As it happened: Brisbane on Tuesday, May 13

As Anthony Albanese’s new ministry is sworn in, the counting of votes continues.

This morning, Greens MP for Ryan, Elizabeth Watson-Brown, claimed victory in her Brisbane seat.

Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown is winning the race for second that will determine the seat of Ryan.Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt

While we haven’t called the seat (myself and fellow seat caller Matt Wade are waiting on some absentee votes this morning), Watson-Brown is certainly in the box seat to be the only Green left in the House of Representatives.

She has a nearly 600-vote lead over Labor’s Rebecca Hack for second place behind LNP candidate Maggie Forrest. Whoever comes second in the primary vote in Ryan will win the seat.

In a statement, Watson-Brown said she would be an independent voice for Ryan voters.

“This term, we have one of the most progressive Senates we’ve ever had, an opportunity for real progressive reform. There is no excuse now for Labor to resist real reform to help people and nature,” she said.

“The Greens are ready to push Labor to take stronger action on the climate, housing and cost-of-living crises.”

Thanks for joining us for live coverage of today’s news. We’ll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, catch up on some of the stories that made headlines in Brisbane today:

A 36-year-old mother has been charged with murder after a horror house fire in Toowoomba in which three of her children died.

A man accused of killing his flatmate and keeping her body in a toolbox on their Hamilton balcony for months while stealing her family’s money has been found guilty of murder.

A toll or levy for motorists using Story Bridge has been threatened as Brisbane City Council prepares to make another bid for state and federal funding to complete “significant” restoration work.

Sussan Ley has celebrated her historic victory as the first woman to lead the federal Liberal Party, praising Angus Taylor and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and paying tribute to her terminally ill mother.

Queensland Labor MP Jimmy Sullivan, the member for Stafford, has been expelled from the party and is expected to join the crossbench as an independent.

And the case of a post on X that made its way into the Administrative Review Tribunal has caught the attention of the Trump administration, which is accusing Australia – among other countries – of coercing American technology companies into egregious censorship.

A mother has been charged with murder after a horror house fire in which three of her children died.

The 36-year-old woman had been airlifted to a Brisbane hospital in a critical condition and placed under police guard after the family home went up in flames.

Neighbours helped six people escape the Toowoomba home, west of Brisbane, when it burst into flames in the early hours of May 7.

Police at the scene of the fatal house fire in Toowoomba.Credit: AAPIMAGE

A body, believed to be the woman’s nine-year-old son, was found in the charred remains.

Two of the woman’s daughters, aged four and seven, later died of their injuries after being airlifted to a Brisbane hospital.

Read the full story.

A man accused of killing his flatmate and keeping her body in a toolbox for months while stealing her family’s money has been found guilty of murder.

Yang Zhao, 30, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Qiong Yan, 29, in September 2020 at their inner-Brisbane apartment.

Yang Zhao, killed his flatmate Qiong Yan at their Hamilton apartment and left her body in a box on the balcony for 10 months.

Yan’s mother wept as Zhao was found guilty of murder after a Supreme Court jury spent just two hours deliberating following the two-week trial.

Read the full story.

In case you missed it, Sussan Ley has been elected to lead the Liberal Party, winning an internal ballot 29 votes to 25.

The member for Farrer in NSW, which runs along the Victorian border, was backed by party moderates, but she is personally associated with the small centre-right faction of MP Alex Hawke and formerly Scott Morrison.

She pitched herself to colleagues as a centrist reformer, but her authority will be tested in a divided party room with difficult choices to make in key policy areas such as nuclear power.

Sunshine Coast MP Ted O’Brien has been elected as deputy leader, beating out his rival, Townsville-based Phillip Thompson.

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who withdrew her candidacy as deputy after Angus Taylor lost his leadership bid, was spotted a short time ago with some political allies in Taylor’s office.

Catch up on all the developments happening around Australia with our live blog of national news.

As Anthony Albanese’s new ministry is sworn in, the counting of votes continues.

This morning, Greens MP for Ryan, Elizabeth Watson-Brown, claimed victory in her Brisbane seat.

Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown is winning the race for second that will determine the seat of Ryan.Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt

While we haven’t called the seat (myself and fellow seat caller Matt Wade are waiting on some absentee votes this morning), Watson-Brown is certainly in the box seat to be the only Green left in the House of Representatives.

