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Cricket begins
Day two of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan has just started in Melbourne. You can follow the latest on our separate live blog here:
Continue reading...Category Archives: Brisbane
Christmas weather: rain forecast along Australia’s east coast after Brisbane hit by storms and hail
Thunderstorm conditions extending from Mackay in Queensland to Melbourne, with BoM warning weather may change quickly
Widespread rain and cloudy weather affecting much of the east coast is expected to continue into Christmas Day, with revellers encouraged to prepare an indoor option for tomorrow’s festivities.
Queensland was lashed with severe thunderstorms on Sunday, with giant hail and huge downpours of up to 43mm in just 15 minutes recorded in northern Brisbane.
Continue reading...‘Severe, intense conditions’: Christmas weather could be stormy in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra
NSW SES warns heavy rain may cause flash flooding with storms forecast across three states from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day
Residents of Australia’s eastern states have been warned to prepare for severe storms forecast over the Christmas weekend.
Thunderstorms are expected between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day across a broad region, including much of New South Wales and south-east Queensland and spreading down into Victoria.
Continue reading...Police to drug test Brisbane woman accused of fatally stabbing her neighbour
Officers obtain court order to test Dorothy James Downie, 55, for drugs after she was charged with murder over Hamilton incident
Police have been granted an order to obtain blood samples as soon as possible from a woman charged with murder so they can be tested for the presence of drugs.
Dorothy James Downie, 55, is accused of fatally stabbing a woman known to her in the Brisbane suburb of Hamilton on Thursday.
Continue reading...New Queensland Labor leadership hits pause on $2.7bn Gabba stadium rebuild
Independent body to review plans for Olympic and Paralympic games as new premier and deputy distance themselves from Palaszczuk-era policies
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Queensland’s new leadership team have signalled a “pause” on the controversial $2.7bn Gabba rebuild while they reconsider their approach to the 2032 Olympics.
In a backflip announced on Tuesday, premier-to-be Steven Miles said he would establish an independent body to oversee infrastructure for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games amid mounting criticism of the Palaszczuk government’s in-house alternative.
Continue reading...Two peopQueensland police investigating alleged domestic violence stabbing murder at Kallangur
Woman found in critical condition north of Brisbane later died at scene while 32-year-old man died in hospital following injuries sustained in nearby house fire
Police say they are investigating the alleged domestic violence killing of a Brisbane woman who was stabbed and later collapsed in front of a neighbour’s home.
About 7pm, emergency services were called to a street in Kallangur, north of Brisbane, where the woman – understood to be a New Zealand national and a mother of young children – was found in a critical condition. She died at the scene soon afterwards.
Continue reading...Plan for 20,000-seat stadium to temporarily replace Gabba kicks off Queensland funding row
Labor announces it will commit $46m towards $137m cost of upgrading Ekka showgrounds
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A proposal to upgrade Brisbane’s showgrounds with a temporary 20,000-seat stadium – to act as the city’s home of AFL and cricket while the Gabba is rebuilt – has quickly become a political football.
The Queensland government announced on Friday it would commit $46m to create the temporary stadium but requested the remaining $91m cost be shared between Brisbane city council, AFL and cricket authorities and the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland, which runs the annual Ekka show at the venue.
Continue reading...Queensland Muslims ask for police protection over New Zealand far-right activist’s pro-Israel protest
Destinys Church founder Brian Tamaki says his event will include 200 men performing the haka and a speech from Avi Yemini
Queensland Muslims say they are fearful and have requested police protection after a New Zealand far-right activist scheduled a pro-Israel protest for the same central Brisbane location – but an hour earlier – than a planned pro-Palestine rally on Sunday.
The “Anzacs” rally in Brisbane is being promoted by Brian Tamaki, who is the founder of Destiny Church and has a history of Islamophobic comments.
Continue reading...Nigel Farage spotted in Brisbane just before start of I’m a Celebrity
Former Ukip leader has reportedly been offered large sum to appear on ITV show, which begins this month
Nigel Farage has been seen at Brisbane airport in Australia, adding to speculation that he will be joining the lineup in this year’s I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!.
The former leader of Ukip and the Brexit party did not confirm when asked whether he was entering the jungle as part of the ITV show, but did tell a reporter that he “might be going in”.
Continue reading...Greens threaten Brisbane landlords with huge rates rises if they increase rents
Greens unveil policy designed to freeze rents at January 2023 levels in battle for Brisbane city council
The Greens say they would introduce an effective rent freeze across Brisbane by enacting massive land rates increases for any property investors who increase the rent.
The announcement on Monday will be a centrepiece of the Greens’ campaign for the Brisbane city council, a city where nearly four in 10 homes are occupied by renters.
Continue reading...Firebombing death of bus driver in Brisbane could have been avoided with better decisions, coroner finds
Decision to discharge ‘low risk’ Anthony O’Donohue from mental health service in 2016 found to be ‘not satisfactory’
The firebombing death of a young bus driver “might not have occurred” if different decisions had been made about the care of the mental health patient who had been deemed “low risk” before killing him, Queensland’s state coroner has found.
Terry Ryan handed down his findings a day before the seventh anniversary of the death of Manmeet Sharma, a 29-year-old from India who had been working as a bus driver for the Brisbane city council for just three months.
