As it happened: Brisbane on Thursday, May 2

Thanks for joining us today. This is where we’ll leave our live updates for today, but we’ll be back on deck tomorrow morning. Until then, here are a few of today’s top stories:

Police have identified four individuals involved in yesterday’s fatal tunnel crash in Brisbane’s west, including a former Queensland police officer and two women from interstate.

An indicative render of the proposed Woolloongabba priority development area.Credit: Queensland Government

Towers of up to 75 storeys would be allowed in Woolloongabba under a new Queensland government planning scheme put out for public comment on Thursday.

Bonza’s administrators confirmed the company will be grounded until at least next Wednesday morning and have asked thousands of customers with bookings scheduled before then not to turn up to their respective airports.

Queensland households will score a $1000 energy bill discount under a $2.5 billion government spending splash on cost of living relief

After multinational conglomerate 3M learnt that one of its best-selling chemicals had contaminated the blood of the general population, it was what the company’s internal documents didn’t say that was most incriminating.

And in sport news, South Sydney are preparing to offer supercoach Wayne Bennett a three-year deal, Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss cryptically revealed James O’Connor’s injury comeback might be “closer than you think” and the Sydney Roosters have expressed interest in signing several high-quality players, including Broncos and Origin star Selwyn Cobbo.

Almost 25 years after the landmark Fitzgerald report recommended the legalisation or decriminalising of sex work in Queensland, the state government has done the latter.

Parliament just passed laws just before 5pm promised last year following a Law Reform Commission review and committee inquiry process.

The shift makes Queensland the latest Australian jurisdiction to decriminalise the sector, repealing offences which specifically target sex workers and stop them communicating with each other, along with other measures leading to stigmatisation and discrimination.

“I’ll proudly leave politics later this year, knowing that we have put in real reform that keeps people safe, recognises their human rights, and treats people with fairness and respect,” Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath told parliament to cap-off debate before the vote of MPs.

While easily voted through by Labor government and Greens MPs, the LNP opposition did not support the bill, with shadow attorney-general Tim Nicholls citing disputed concerns about the risk of criminal infiltration of the sector or impacts on community amenity.

Thanks for joining us today. This is where we’ll leave our live updates for today, but we’ll be back on deck tomorrow morning. Until then, here are a few of today’s top stories:

Police have identified four individuals involved in yesterday’s fatal tunnel crash in Brisbane’s west, including a former Queensland police officer and two women from interstate.

An indicative render of the proposed Woolloongabba priority development area.Credit: Queensland Government

Towers of up to 75 storeys would be allowed in Woolloongabba under a new Queensland government planning scheme put out for public comment on Thursday.

Bonza’s administrators confirmed the company will be grounded until at least next Wednesday morning and have asked thousands of customers with bookings scheduled before then not to turn up to their respective airports.

Queensland households will score a $1000 energy bill discount under a $2.5 billion government spending splash on cost of living relief

After multinational conglomerate 3M learnt that one of its best-selling chemicals had contaminated the blood of the general population, it was what the company’s internal documents didn’t say that was most incriminating.

And in sport news, South Sydney are preparing to offer supercoach Wayne Bennett a three-year deal, Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss cryptically revealed James O’Connor’s injury comeback might be “closer than you think” and the Sydney Roosters have expressed interest in signing several high-quality players, including Broncos and Origin star Selwyn Cobbo.

The state government signed-off on the final pieces to allow the nation-leading proactive release of some cabinet decision documents within 30 business days back at the end of March.

While the first batch wasn’t due for release until May 10 (still a far cry from the usual years-long process here and across the country) due to public holidays, it’s now been pushed online early here.

Premier Steven Miles said he had done so early “in recognition of our commitment to transparency”, after reports suggesting the release date had been missed.

“Documents released today outline the final implementation report for the integrity reform taskforce, and the First Nations Housing and Homelessness Roadmap announced earlier this month,” he said in a statement.

The milestone comes less than two years after forming one of the key recommendations of Professor Peter Coaldrake’s review of government culture and accountability.

The Queensland government has ruled Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, a partner in the Destination Brisbane Consortium delivering the Queen’s Wharf project, can still have a casino licence.

In 2022, the government asked its Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation to investigate the suitability of CTFE to be involved in the casino megacomplex.

With the assistance of an external firm, and on the advice of a barrister, the OLGR provided advice to Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath who on Thursday found insufficient evidence to conclude CTFE was unsuitable, or no basis to find the company unsuitable.

“CTFE has agreed to a number of actions to ensure it continues to improve its local business practices and remain associated with the multi-billion-dollar Queen’s Wharf development,” D’Ath said.

A CTFE spokesman said the company had agreed to update its policies, procedures and training, and appoint a Brisbane-based senior executive.

