Category Archives: Queensland

‘The next 24 hours will be critical’: flooding to second-storey level possible as torrential rain soaks Queensland

Posted on by

Townsville warned of ‘very serious and dangerous event’, with flooding likely to continue into middle of next week for state’s north

Cyclonic rainfall totals have lashed the regions of north Queensland as prepare-to-leave warnings were issued for six suburbs across Townsville.

The state’s north has been hit by torrential rain for days, resulting in road closures, flash flooding and multiple rescues due to tropical lows off the coast.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Australia news live: youth vaping rates plummet after law reform; police alert 5000 Australians targeted by overseas romance scam

Posted on by

The federal health minister cited data showing vape use among young Australians has significantly reduced meaning new laws are working. Follow today’s news live

Cyclone threat looms in northern Australia as drenched region braces for yet more rain

North Queensland is on cyclone watch with three tropical lows given a chance of developing in the coming days, bringing heavy rain that has flooded roads and homes.

Continue reading...

Queensland’s puberty blockers ban has potential to cause harm, sex discrimination commissioner says

Posted on by

Anna Cody raises concerns over halt to hormone treatments for gender dysphoria as youth service labels it ‘discriminatory’

The Queensland government’s ban on puberty blockers for new patients seeking treatment for gender issues is “discriminatory”, according to the state’s only dedicated LGBTQI youth service, as the national sex discrimination commissioner warns the decision may harm young people.

Sex discrimination commissioner, Anna Cody, said the decision “has the potential to harm the physical and mental wellbeing of children in Queensland who are currently awaiting care”.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Australia news live: Angus Taylor says cost-of-living pain ‘far from over’ despite inflation falling to three-year low

Posted on by

Follow today’s news live

Labor adds homelessness focus to disability strategy

Australians with disabilities experiencing homelessness will be prioritised as the government commits to disability reforms, months after a scathing royal commission into the sector, AAP reports.

For the first time, they also include a number of national actions that all governments will work on together, with the disability community, to ensure people with disability right across Australia experience the benefits.

Some students, especially those in our cities, can see a career in agriculture as something that’s only for those who live in the regions or for those whose family own land that can be used to operate an agribusiness.

AgConnections aims to break down these misconceptions and build on the diversity of the industry, by highlighting and encouraging women and Indigenous Australians wanting to pursue a career in agriculture.

Continue reading...

Queensland social media influencer accused of torturing one-year-old for money and fame granted bail

Posted on by

Magistrate allows release of 34-year-old charged with 11 offences related to treatment of her baby daughter

A social media influencer who allegedly gave her baby multiple drugs to film her in “immense distress” in a plan to gain fame and money online has been granted bail by a Queensland magistrate.

On Wednesday morning, magistrate Stephen Courtney accepted the arguments of lawyer Mathew Cuskelly that any risk his 34-year-old client, who cannot be named for legal reasons, posed to her now 18-month-old daughter could be ameliorated by strict conditions.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Social media influencer manufactured symptoms that caused one-year-old to have brain surgery, Brisbane court hears

Posted on by

The woman, 34, is accused of torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations

A social media influencer allegedly gave her baby multiple drugs that led to a cardiac arrest and manufactured symptoms that caused unnecessary brain surgery as part of a plan to gain fame and money online, a magistrate has heard.

Queensland police have accused the woman of filming the torture of her one-year-old infant after administering drugs to worsen the symptoms of her brain tumours.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Queensland halts prescription of puberty blockers and hormones for children with gender dysphoria

Posted on by

Pause comes as Crisafulli government launches independent review after reports gender-affirming hormones were given without proper consultation

Children with gender dysphoria will be denied puberty blockers as a state government reviews hormone therapies for minors.

The Queensland government launched the investigation after reports gender-affirming hormones had been given to children as young as 12 without authorised care.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Third arrest after alleged assault on police officers in Sydney – as it happened

Posted on by

Follow today’s news live

AFP warns parents over rise in AI-generated child abuse material

There has been an increase in the use of AI-generated child abuse material in the past year, including students creating material like deepfakes to harass or embarrass classmates, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation has said.

