For today’s news updates as they happen in Brisbane and beyond, follow us here.
For today’s news updates as they happen in Brisbane and beyond, follow us here.
Former Queensland premier Steven Miles has complained to Qantas about a photo that was taken of him in the airline’s Townsville lounge drinking red wine and subsequently tabled in state parliament.
Speaking to ABC Radio, Miles confirmed he has lodged a complaint with Qantas after LNP Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie tabled the photo in parliament last week. Bleijie held the photo aloft in parliament, claiming it showed the current state opposition leader was a “disgrace” and unfit to lead.
“I have [complained to Qantas],” Miles later told the ABC.
He also claimed a state government minister was involved in taking the snap.
“One of them recently used [their Qantas Chairman’s Lounge membership] to take a photo of me having a drink in the Qantas Club,” he said.
“It’s a breach of the terms of service.
“All it goes to show is these LNP ministers will stoop at nothing. I thought it was a pretty low act.”
The LNP government and Qantas have been contacted for comment.
Star Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs is poised to miss the opening rounds of the NRL season, after sustaining a quad injury in the final Preseason Challenge clash against the Bulldogs.
Staggs left the field early in the contest, with initial reports indicating is more a precautionary measure than anything sinister.
However, he will now remain in the club’s rehab group for the next four to six weeks, opening the door for journeyman Gehamat Shibasaki to partner Deine Mariner in the centres against the Sydney Roosters in round one.
“We know he’ll be doing everything he can to get back on the paddock and has already begun that rehab program today,” Broncos head of performance Dave Ballard said.
The Brisbane mayor has compared the striking bus union to the climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion as drivers continue their campaign for a new pay deal.
Members of the Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union are set to walk off the job from 4pm to 6pm, Friday. Strikes were originally due to take place this afternoon – the busiest time of the week for commuters – but the union rescheduled this week, citing progress in negotiations.
“If you ask me, it’s not the best way to get support … I remember Extinction Rebellion did a bit of this and it didn’t go well for them,” mayor Adrian Schrinner told the ABC today.
Asked if he was comparing the staff at his council to Extinction Rebellion, he said: “No, I’m comparing the union tactics to Extinction Rebellion.
“But look, our bus drivers do a great job. What I’m hearing from the bus drivers is they’d like an opportunity to get the pay in their pockets.
“I think most of them think it’s a fair and reasonable offer that we put on the table. Seven per cent over two years.
“The only reason why backdating is even an issue is because the union has delayed this process so long. In the past we were able to quite quickly go to a ballot of our workers on this sort of thing.”
Brisbane librarians and other public workers are also set to strike this week over pay.
The Services Union has confirmed its members will strike from 2pm to 4pm tomorrow.
It says libraries, call centres and other public services could close during that period due to understaffing – a claim Brisbane City Council disputes.
As we reported yesterday, Brisbane’s parking meters could soon become a relic of the past, with the council searching for new paid parking app providers.
For the past 10 years, CellOPark Australia has operated the only mobile phone parking app available in Brisbane, but the council wants to make more apps available and is about to go out to tender.
The way people pay for parking is changing with credit card payments at parking meters declining by 18 per cent in the past five years as more people choose to pay via an app on their mobile phone, the council says.
There are more than 8350 paid on-street parking spaces in the city with about 4.5 million on-street parking transactions made every year. Half of those transactions are made using the CellOPark mobile app.
“We want to keep costs down for Brisbane residents and paying by app means you only pay for the minutes parked instead of overfeeding meters, which are also expensive to maintain,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.
“Pay-by-app parking will continue to be available through the current provider while we complete this process to bring more convenience and more choice to residents paying for street parking.”
Schrinner spoke about the plan on ABC Radio this morning, assuring residents that streetside parking meters would not be ripped out until “we’ve got a good solution”.
“It’s not that we don’t like cash,” he said. “It’s effectively the cost of the meter is expensive. The cost of collecting the coins. It’s a big cost on ratepayers and all that adds to the cost of parking.”
The council hopes to sign contracts with new app providers in the 2025/26 financial year, but will wait for community feedback before removing any physical meters.
“If there are issues that we’re experiencing, then we wouldn’t suddenly just go and remove all the meters. We, you know, we want to get this right,” Schrinner said.
Former Queensland premier Steven Miles has complained to Qantas about a photo that was taken of him in the airline’s Townsville lounge drinking red wine and subsequently tabled in state parliament.
Speaking to ABC Radio, Miles confirmed he has lodged a complaint with Qantas after LNP Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie tabled the photo in parliament last week. Bleijie held the photo aloft in parliament, claiming it showed the current state opposition leader was a “disgrace” and unfit to lead.
“I have [complained to Qantas],” Miles later told the ABC.
He also claimed a state government minister was involved in taking the snap.
“One of them recently used [their Qantas Chairman’s Lounge membership] to take a photo of me having a drink in the Qantas Club,” he said.
“It’s a breach of the terms of service.
“All it goes to show is these LNP ministers will stoop at nothing. I thought it was a pretty low act.”
The LNP government and Qantas have been contacted for comment.
Back in early January, we reported that Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate wants his city to host Olympic swimming in 2032.
And his bid to wrest the marquee events from Brisbane has the backing of Australia’s richest person – billionaire Gina Rinehart.
But Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says he will fight to keep the swimming events in the Queensland capital, fearing any change will allow the state and federal governments to walk away from plans to build the proposed $2.5 billion Brisbane Arena, which has been slated for the north-west corner of the Roma Street Parklands.