She has a nearly 600-vote lead over Labor’s Rebecca Hack for second place behind LNP candidate Maggie Forrest. Whoever comes second in the primary vote in Ryan will win the seat.

In a statement, Watson-Brown said she would be an independent voice for Ryan voters.

“This term, we have one of the most progressive Senates we’ve ever had, an opportunity for real progressive reform. There is no excuse now for Labor to resist real reform to help people and nature,” she said.

“The Greens are ready to push Labor to take stronger action on the climate, housing and cost-of-living crises.”

The man suspected of being armed in a residence at Bridgeman Downs this morning, forcing a police response and leading to a lockdown encompassing several streets, has been taken into custody.

Police have revoked the emergency declaration from earlier today, and reopened the neighbourhood. The police service says there is no ongoing threat to the public.

The suspect is now being interviewed by police officers.

Insurance claims following ex-tropical cyclone Alfred and earlier floods in northern Queensland have totalled over $1.5 billion, says the Insurance Council of Australia.

The council said claims from the extreme weather events were being prioritised by insurers, with over 125,000 lodged to date.

Average claims were valued at $23,000 for damage from the North Queensland floods and $10,000 from ex-tropical cyclone Alfred, but the vast majority of claims came from the second weather event.

Insurance companies received fewer than 350 claims from flooding in western Queensland following rains from ex-tropical cyclone Dianne.

Insurance Council of Australia CEO Andrew Hall encouraged anyone affected by the extreme weather to make sure they had made a claim.

“Rising claims numbers and closure rates are a sure sign that recovery in extreme weather impacted communities is progressing well,” he said.

Footpaths on the Story Bridge are item number one on the Brisbane City Council’s to-do list for the 85-year-old structure’s restoration, but repairs could still drag out to the end of the year.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner told ABC Radio routine inspections had forced the unexpected closure, not damage from ex-tropical cyclone Alfred.

“We’ve done a lot of work, in recent times just to really test the strength of the footpath,” Schrinner said.

“It’s actually 10 centimetres thick, including 7.5cm of concrete deck and 2.5cm of asphalt overlay… and some of those panels are 85 years old, dating back to the original.”

The Story Bridge footpaths on the day they closed in March.Credit: William Davis

He added steel reinforcements inside the path had begun rusting, forming cracks in the concrete and forcing the closure.

Schrinner said tests last year had outlined the footpath would need to be fixed within five years, and council had a contract underway, with works to begin “in a matter of weeks”.

“We want to get at least one side of the bridge reopened this year, but it’s a significant job because ultimately, those concrete panels will need to be all replaced,” he said.

The council wants state and federal funding for a 15-year restoration project on the bridge, warning that the structure has begun approaching the end of its usable life.

A toll or levy for motorists using Story Bridge has been discussed as Brisbane City Council prepares to make another bid for state and federal funding to complete “significant” restoration work.

An independent report commissioned by the council found the 85-year-old structure required a 15-year period of continued work.

Restoration work of Story Bridge in Brisbane.Credit: Brisbane City Council

While Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner told 4BC’s Peter Fegan a toll or levy was a “100 per cent no from council”, costs for repairs exceeded the budget.

He said the council could be forced to consider options, including an annual rates levy, toll or private sponsorship to fund the restoration without government help.

“We’ve already completed a portion of the restoration work but every bit of work we did discovered more corrosion and more damage to the bridge,” Schrinner said.

Restoration work for the bridge.Credit: Brisbane City Council

“There’s maintenance workers on the bridge every day … but what we’re doing now is switching from maintenance to restoration.”

Schrinner said he spoke to Premier David Crisafulli yesterday and was confident the council would see a good outcome.

The council also asked for federal funding on a $4.5 million business case for the bridge’s restoration last year, receiving $2.25 from the commonwealth.

An armed man is believed to be in a residence at Bridgeman Downs, with police surrounding the premises and neighbours warned to stay indoors.

The exclusion zone in Bridgeman Downs.Credit: QPS

Queensland police made an emergency declaration just after 7am, locking down the area within Trouts Road, Albany Creek Road, Beckett Road and Hamilton Road.

Motorists have been warned to avoid the area.

“At this time there have been no reports of any injuries or any shots fired,” police said in a statement.

Anyone with information can phone Policelink on 13 14 44, or CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.