As it happened: Brisbane on March 5

Thanks for joining us today. That’s where we’ll leave our live updates until tomorrow. Here are some headlines you might have missed:

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David Sharaz, Brittany Higgins and Linda Reynolds arrive at court in Perth for mediation in their defamation row.Credit: Trevor Collens

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Ezra Mam accused Roosters prop Spencer Leniu of directing a racial slur at him.Credit: Getty

The Brisbane Racing Club has hit back at the Greens’ plan to resume Eagle Farm Racecourse for council-owned social and affordable housing, accusing the party of being on a crusade to ban the sport.

In a letter to members today, after Greens lord mayoral candidate Jonathan Sriranganathan announced his party’s policy, BRC chief executive Tony Partridge said his club had been targeted due to an ideological opposition to horse racing.

Sriranganathan has been critical of horse racing, having previously described the Melbourne Cup carnival as a “cruelty spectacle”.

“We expect a major political party to continue to govern Brisbane City Council after March 16, but we thought it was important to remind you that the Greens’ attack on your club is not just about affordable housing, it’s about their desire to shut down racing,” Partridge said.

He said BRC generated $150 million a year in economic activity, and the racecourse, along with the neighbouring Doomben Racecourse, was a vital employment hub.

“The BRC understands that Brisbane City Council does not have the power to resume land for housing in the way that the Greens propose,” he said. “But the Greens’ proposals have never been based on reality. They despise horse racing and are clear in their desire to ban our sport.”

In other news out of parliament this morning, Premier Steven Miles says he has written to the state’s lobbying watchdog to check his actions were above board after meetings with a former cabinet colleague.

Former tourism minister Kate Jones’ job as a “specialist consultant” for recently registered lobbying firm Akin Agency was first reported by News Corp at the weekend, along with details of several meetings she’d held with former Labor colleagues.

Former Labor minister Kate Jones.Credit: Oscar Colman

Akin managing director Kate Lord was reported to have defended the firm’s actions and complied with all government requirements. Today, Jones released a statement saying she had decided to quit to avoid distracting her other board and charitable work.

Jones said she started doing “part time strategic communications and media work” for the public affairs company last year and was not employed as a lobbyist, nor undertook lobbying activity.

Questioned about the matter by the LNP in parliament, Miles said he had written to the Integrity Commissioner since the weekend to ask, “with the utmost of caution”, if he’d made the proper disclosures in his diaries for the three meetings he had attended with Jones.

Hundreds of Brisbane foodies have braved the rain this morning to try the famous Californian burgers from In-N-Out, with some cancelling their plans to get a taste of the action.

The pop-up store, at Fortitude Valley’s Sound Garden, is in Brisbane for just one day from 9am to 3pm, and had already served more than 300 customers by midday.

Hundreds showed up at Californian burgers In-N-Out’s pop-up store at Fortitude Valley’s Sound Garden on Tuesday.Credit: Kristen Camp

Said one of the many who turned up: “When my wife told me at 8.45 that at 9am in Fortitude Valley there was an In-N-Out pop-up, I’m like, mate, whatever we’re doing, it’s cancelled – we’re coming in.”

In-N-Out’s Double-Double burger.Credit: Kristen Camp

It’s the second time In-N-Out has given Brisbane residents a taste of their burgers, having held a similar event in 2020.

“It’s part of our global marketing tour. The first customer actually showed up at 6.30am,” said Luis Hernendez, the store’s manager of special foreign events.

“Our pop-ups are very popular. Every time we come to Australia, we’re always busy,” he said.

“There’s no immediate timeframe of opening up a [permanent] location, but we do gauge these pop-ups, and it’s just a super successful day so far.”

Police have launched a public appeal for information as they investigate the sudden death of a baby boy from Bundaberg.

At 5.18pm on February 26, an ambulance took the four-month-old from an Electra Street, Bundaberg West home to the Bundaberg Hospital.

The baby was airlifted to the Queensland Children’s Hospital early the next day. He died there on March 3.

Detectives from Bundaberg Child Protection and Investigation unit and specialist police from Crime and Intelligence Command’s child trauma unit have begun an investigation, and have launched a public appeal for information as they piece together the events leading up to the boy’s death.