“Well, look, every mayor is going to advocate for their communities, and that’s their job, and I’m doing that for my community,” Schrinner told ABC Radio this morning.
“We saw, over the last couple of days, [rapper] Drake was playing at the Boondall Entertainment Centre … and people were literally stuck there for hours in the car park waiting to get in, and there was nothing for them to do before or after.
“Is this the legacy that we want in 20 years’ time, to keep going to Boondall? The federal government’s already agreed to pay for this thing. That was locked in years ago.”
Under the current proposal, Brisbane Arena will be built for the Games with a temporary drop-in pool and seating for 17,000 spectators.
“And then after that, the pool will be taken out and it will become a permanent concert venue, and it’ll be available for sporting events and also concerts,” Schrinner said.
“We can’t afford [for] that legacy to be lost because it is a good legacy on an ongoing basis that will generate jobs and economic opportunity, and a facility for people to use, not just for Brisbane residents, but for south-east Queensland residents.”
How much weight the lord mayor’s words carry will be revealed when the final recommendations of the LNP government’s 100-day Brisbane 2032 Olympic infrastructure review are unveiled at a business lunch on March 25.
Defence Force Chief David Johnston has revealed the Australian military only learnt about the Chinese navy conducting a live firing exercise in the Tasman Sea after being alerted by aviation authorities half an hour after it began.
Airservices Australia officials revealed earlier this week that they only learnt about the live firing exercise on Friday after a midair alert by a Virgin Australia pilot.
Johnston confirmed at Senate estimates hearings on Wednesday that the Australian military received no direct warning of the exercise from the Chinese navy, and only found out about the drills after being informed by Airservices Australia on Friday morning.
It took a further hour for the New Zealand navy to inform the Australian military about the exercises.
As we continue to watch Cyclone Alfred which is brewing off the coast, and keeping forecasters on their toes, here is the latest from the weather bureau:
Slipping in and out of consciousness, eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs suffered for days after her diabetes medication was withheld.
Her parents, brother and 11 other members of “the Saints” religious group gathered around her to hold a vigil and pray as Elizabeth’s health rapidly deteriorated.
More than three years after Elizabeth died at her family’s home west of Brisbane, the 14 church group members are due to be sentenced for manslaughter today.
At their nine-week trial last year, the church group members claimed they were acting on their religious beliefs that included rejecting modern medicine as “witchcraft”.
Members told police they welcomed Elizabeth’s death as it was a chance for God to resurrect her and show divine power to non-believers.
“We are within our rights to believe in the word of God completely as we do,” Saints leader Brendan Stevens told the court, speaking on behalf of the defendants at the trial’s opening.
Every defendant represented themselves and refused to enter pleas.
Elizabeth’s father, Jason Richard Struhs, 53, mother Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs, 49, and brother Zachary Alan Struhs, 22, were among the 14 church group members found guilty of manslaughter at the judge-only trial on January 31.
The crown prosecutor submitted that Elizabeth’s parents should be imprisoned for 15 years, “main instigator” Stevens for 12 and the rest between seven and eight years.
The other members of the church group found guilty of manslaughter include: Therese Maria Stevens, 37, Sebastian James Stevens, 24, Loretta Mary Stevens, 67, Camellia Claire Stevens, 29, Andrea Louise Stevens, 35, Alexander Francis Stevens, 26, Acacia Naree Stevens, 32, Samantha Emily Schoenfisch, 26, Lachlan Stuart Schoenfisch, 34, and Keita Courtney Martin, 24.
Anyone needing support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he made the case for Australia to have an exemption from US tariffs on steel and aluminium during his visit to Washington.
Chalmers said his meeting with his US counterpart treasury secretary Scott Bessent and director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett was positive.
“We met for about an hour or so over breakfast at Ambassador [Kevin] Rudd’s residence. It was a constructive conversation. It was wide-ranging, it was positive and it was productive,” Chalmers said.
“We were able to continue, but not conclude, the important discussions that President [Donald] Trump and Prime Minister [Anthony] Albanese had around two weeks ago … this discussion was wide-ranging, encapsulated critical minerals, the flow of capital, but also, of course, trade and tariffs,” he continued.
“I was able to make the case for Australia.”
Asked by a reporter why Chalmers was unable to conclude discussions on a tariff exemption for Australia, the treasurer said the meeting was about having an opportunity to make Australia’s case.
“We didn’t expect to conclude that conversation. And what we were able to do today in that important meeting that we had with Secretary Bessent and Director Hassett was to point out all of the ways that Australia is exceptional when it comes to their considerations,” he said.
Queensland’s famed feathered friend, Molly the magpie, will be allowed to stay with her carers, the ABC reports this morning.
The state government told the national broadcaster this week it will not seize the famous Gold Coast bird. Molly is a social media celebrity, famous for her close friendship with a dog called Peggy.
The magpie was seized by the Queensland Environment Department last year because her owners did not hold a permit to care for a native bird, but was later returned after a public campaign.
“We’re not seizing the bird,” Queensland Environment Minister Andrew Powell told the ABC. “The bird is free to come and go, in essence it is wild … and therefore a permit isn’t required.”
A Facebook page chronicling the lives of Molly and her canine friends did not comment on the news, but posted a tribute to the animals hours later.
“A magpie’s mischief and a staffy’s loyalty might seem like a clash of worlds – one built for the sky, the other grounded with loyalty – but together, they create something rare and beautiful,” it said.
“Their bond isn’t one of logic but of heart, an unspoken understanding that defies nature’s rules. In their playfulness and acceptance they remind us that true friendship isn’t about being the same – it’s about finding joy in the differences.”