As it happened: Brisbane on Friday, May 9

The Queensland Audit Office has criticised the former Labor government for delays implementing the North Stradbroke Island Economic Transition Strategy.

The strategy, renamed Minjerribah Futures, was to be delivered by the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation, which was “required to meet many concurrent deliberables and milestones, despite having limited capacity to do so”. Despite expectations of more third-party funding for projects, the state ended up allocating more money.

In a report tabled in parliament today, the QAO said “the original design of the overall program impacted the timely delivery of projects,” and the current LNP government should pay closer attention to progress.

Of the three largest projects, only Minjerribah Ganaba has been completed, the Quandamooka Art Museum and Performance Institute is still under construction, and the Yalingbila Bibula (whale centre) project is on hold pending a redesign.

“Project names have changed over time and there is currently no reconciliation of the projects between the original transition strategy and Minjerribah Futures,” the audit found.

“There is also no current public reporting on the status of funding under Minjerribah Futures.” The government has accepted the recommendations.

Thanks for joining us for our live coverage of the news this Friday. We will have more for you on Monday. In the meantime, take a look back at some of the stories making headlines today:

A potential spate of rate cuts looks set to push up property prices as buyers are set to be able to borrow more money, but any price growth will be limited by affordability constraints.

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley has declared her candidacy to replace Peter Dutton and run the beleaguered party, declaring it had let Australian women down.

In his first major interview since his party’s shattering election loss, Canning MP Andrew Hastie admits the Liberals ran a “bad campaign”.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, a US-born missionary and senior Vatican official, was elected pope on Thursday evening, becoming the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church in its 2000-year history. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.

The new Pope in the Catholic Church’s 2000-year history has shared some sharp commentary on Vice President J.D. Vance’s comments about migrants.

The son of alleged mushroom lunch killer Erin Patterson has described the relationship between his parents as “very negative” and told investigators his father “does a lot of things to try and hurt” his mother.

Senior Macquarie Group bankers including chief executive Shemara Wikramanayake have received a smaller share of profits in response to the corporate watchdog’s move to slap licence conditions on the bank over repeated compliance failings.

Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss has revealed Wallabies outside centre Josh Flook was nearing a shock return from a hamstring injury which has derailed his Super Rugby campaign.

After making his Test debut last year, Flook appeared destined for a breakout season, and was charging towards man of the match honours in his last outing – the round three triumph of the Force in which he scored twice and ran for 64 metres before succumbing.

Kiss, who will welcome back Filipo Daugunu into the No.13 jumper from injury, had previously hinted the 23-year-old may not feature again in Queensland’s premiership pursuit, but suggested that prognosis could change.

“I don’t like to flip coins on these things, however over the last week-and-a-half to two, there’s been some good, positive news. It’s a chance, we’ll just take each week as it comes, but he’s been getting better and better,” Kiss said.

“He’s been so committed to his rehab ... he could be close before the end of the year. Surgery was probably not the best thing, that would’ve made it longer and there’s been a lot of success anecdotally on how these injuries can be rehabbed in this way.

“His mind is in a good space, we just have to keep working on his physical aspects, his contact work and his rugby work. In two weeks time we should have a firmer picture.”

A man has been charged with six offences after police uncovered two knives and handguns during a vehicle search last night.

Police allegedly saw a knife in the centre console of the 25-year-old Annerley man’s car – a white Ford Ranger they deemed “suspicious” – after pulling it up on Lutwyche Road about 7.10pm yesterday.

During a search of the car, officers said they found a loaded 0.22 calibre revolver, an unloaded Glock handgun, another knife, face masks, gloves, a small amount of cannabis and drug-related paraphernalia.

The 25-year-old was held without bail and due to appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court today, as police continued investigations.

Wallabies star Fraser McReight has warned his Reds’ teammates to be on high alert for Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, in what will be the cross-code sensation’s first interstate rivalry clash since his ill-fated State of Origin debut.

The Waratahs’ marquee man lasted just seven minutes into his NSW Blues’ debut last year when he was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Maroons fullback Reece Walsh, before making his Australia Test debut in the 15-man game later in 2024.

Suaalii is firming as a point of difference to the Wallabies side when the British and Irish Lions tour begins, producing a standout performance in a losing side against the Brumbies last week.

Despite the lopsided 40-17 scoreline, Suaalii finished with a try, 113 running metres, two clean breaks and eight tackle busts, and McReight was wary of the threat he possessed if Queensland were to bounce back from their final-minute defeat to Fiji.

“Look at the game on the weekend … he was everywhere. He’s definitely one of their go-to guys if they’re looking to get the momentum back, or stay on top of a team,” McReight said.

“I think putting him in certain positions and finding grass or putting it out, I think that’s what we have to do and make sure we exit really well. Against Fiji, we didn’t do that two or three times and that cost us two tries.

“Being able to exit, especially against the stars in their team who can hurt us, that’s really crucial.”

Broncos coach Michael Maguire has not provided a timeline on when Ezra Mam will return to the NRL fold, adamant that ascent will only come when he is ready to attain the form which had him on the cusp of a State of Origin berth.

Mam’s nine-game suspension following a drug-driving related incident that caused a car crash has ended, but instead of lining up against the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday night will join the Souths Logan Magpies in Queensland Cup on Saturday.

