As it happened: Brisbane on Wednesday, September 11

A man who murdered his estranged wife, Gold Coast mother Kelly Wilkinson, has defended the man accused of being his accomplice in the horrific crime.

Brian Earl Johnston, a 37-year-old former US marine, is behind bars for murdering his wife at her Gold Coast home. He set Wilkinson on fire after stabbing her multiple times in April 2021.

Kelly Wilkinson, 27, was killed by her estranged husband Brian Earl Johnston on the Gold Coast in 2021. Credit: Nine News

Johnston was called as a witness today during the Brisbane Supreme Court trial of his colleague and co-accused Bradley Bell, who has pleaded not guilty to murder.

Bell, 29, is accused of driving Johnston to his estranged wife’s home after the pair bought a 20-litre can of petrol together.

But he maintains he did not know Johnston was going to kill his wife.

Defence barrister Edwin Whitton asked Johnston if he told Bell about his intent to kill Wilkinson before he did so.

“No, sir,” Johnston said.

The trial continues before Justice Michael Copley.

Thank you for reading today’s news blog. This is where we’ll leave you today.

Here’s a look back at some of the day’s major stories:

The Miles government has been urged to abandon the plan for a Centenary Motorway bypass tunnel in favour of a new high-frequency rail line called the Brisbane Subway.

The state opposition accused the government of “political bastardry” last night after it introduced Crime and Corruption Commission laws during a lengthy sitting of parliament, just as the LNP was due to debate and vote on its own CCC bill.

LNP leader David Crisafulli used today’s question time to announce that if elected, he would hold a “full investigation into blue card failures and wider child protection systems”.

Melbourne was on high alert as an anti-war protest escalated, with police pelted with eggs, rotten tomatoes and manure.

Meanwhile, the Miles government launched a slew of attacks on the opposition over the sacking of public sector workers in 2012 under former LNP premier Campbell Newman. Labor MPs also continued their attack on Crisafulli over his past business dealings as director of the troubled Southern Edge Training company.

Workplace Health and Safety investigators returned to the worksite of the Centenary Bridge duplication in Brisbane’s west today after a construction worker was impaled with a piece of steel yesterday.

Australian politicians marked the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks in 2001 with tributes posted to X.

And, actor Simon Baker avoided a conviction for drink-driving in northern NSW due to a strange coincidence on the day he was pulled over.

Actor Simon Baker leaves the Mullumbimby Court House on Wednesday.Credit: AAP Image/Darren England

A man who murdered his estranged wife, Gold Coast mother Kelly Wilkinson, has defended the man accused of being his accomplice in the horrific crime.

Brian Earl Johnston, a 37-year-old former US marine, is behind bars for murdering his wife at her Gold Coast home. He set Wilkinson on fire after stabbing her multiple times in April 2021.

Kelly Wilkinson, 27, was killed by her estranged husband Brian Earl Johnston on the Gold Coast in 2021. Credit: Nine News

Johnston was called as a witness today during the Brisbane Supreme Court trial of his colleague and co-accused Bradley Bell, who has pleaded not guilty to murder.

Bell, 29, is accused of driving Johnston to his estranged wife’s home after the pair bought a 20-litre can of petrol together.

But he maintains he did not know Johnston was going to kill his wife.

Defence barrister Edwin Whitton asked Johnston if he told Bell about his intent to kill Wilkinson before he did so.

“No, sir,” Johnston said.

The trial continues before Justice Michael Copley.

In breaking news, bus driver Brett Button has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison for the fatal crash that claimed 10 lives and injured 25 people following an idyllic wedding in the NSW Hunter Valley last year.

Button wept in court, telling the families of his dead and injured passengers that he committed “the ultimate sin” when he killed and injured their loved-ones while under the influence of prescription painkillers.

Read more here.

Turning to Canberra now, where our federal parliamentarians are in question time: Maverick Queensland crossbencher Bob Katter has quizzed Resources Minister Madeleine King about the closure of Australia’s coal mining industry in a rambling question that mentioned the chance of the Bullamakanka Progress Association achieving a moon landing.

Bob Katter in parliament earlier this year.Credit: James Brickwood

Specifically, the MP for Kennedy asked:

Is the bipartisan 2050 zero emissions target a lying hypocrisy, or is Australia’s coal industry to be abolished, [causing] 48,000 jobs and 1/20th of the economy to vanish?

Since in India solar and nuclear [energy] is as likely as the Bullamakanka Progress Association achieving a moon landing, doesn’t [the] 2050 [target] condemn the 600 million people – half India – to continue to live without electricity?

Surely heli-power stations, ethanol Brazil model, and brilliant Minister Plibersek’s kelp-diesel algae ponds avoid the reality of Clausewitz’s chilling aphorism: When goods don’t cross borders, then guns will.

As Katter finished, Speaker Milton Dick said: “The member’s time has well and truly expired.”

For those who require a translation of Katter’s question, the online Collins Dictionary says Bullamakanka is Australian slang for “an imaginary very remote and backward place”.

