Latest news with #SurfersParadise
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Lives will be saved': Family of murdered teen speaks out
Laws giving police the power to scan anyone in public with a metal detector have been expanded and made permanent in Queensland. The expanded legislation came into effect on Friday, and the laws are named after 17-year-old Jack Beasley who was fatally stabbed in 2019. 'Jack's Law is now permanent, and police can use these scanners across the State, not just in Safe Night Precincts and other previously prescribed places,' Police Minister Dan Purdie said. 'This is about giving police the tools they need to detect and deter knife crime, and prevent more families from living through the heartbreak the Beasleys have endured.' Jack was killed on a night out at Surfers Paradise. Since then, his parents Belinda and Brett have pushed for reform. 'We made a promise to Jack that we'd make sure something good came from this tragedy, and now, thanks to this law, lives will be saved,' Mr Beasley said. 'We'll never know whose life is saved because someone was caught with a knife before they could use it, but that's the power of this law. It works.' Belinda Beasley said the expansion meant Jack's legacy lived on. 'Jack's Law is for every young person and every family who deserves to feel safe,' she said. 'We're incredibly grateful to the police, and to the Crisafulli Government that has listened and acted.' Trials of Jack's Law began in April 2023 under the previous Labor government. Government figures show since then, 1190 weapons have been seized, 3248 people have been arrested, almost 6000 charges have been laid and more than 122,000 people have been scanned. During the election campaign, then-opposition leader David Crisufalli promised to make the trial of Jack's Law permanent. The expanded, and now enshrined laws, allow police to randomly detain any person to search them with a metal detector, without the requirement that they are reasonably suspected of committing a crime. A state-funded report into the laws cautioned Queenslanders could be subjected to 'stereotypes and discrimination', 'surveillance and harassment' and a 'small number of officers' were wanding people because of 'non-offending behaviours', such as being in groups. Following Jack's death, five teenage boys aged between 15 and 18 at the time were charged; three were acquitted of manslaughter at a judge-only trial. A 17-year-old male pleaded guilty to murder, and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison but will only serve seven. A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Queensland law expanded allowing police to scan anyone in public with metal detectors
Laws giving police the power to scan anyone in public with a metal detector have been expanded and made permanent in Queensland. The expanded legislation came into effect on Friday, and the laws are named after 17-year-old Jack Beasley who was fatally stabbed in 2019. 'Jack's Law is now permanent, and police can use these scanners across the State, not just in Safe Night Precincts and other previously prescribed places,' Police Minister Dan Purdie said. 'This is about giving police the tools they need to detect and deter knife crime, and prevent more families from living through the heartbreak the Beasleys have endured.' Jack was killed on a night out at Surfers Paradise. Since then, his parents Belinda and Brett have pushed for reform. 'We made a promise to Jack that we'd make sure something good came from this tragedy, and now, thanks to this law, lives will be saved,' Mr Beasley said. 'We'll never know whose life is saved because someone was caught with a knife before they could use it, but that's the power of this law. It works.' Belinda Beasley said the expansion meant Jack's legacy lived on. 'Jack's Law is for every young person and every family who deserves to feel safe,' she said. 'We're incredibly grateful to the police, and to the Crisafulli Government that has listened and acted.' Trials of Jack's Law began in April 2023 under the previous Labor government. Government figures show since then, 1190 weapons have been seized, 3248 people have been arrested, almost 6000 charges have been laid and more than 122,000 people have been scanned. During the election campaign, then-opposition leader David Crisufalli promised to make the trial of Jack's Law permanent. The expanded, and now enshrined laws, allow police to randomly detain any person to search them with a metal detector, without the requirement that they are reasonably suspected of committing a crime. A state-funded report into the laws cautioned Queenslanders could be subjected to 'stereotypes and discrimination', 'surveillance and harassment' and a 'small number of officers' were wanding people because of 'non-offending behaviours', such as being in groups. Following Jack's death, five teenage boys aged between 15 and 18 at the time were charged; three were acquitted of manslaughter at a judge-only trial. A 17-year-old male pleaded guilty to murder, and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison but will only serve seven. A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Aussies lash out at drivers over an infuriating act on the road