Children and young people are curious by nature, however, anything that depicts the abuse of someone under the age of 18 – whether that’s videos, images, drawings or stories – is child abuse material, irrespective of whether it is ‘real’ or not.

The AFP encourages all parents and guardians to have open and honest conversations with their child on this topic, particularly as AI technology continues to become increasingly accessible and integrated into platforms and products.

As a society, I think that it demonstrates the need for us to place a high value collectively on a civil political discourse, rather than an extreme one.

I wasn’t surprised to learn that of the 16 arrests, only one person was from South Australia and the rest were scattered from all over the country and for whatever reason, decided to convene in Adelaide.

Continue reading...

Woman charged with murder of boy in her care in Townsville home

Posted on by

Accused to face court on Monday after boy found dead from what police allege ‘appears to be blunt force trauma’

A woman has been charged with the murder of a boy who was in her care inside what police describe as a “normal suburban household” in the suburbs of Townsville.

The woman and the boy shared “loose family connections” and her own children were present at the time of the alleged killing, Det Sen Sgt Dave Miles told media in the north Queensland city on Monday morning.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Second man charged over attempted arson of Sydney synagogue – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed

The anti-fracking group Lock the Gate Alliance has launched a legal challenge to a Northern Territory government decision to approve another gas exploration project in the Beetaloo basin.

The case in the territory’s civil and administrative tribunal is challenging the merits of the government’s approval of the environment management plan for Empire Energy’s “Larrimah” exploration project.

Our robust regulation of the onshore petroleum industry is informed by the best available science. As the project is before the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, it would be premature to make any further comment on the matter.

For too long, vice-chancellors and senior executives have escaped any real accountability for some of the terrible decisions that have damaged our public universities. An inquiry would be a golden opportunity to get to the bottom of what’s allowing the wage theft epidemic, rampant casualisation and a raft of other serious problems to flourish in our sector.

This is the path to lasting reform that will ensure staff can deliver the world-class teaching and research our students and community deserve.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: Bruce Lehrmann seeks judge-only trial on rape charges; off-duty police officer in hospital after Sydney attack

Posted on by

Follow today’s news live

Asked about the future of the weekly pro-Palestinian protests across Australia, Malarndirri McCarthy said as long as they are respectful and peaceful, “they are part of our democratic way”.

It’s interesting, isn’t it? I mean, we are a democracy. Whatever the rally or protest is, we enable that. We allow that so long as it’s peaceful and respectful.

Police across every jurisdiction in the country know they have to be prepared. Rally organisers, whoever they may be, also know they need to consult to be able to have access to those streets. Come on, let’s be mindful that these rallies, so long as they are held in a respectful manner, in a peaceful manner, they are part of our democratic way.

I think when I look at the polls, Karl – and I think I’ve talked to you about this over the years, you know, when we went into the 2019 election – every poll said we were going to win. The reality is, you have to work every single day right up – and the only poll that does really count, and I believe that especially after that loss, is the one on election day.

Continue reading...

Housing completions fall behind accord target – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed

Watt defends government response to antisemitism as ‘very strong’

Asked if the federal government has been going enough to combat antisemitism, Murray Watt said it had responded “very strongly here”.

Unfortunately, there are some people in the community who are engaging is disgusting behaviour and the AFP and state police have demonstrated they will be caught and go to jail, which is where they belong.

I [will] leave it to the AFP to confirm some of the details about this, but I think this demonstrates exactly how far our police authorities are going to try to crack down on the shocking behaviour …

[The number of arrests made] sends a really clear message from the whole community that there is no tolerance that this kind of hate, and you will be caught if you do these kind of disgusting attacks.

Continue reading...

‘Catastrophic’: Great Barrier Reef hit by its most widespread coral bleaching, study finds

Posted on by

More than 40% of individual corals monitored around One Tree Island reef bleached by heat stress and damaged by flesh-eating disease

More than 40% of individual corals monitored around a Great Barrier Reef island were killed last year in the most widespread coral bleaching outbreak to hit the reef system, a study has found.

Scientists tracked 462 colonies of corals at One Tree Island in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef after heat stress began to turn the corals white in early 2024. Researchers said they encountered “catastrophic” scenes at the reef.

Continue reading...

