As it happened: Brisbane on Tuesday, August 5

The Age

11 hours ago

Key posts
11.55am 'We need to grow up': Lord Mayor says two-seat journeys common in global cities
10.50am Your bus timetable might be about to change again
10.40am Labor questions political links of top Justice department bureaucrat
10.11am 'State of sustained crisis': Second DNA lab report flags cultural failures
9.58am 'Everyone gets one': green bin services rolling out across four months in Brisbane
9.18am Queensland mourns passing of state-builder Sir Leo Hielscher
9.00am 'Exactly what we needed': Lord Mayor spruiks new bus network
8.19am Aboriginal corporation lodges legal fight over Victoria Park
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Your bus timetable might be about to change again
By Felicity Caldwell
Brisbane's new bus network is so efficient, some services are running too early and the timetable might need to be tweaked.
As the state marks one year since 50¢ fares we revealed Brisbane buses have not hit 90 per cent on-time running for two years.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has just held a press conference to reveal the Metro and new bus network has cut bus congestion on the Victoria Bridge — a previously notorious bottleneck — by 30 per cent.
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We asked whether the Lord Mayor thought the new network might allow Brisbane buses to hit that 90 per cent on-time figure again.
'We're just over a month into the new network but there's already some evidence that some buses are actually running ahead of the scheduled timetable because there's far less congestion,' he said.
'So we're going to have to continue to tweak the timetables to make sure that they're as accurate as possible.'
2.50pm
Today's headlines
Thanks for joining us today for live coverage of news in and around Brisbane. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more live updates but in the meantime, here are some of the stories making headlines today:
A local Aboriginal corporation has lodged an application with the federal government for permanent legal protection of Victoria Park, where the state plans to build a key Olympic stadium.
Thousands more Queenslanders are using public transport as the state marks one year of 50¢ fares, but passenger numbers have still not cracked pre-COVID levels.
Long-serving public servant Sir Leo Hielscher, who facilitated the development of Griffith University and helped deliver the first Gateway Bridge, Expo 88 and the 1982 Commonwealth Games, has died at the age of 98.
A 26-year-old man has been found alive after seven days lost in the remote desert west of Alice Springs thanks to the persistence of his community, after police called off their search.
Japanese firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has won a keenly fought contest to build 11 new warships for the Australian navy, beating its German rival.
American Eagle Outfitters' shares jumped 24 per cent on Monday after US President Donald Trump said in a social media post its marketing blitz with actress Sydney Sweeney is the 'HOTTEST ad out there'.
And the build-up of cholesterol and other substances in our arteries can lead to severe plaques that can result in a heart attack. But here are several evidence-based steps you can take to stave off heart disease.
Justice Department recommended only Sosso for electoral redistribution role
By Matt Dennien
The appointment of State Development director-general John Sosso to the body responsible for redrawing the electoral map ruffled many feathers back in April, given his closeness to the LNP government.
Under state law, the Redistribution Commission is made up of a judge or former judge, the electoral commissioner, and the head of a government department.
Questioned by Labor in estimates about what advice the Justice Department gave to the responsible minister Attorney-General Deb Frecklington, her director-general Sarah Cruickshank (who herself faced questions about her Liberal links today), had this to say.
I can confirm that the briefing advice that was provided to the Attorney-General back in … mid-December last year, actually, only whilst it listed that there was the opportunity for the attorney to consider either the director-general of the Department of Justice or the director-general of the Department of Planning, the only one that we actually recommended in the brief was the head of the Department of Planning.
1.00pm
Consumer confidence grows to highest level in three years
By Shane Wright
A fall in inflation and expectations of an interest rate cut have pushed consumer confidence to its highest level since Anthony Albanese won the 2022 election.
The ANZ-Roy Morgan weekly consumer sentiment report, released this morning, showed a 3.9 percentage point lift over the past seven days.
Across every measure, including current and future financial conditions, consumers were more upbeat.
It followed last week's consumer price index report which showed a drop in both headline and underlying inflation measures, with financial markets locking in a rate cut when the Reserve Bank meets next week.
'Confidence in future household finances rose sharply after CPI data last week showed an easing in underlying inflation and raised the likelihood of an RBA rate cut in August. We expect the RBA to cut the cash rate by 25 basis points at its August meeting,' ANZ economist Sophia Angala said.
The report also found weekly inflation expectations rose, which Angala said may have been due to the Trump administration's announcement of its tariff regime for all of its trading partners.
11.55am
'We need to grow up': Lord Mayor says two-seat journeys common in global cities
By Felicity Caldwell
Some commuters were upset by Brisbane's new bus network, which began on June 30, and meant many people had to change buses – instead of a one-seat journey – to allow the vast majority of trips to become quicker.
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But Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said this morning that in global cities, like London and Paris, it was normal to have a two or three-seat journey.
'This is transitioning to the type of system that people are used to overseas,' he said.
'Obviously Brisbane will take a little bit of getting used to that, but so far, the feedback has been great.
'There's always some people that might have preferred it to have a one-seat journey, I understand that, but we need to grow up as a city, and we need to move to multi-seat journeys, because that allows us to service more destinations and allows us to have a more reliable system as well.'
11.32am
Council opposition says Lord Mayor 'sat on his hands' over green bin rollout
By Catherine Strohfeldt
With the green bin rollout expected to span from this week until Christmastime, Brisbane City Council opposition leader Jared Cassidy has slammed the council's decision to roll green waste collection into its base waste services.
