As it happened: Brisbane on January 29

The Brisbane region is in for a wet few days with possible widespread minor flooding.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a flood watch for Queensland’s south-east.Credit: Bureau of Meteorology

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a flood watch on Monday afternoon due to a slow-moving trough forming over south-east Queensland and northeast NSW.

“Enhanced widespread heavy shower and thunderstorm activity is expected within the vicinity of the trough from Monday through to Wednesday, with locally heavy rainfall likely,” the bureau said.

Moderate to heavy rainfall was expected, along with showers and thunderstorms. Consecutive days of rain in some areas could increase the flood risk, with the upper Brisbane River catchment likely to be affected.

The wet weather, however, wasn’t expected to cool the city down.

Temperatures were expected to reach maximums of 27C and 29C on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

On Monday morning, Brisbane Airport’s weather balloon recorded a precipitable water value of 70.8 millimetres, just below the March 2017 record of 70.9mm. The precipitable water value is a measure of how much water is in the air.

The bureau warned on social media that showers and thunderstorms were likely to be aided by this moisture, potentially producing heavy rainfall.

“This is a risk for the next two days, so flash flooding and riverine flooding remains possible,” the bureau wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Thanks for joining us today. That’s where we’ll leave our live updates. Here are the headlines making news today:

South-east Queenslanders are among the Australians hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis, a new report has found.

Police have charged a 43-year-old man with murder after a 30-year-old woman was found dead at a home near Maryborough yesterday afternoon.

Kym Valentine (right) has paid tribute to her Neighbours co-star Troy Beckwith (left) after his death at the age of 48.

Former Neighbours actor Troy Beckwith, who played Michael “Sicko Micko” Martin, has died aged 48, according to a social media post by his one-time co-star Kym Valentine.

The woman allegedly sexually assaulted by Wallabies player Kurtley Beale in a pub bathroom has told a court he repeatedly suggested sex in a desperate tone before forcing himself on her.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with his partner Jodie Haydon (left), Virgin CEO and Tennis Australia chairman Jayne Hrdlicka, and tennis great Rod Laver.Credit: Jesse Marlow

And Anthony Albanese has shrugged off a frosty reception from tennis fans at Sunday’s Australian Open, saying it’s an Australian tradition to boo MPs at sporting events.

Treasurer Cameron Dick has dismissed a CommSec survey that ranked Queensland the seventh-strongest state or territory economy in Australia.

CommSec chief economist Craig James said higher borrowing costs and inflation were hurting state economies, while a solid jobs market and strong population growth was working in the opposite direction.

With South Australia ranked first, CommSec suggested Queensland’s fate would depend on trends in jobs, consumer spending and housing.

But Dick said the survey “bounces around significantly” and pointed to figures showing people still moving from SA to Queensland.

“People are voting with their feet and coming to Queensland because we are the place to be,” the treasurer said.

Premier Steven Miles has vowed to unveil a new government plan for housing after Opposition leader David Crisafulli said the LNP would lift the stamp duty concession for first home buyers.

After a cabinet meeting in Brisbane, Miles said the government would consider changing stamp duty thresholds in the budget if it did not add inflationary pressure to the property market.

Miles acknowledged cost of living concerns in Queensland and foreshadowed a broader housing plan being released by the government next week.

“What we are working on right now is a very comprehensive plan to deliver at every level of the market,” the premier said, adding that it would be “the biggest plan of its kind”.

Lifting the threshold for stamp duty concessions, or for the payment of stamp duty itself, is usually required to keep up with rising property prices.

Crisafulli said the LNP would consult on what an appropriate level would be for first home buyers.

Former Hutchinson Builders boss Greg Quinn has been appointed to review Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and report back within months.

Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said the review would consider whether WHSQ meets community expectations and modern standards, and would consult unions, employer organisations and other stakeholders.

“To protect workers and keep them safe on the job, we need to ensure our work health and safety laws remain contemporary and that we have an effective and responsive health and safety regulator,” Grace said in a statement.

Parliament is considering government amendments to work health and safety laws. Grace said the review would complement that process.

The Brisbane region is in for a wet few days with possible widespread minor flooding.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a flood watch for Queensland’s south-east.Credit: Bureau of Meteorology

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a flood watch on Monday afternoon due to a slow-moving trough forming over south-east Queensland and northeast NSW.

“Enhanced widespread heavy shower and thunderstorm activity is expected within the vicinity of the trough from Monday through to Wednesday, with locally heavy rainfall likely,” the bureau said.

