As it happened: Brisbane on Thursday, September 26

The Star Entertainment Group might be struggling but its new casino at Queen’s Wharf proved a winner.

In delayed financial results released today, The Star said visitor turnout to the new precinct was strong on its opening weekend, which coincided with Riverfire.

“Post this initial trading period, for the week ended 10 September, gaming revenue was up almost 20 per cent on the average weekly performance at Treasury (casino) in September 2023, noting this reflects a short time period,” the company stated.

Revenue had been declining, putting The Star in the unusual position of not being able to meet its guaranteed tax payments to the government.

Labor Premier Steven Miles today appeared to rule out any tax relief for the company.

Thank you for joining us this Thursday. We will be back with our rolling news coverage tomorrow.

Here are some of the stories that made headlines today:

• The neighbour who called firefighters when smoke began billowing from an abandoned building directly behind his shop on Wednesday says the area has a long-term problem with squatters.
• Negative campaigning is featured in political social media videos ahead of the Queensland election but one – from TikTok account MilesHQ and featuring LNP leader David Crisafulli – has gone a step too far, an expert says.
• A young man who advised the perpetrators of a drive-by shooting to falsely claim their vehicle was stolen by a Sudanese person will be drug-tested before sentencing.
• Pop superstar Katy Perry has teased that a special Aussie guest star will sing I Kissed a Girl with her at this weekend’s AFL grand final, though she stopped short of divulging their identity.
• Star Entertainment Group’s boss, Steve McCann, has flagged hundreds of job cuts and the sale of assets such as hotels in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast as part of a complicated cost-saving plan following a $1.69 billion loss for the 12 months to June 30.
• Independent MPs are pressing for tax changes to help young Australians who feel shut out of the housing market, naming negative gearing as a key issue even though voters in their electorates take advantage of the tax breaks.

Chief Justice Helen Bowskill has used an AI application to demonstrate that computers may not always know the law or the people who practice it.

Bowskill took over from Catherine Holmes in 2022, giving Queensland its first two female chief justices in succession.

In a recent speech about ethical challenges with the use of AI in the law, Holmes revealed she had asked CoPilot to create an image of a chief justice in Queensland in 2024.

“It took some time to think about it – making me feel as though I was engaging with a human being, as it is designed to – before producing this,” Bowskill said.

Queensland’s second female chief justice, Helen Bowskill, asked AI what the state’s top judge would look like.

“Say no more.

“But more broadly, bias, like hallucinations, is one of the, arguably, inevitable limitations of a tool created using machine learning.”

Station Road in Loganlea, south of Brisbane, was left strewn with wreckage after two cars collided, one then slamming into an electrical transformer box.

The cars crashed around 11.30am on Thursday and were heavily damaged.

A Queensland Fire Department spokesman confirmed the transformer box was connected to an underground transformer, which was live at the time.

The aftermath of a two-car collision in Loganlea, south of Brisbane.Credit: Facebook

Two fire crews attended the scene, and Energex sent safety workers to deal with the electrical hazard.

Paramedics assessed one person at the scene, who declined transport to hospital.

Police remained at the crash site into the afternoon.

Woolworths’ new chief executive Amanda Bardwell has attracted criticism for delivering what is being perceived as a wooden response to a disgruntled shopper in a viral video.

The TikTok posted yesterday by user @meganguy382 has attracted 1.1 million views and marks the first time many Australians will have seen the new chief executive of the supermarket following the departure of her predecessor Brad Banducci.

In the video, the shopper, who claims to be from Wollongong, NSW, is filmed asking Bardwell what she has to say about her company “profiting off price-gouging during the context of a cost of living crisis”.

“Thank you for reaching out to us,” Bardwell responds.

“We’re doing everything we can to recognise that customers are doing it tough to make sure they’re able to get great prices.”

The response has been likened to an “AI generated email response”.

“Not the verbatim email IN PERSON? Wow,” said one.

“omg she should’ve just said ‘I hope this email finds you well’,” said another.

Another user vented: “WHY DID SHE RESPOND LIKE WE WERE ON HOLD TO WOOLWORTHS HEAD OFFICE[?]“

Data released today by Choice found Aldi was once again the cheapest supermarket when purchasing a basket of 14 common grocery items such as white bread, flour, beef mince, butter, tea bags, white sugar, and full-cream dairy milk.

The annual whale migration is causing more drama around K’gari, previously known as Fraser Island.

After the 10-12 metre carcass of a humpback was discovered this week, marine rangers on Thursday responded to reports of another, similarly sized humpback whale in distress.