At the end of his question, it appears Katter could have been referencing Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, whose aphorisms about military theory are often quoted. Although, a quick Google search indicates there isn’t an exact match for the “when goods don’t cross borders guns will” quote that Katter cited.

In response to Katter, Resources Minister Madeline King assured him the Labor government “absolutely will not be” abolishing the coal industry, but said “the question does go to the challenge of meeting very important global net zero targets, given the global demand for reliable and affordable energy”.

King added: “I wouldn’t want to limit the ambitions of the Bullamakanka Progress Association, but I do note India’s really important commitment to lowering emissions.”

The Reserve Bank expects the jobs market to slow with people working fewer hours rather than enduring a spike in unemployment.

Senior RBA assistant governor Sarah Hunter says the jobs market is slowing but without a spike in unemployment.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The jobs market is loosening, the bank’s assistant governor for the economy, Sarah Hunter, says.

But it is still tight enough to be above the level considered by the RBA to be consistent with “full employment”.

In economics, full employment is the point at which the jobs market is consistent with “low and stable inflation”.

It is usually measured as a level of unemployment. Australia’s unemployment rate has drifted up from 3.5 per cent in June last year to 4.2 per cent in July this year, while the number of job vacancies has fallen by almost 18 per cent over the same period.

Read more here.

The national corruption watchdog is investigating six current or former members of parliament, while also revealing it is looking into the conduct of three current or former political staff.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission confirmed the scale of its work, but it did not name the individuals being investigated more than one year after the agency took shape.

Inaugural commissioner Paul Brereton arrives to make the opening address of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) in Canberra last year.Credit: AAP

In a sign of the potential for more cases, the commission also said it was yet to decide the next steps with 494 matters referred to it and still waiting for its assessment.

“It is important to remember that most corruption investigations do not ultimately result in a finding of corrupt conduct,” the commission said.

It did not say whether the six parliamentarians were state or federal politicians, and it did not say how many of them were currently in parliament, and it did not offer any similar details about the parliamentary staff being investigated.

It also confirmed it was investigating seven current or former senior executive officials, eight law enforcement officials and four consultants or contractors.

Actor Simon Baker has avoided a conviction for drink-driving.

The Hollywood star was met by a media scrum when he arrived at Mullumbimby Local Court in northern NSW on Wednesday wearing a sage green suit.

The 55-year-old was seen driving erratically on Booyong Road in northeast NSW by police for about 8 kilometres about 2.11am on July 20, the court was told.

Simon Baker leaves the Mullumbimby Court House on Wednesday.Credit: AAP Image/Darren England

Magistrate Kathy Crittenden said there were “unusual” circumstances, with a worldwide Microsoft outage ensuring police systems were offline and a breath test could not be completed.

“Ordinarily police would’ve proceeded with a breath analysis, but they had to use the old-fashioned sobriety test,” Crittenden said.

Baker was observed to be unsteady on his feet and smelt of alcohol, telling officers he had consumed four glasses of wine at a dinner from 6pm.

“[Baker] was very polite and co-operative ... extremely remorseful for his actions,” Crittenden said of Baker, who was the vehicle’s sole occupant.

Baker, who previously pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol, received a nine-month good behaviour bond and no conviction was recorded.

Read more here.

Australians will be able to take genetic tests without worrying about the impacts the results could have on their life insurance.

The federal government on Wednesday revealed it would stop life insurers from engaging in genetic discrimination by preventing them from using adverse predictive test results when underwriting plans.

About one-in-75 Australians is estimated to have a DNA variant that could increase their risks of some cancers or heart disease, according to Monash University.

Knowing they have a generic variant that predisposes them to cancer or other diseases can help people take control of their health.

Genetic testing can provide certainty and allow people to make changes that could reduce their chances of getting ill, but many avoid the procedure because they fear repercussions on their premiums.

The government’s proposed ban will be introduced prior to the federal election, which must be held before May.

Meanwhile, the Miles government used today’s question time to launch a slew of attacks on the opposition over the sacking of public sector workers in 2012 under former LNP premier Campbell Newman.

Labor MPs also continued their attack on Opposition Leader David Crisafulli over his past business dealings as director of the troubled Southern Edge Training company between December 2015 and April 2016.

LNP leader David Crisafulli who is leading the polls ahead of next month’s election.Credit: Matt Dennien

Crisafulli was again forced to defend his actions after becoming director of the training company for a short stint before it collapsed owing creditors thousands of dollars.

The opposition leader has repeatedly said he met his obligations while director of the company and had no findings made against him.

However, he has not outlined the reasons behind payments totalling $200,000 made to PwC liquidators after they claimed the company may have been trading while insolvent.

Turning our attention to George Street, where question time has wrapped up for the second of this final three-day sitting of parliament before next month’s election.

LNP leader David Crisafulli used his first question to announce that if elected he would hold a “full investigation into blue card failures and wider child protection systems”.

He asked Premier Steven Miles if Labor had failed to keep kids safe during their nine years in power, to which Miles answered, “No”.

A later media release clarified the LNP would direct the Queensland Family and Child Commissioner to probe potential system failures which allowed Ashley Paul Griffith to rape and abuse children at multiple Brisbane childcare centres.