Moderate to heavy rainfall was expected, along with showers and thunderstorms. Consecutive days of rain in some areas could increase the flood risk, with the upper Brisbane River catchment likely to be affected.

The wet weather, however, wasn’t expected to cool the city down.

Temperatures were expected to reach maximums of 27C and 29C on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

On Monday morning, Brisbane Airport’s weather balloon recorded a precipitable water value of 70.8 millimetres, just below the March 2017 record of 70.9mm. The precipitable water value is a measure of how much water is in the air.

The bureau warned on social media that showers and thunderstorms were likely to be aided by this moisture, potentially producing heavy rainfall.

“This is a risk for the next two days, so flash flooding and riverine flooding remains possible,” the bureau wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

After Labor promised to halve Brisbane bus fares if the party wins the Council election, our weekly reader survey asked what would get you onto a bus.

About 26 per cent said better routes were the answer, while 16 per cent wanted a more frequent schedule, and only 10 per cent picked cheaper fares.

“I would catch a bus more often if there were more cross-suburb buses! And more connections between buses and trains,” one reader added.

We also asked about your plans for last week’s public holiday. About 30 per cent of you said you’d be celebrating, with smaller numbers of you planning to go to work (8 per cent) or protest (6 per cent). Many who wrote in said they would spend the day at home.

And with new data revealing Middle Park and Mount Ommaney as the Brisbane suburbs where residents hold on to their properties for the longest, we asked how long you’d lived in your suburb.

On this one, answers were evenly spread – about 20 per cent of you had lived in your suburb for less than five years, almost 30 per cent for more than 20 years, and others were somewhere in between.

Want to share your thoughts in our weekly reader surveys? Sign up at the ideaXchange.

Council elections may not be until March 16 but the campaign for City Hall has formally kicked off.

On Monday morning, LNP Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner held a campaign event with councillors and candidates to urge Brisbane voters to back his “united and experienced team”.

At the same time, Labor’s campaign team, led by lord mayoral candidate Tracey Price, declared the LNP council “tired and entirely out of touch”.

Schrinner said managing growth was one of the greatest challenges Brisbane had ever faced. Again warning of a “dodgy coalition” between Labor and the Greens, he said only the LNP would be willing to fight Labor’s state and federal governments.

Labor’s campaign team said LNP council budget cuts would hurt the community.

A report released today by the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) has found south-east Queenslanders are among the Australians hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis.

QCOSS chief executive Aimee McVeigh says while the state government “cannot always stop prices increasing, they can provide more assistance”.Credit: Matt Dennien

The annual report, which looks at whether low-income Queensland families can afford basic essentials, found Brisbane to be leading the nation in terms of price increases, with items such as petrol, gas, electricity, bread and milk all rising by more than 10 per cent in the 12 months to August.

QCOSS CEO Aimee McVeigh said they had never seen this type of demand for support before. “[Low-income] working families can’t afford to keep a roof over their heads, feed their children and keep the lights on. They simply can’t afford all of the basics and they’re making impossible choices just to get by,” McVeigh said.

The report also found low-income earners particularly susceptible to debt. “We know that when there is an unexpected medical bill, extreme weather event, kids needing equipment for school, there is no room in the budget for those additional expenses so at times, people will go into debt,” she said.

Alongside the Living Affordability in Queensland report, QCOSS has launched the Make Queensland Fair campaign, calling on immediate government intervention to help struggling and at-risk Queenslanders.

“While the State Government cannot always stop prices increasing, they can provide more assistance via energy-bill relief, boosting food relief support, and putting a brake on rent increases,” McVeigh said.

In case you missed it over the weekend, Ipswich West MP Jim Madden has announced he’s leaving office a bit earlier than originally planned.

Madden, who had already told us he wouldn’t be standing at the next state election, has brought forward his departure date so he can run for Ipswich Council.

Last year the Labor MP was investigated by the party and parliament following accusations he had bullied his staff. He told parliament he had “fully participated in processes about issues raised”.

The by-election for Ipswich West will be held on the same day as the council elections, Saturday, March 16. Labor, which holds the seat with a margin of more than 14 per cent, says its candidate will be Wendy Bourne.

Bus routes operated by Transdev in the Capalaba and Redland Bay region will be disrupted today as drivers negotiating a pay deal go on strike.

The Transport Workers Union said more than 60 members will be stopping work for 10 hours today, between 7:00am and 5:00pm.

“TWU members are striking as a last resort after six months of stalled bargaining,” organising director Joshua Millroy said in a statement.

Translink said Redlands buses would run to a Saturday timetable today, with additional express services. It suggested passengers consider alternative transport if possible.