“We have a long-term interest in investing in Australia, are genuinely excited about the Queens Wharf project and can’t wait to play a part to help transform Brisbane ahead of the 2032 Olympics,” the CTFE spokesman said.

The government is still working to a May 31 deadline to decide whether The Star Entertainment Group, part of the consortium, should keep its casino licence. The OLGR has been keeping abreast of a NSW investigation.

Recent cases of knife crime across the country have seen renewed attention on the still-expanding trial of arbitrary police metal detection search powers in Queensland.

But the Griffith University team who reviewed the first Gold Coast-based trial for the government has reiterated their findings today, after the state government’s “community safety plan” was released on Tuesday.

“A key plank of the plan is to expand police use of metal detector wands, even though there is no evidence that wands help reduce violent crime,” the group writes.

Because police can stop and wand anyone, but can’t physically do this, they also found evidence of “unfair stereotypes” being used to pick targets.

The increased search powers also boosted mainly minor drug detection, contrary to the government’s new approach.

“While recent horrific knife crimes have understandably led to calls for action, deterring knife carrying and preventing violent crime takes more than additional police and new equipment,” they said.

“Police resources should be directed at better responses to the urgent problems of family violence, and to addressing the systemic cultural problems among police raised by the recent Independent Inquiry.”

Yesterday’s news that Brisbane live music institution The Zoo would close its doors dealt a heavy blow to music lovers and artists across the city – including Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner.

Schrinner joined those airing fond memories of the bands they’d seen at the Fortitude Valley venue back in the day, sharing that for him, it was Spiderbait and Tumbleweed.

The Zoo will close its doors for good on July 8.Credit: Robert Shakespeare - Fairfax Media

“Many of Brisbane’s greatest musicians got a start at The Zoo, including Powderfinger,” he said.

“[Former] bassist John Collins summed it up best for the industry this morning when he said: ‘you go and sell out The Zoo and you’re on your way’.”

The Zoo owner Shane Chidgzey described the difficult decision to shut shop as a “perfect storm” of factors: increased cost of living pressures, insurance, declining drink sales and punters’ preference for big international touring acts.

While Schrinner praised Brisbane’s unique live music precinct, he voiced concern over the impact of the city’s lockout laws on venues, calling for a “proper independent review” to see whether the laws are “adversely impacting Brisbane’s nighttime economy without doing anything to improve safety”.

Read more about The Zoo’s sudden closure from Cameron Atfield here.

On the issue of power bill rebates, Deputy Premier Cameron Dick has introduced the laws needed to make the $1000 payments for each Queensland household happen.

While the budget is due in June, the $2.26 billion in “unforeseen expenditure” signed off by the government would be pulled from its central bank account earlier, Dick told parliament.

The cost-of-living and economics committee, controlled by the government, has been told to consider the laws urgent and report back by May 17 before they are debated to be passed.

The rebates will apply automatically from July 1 as a single one-off credit which will carry over on the household’s account until it is used in full.

Small businesses will get $325. Existing $372 rebates for eligible concession card-holders will also continue in addition to, but funded separately from, those announced today.

The LNP’s Deb Frecklington used question time to suggest the rebates were needed because the state had the “highest power prices in the nation” – which is not quite right.

Broncos superstar Payne Haas is in doubt for Friday night’s clash with the Sydney Roosters, seen leaving his side’s Captain’s Run early, having re-aggravated a knee injury.

Payne Haas.Credit: Getty

Brisbane’s marquee prop was sidelined for six weeks after undergoing surgery, and returned with a vengeance against Wests Tigers last week – scoring a try, running for 138 metres and making 28 tackles, before coach Kevin Walters confirmed there was concerning knee swelling after the contest.

Boom teenage forward Ben Te Kura, a two-metre powerhouse who scored in his sole NRL appearance against Melbourne this year, will likely come into the team if Haas is ruled out.

“[Haas] wasn’t too good this morning but we’ll see how he goes tomorrow. Obviously we’ll give him up to kick-off; if he’s not fit he won’t play but if he’s fit he’ll play,” Walters says.

“I’d be saying he’s playing tomorrow night but we’ll wait and see how he pulls up.

“It was more after the game that it swelled up, and he didn’t play big minutes but it was a bit sore after the game and hasn’t settled too well.”

Parliament is back on again for the final day of the sitting week, and while power prices are the major focus, Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie has also used question time to ask Premier Steven Miles about intervening in the CFMEU matter to ensure workers’ safety.

Miles reiterated that he had no powers to intervene given the matter involved a private sector employer governed by federal industrial relations laws.

“But what I indicated yesterday was, like any employer managing industrial relations matters, they should use the avenues available to them,” Miles said.

“And what I understand from reporting this morning is that is precisely what that employer has done, and that system has operated as it is intended, as it was designed to do.”