Aussies have lashed a group of drivers who appeared to block the path of an ambulance flashing its lights and sirens as it tried to move through an intersection. Rows of cars were banked up behind a red light on the Gold Coast Highway at Cypress Avenue in Surfers Paradise, while an ambulance desperately tried to pass. The paramedics, accompanied by an emergency motorcycle, had already travelled about 50m through the traffic jam. Cars further down the road had already moved toward the edges of their lanes to allow the ambulance through. However, the cars at the front of the queue barely moved, blocking the emergency vehicle's path as they waited for the light to turn green. The ambulance managed to eventually pass when a turning lane light went green, allowing it to skirt around traffic. The footage was uploaded to Facebook, with countless Aussies slamming the drivers who weren't quick enough to get out of the way. 'The issue is that no one gets out the way, including those vehicles not directly in front of the (ambulance),' one viewer wrote. 'How would you like it if the (ambulance) was late to your relative because they waited for the lights to go green?' 'This infuriates me. Lights and sirens means just move safely out of the f***ing way,' another said. 'It's painful,' another agreed. 'The only time drivers are worried they'll get a ticket for going through a red light,' wrote one. An emergency driving instructor said the ambulance 'should turn off their siren and wait'. 'Should a collision occur as a result of their action they are potentially liable,' they said. 'In the situation they're in there, it is likely they will absorb so much of the other drivers' attention that few if any will notice when the light changes, creating a longer delay and greater risk than waiting patiently.' A highway patrol officer and high speed driving instructor disagreed. 'It is a condition of your driver's licence to make way for emergency vehicles,' he said. 'Personally, I think the the driver did a fantastic job, and the public were able to make a safe - although slow - thoroughfare. Some confusion, no doubt. 'It must have been an urgent enough job to continue - (like a) cardiac arrest - where seconds count. Well done to the driver, and well done to the public for abiding by their conditions of licence and creating safe passage.' Motorists are advised to 'merge left or proceed through the red light only if it is safe to do so,' according to Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. Inhibiting the progress of emergency vehicles carries tough penalties in Queensland. They include $389 fines for moving into the path of an emergency vehicle, and failing to move out of the way of a vehicle with its sirens on. Drivers can also cop $500 fines for unsafely passing a lit-up and parked emergency vehicle.
ABC News
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Gen X clubbers, the original rave generation of the 90s, reclaim the dance floor
It's 3pm on a Saturday in the heart of Surfers Paradise and hundreds of middle-aged revellers are getting ready to party like it's 1999, but they have no intention of staying up until midnight. These 90s kids are the original rave generation and while they might be hitting their 50s, they are still keen to hit the dance floor. Day clubbing events are aimed at the over-30 partygoer and tend to play music from the 70s to the 2000s. But one of their biggest drawcards is that they usually finish by 8pm. Dance lover Dave Maguire, 62, is a builder on weekdays but on weekends he hits the day clubs with a group of friends ranging from their 40s to their early 60s. "After dancing for five hours I'm heading back to Brisbane and in bed by 10pm," he said. "The magic of dancing is that it reminds me of being back in my glory days when I had less responsibilities. Nick Shaw, founder of Studio 38, so called because its events run from 3pm until 8pm, said he first started a day club in Brisbane in July 2024 to fill a gap in the market. Coming of age in London in the 90s, he was at the heart of the rave scene. "I loved going out to clubs and partying with my friends but as I got older, the other people got younger and I didn't enjoy it anymore," Mr Shaw said. The feedback he gets from daytime clubbers is clear. "You can go out and have fun all afternoon and you're home by 9 o'clock at night," he said. Mr Shaw said there were now four or five other operators holding regular events across Australia. Some are women only, others are alcohol free, but what many have in common is their popularity with women in their 40s and 50s. Jenny Parker, 51, is among the hundreds attending the Gold Coast day club event. She said the only thing about her social life that had changed since the 90s was her bedtime. "I don't feel any different than I did back then, but I'd rather be at home in bed by 9pm than out till 5 in the morning. Ms Parker said her generation X friends were showing no signs of hanging up their dancing shoes. "I'm here as part of a crowd of about 20 women and we're out every time there's an event like this," she said. The rise in day clubbing's popularity could be because generation X — now aged between 40 and 60 — is aging differently from previous generations, according to demographer Simon Kuestenmacher. "[Generation X] grew up watching their parents work themselves to death and figured there must be a better way of balancing work and life," Mr Kuestenmacher said. "When we talk about daytime clubbing, this is gen X realising there is more to life than just work and they might as well live it up. "Why wouldn't they continue to do this?" The refusal to grow old gracefully may be a good thing. Bond University exercise scientist and behavioural researcher Justin Keogh has studied the health benefits of dancing for older adults. "Most forms of dance are social in some capacity so you're meeting a whole range of people, those benefits are huge. "Cognitively, dance is quite a complex motor skill that requires lots of connections between the brain, spinal cord, the muscles and the nerves." Along with the music, Dave Maguire loves seeing his steps rack up on the dancefloor. "I punch out 37,000 steps in five hours and I'm home in bed by 10pm," he said. "[Then I can] get up for a bike ride at 4:30am." Whether it is the benefits of dancing, socialising or the nostalgia of reliving the glory days, the people here agree there are few downsides.
Daily Mail
11-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE David Campese: Rugby league takeover has ruined union with no-arms tackles and a 'bash fest' - and no wonder Owen Farrell got a Lions call-up
David Campese is holding court in the bar at his home on the Gold Coast. On the top floor, we look out across the booming skyline they call Surfer's Paradise. 'The tape marks from the window are from a massive storm we had earlier this year,' he explains. 'You tape them up to stop them from shattering.'