The whale was stranded in Box Gutter near Moon Point for several hours, before managing to free itself and swim in 15 metres of water. Rangers said it was in good health, apart from some minor grazes around its dorsal fin.

The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation reminded boaties to stay clear of stranded whales.

The popular island, with its World Heritage Area, has been officially known as K’gari since June 2023.

The Star Entertainment Group has finally scheduled the opening of the Dorsett and Rosewood hotels at Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.

With many areas of the development still vacant, The Star and its business partner in the Destination Brisbane Consortium have emphasised the project was always going to have a staged opening.

In The Star’s financial results, released today, the two hotels are scheduled to open at the end of the 2026 calendar year.

Plans for another hotel in the precinct fell through, and The Star decided to sell off the old Treasury buildings, and a carpark, to boost its bottom line.

More restaurants and bars, as well as the Queen’s Wharf leisure deck, are expected to open later this year.

The Star Entertainment Group might be struggling but its new casino at Queen’s Wharf proved a winner.

In delayed financial results released today, The Star said visitor turnout to the new precinct was strong on its opening weekend, which coincided with Riverfire.

“Post this initial trading period, for the week ended 10 September, gaming revenue was up almost 20 per cent on the average weekly performance at Treasury (casino) in September 2023, noting this reflects a short time period,” the company stated.

Revenue had been declining, putting The Star in the unusual position of not being able to meet its guaranteed tax payments to the government.

Labor Premier Steven Miles today appeared to rule out any tax relief for the company.

When rent caps were last debated, then deputy premier Steven Miles pointed to a scheme in place in the ACT, where rents can’t be hiked more than 10 per cent above inflation.

While the idea has never come off the agenda for a coalition of social service and tenant advocacy groups, Nine News reported last night that Labor was re-examining the issue for a possible election pledge.

Asked about rent caps on Thursday morning, Miles certainly didn’t rule out such a pledge.

“I’m not going to get into the business of ruling in or out what we will announce between now and the election,” Miles told journalists in Ipswich while discussing hospital performance.

“Because then you might just move on to the next thing and the next thing, and before you know it, we wouldn’t have any announcements to make … but all Queenslanders can see our homes for Queenslanders plan right now includes significant protections for renters.”

ABC chair Kim Williams has stressed the need to fight back against pervasive “fake news” in his Lowy Institute keynote address last night.

“So pervasive is this now that no one seriously expects the Russian media to tell the truth about what is going on in Ukraine, and no one can automatically take at face value, claims made in US presidential election debates,” Williams said.

ABC chairman Kim Williams.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The ABC’s role as a public service is increasingly important as the challenging of democracy around the world is challenged by the decline of traditional media, Williams said.

“Misinformation has become politics by other means – and disinformation has become war by other means,” he said.

“The task for people like me is to create more opportunities for you and your journalistic colleagues to investigate, inform and report as widely as possible. It is my intention as Chairman of the ABC to do just that.”

During his speech, Williams responded to an ongoing review into how a television report and online story published in 2022 about former commando Heston Russell with incorrect audio that went to air.

He said the review would make recommendations and a report, with agreed corrective actions, would be publicly released.

“You’ll understand that presently I cannot comment further.”

After News Corp’s The Australian recently regained a permanent presence in China, Williams said the ABC needed to be in Beijing, to ensure clear and regular reporting “from the dynamic nation that China is, with its many profound economic, political and diplomatic resonances around the world”.

“It is a centre of world affairs, and we need strong representation in that critical centre.”

As The Star readies its financial results almost a month late, having scrambled to secure $200 million from backers, the Queensland government is backing away from offering any help.

While the government had suggested it could offer some form of tax relief to help Queen’s Wharf workers keep their jobs, Premier Steven Miles told journalists today that negotiation had “reached a stalemate”.

“There will be no consideration of any kind of arrangement while their executives insist on paying themselves performance bonuses,” Miles said.

“And we’re unlikely to reach one. Frankly, I find it astounding.”

Miles said the government had been “very reasonable” in discussing the tax bill help, quickly ruled out by the NSW government, and ultimately wanted Queen’s Wharf to succeed.

“It’s a fantastic asset for our city and for our state. We want to see it fully up and running, because it will attract tourists to Queensland, because it delivers the accommodation that our growing tourism industry needs, and because of those 1400 jobs.”

Under the terms of the original Queen’s Wharf deal, Star must pay the government $880 million in gambling taxes over the next 10 years.