As it happened: Brisbane on November 29

Readers may remember the state government earlier this month flagging its intention to ban the sale of knives, gel blasters and other weapons to kids.

Well, the bill to do just that is being introduced to parliament by Police Minister Mark Ryan today. (It will then be scrutinised by a group of MPs before debate and passage into law.)

With that, we now have some more detail about the penalties involved for retailers who break the proposed new rules.

These will include a maximum fine of $21,672 for selling a knife or other controlled item to anyone under the age of 18, up to $65,016 for multiple breaches.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk described the move as a further step by the government to reduce the number of weapons on Queensland streets and prevent knife crime.

That’s where we’ll leave our live updates today. We’ll be back with you on Thursday morning.

Here are some of the main local headlines making news today:

• Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has 40 business days to decide whether to allow the $1.4 billion redevelopment of Cleveland’s mangrove-lined Toondah Harbour
• Queensland police have charged a man over the theft of an NRL star’s jerseys
• Amid tighter lending restrictions and soaring property prices, this is how much Queenslanders are now putting down for a house deposit

And from national and world news:

• Brittany Higgins has told Bruce Lehrmann’s high-stakes defamation suit against the Ten Network that she did not want to be ‘complicit’ in any cover-up
• There are more signs that price pressures on Australians are starting to ease, with monthly inflation falling sharply through October
• A mystery detainee is still at large as the opposition questioned whether all 141 detainees needed to be released from immigration detention following a High Court ruling
• Indian workers trapped in a tunnel for 17 days have finally emerged
• A teenager has been hailed a hero after stopping a runaway bus from crashing into a NSW petrol station

The Bureau of Meteorology has detected “very dangerous thunderstorms” near Esk that are moving towards the coast.

In an alert issued at 4.43pm on Wednesday, the bureau said the thunderstorms were expected to hit Dayboro by 5.35pm, while other storms would hit the area around Boonah and Beaudesert at roughly the same time.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a serious storm warning for parts of south-east Queensland.Credit: Bureau of Meteorology

“Damaging, locally destructive winds, large, possibly giant hailstones and heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding are likely,” the bureau warned.

The next update was due to be issued by 5.45pm on the bureau’s website.

Queensland’s DNA lab failures have caused broad and, at times unexpected, developments.

The latest comes courtesy of a fast-tracked proposal expanding double jeopardy exceptions to allow retrials for people already acquitted or convicted of a crime. Murder is the only offence a retrial can currently be called for if “fresh and compelling” evidence emerges.

The proposed changes, in a bill introduced to parliament today now set to face committee scrutiny before its later debate and passage into law, will expand this option to 10 more serious offences including attempted murder, manslaughter and rape.

Another change will create a right to a second appeal on “fresh and compelling” evidence grounds after existing measures have been used.

Even new evidence suggesting a person is innocent can’t now trigger another appeal – petitioning the Governor for a pardon is the only option.

Greens MP Stephen Bates wants governments to control any redevelopment of the Victoria Barracks in Brisbane.

Bates, the Member for Brisbane, said the inner-city barracks was “a prime spot for renewal” but better neighbourhood planning would ensure better outcomes.

“It’s right next to the CBD, Roma Street and Barrambin (Victoria Park),” Bates told parliament .

“It’s got public transport access and shops. Victoria Barracks could be reinvented as a thriving community precinct.

“But we cannot leave this redevelopment to the private sector. Once private developers have control of the Victoria Barracks site, it becomes a lot more expensive to build community infrastructure or social housing there, and neither the community, council nor the state government will have adequate leverage to deliver socially beneficial outcomes, including things like green space, connectivity, art space and affordable housing.”

Toutai Kefu outside his Coorparoo home after returning from hospital.Credit: Nine News

A teenage boy has pleaded guilty to taking part in an armed home invasion that resulted in Wallabies star Toutai Kefu and three members of his family being stabbed.

The youth faced Brisbane Children’s Court on Wednesday for arraignment on seven charges committed when he was aged 13, including a home burglary and car theft on the same early morning as the home invasion on August 16, 2021.

Kefu, a former Australian rugby international, suffered critical wounds to his abdomen while trying to defend his family.

His wife, Rachel, was hospitalised for weeks with a serious injury to her arm, while son Josh and daughter Maddi were also stabbed in the attack, which involved knives and a sickle-shaped blade.

Read full story here

A couple in their 70s have been terrorised in a violent home invasion by four men armed with a gun and baseball bats.

Police say the men smashed a glass sliding door to gain access to the Beerwah residence, north of Brisbane, after 11.30pm on Monday, before entering the bedroom.

“They (couple) were both asleep in bed and were awoken by ... males who came into their room and basically told (them) to get on the floor,” Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield told reporters on Tuesday.

“They were held there against their will for a period of time and then assaulted with a weapon ... so they are pretty terrified.”

The 75-year-old man tried to defend himself and was struck on the forearm with a bat, police said.

One of the men is believed to have had a handgun.

Police said the intruders were wearing hoodies and had their faces covered, taking cash and possessions before they fled. Anyone with information or camera footage is urged to contact police.

There’s a widely held social norm that you can’t give yourself a nickname. But try telling that to Transport Minister Mark Bailey.

The Labor minister faced repeat questions from the LNP opposition in parliament this morning over the more-than-doubled cost of the Gold Coast Faster Rail project. (Along with calls from the LNP and some media for him to be sacked.)

A recent federal infrastructure review this month revealed the Commonwealth’s contribution to the project had been boosted by $1.75 billion due to “cost escalations” facing many projects nationwide.

The total cost of the previously $2.6 billion project is now tipped to hit $5.7 billion, with a formal update on the cost-sharing to come as part of the mid-(financial) year budget update next month.

Defending his handling of the project and communication to the public about its costs, the minister crowned himself “Bailey the Builder”.

The search for a fisherman missing off the Queensland coast since Sunday has been scaled back, with police and volunteers now focusing on foreshore patrols.

A boat belonging to the 43-year-old Glass Mountains man was discovered abandoned about two nautical miles off Moreton Island, north-east of Brisbane, on Monday.

Police and emergency services launched a wide-ranging surface and aerial search involving several aircraft and vessels.

With no trace found of the solo skipper, authorities said today the operation would be scaled back, with crews focusing on the foreshore along Bribie Island and eastern Moreton Island.

Sunshine Coast Water Police have praised the efforts of everyone involved in the search and are appealing to the boating community to remain vigilant and report any sightings or information to police.

Readers may remember the state government earlier this month flagging its intention to ban the sale of knives, gel blasters and other weapons to kids.

Well, the bill to do just that is being introduced to parliament by Police Minister Mark Ryan today. (It will then be scrutinised by a group of MPs before debate and passage into law.)

With that, we now have some more detail about the penalties involved for retailers who break the proposed new rules.

These will include a maximum fine of $21,672 for selling a knife or other controlled item to anyone under the age of 18, up to $65,016 for multiple breaches.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk described the move as a further step by the government to reduce the number of weapons on Queensland streets and prevent knife crime.

It was a tight squeeze, but on Tuesday afternoon a future fixture of the Brisbane skyline passed narrowly under the Story Bridge.

The Kangaroo Point Green Bridge mast was so tall it required a low tide to ensure enough clearance.

The fully assembled mast will sit at 95 metres above the water, which is higher than the Story Bridge.

The masthead, known as a ‘pyramidion’, will house the cable-stay system of 32 tensioned cables that will support the weight of the bridge deck.

Preparations will now be made for the river-based tower crane to lift the mast into place, with the 180-tonne structure weighing the equivalent of 4 double-decker CityCats.