Key posts
- ‘They want to play outside’: Council destroys kids’ bike jumps
- Premier leaves door open for Star tax relief
- Brisbane City Council cancels Beam e-scooter contract
- Dreamworld tiger attack leaves woman in hospital
- Brisbane markets founder Jan Power dies
- The Brisbane area where house prices have jumped 25.5 per cent
- House prices soaring in Brisbane, but falling in other cities
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yesterday
‘They want to play outside’: Council destroys kids’ bike jumps
By Marissa Calligeros
Brisbane City Council has destroyed bike jumps made by children in a suburban park in the city’s south over safety concerns, angering parents.
Residents complained to the council about “holes being dug and timber palings installed” at Johnston Street Park in Bulimba that had created “dangerous and uneven surfaces”, the council’s chair for environment and parks Tracy Davis said.
“Makeshift jumps and drops can be incredibly dangerous for people and can also impact the environment and wildlife, which is why these holes were filled and educational signage installed at the site,” Davis said.
“There are 32 parks across Brisbane that offer BMX facilities for riders of all ages, and a new pump track will also open in Victoria Park at Herston later this year.”
But Bulimba parent Julie Ritchey told the ABC rules and regulations were creating barriers for children who wanted to play outside.
“What I see when I see those boys out here is creativity, collaboration, they’re working together, listening to each other’s ideas and building something bigger than themselves,” she said.
The council received 11 compensation claims for injuries caused by playground-related equipment, uneven surfaces and slippery surfaces in the last financial year.
Two of those were “report only”, meaning no money changed hands.
In the past six years, across 2100 playgrounds, there have been 12 reported injuries.
Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Latest posts
yesterday
Today’s headlines
Thank you for joining us on this Monday. A cool change is predicted for Brisbane tomorrow, after scorching temperatures marked the end of winter.
Here is what made headlines today:
Childcare rapist, Ashley Paul Griffith, has admitted to more than 300 charges in a Brisbane court, in front of dozen of victims’ family members. It took three hours to read out each of the charges.
Brisbane City Council has cancelled its Beam e-scooter contract amid a ‘ghost scooter’ controversy.
A Dreamworld employee who was mauled this morning while walking a tiger has been described as one of the theme park’s more experienced handlers.
Tributes are flowing for Brisbane farmers’ market mogul Jan Power who died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday night, aged 85.
The next 24 hours will be crucial for casino operator Star Entertainment as it fights the clock to stave off financial collapse only days after opening its Queens Wharf venue in Brisbane.
Business columnist Elizabeth Knight writes: “The bottom line is [Star’s chief executive-elect Steve McCann] needs to have someone inject some money into Star, enough to keep the doors open until he can attract the cost base and sell assets.”
And, we look back at the Broncos’ season after it ended in a heap on Saturday. What went wrong for the Broncos, and can coach Kevin Walters orchestrate a 2025 revival?
yesterday
‘They want to play outside’: Council destroys kids’ bike jumps
By Marissa Calligeros
Brisbane City Council has destroyed bike jumps made by children in a suburban park in the city’s south over safety concerns, angering parents.
Residents complained to the council about “holes being dug and timber palings installed” at Johnston Street Park in Bulimba that had created “dangerous and uneven surfaces”, the council’s chair for environment and parks Tracy Davis said.
“Makeshift jumps and drops can be incredibly dangerous for people and can also impact the environment and wildlife, which is why these holes were filled and educational signage installed at the site,” Davis said.
“There are 32 parks across Brisbane that offer BMX facilities for riders of all ages, and a new pump track will also open in Victoria Park at Herston later this year.”
But Bulimba parent Julie Ritchey told the ABC rules and regulations were creating barriers for children who wanted to play outside.
“What I see when I see those boys out here is creativity, collaboration, they’re working together, listening to each other’s ideas and building something bigger than themselves,” she said.
The council received 11 compensation claims for injuries caused by playground-related equipment, uneven surfaces and slippery surfaces in the last financial year.
Two of those were “report only”, meaning no money changed hands.
In the past six years, across 2100 playgrounds, there have been 12 reported injuries.
Tell us what you think in the comments below.
yesterday
Premier leaves door open for Star tax relief
By Cameron Atfield
Queensland Premier Steven Miles has left the door open to provide additional tax breaks to the embattled Star Entertainment Group, just days after it opened its $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf casino and entertainment precinct.
Star requested a trading halt on the Australian Stock Exchange on Friday and, this morning, the ASX suspended Star from trading.
Speaking in Hervey Bay this morning, Miles said his government was in “ongoing discussions” with Star about its tax arrangements, but it was too soon to speculate on outcomes.
“We’ve been working with Star to ensure that Queen’s Wharf Brisbane could open last week, and to ensure that they continue to remain viable – that’s really important,” he said.
“There’s 1400 Queenslanders who will work at Queen’s Wharf Brisbane and we want them to have jobs and be able to provide for their families.
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“It’s too soon to say what arrangements we might make with Star, but we will ensure, of course, that they make the contribution to Queensland that they committed to when we signed that contract.
“That includes delivering Queen’s Wharf Brisbane, delivering the surrounding public realm, including the [Neville Bonner] bridge, and delivering those 1400 jobs as well as a revenue return to the state.”