Australia news live: second child dies after Tasmania house fire; mental health ward closures begin in NSW after mass resignation of psychiatrists

Posted on by

Follow today’s news live

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says it was a “privilege and honour” to be the first Australian foreign minister to “be invited and to attend an inauguration on behalf of our country”.

She spoke with the Today show from Washington DC, where she attended Donald Trump’s inauguration.

My message here in Washington to those I meet is to point out the reality of the economic relationship between Australia and the United States, that there is a surplus in America’s favour. There has been for decades. In fact, it’s about two to one. And of those exports from Australia that come here, about half of them go into the US production.

As we know, the Wall Street Journal is obviously reporting, now [Trump is] going to review the trade situation and then look at what sort of tariff changes need to be made.

We need to make sure that our foreign affairs ministry, our trade minister and our ambassador are deeply engaged in that review process to make sure our national interest is upheld.

Continue reading...

‘We’ll be strong for our girl’: mother of Queensland woman allegedly set on fire in murder attempt speaks out

Posted on by

Renata Edward Manning has been accused of attempting to kill Destiny Otton-Rakuraku and assaulting another woman

The family and friends of a woman allegedly set on fire by a man accused of trying to murder her say they have been left numb and traumatised.

Destiny Otton-Rakuraku, a 34-year-old support worker and mother-of-two, remains in hospital with serious injuries after the alleged attack on Saturday.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Reporter leaves Nine after reaching confidential settlement – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed

Lambie says Labor doing ‘a fair bit of clean up’ from nine years of Coalition

Asked about polling showing Peter Dutton had drawn level to Anthony Albanese as preferred PM, and whether this could be attributed to Dutton’s stance on law and order, Jacqui Lambie responded:

It hasn’t got any worse or better, I can assure you. You didn’t get much out of him after nine years, but if people want to fall back into that and go, well, you know, Labor’s had three years and that’s all we’re going to give them, and you want to go back to the good old days – which I wouldn’t say were the good old days under the Liberal National party – then be my guest.

It’s not just about the last three years in government, it’s probably about the last 10. So have a look at who had control of that for nine years beforehand.

Because quite frankly, I think Labor’s doing a fair bit of clean up. Labor’s also put a lot of things in which you will not see coming to fruition until the next three years.

Continue reading...

Two teenagers die after Sunshine Coast waterfall accident and failed rescue attempt

Posted on by

Seventeen-year-old girl fell off waterfall at Queensland’s Wappa Falls and 17-year-old boy died after jumping in to help her

Two teenagers have died after an accident at a waterfall on the Sunshine Coast.

A 17-year-old girl fell off a waterfall at Queensland’s Wappa Falls about 2.30pm on Sunday and a 17-year-old boy jumped into the water to help her when she did not resurface, emergency services said.

Continue reading...

Man charged with attempted murder after allegedly setting woman on fire at home south of Brisbane

Posted on by

Premier says alleged Kingston domestic violence incident has ‘rocked’ Queensland as woman, 34, remains in hospital

A Queensland man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly setting fire to a woman in a horrific act of domestic violence in a home south of Brisbane.

After being treated by paramedics at the scene in the Logan suburb of Kingston on Saturday morning, the 34-year-old woman was rushed to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s hospital in a serious condition. Police say she sustained serious burns.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Wild NSW weather expected to ease as WA’s Pilbara region braces for cyclone

Posted on by

Cleanup continues in parts of NSW as tropical low threatens heavy rain between Port Hedland and Ningaloo

The skies above New South Wales are expected to clear this week, bringing relief to thousands who have been left sitting in the dark as massive storms swept the state and knocked power offline.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast for the NSW capital and parts of the state suggests calmer skies in the week ahead, with light winds and a chance of a thunderstorm over Sydney on Tuesday.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email

Continue reading...

Australia news live: relief for Sydney morning commuters as train unions ordered to halt action; man charged over death threats to Jewish group

Posted on by

First charge by AFP’s Special Operation Avalite established in December. Follow today’s news headlines live

Richard Marles will become the first minister to visit Kiribati in almost two years, AAP reports.

The deputy prime minister and defence minister is travelling to Kiribati for high-level talks with the nation’s re-elected government, which closed its country’s borders in 2024 while national elections were held.

Continue reading...