Cassidy said some residents would be left waiting months for a green bin, despite the council's almost $50 waste utility fee increase already coming into effect.
'That's like paying a Netflix subscription but not being able to watch anything for three months,' Cassidy said.
Cassidy said Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner had been 'warned' about the state government's waste disposal levy – introduced in 2019 – which charges councils $115 for every tonne of general waste sent to landfill, and will increase by $10 each year through to 2028.
'Instead of planning years in advance, he sat on his hands until the last minute and now all of Brisbane is paying for his mistake,' Cassidy said.
Schrinner said today the almost 160,000 additional green bins were expected to save the council, and ratepayers, between $2 million and $3 million in waste charges in the first year.
The rollout has also been subsidised by the state's food and garden organics waste disposal grant program, which awards south-east Queensland councils with $65 for each household that receives a green bin.
10.50am
Your bus timetable might be about to change again
By Felicity Caldwell
Brisbane's new bus network is so efficient, some services are running too early and the timetable might need to be tweaked.
As the state marks one year since 50¢ fares we revealed Brisbane buses have not hit 90 per cent on-time running for two years.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has just held a press conference to reveal the Metro and new bus network has cut bus congestion on the Victoria Bridge — a previously notorious bottleneck — by 30 per cent.
Loading
We asked whether the Lord Mayor thought the new network might allow Brisbane buses to hit that 90 per cent on-time figure again.
'We're just over a month into the new network but there's already some evidence that some buses are actually running ahead of the scheduled timetable because there's far less congestion,' he said.
'So we're going to have to continue to tweak the timetables to make sure that they're as accurate as possible.'
10.40am
Labor questions political links of top Justice department bureaucrat
By
The second week of state parliamentary estimates has kicked off again today, with Attorney-General Deb Frecklington facing questions about her portfolios.
But the first section of questioning from the opposition has focused on her director-general Sarah Cruickshank and her links to the Liberal Party.
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Referencing Premier David Crisafulli's desire for a public sector that was independent and 'free from political interference', shadow attorney-general Meaghan Scanlon questioned Cruickshank about her work and political donation history.
Cruickshank confirmed she had worked as a chief of staff to former NSW Liberal Premier Gladys Berejiklian, on secondment from the premier's department.
She also confirmed she had in the 1990s worked in the electorate office of Brendan Nelson before and for Helen Coonan before both became Howard government ministers.
Cruickshank explained a $1000 donation she made in 2010 to Liberal candidate for Penrith, Stuart Ayres, was given while she was working in a public affairs company.
10.11am
'State of sustained crisis': Second DNA lab report flags cultural failures
By Matt Dennien
After yesterday's damning report into the state's scandal-plagued DNA lab, a second Crisafulli government-commissioned report has landed today.
This one, from former FBI expert Dr Bruce Budowle, focused more on the organisational and cultural elements, and operated in parallel to Dr Kirsty Wright's more technical work.
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(These two followed two commissions of inquiry ordered by the former government, which also raised major concerns about the lab now known as Forensic Science Queensland.)
Budowle's key observation was that, 'despite considerable effort over the past two and a half years, FSQ remains a laboratory in a state of sustained crisis'.
'The challenges facing FSQ seem to the Review Team to be multi-faceted and include failures in leadership and organisational culture and systemic failures in foundational areas like quality assurance and operational capability and capacity (which are, in part, the subject of this Review).'
9.58am
'Everyone gets one': green bin services rolling out across four months in Brisbane
By Catherine Strohfeldt
Green bins are being delivered across Brisbane after the council made garden waste disposal a permanent fixture of citywide waste services, with about 160,000 bins set to arrive at people's homes before the end of the year.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner told ABC Radio Brisbane this morning that during the four-month rollout standalone households would automatically be offered a bin, but could opt out by contacting the council.
'The best way to look at it is [that] just like everyone has access to a yellow top recycling bin, green bins are becoming business as usual – everyone gets one if they want one,' he said.
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Schrinner said green waste diverted from landfill would cut down on the amount the Brisbane City Council paid to the state under Queensland's waste disposal levy, saving between $2 million and $3 million.
'This is a good thing because it reduces the amount of tax we're paying to the state government as a council, and obviously taxes flow on [to residents' rates],' he said.
The change means green bins – which previously cost an additional almost $50 per bin – become a free add-on, while the universal base waste services rate grows by about $50.
9.18am
Queensland mourns passing of state-builder Sir Leo Hielscher
By Felicity Caldwell
Long-serving public servant Sir Leo Hielscher has died, aged 98.
Sir Leo first took a job in the public service at the age of 15 in 1942 and retired from Queensland Treasury Corporation in 2010 at 83 years old, after reporting to 10 premiers and 15 treasurers.
He facilitated the development of Griffith University, Queensland's casino industry and two coal terminals, established the QTC, drove the planning and financing of the first Gateway Bridge, and helped deliver Expo 88 and the 1982 Commonwealth Games.
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The road bridges that carry the Gateway Motorway are named in his honour.
Treasurer David Janetzki said the state had lost the grandfather of modern Queensland with the passing of Sir Leo.
'Sir Leo dedicated more than half a century in the service of Queensland, followed by many more years graciously offering counsel to Treasurers across the political divide and contributing his vast experience to both the public and private sector,' Janetzki said.
'His lifetime of service helped build the modern Queensland we know today and his legacy will live on in the State he leaves behind.'