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Treasurer says he’s not blaming RBA for state of economy
By Millie Muroi
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has pushed back against reports that he has shifted blame for slowing economic growth onto RBA governor Michele Bullock, saying comments he made overnight were not new.
Yesterday Chalmers said the RBA was “smashing the economy” with its rate hikes.
“With all this global uncertainty on top of the impact of rate rises, which are smashing the economy, it would be no surprise at all if the national accounts on Wednesday show growth is soft and subdued,” Chalmers said.
But today, the Treasurer said he had “a lot of respect and regard” for Bullock and that they compared notes and communicated frequently.
“We have the same objectives when it comes to fighting inflation, but we’ve got different responsibilities,” he said.
“[My comments are] not taking a shot at anyone, that’s just recognising the facts of our economy right now,” he said.
“I don’t second guess decisions taken by the independent Reserve Bank. I don’t preempt future decisions that they might make.”
He said slower economic growth was an “inevitable consequence” of higher interest rates and global economic uncertainty.
“We know that conditions in the economy are pretty weak nationally,” he said. “We already know that retail is soft, household savings have come off, and the unemployment rate has ticked up.”
yesterday
Search continues for missing NSW woman in far north Qld
By AAP
The search is continuing for a missing woman suspected to be near an iconic far north Queensland walking track.
Jamilla Humphrey, 52, was last seen leaving a house in Toukley on the NSW central coast on August 20.
Police on Thursday tracked down a white Mitsubishi van believed to have been driven by Humphrey on the Old Telegraph Track, near Cape York.
A search and rescue operation kicked off on Sunday, with State Emergency Service crews, Heathland Indigenous Rangers and a chartered helicopter all assisting police in the hunt.
SES officials were also expected to conduct a search along the Jardine River.
Humphrey is about 180cm tall, of fair complexion and thin build with blonde shoulder-length hair, and blue eyes.
She was last seen wearing a green jacket and long khaki pants.
yesterday
Major highway to remain closed after fiery crash
By AAP
The Bruce Highway may remain closed for days after a fatal crash resulted in an explosion, leaving a crater in the road.
The male driver of a ute died in the fiery head-on collision with a B-double semi-trailer near Bororen in central Queensland, early on Friday.
The truck was carrying 42.5 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a chemical commonly used in fertilisers.
A section of the highway between Gin Gin and Calliope has been closed since Friday and is expected to remain shut off to motorists for days.
Transport Minister Bart Mellish said his department would look to reopen the road to a single or dual-lane operation over the “next couple of days”.
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Dolphins to fight Kaufusi ban at NRL judiciary
Turning to some NRL news following the Dolphins’ demolition of the Broncos in the Battle of Brisbane on Saturday:
The Dolphins will roll the dice at the NRL judiciary, risking a lengthier ban for experienced forward Felise Kaufusi in an attempt to have him available for their do-or-die clash with Newcastle.
Facing a controversial two-match ban for his late shot on Broncos captain Adam Reynolds, Kaufusi has elected to try and downgrade the charge from a grade two to a grade one.
If successful, Kaufusi will be able to pay a fine and play in Sunday’s game, where the winner will wrap up eighth spot and advance to the finals.
But the call comes with a risk, given Kaufusi’s ban will extend to a third match if unsuccessful on Tuesday night.
with AAP
yesterday
‘Highly premature’: Beam e-scooter company slams council
By Tony Moore
Here is the response from e-scooter company to Brisbane City Council’s decision to cancel its contract amid claims it was running 500 more scooters than its contract allowed:
We disagree with the reported assertions and claims made by BCC on this matter and believe council’s findings are highly premature. We will now be reviewing our options.
“As previously announced, Beam has appointed external advisers to manage an independent audit process, to examine the issues that have been raised regarding Beam’s fleet management system.”
“Beam takes its obligations regarding fleet management seriously and is determined to work with its council partners on these issues.”
yesterday
Brisbane City Council cancels Beam e-scooter contract
By Tony Moore
Brisbane City Council has cancelled its contact with e-scooter company Beam Mobility amid allegations the company secretly put 500 more e-scooters on Brisbane streets than its contract allows to attract extra profit.
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A month-long Brisbane City Council investigation found Beam did not report the correct number of e-scooters on 222,975 occasions between 21 July 2023 and 22 July 2024.
On average Beam placed around 500 extra e-scooters each day in popular locations, exceeding their cap by more than 27 per cent, and owes Brisbane City Council $330,000 in unpaid fees, the investigation found.
The company says Brisbane City Council has reacted without properly investigating the allegations, which have also been raised in Auckland and been referred to police.
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yesterday
Teenager mugged at knifepoint, forced to hand over bike
A 17-year-old boy was threatened with a knife and had his bike stolen in North Lakes last week, police said this morning, as they urged witnesses to come forward.
The teenager was riding along Memorial Drive near the intersection of Diamond Jubilee, with another boy who was walking, when the pair were approached by two males on bikes.
One had a knife, and took the bike before fleeing westbound along Memorial Drive, towards Discovery Drive, police said.
Police are looking for witnesses, especially a man in a green hi-vis shirt who was riding his bike past the robbery and helped the victim afterwards.
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