits on other purchases are now being refunded.
The apartments were originally priced at $3 million-plus but will now cost 12.5 per cent more and be delivered later.
Around half of the original buyers have agreed to stay on, according to a spokesman, and construction is expected to be completed in 2029.
“The past few years of unheralded cost increases and supply chain issues has culminated in a situation where Far East Consortium and Chow Tai Fook are unable to undertake the development of Queen’s Wharf Tower under the current cost or statutory time constraints,” the spokesman said.
Star, the other partner in the consortium, is still seeking financial support to avoid administration.
The first residential tower at Queen’s Wharf is due to open this year.
Embattled casino operator Star Entertainment has said it will receive $60 million for the proposed sale of the events centre at its Sydney casino to the group which operates its Lyric theatre, but it might not help it stay afloat.
Star said it has agreed to a binding arrangement for the sale of The Star Sydney Event Centre to Foundation Theatres Pty Limited which is expected to see it receive $60 million.
“The Star has worked closely with the team at Foundation Theatres since they acquired the sublease for the Sydney Lyric in 2011,” Star chief executive Steve McCann, said. “We continue to work on a number of other potential non-core asset transactions.”
But there are no guarantees it will help with the “material uncertainty” over its ability to stay solvent.
Star said the proceeds will be held as restricted cash by its lenders, and there is no certainty it will count towards the $150 million in capital that needs to be raised in order to access $100 million fresh loans from its lenders.
Earlier this month, Star reported that it continued to burn through its remaining cash – leaving it with just $78 million – and prompted Morningstar’s analyst to warn the company may not survive until its results in late February.
Star made a loss of $8 million in the second quarter on an EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) basis, an improvement on the $18 million loss in its first quarter.
“While discussions continue with respect to a range of different solutions, there is no certainty that any of these negotiations will result in one or more definitive arrangements that might materially increase the Group’s liquidity position. In the absence of one or more of those arrangements, there remains material uncertainty as to the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern,” Star said at the time.
The parents and 12 members of a religious congregation accused of killing an eight-year-old girl by withholding her diabetes medication are due to receive their verdicts today after a months-long trial.
Elizabeth Rose Struhs died on January 7, 2022 at her family’s home in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, after six days without her prescribed insulin shots for type-1 diabetes.
The girl’s father, Jason Richard Struhs, 53, and the leader of the family’s religious group, Brendan Luke Stevens, 63, faced a judge-only trial for murder by reckless indifference to life in Queensland’s Supreme Court over nine weeks starting in July last year.
Elizabeth’s 49-year-old mother, Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, and 22-year-old brother Zachary Alan Struhs faced trial for manslaughter along with 10 other members of “The Saints” congregation.
After considering his verdicts for nearly five months, Justice Martin Burns will deliver them today in a courtroom specially modified to put all 14 defendants on trial at the same time.
Burns has the option of finding Elizabeth’s father and Brendan Stevens guilty of the alternative charge of manslaughter.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher was on ABC RN Breakfast this morning, where she responded to new Deloitte analysis finding that Australian living standards won’t return to pre-pandemic levels until 2030.
Gallagher said living standards were “now starting to improve again”, which she said were “reflective of some of the decisions we’ve taken”.
“There’s more to do, and I’m not pretending that people aren’t feeling under pressure, but we’ve got the budget in better shape, we’ve got wages moving, we’ve provided cost of living relief and tax cuts to help households, but there is more to do,” Gallagher said.
“If you refer back to the Deloitte report, they made statements that from their point of view, they think we are through the worst.”
Gallagher was also asked about the contents of the upcoming federal budget, due on March 25, where she didn’t rule out additional cost-of-living support but said the government’s focus would be on implementing packages already announced.
“We look at all the information available to us, and we make decisions in the best interests of the people, and the best interests of the country,” Gallagher said. “We haven’t landed on a final budget yet, and there are more decisions to take.”
Plans for a 17-storey tower on a Kangaroo Point site only 11.5 metres wide are being challenged in court.
In December, Brisbane City Council approved the plans for 25 Pixley Street, which would see a rundown house replaced by seven multi-level apartments stacked on top of each other.
Owners and residents in the neighbouring Watermark Residences and Olims Apartments opposed the development application and have now appealed to the Planning and Environment Court.
They argue the tower, which fronts the Riverwalk, is “beyond what the community would expect for development of the land”. It would also cost them their views, sunlight, privacy and general amenity, and undermine the heritage-listed former Travelodge building next door at Olims.
“The proposed development is of a height, bulk and scale that does not achieve the intended outcome and amenity of the neighbourhood plan area and exceeds development parameters set out in the planning scheme in respect of setbacks, site cover and height,” the appeal states.
Developers purchased the site, not far from the Kangaroo Point Bridge and with views of the river and CBD, for $8 million in November 2022. They originally wanted to build a 23-storey tower with 11 apartments.
The amended and approved plans have a communal wellness centre and pool on the lowest level, 24 car parks on the podium levels, and a roof terrace and pool at the top for the exclusive use of the penthouse occupants.
Discover more from World Byte News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