Continue reading...Australia news live: devastation revealed in Queensland bushfire aftermath
There is ‘a lot of anxiety’ in the Western Downs where at least 16 houses have been destroyed, the mayor says. Follow the day’s news live
Civilians in the blockaded Gaza Strip will receive an extra $15m in humanitarian aid from the Australian government.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement at a joint press conference with US president Joe Biden.
The plaintiff served years in prison that he otherwise would not have. At no stage did Victoria Police take positive steps to remedy its wrongdoing by expeditiously informing the plaintiff of Gobbo’s conduct in order to quash his conviction. Victoria Police has not apologised to the plaintiff.
Starting this court case is a significant moment for me. I am anxious about the future but also cautiously optimistic about finally holding police to account for what they did to me.
In the pursuit of justice, vindication came first, and now I see compensation as a measure of accountability.
Continue reading...Brisbane Greens vow to oppose 2032 Olympics at council election as Gabba stoush escalates
Lord mayoral candidate Jonathan Sriranganathan says $2.7bn plan to redevelop the stadium is unpopular ‘right across’ the city
The Greens candidate for Brisbane lord mayor, Jonathan Sriranganathan, says the party will go to next year’s election opposing the city’s 2032 Olympic Games unless organisers abandon plans for a $2.7bn redevelopment of the Gabba stadium.
Sriranganathan’s high-profile campaign seeks to build upon the Greens’ recent success in Brisbane – including capturing three inner-city seats at the last federal election.
Continue reading...Brisbane man charged with murder after allegedly throwing elderly resident off balcony
Police allege the accused was ‘aggressively seeking items’ from units before knocking on alleged victim’s door
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A Brisbane man charged with murdering an elderly resident by allegedly throwing him off a balcony had been aggressively going door-to-door at the unit complex, police have alleged.
Officers attended the residence on School Road in the Brisbane suburb of Yeronga about 1.40pm on Sunday after reports of a disturbance.
Continue reading...Unseasonable heat to hit south-east Australia over grand final weekend
Experts warn of increased risk for vulnerable Australians and say sports codes will need to put heat policies into effect earlier in the season
South-east Australia is set to swelter this weekend, with temperatures forecast to reach highs of 29C in Melbourne and 36C in Sydney.
The unusual heat is likely to impact both the NRL and AFL grand finals, with the NRL reportedly planning ahead with extended breaks and play potentially delayed depending on the conditions.
Continue reading...Welcome to ‘the robot soundscape’: Australia’s music industry braces for the rise of music AI
The spectre of intelligent technologies is looming over Australian artists, and dominating the chatter at Brisbane’s Bigsound music conference
Music conferences tend to follow a similar format: showcases of up-and-coming artists, panels about the business, and behind-the-scenes deals. But between the events and around the corridors of this year’s Bigsound in Brisbane, Australia, there was one topic dominating conversation: how AI was threatening the industry.
Musicians and composers are fascinated by – and terrified of – artificial intelligence, which has the potential to both help artists create, and steal their work. AI is already starting to weave into the everyday soundtracks of our lives, from a new track by the Beatles to Spotify’s “AI DJ”. It’s a new reality that scholars such as Oliver Bown from the University of New South Wales call “the robot soundscape”.
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Continue reading...Disability groups hit out at move to drop Queensland Health vaccine mandate
‘Come and live in somebody’s shoes who is at high risk of serious complications from the flu or Covid,’ disability advocate says
People with disability are more likely to feel unsafe in Queensland health institutions and may even avoid them after the state launched plans to drop its vaccine mandate for health staff, according to an advocacy group.
Nicole Lee, president of People with Disability Australia, said Queensland had been a leader in Covid protections and she had hoped the state might make the mandate permanent.
Continue reading...Children unlawfully detained in Queensland’s police watch houses blocked from suing
Law changes retroactively exempt government from litigation as Labor refuses to release legal advice used to justify rapid changes to Youth Justice Act
The Queensland government has refused to release key legal advice it used to justify urgent changes to the Youth Justice Act, amid criticism over its decision to retroactively prevent children from suing if they were detained unlawfully.
Defending the government’s hurried changes to the law, the deputy premier, Steven Miles, said the solicitor general had advised it could not delay amending the act – even for a few weeks – to accommodate scrutiny by a parliamentary committee.
Continue reading...Keeping kids in watch houses: why the Queensland government could change the law to suit itself
Possible ‘robodebt’ scenario left Labor to either move the children or suspend the Human Rights Act – and it chose the latter
Queensland Labor MPs found out on Monday that they were expected to vote to suspend the state’s Human Rights Act, for a second time, to allow for the indefinite detention of children in adult police watch houses.
No one else seemed to have any warning. On Wednesday afternoon – on a particularly dreary day in state parliament – the police minister, Mark Ryan, tacked the law change on to an unrelated child safety bill, allowing it to pass through parliament the following day with no committee scrutiny.
Continue reading...ALP national conference day one – as it happened
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- Labor rejects ban on native forest logging as PM accuses Greens of hypocrisy on housing
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The conference is up and running.
We will bring you as much of it as we can – and will make sure we have all the main motions covered off, as well as the tone and vibe of it all.
Continue reading...