As it happened: Brisbane on February 1

Queensland police say the taskforce set up late last year to target youth crime has been “extremely successful” at lowering crime rates in Townsville.

Assistant Commissioner for Youth Crime Andrew Massingham said the number of robberies had fallen by 70 per cent in the city since December 8, while the number of stolen vehicles had halved, with 38 serious repeat offenders now in custody.

Assistant Commissioner for Youth Crime speaks to media.Credit: Queensland Police

“It’s early days, but in terms of youth offending in January compared to January last year, I am very excited by what I’m seeing,” he told reporters on Thursday morning.

“It is only four weeks of data ... but overall youth offending across Queensland, and particularly youth offending on bail, is trending in the right direction.”

Massingham acknowledged many people in Townsville were still frightened, and said it may not be until police numbers in the north Queensland city decrease that people feel safe again.

“It’s going to take some time for that fear to wash out of that community ... for the moment I think the people of Townsville are taking a breath of fresh air, looking around and are grateful of the assistance, but would be keen for us to see us in large numbers probably leave.”

That’s where we’ll leave our live updates. We’ll be back with you tomorrow morning. Here are some of the headlines you might have missed today:

• Footage of a 12-year-old Queensland girl saving her guinea pig from a python has gone viral.
• Queensland’s premier has called on the banks and the RBA to start cutting interest rates.

Three-year-old Ethan got stuck in the skills tester claw machine.Credit: Queensland Police Service

• Hello kiddy: Police have rescued a child trapped in a Queensland shopping centre claw machine.

• It’s the conversation happening in homes and offices around Australia – if you won Thursday’s $200 million Powerball, how would you spend the money? Experts say there’s one thing to absolutely avoid.

• A graphic video from a Pennsylvania man accused of beheading his father that circulated for hours on YouTube has put a spotlight yet again on gaps in social media companies’ ability to prevent horrific postings from spreading across the web.

• Footage of a teenage footballer busting past an entire team to score a runaway try has become an internet sensation after clocking more than 135 million views worldwide.
• And Billy Slater is philosophical about Cameron Smith’s decision to quit his Queensland Origin role for the chance to coach his son.

Hostile, aggressive and underhanded behaviour by insurance companies in the aftermath of the 2022 floods has led to concessions of deficiency from the industry.

“Failures of systems, processes and resourcing” were acknowledged by the Insurance Council of Australia’s submission to a House of Representatives committee hearing how insurers responded to floods across Victoria, Queensland and NSW.

“The industry apologises to those customers for whom claims were not handled to the standard the industry strives to achieve,” the ICA’s submission said.

Representatives from the financial counselling sector told federal MPs on Thursday how policyholders were coerced, gaslit and ghosted while trying to secure payments to repair their homes and livelihoods.

Across the four major floods examined by the inquiry, 303,407 insurance claims totalling almost $7.4 billion were lodged, according to the ICA.

The committee inquiry continues.

Children are arriving at school in dirty and torn uniforms and missing out on school camps because of the cost-of-living crisis, principals have warned.

Queensland Association of State School Principals president Patrick Murphy told federal politicians meeting in Brisbane that children were missing out on music lessons, excursions and camps because parents could not afford them.

“You’re missing the fun bits of the curriculum,” Murphy said, adding the crisis was leading to truancy and school refusal as children stopped engaging.

“We’re then starting to see kids drop out,” he said.

Murphy, who was speaking at the Senate select committee on the cost of living, being held in Brisbane on Thursday, also said some families were struggling to afford school books.

Queensland police say the taskforce set up late last year to target youth crime has been “extremely successful” at lowering crime rates in Townsville.

Assistant Commissioner for Youth Crime Andrew Massingham said the number of robberies had fallen by 70 per cent in the city since December 8, while the number of stolen vehicles had halved, with 38 serious repeat offenders now in custody.

Assistant Commissioner for Youth Crime speaks to media.Credit: Queensland Police

“It’s early days, but in terms of youth offending in January compared to January last year, I am very excited by what I’m seeing,” he told reporters on Thursday morning.

“It is only four weeks of data ... but overall youth offending across Queensland, and particularly youth offending on bail, is trending in the right direction.”

