As it happened: Brisbane on Monday, November 4

Queensland Rail says train services are resuming after lengthy suspensions caused by a powerline strike at Carseldine level crossing this morning.

Delays are still expected during peak hour, and replacement buses will run all afternoon to help meet demand from commuters.

“Rail replacement buses have been in operation between Petrie and Northgate stations throughout the day and will continue this afternoon to keep our customers moving,” said Queensland Rail’s Nev Conway.

“Incidents like this are extremely dangerous and disruptive but are also avoidable. We’re once again urging drivers to know the height of their vehicle and load and to plan their journey in advance.”

The rail crossing will be removed in a long-planned infrastructure project.

Thank you for joining us on this Monday, which will end as it began – with headaches for train commuters on the city’s northside.

A truck towing a trailer brought down overhead powerlines at the level crossing on Beams Road in Carseldine this morning, bringing trains on the Redcliffe-Peninsula, Caboolture and Sunshine Coast lines to a halt. Commuters have been advised to find alternative ways home this evening.

Fire investigators are working to determine if an e-scooter battery started a blaze that ripped through a New Farm unit on the same street as another apartment fire caused by an e-scooter battery earlier this year.

New data obtained by Brisbane Times reveals how traffic on the city’s major thoroughfares changed after public transport fares were dropped to 50¢.

Premier David Crisafulli claims the previous Labor government covered up multi-billion dollar cost blowouts on the now-scrapped Pioneer Burdekin pumped hydro project in central Queensland.

The 2032 Olympic stadium debate continues, with Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie refusing to clarify whether rebuilding the Gabba would classify as a “new stadium” or not.

Never mind CityCats: two ‘CityDogs’ depicting Bluey (blue) and Bingo (red) have been launched on the river as part of the regular Brisbane City Council fleet.

In less positive canine news, Queensland is the worst state in Australia for dog-related incidents involving posties – with Darra and Stafford particularly bad.

In sport, teenage Brisbane sprint sensation Gout Gout has smashed several more records with an astonishing 200-metre run of 20.29 seconds at the Queensland All-Schools Championships.

And, Ben Hunt has spoken out for the first time since his split with St George Illawarra, revealing his dream of returning to his childhood club, the Broncos.

The residents of three suburbs north of Brisbane are expected to spend big during the pre-Christmas shopping frenzy.

The annual sales trifecta begins shortly: Click Frenzy is held from 11-15 November, ahead of Black Friday on November 29 and Cyber Monday on December 2.

But many retailers are already offering discounts in the order of 30 and 40 per cent.

Black Friday has become a staple pre-Christmas sale.Credit: Simon Schluter

Parcel service CouriersPlease, which delivers goods from Myer, Big W and Kmart, has analysed its data from last year’s sales events from October 20 to December 4 and found south-east Queensland’s biggest online shoppers reside in Caboolture, Morayfield and Narangba, north of Brisbane.

Buderim on the Sunshine Coast and Southport on the Gold Coast are also home to prolific sales shoppers.

“It’s no longer just about convenience for consumers. They’re becoming more strategic, waiting for sales events to make larger purchases, particularly in the current economic climate,” says CouriersPlease chief exectuive Richard Thame.

Queensland Rail says train services are resuming after lengthy suspensions caused by a powerline strike at Carseldine level crossing this morning.

Delays are still expected during peak hour, and replacement buses will run all afternoon to help meet demand from commuters.

“Rail replacement buses have been in operation between Petrie and Northgate stations throughout the day and will continue this afternoon to keep our customers moving,” said Queensland Rail’s Nev Conway.

“Incidents like this are extremely dangerous and disruptive but are also avoidable. We’re once again urging drivers to know the height of their vehicle and load and to plan their journey in advance.”

The rail crossing will be removed in a long-planned infrastructure project.

In case you missed it over the weekend, NRL player Ben Hunt has admitted there is a romantic lure to potentially returning to Brisbane, believing it would be “special” to go back to the Broncos and finally win a premiership.

Uncontracted and on the lookout for a new home, 34-year-old Hunt broke his silence on last week’s St George Illawarra exit from inside the Australian Test camp on Sunday.

The halfback has indicated there is a lure to return to the Broncos, who he left at the end of 2017 after his heartbreak of the 2015 golden-point grand-final loss to North Queensland.

“Brisbane will always have a soft spot for me,” Hunt said when asked about a potential return.

“I have been involved in the club since I was 12. They put a lot of work into me, and if I had the opportunity to go finish there it would be pretty special.

“But I’ve got to see if that can all work.”

The possibility of Hunt returning to Brisbane would likely be contingent on Ezra Mam’s situation, as the five-eighth awaits the secondary results of his roadside drug test and possible charges.

Mam could potentially face the no-fault stand-down policy, after allegedly returning a positive initial sample to drugs after being involved in a head-on collision while driving unlicensed last month.

If Mam is stood down by the NRL until the matter is finalised, Brisbane would be able to apply for salary-cap dispensation for a like-for-like player in their squad.

And it is there where Hunt would fit the bill for new coach Michael Maguire, before potentially shifting to hooker later down the line.

Read more here.

AAP

Further delays are expected for the evening commute on Brisbane trains after a crash this morning.

The oversized vehicle and trailer hit the powerlines at the Beams Road level crossing in Carseldine just after 5am on Monday.