People can report information anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale has declared he was raring to cast aside a disrupted preseason come round one against Carlton, having got through “the minutes that I needed” on the comeback trail from minor groin surgery.

Lachie Neale of the Lions in action during the 2023 AFL Grand Final.Credit: Getty

The reigning Brownlow Medal winner suggested while his role would not change over the course of the AFL season’s opening exchanges, his minutes may be limited from his usual output in his bid to return to full fitness, having had limited game time in the preseason simulations.

“I don’t think my role will change too much, but I might spin it a little bit more than usual. We’ve got that bye early on which is nice, so maybe the first two I might manage my minutes a little bit, but it won’t change too much,” Neale said.

“I feel fit, I’ve got a lot of kilometres in over the last few months and I’m ready to go.”

Queenslanders’ recent habit of early voting, turbocharged during the COVID pandemic, shows little sign of abating as they prepare to vote in new councils across the state.

The Electoral Commission of Queensland said that, on day one of voting yesterday, almost 70,000 votes had been cast in local government elections.

Voters lining up to cast their ballots early in the Queensland local government elections at Brisbane City Hall this morning.Credit: Cameron Atfield

About 600 votes had been cast in the Inala and Ipswich West byelections.

This morning, a long queue had formed outside the early voting booths at Brisbane City Hall.

The line quickly moved into the building as the bells in the clock tower struck 9am, signalling the opening of the booths.

In addition, an ECQ spokeswoman said, more than 440,000 postal votes have been issued.

“The ECQ is continuing to process applications that were lodged prior to the deadline, so the final number of postal votes issued, including special postal voters and full postal ballot areas, is still to be confirmed,” she said.

“For the 2020 elections, approximately 570,000 postal votes were issued, noting that postal voting numbers increased due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As of Monday afternoon, nearly 12,000 postal votes had already been completed and returned.”

Broncos coach Kevin Walters has refused to weigh in on what a sufficient punishment should be if allegations of a racial slur directed at Ezra Mam are proven, but declared his star five-eighth was in no doubt to take the field next week.

Brisbane’s historic trip to Las Vegas was marred in controversy, after Mam lodged an official complaint against Sydney Roosters enforcer Spencer Leniu during the club’s 20-10 defeat on Sunday.

Mam was heard telling the referee that Leniu called him “a monkey”, and the latter has since been charged with contrary conduct and referred to the NRL judiciary.

While Walters did not witness the hotel exchange, he spoke proudly of what he had heard from his players for the way in which they rallied around Mam, and said the 21-year-old would be firing to take on the Rabbitohs next Thursday at Suncorp Stadium.

Read more.

The parliamentary text message from Premier Steven Miles to a Labor backbencher over a job application call-out has already delivered some activity in the chamber this morning.

Miles has given an apology, saying he believed the LNP question he was responding to during last month’s sitting was about a related RTI request, not his message to Labor colleague Ali King during an October sitting.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles.Credit: Jamila Toderas

LNP backbencher Michael Hart got to his feet after the statement saying he didn’t accept the apology, and Queenslanders would not either — sparking the Speaker, Labor’s Curtis Pitt, to boot him from the chamber for an hour for “disorderly” conduct.

A photo of the message on King’s phone screen, taken over her right shoulder during parliament in October, was published by Nine last night, and this morning she described the actions of whichever MP took and shared the image as a “breach of trust” and parliament rules.

“I submit that the actions … amount to a serious and deliberate contempt of parliament,” King said.

Queensland tennis star Storm Hunter has been unveiled as the first player chosen to line up for Australia in the forthcoming Billie Jean King Cup tie in Brisbane.

Hunter, the world No.3 in doubles and fresh off her maiden appearance in the third round at the Australian Open, has been confirmed to take on Mexico when the qualifying leg takes place at Pat Rafter Arena on April 12 and 13.

Storm Hunter, the world No.3 in doubles, will take on Mexico at Pat Rafter Arena on April 12 and 13.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“I’m so excited to be in the team for our first home tie since 2019,” said Hunter, who won her eighth career doubles title last month.

“Representing Australia at home in Brisbane means absolutely everything and I can’t wait to step out on the court in Brisbane in front of our home crowd and give it everything we’ve got to qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.”