As it happened: Brisbane on Thursday, October 31

Former Local Government Association of Queensland CEO Greg Hallam has won a defamation case against former state MP Rob Pyne and fellow Cairns resident Lyn Elizabeth Kennedy.

Hallam sued the pair over dozens of social media posts, some caricaturing him as the Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt, that were made in 2017 and 2018 during a long-running political debate.

Then head of the Local Government Association of Queensland, Greg Hallam, speaks to media after fraud charges laid against Logan councillors were dropped in April 2021.Credit: Matt Dennien

In a judgment handed down this week, District Court Judge Dean Morzone KC found the Jabba the Hutt posts would lead the average person to believe Hallam was being depicted as “a corrupt and criminal villain, a ‘baddie’, and a very negative person”.

“In my view, when read with the wording in the publication, in the context of the parliamentary conduct, public debate, and other proximate posts and comments, the caricature goes beyond mere satire or vulgarity that might be considered fair comment or the ‘rough and tumble’ of political debate,” Morzone found.

Kennedy was ordered to pay damages of $346,131.51 plus interest, and restrained from making future posts on the case, while Pyne was ordered to pay $157.261.41 plus interest.

Thanks for joining us for today’s live coverage of Brisbane news. We’ll be back tomorrow morning.

Here are some of the major stories that made headlines today:

A teenager accused of killing Queensland mother Emma Lovell during a Boxing Day home invasion has been found not guilty of murder by a Supreme Court judge.

A Brisbane traffic controller hit by a car while working on a council job has spoken for the first time from his hospital bed, saying he is unsure he will be able to work again.

Traffic controller Michael De Vos had never suffered a single broken bone before he was hit by a car on Kelvin Grove Road.Credit: CFMEU

Up to five men are on the run after an overnight home invasion in Nundah that police believe was a targeted attack.

A 57-year-old woman is recovering in Mackay Base Hospital after being bitten by a shark on her lower leg in waters off the central Queensland coast.

Queensland Museum scientists have discovered six previously unknown carnivorous deep-sea sponges using a remotely operated vehicle exploring the ocean floor.

And meet Nick Wigley and Alfan Musthafa, the owners of a new Indonesian restaurant in Fortitude Valley that came about so fast, they didn’t even have time for a planned research trip to Bali.

Having walked back his previously emphatic support for First Nations truth-telling and treaty one year ago this month, now-Premier David Crisafulli is preparing to act.

Updating media on the progress of his newly elected government, Crisafulli suggested parliament could repeal the Path to Treaty Act in the two sitting weeks set for this year.

But with information sessions planned by the independent inquiry this weekend on Minjerribah, and two truth-telling sessions in coming weeks, he attempted to call it to a stop.

“We won’t be allowing those to go ahead, but it will be done with respect and decency,” Crisafulli told journalists.

Crisafulli said while parliament may not meet until after some of those events, he did not think “anyone [is] under any illusions about the fact that we’re not continuing that process”.

I don’t want this to be some sort of divisive issue where I seek to amplify our decision. We’ve made a decision. It’s the right decision, and we stand by it. But I don’t want to cause angst to people, I want people to know that we are going to do good things for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including home ownership.

We don’t believe embarking on that process will be one that unites the community, but we do believe we can do so much more, and we must do so much more. So I would, I would urge people to put their focus into the areas that can drive change, and if people choose to go down a different path, I would suggest to you that priorities need to be sharpened to work out ways that we can lift education standards and make sure we can provide better housing we can give a generation of kids the ability to own their home.

A 57-year-old woman is recovering in Mackay Base Hospital after being bitten by a shark on her lower leg in waters off the central Queensland coast on Wednesday afternoon.

Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Shane Tucker said emergency responders received a triple-zero call shortly before 4.30pm reporting the woman had been bitten on the calf while “snorkelling on a reef 200 kilometres from Mackay”.

A nearby naval vessel, the HMAS Warramunga, retrieved the woman from a private boat at 9.30pm – about five hours after the initial call.

The 57-year-old woman was likely to have received stitches when she arrived at Mackay Base Hospital.Credit: Google Maps

Tucker said the woman told first responders she had “two lacerations across the calf” about 30 centimetres long. These were bandaged on the private boat to stem the bleeding.

Read the full story.

A teenager accused of killing Queensland mother Emma Lovell during a Boxing Day home invasion has been found not guilty of murder by a Supreme Court judge.

Wearing a white button-down shirt, the teenager, who will turn 19 next month, sat quietly and faced straight ahead in the dock, with family behind him, as Justice Michael Copley delivered his verdict.

Emma Lovell died after being stabbed in the heart during a home invasion.

Copley found the teenager not guilty of Lovell’s murder, and not guilty in the alternative of manslaughter. But he found him guilty of assault and burglary.

Last week, the teenager faced a trial without a jury, after a ruling that members of the community would be influenced by the debate on youth crime, with his court proceedings held the same week as the Queensland election.

Read the full story.

Up to five men are on the run after an overnight home invasion in Nundah that police believe was a targeted attack.