Brisbane will be seeking to bounce back from a horror Magic Round performance against the Penrith Panthers, but Maguire said Mam would not be rushed in before he was ready.

“Let’s see how he plays. He’s done a lot of work in the background. For any player who hasn’t played in four or five months, you can’t just think you’re going to come out,” Maguire said.

“You respect the game when you’re playing at the highest level, you have to be on every play. We learned that in our last game that every play matters, and when you haven’t been out there and practiced little movements … teams are going to try to put pressure on you.

“I also know what he can do on the field when he’s at his best, and one thing I do know is the fans will get behind him. They’ve had the joys of him being able to do some great things on the field.

“He’s gone through what he has and learned a lot from that, and he’s not the first young person to make a mistake.”

A jewellery store in Lutwyche Road was broken into mid-afternoon yesterday, with armed robbers using axes and hammers to smash cabinets while customers and staff remained in the store.

Police said the group of intruders left the property with a large quantity of jewellery, and one customer suffered minor injuries from broken glass.

Nine reported the group then left the family-owned store in a stolen vehicle.

The store owner told Today that he was initially inside the store, and attempted to trap the thieves in the store by locking the store’s glass front doors while they were inside.

“I was totally blind, I couldn’t think anything,” he said, adding his daughter and wife were inside the family-owned store during the break-in.

“[My family] are really bad [this morning], we couldn’t sleep last night … the images keep coming on my mind.”

Police said investigations were continuing.

A potential spate of rate cuts looks set to push up property prices as buyers are set to be able to borrow more money, but any price growth will be limited by affordability constraints.

NAB this week forecast the official cash rate to fall to 2.6 per cent within 12 months, and is the most bullish of the big four banks. Other major banks expect the official cash rate will sit at 3.5 per cent by the end of 2025.

The recent election could also provide a boost, said BresicWhitney chief executive Thomas McGlynn.

Most of Australia’s capital cities remain below record highs, on Cotality data.Credit: Max Mason-Hubers

“The fact that a majority government brings stability politically to the country … and then if we start to see interest rates come down dramatically, I think those two things combined will bring energy to the property market,” he said.

While prospective home buyers could see more certainty and increased borrowing power, they may also see higher prices from a buoyed market.

Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth are the only cities where the dwelling market is at a record high.

Read the full report here.

Affordable Art Fair is in full swing at the Brisbane Showgrounds all weekend, with the opportunity to view art, speak directly to the artists, and leave with something you love under your arm.

A mural by street artist Sofles at Northshore Hamilton.Credit: Brisbane Street Art Festival

Large-scale murals are popping up across town with the return of the Brisbane Street Art Festival in its 10th year. Head to Northshore, DFO Brisbane or the CBD’s Midtown Centre to see work by famous street artists including Fintan Magee, Sofles and Simon Degroot.

The Strauss Gala on Saturday night and Sunday morning at the Concert Hall, QPAC, celebrates the beloved Viennese waltzes of the German composer, such as The Blue Danube. The Queensland Symphony Orchestra performs under the baton of Budapest-born Gábor Káli.

Trump’s film-tariff threat puts a pall over Gold Coast film production, but show your support by attending the last weekend of the Gold Coast Film Festival at HOTA, Surfers Paradise.

Iranian folk musician Heydoo Hedayati, famous for fusing the traditional and modern, promises an evocative performance at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday night.

And don’t forget to call, hug and generally spoil the maternal influence in your life on Sunday for Mother’s Day. Eat Street Northshore is opening at noon and offering a complimentary glass of bubbles for the first 250 mums through the doors.

PsiQuantum, the company behind plans for a powerful quantum computer set to be built near the Brisbane Airport, has put in an order for what they say will be the most powerful refrigerator in Queensland.

The company has touted the cryogenic plant – more than 3000sqm in size – as one of the largest ever commissioned for quantum computing, and the order from Linde Engineering as a major milestone.

A cryogenic plant similar to the one that will be commissioned for Brisbane’s quantum computer.Credit: PsiQuantum

While competitor quantum computers operate at temperatures in the millikelvin range, just fractions of a degree above absolute zero, the German manufacturer’s cryoplant will cool the system to 4 Kelvin (-269C), about 100 times warmer.

“This is a fundamental scaling advantage and a key reason we are able to move rapidly toward utility-scale quantum computing,” PsiQuantum CEO and co-founder Jeremy O’Brien said.

Before Labor was defeated at the state election, leader Steven Miles and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a $940 million funding deal for the project in Brisbane.

Treasurer David Janetzki has not committed to seeing the deal through. “The government is reviewing the deal between the previous Labor government and PsiQuantum,” he said yesterday.

Fire ant nests have been found on the Sunshine Coast, prompting an alert for the invasive species.

National fire ant eradication program officers killed the nests on Tuesday, after they were found in Forest Glen by a local the day before.

Officers have begun sweeping a 500-metre radius around the site, and called on the community to remain vigilant.

Fire ants are primarily found in a rough triangle between the Moreton region, Gold Coast, and Lockyer Valley, with the eradication program treating grounds around these infested areas to prevent further spread.

During Cyclone Alfred, fire ants were spotted making rafts and travelling with floodwater, prompting concerns from communities in northern NSW.