A truck driver was hauling a trailer with an over-height item when it hit powerlines at the Beams Road level crossing in Carseldine. Rail services were suspended for several hours.Credit: Queensland Rail

Travellers on the Redcliffe-Peninsula, Caboolture and Sunshine Coast lines were impacted.

“Our crews are onsite working as safely and as quickly as possible to get the lines back up and running for this afternoon’s peak, however residual delays are expected,” Queensland Rail’s Nev Conway said in a statement.

“Rail replacement buses have been in operation between Petrie and Northgate stations throughout the day and will continue this afternoon to keep our customers moving.”

Queensland is the worst state in Australia for dog-related incidents involving posties, with Darra and Stafford particularly bad.

Australia Post released the data on Monday as it called on councils to make the suburbs safer for mail delivery.

Posties have reported 505 dog-related incidents in Queensland over the past six months – more than NSW (367) and Victoria (114) combined.

“Dog attacks remain one of the highest safety concerns for our people,” said Australia Post’s safety chief, Rod Maule.

“As we head into our peak season and delivery volumes increase, there is a serious concern for the physical and mental wellbeing of our posties, particularly around dogs.

“Aggressive or dangerous dogs are reported to council and local rangers, however too often we see risks are not properly mitigated. This often leads to multiple instances of the same dog repeating aggressive behaviour, which can result in a severe attack on our postie.”

When is a new stadium a new stadium?

Given the new LNP state government has repeatedly ruled such an option out of bounds for it’s looming 100-day review of 2032 Games venues, it’s a pertinent question.

Particularly when the new government has also ruled out the current plans to upgrade and use the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre for athletics.

But, asked by journalists today if knocking down and rebuilding the Gabba would be classed as a new stadium, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said this was “getting into hypotheticals”.

Bleijie, who has ministerial responsibility for Games projects in the newly sworn in LNP cabinet, was then pressed for his definition of a new stadium.

“I can’t answer that … I don’t know, I’ll have to have a look at the terms of reference,” Bleijie said.

The terms would also include an “open process of consultation” to allow submissions for communities to request or give feedback on planned or potential venues and events.

Premier David Crisafulli says there will be “no new stadiums” for Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic Games, and that his government will not waste $1.5 billion on building temporary facilities at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.

Part of the terms of reference for the Liberal National government’s 100-day review of potential Olympic venues will be “no new stadiums”, the premier said.

“We’ve said that, and that will be part of the terms of reference,” Crisafulli told ABC Radio Brisbane this morning, ahead of his government’s first cabinet meeting.

“The terms of reference will say that.”

What “no new stadiums” means exactly remains to be seen.

If it rules out a new stadium at Victoria Park and upgrades to QSAC, is rebuilding the Gabba the only option remaining on the table?

Here’s more of what the premier had to say on the issue:

Let’s go back to what the games were always about, it was always about generational infrastructure.

No one was speaking about stadiums at Victoria Park when the Games was bid - that happened subsequently when the government didn’t like what they were hearing about the Gabba, and for political reasons they chose the upgrade at QSAC.

I want people to know that we’ve listened to that. We’re not going to spend $1.5 billion on temporary facilities at QSAC. There’s no legacy play, there has to be legacy play.

And of course, we are looking for stadiums that can be world-class.

We are looking for facilities that are world-class, but the focus has to be on road and rail and a 20-year tourism plan, using the Paralympic Games to create accessibility.”

An artist’s impression of the proposed redesign of the Gabba, released by the state Labor government in May 2021.

Teenage Brisbane sprint sensation Gout Gout has smashed several more records with an astonishing 200-metre run of 20.29 seconds at the Queensland All-Schools Championships.

The 16-year-old set new Australian and Oceania under-18 and under-20 records yesterday.

The Australian under-20 record of 20.41 seconds was previously held by Aidan Murphy.

The 16-year-old Gout – who has been compared to a young Usain Bolt – burst onto the global scene by claiming the silver medal in the 200 metres at the world junior championships in Peru in August in 20.60 seconds.

But Sunday’s flying time of 20.29 was in another league.

Only last week, Gout signed his first professional contract with Adidas.

Gout was born in Brisbane in 2007 after his parents emigrated from South Sudan.

Premier David Crisafulli visited the town of Eungella, near Mackay, yesterday to meet landholders whose properties were resumed or forcibly sold off for the Pioneer Burdekin pumped hydro project.

The premier apologised to those Queenslanders who he claimed the former Labor government failed to consult before committing to the project.

“What they’ve been through was horrendous,” he told ABC Radio Brisbane this morning.

An aerial view of the location for the former Labor government’s proposed five-gigawatt Pioneer-Burdekin pumped hydro site, which would dam the valley around the small community of Netherdale.Credit: Google Maps

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie promised on Friday to write to the almost 60 affected landowners and “work out a way forward”.

The LNP government will look to build multiple, smaller pumped hydro plants at yet-to-be-decided locations without a forecast price tag.

“We have to find a way to deliver smaller, more manageable pumped hydro because it’s important if you’re going to firm up renewables, you need that,” Crisafulli said.

The premier promised to deliver the Borumba pumped hydro project, near the Sunshine Coast, at an affordable cost. The former government budgeted $6 billion towards the project, with the total cost estimated to be $14 billion.

Once the government decides on its list of smaller pumped hydro projects, it will unveil its plan, Crisafulli said.