A man and woman were taken to hospital after reports of an altercation at a home in Florence Street that culminated in gunshots.

Detective Inspector John Mison said three to five men, described as having dark complexions, had gone to the house but fled after the shooting.

Police at the scene in Nundah.Credit: Nine News

“It doesn’t appear to be a random attack,” Mison told reporters at Hendra Police Station this afternoon.

“It appears by their actions the group was going there for a reason.”

Read the full story.

Former Local Government Association of Queensland CEO Greg Hallam has won a defamation case against former state MP Rob Pyne and fellow Cairns resident Lyn Elizabeth Kennedy.

Hallam sued the pair over dozens of social media posts, some caricaturing him as the Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt, that were made in 2017 and 2018 during a long-running political debate.

Then head of the Local Government Association of Queensland, Greg Hallam, speaks to media after fraud charges laid against Logan councillors were dropped in April 2021.Credit: Matt Dennien

In a judgment handed down this week, District Court Judge Dean Morzone KC found the Jabba the Hutt posts would lead the average person to believe Hallam was being depicted as “a corrupt and criminal villain, a ‘baddie’, and a very negative person”.

“In my view, when read with the wording in the publication, in the context of the parliamentary conduct, public debate, and other proximate posts and comments, the caricature goes beyond mere satire or vulgarity that might be considered fair comment or the ‘rough and tumble’ of political debate,” Morzone found.

Kennedy was ordered to pay damages of $346,131.51 plus interest, and restrained from making future posts on the case, while Pyne was ordered to pay $157.261.41 plus interest.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has conceded his office asked billionaire Gina Rinehart for free flights from Queensland to Sydney and back for a Bali bombing memorial service in 2022.

The flights from Rockhampton to Sydney and back to Mackay were arranged between Dutton and Rinehart’s offices, the opposition leader confirmed at a press conference in Perth today.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (left) with Gina Rinehart and Roy Hill CEO Gerhard Veldsman in 2023.Credit: Hancock Prospecting

“I couldn’t get a commercial flight together in time,” Dutton said. He said the government also declined to make a taxpayer-funded VIP jet available.

“They played games, and they didn’t offer that flight,” he said. Quotes for a charter flight came in around $40,000, Dutton said.

“I thought that was very expensive, and the cheaper option for the taxpayer was for my office to speak to Mrs Rinehart’s office as to whether the plane might be available,” Dutton said. “That was at zero cost to the taxpayer.”

He contrasted his answer to Anthony Albanese, who Dutton said had taken days to answer questions and still not provided plain responses.

Reece Walsh will remain in Broncos’ colours until at least the end of 2029, with the star fullback’s four-year contract extension now confirmed.

The Queensland Maroons star was always tipped to stay, and was spotted returning to preseason training before the rest of the squad in a bid to overturn Brisbane’s poor 2024 campaign.

Reece Walsh of the Broncos.Credit: Getty Images

The 22-year-old endured a series of injuries this year, which limited him to just 14 games. In that time, however, he still scored 14 tries.

“I want to be someone who works hard, someone who brings success, someone who helps bring premierships to this great club, but first of all I’ve got to be a good person off the field, a caring dad, a good role model and I’ve got to work hard on my footy,” Walsh said.

“I’ve had a few conversations with Madge [new coach Michael Maguire] and hard work is one thing he touches on a lot. As a player you want to win and being a part of the Broncos that is expected.

“We didn’t have the best year last year, and we are all looking forward to getting back in and working really hard for each other, and getting the Broncos back to where the club deserves to be.”

Investigators have released new footage of a car whose driver may have witnessed a single-vehicle accident in Rocklea that left a 69-year-old man dead.

The Camry pictured in new footage had dropped off the man along Granard Road around 6.30am on October 14, where he was struck by a Subaru a few minutes later, police said.

Police are asking the driver of the Camry pictured to come forward.Credit: Queensland Police

Paramedics treated the 69-year-old at the scene, but he was later declared deceased.

A spokeswoman for Queensland Police said neither driver was at fault, and the incident was “not being treated as a hit-and-run”, but as an accident.

“Initial information indicates the pedestrian was walking and fell over,” she said.

The forensic crash unit has continued investigations, and hopes to hear from both the Camry driver and other members of the public.

Former Queensland under-20s halfback Tanah Boyd has been released from the final year of his contract at the Gold Coast Titans, inking a new two-year deal with the New Zealand Warriors.

After moving from his Brisbane Broncos’ development contract back to the Glitter Strip, Boyd had hoped to cement the Titans’ No.7 jumper, however he failed to fire after 69 appearances.

He eventually lost his place this year, with veteran Kieran Foran joined by Jayden Campbell in the halves, to accommodate rising star Keano Kini at fullback and State of Origin ace AJ Brimson. The Titans have also signed former Wallabies five-eighth Carter Gordon.

The 24-year-old Boyd will battle with Te Maire Martin, Luke Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita for a job at the Warriors’ scrum base.

“Tanah’s arrival will create healthy competition among our halves. He brings a great kicking game, strong game management skills and he’s also a proven goal kicker,” Warriors coach Andrew Webster said.