Massingham acknowledged many people in Townsville were still frightened, and said it may not be until police numbers in the north Queensland city decrease that people feel safe again.

“It’s going to take some time for that fear to wash out of that community ... for the moment I think the people of Townsville are taking a breath of fresh air, looking around and are grateful of the assistance, but would be keen for us to see us in large numbers probably leave.”

More people in south-east Queensland are falling victim to tummy bugs, with Queensland Health recording almost eight times the average number of cryptosporidiosis cases for this time of year.

According to the latest figures, more than 120 cases are being detected each week, with a Queensland Health spokeswoman saying the most noticeable increase had been in the state’s south-east.

“Cryptosporidiosis is caused by a microscopic parasite, Cryptosporidium, that can be spread through the faeces of infected people, while they have symptoms, and for several weeks after symptoms have stopped,” the spokeswoman said.

“A single common cause for the recent increase has not been identified, however the hot and very wet weather across the state in recent weeks has likely contributed and increased household transmission.”

The parasite can be found in swimming pools and untreated waterways.

We won’t see the full detail out of the state government’s long-foreshadowed housing plan until it’s released next Tuesday, but we may get some drips before then.

The first has come today in the form of a 20 per cent funding boost for every specialist homelessness service in the state, called for by the sector amid heightened demand, and worth almost $390 million over 18 months.

Announcing the cash injection this morning, Premier Steven Miles said there would also be a review of the system – also sought by the sector – by the state’s former top public servant, Rachel Hunter.

Hunter, who had served under former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, was replaced when Miles took over in December and was reportedly given the standard six-month payout.

Miles told journalists she had offered to do the review for free after he called her yesterday following questions from media about the arrangement, which was yet to be finalised.

After yesterday’s better-than-expected inflation data, Queensland’s premier has wasted no time sharing his thoughts on what should come next.

Across social media and at a media conference this morning, Steven Miles has said the Reserve Bank needed to start cutting interest rates to ease pressure on households.

“Now that inflation has turned a corner, they should act just as quickly to cut rates as they did to increase rates,” he told journalists in Brisbane.

“I’d also make this point: there was no rule that says the banks can’t cut rates in advance of the RBA … These big four banks are making billions of dollars in profits off our mortgages, off Queensland’s mortgages, and they should cut rates as soon as they possibly can.”

Asked whether he would look to call the bosses of the big four banks in for a meeting as he did for supermarket giants last month, Miles joked it was “maybe a good idea”.

The sight of hundreds of dead fish and crabs in the Brisbane River and on the riverbank has prompted an investigation by environment and council officers.

A Department of Environment, Science and Innovation spokesman said officers had so far observed dead fish at Indooroopilly, Kangaroo Point and West End.

“The department has been unable to identify the cause of the fish deaths, but they may have died due to low dissolved oxygen levels following recent heavy rain, which has most likely washed organic matter into the river,” the spokesman said.

“Our investigation is ongoing and we are working with the Brisbane City Council to understand the cause.”

A young child has been rescued by police after being trapped in a shopping centre “claw machine” full of toys.

Police were called to the job about 7.15pm on Saturday after Ethan, 3, reportedly climbed into the skills tester machine at a Capalaba shopping centre.

The boy had climbed through its prize dispenser and became stuck.

Footage released by the Queensland Police Service shows officers discussing whether the machine’s walls were made of glass or Perspex, before agreeing it was made of glass.

The boy was asked to move to the corner of the machine and cover his eyes before police smashed the glass on the front of the machine and returned Ethan safely to his family.

Matt Ballin will replace Cameron Smith on the Queensland coaching staff this State of Origin series.

An assistant coach at Brisbane since late 2021, Ballin joins Josh Hannay and Jonathan Thurston as an assistant to Billy Slater, who is preparing for his third series in charge.

Cameron Smith and Billy Slater celebrating victory after winning game one of the 2022 State of Origin.Credit: Getty Images

Ballin has previously worked with the Maroons on game day under Slater and coached the state’s Under-19s team last year.

Smith, a veteran of 42 Origin games and one of the state’s greatest players, was an assistant for both of the Maroons’ series victories under Slater.

He will continue to coach at grassroots level alongside his media duties.

Read more here.