As it happened: Brisbane on Tuesday, April 2

A woman has been found dead in an inner Brisbane apartment complex, with police declaring a crime scene.

Police said they were called to the Brunswick Street address in Fortitude Valley about 11am to conduct a welfare check. While there, they discovered the woman’s body in one of the apartments.

By Tuesday afternoon, police were questioning a man, believed to be known to the woman.

The Central Brunswick Apartment Hotel in the Brisbane suburb of Fortitude Valley.

The complex, the Central Brunswick Apartment Hotel, is on one of the busiest streets in Brisbane. It accommodates tourists and longer-term guests.

That is all from us today and thanks for reading.

Among today’s top stories was Premier Steven Miles’ response to an open letter signed by 14 high-profile athletes urging him to reconsider the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre (QSAC) as the main venue for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The premier also commented on safety measures and government-funded swimming lessons in the wake of the double drowning at a hotel on the Gold Coast.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in town to announce a major Defence deal but as Sean Parnell reported, the PM has refused to say whether his government would be prepared to commit more funds to Brisbane 2032 Games venues.

Courtney Kruk reported on Dockside, the popular Kangaroo Point ferry terminal, which reopened today following a significant upgrade.

And a man is assisting police with their inquiries in relation to a woman’s body found at a Fortitude Valley apartment complex.

Our live coverage of Brisbane and beyond will return tomorrow.

A woman has been found dead in an inner Brisbane apartment complex, with police declaring a crime scene.

Police said they were called to the Brunswick Street address in Fortitude Valley about 11am to conduct a welfare check. While there, they discovered the woman’s body in one of the apartments.

By Tuesday afternoon, police were questioning a man, believed to be known to the woman.

The Central Brunswick Apartment Hotel in the Brisbane suburb of Fortitude Valley.

The complex, the Central Brunswick Apartment Hotel, is on one of the busiest streets in Brisbane. It accommodates tourists and longer-term guests.

The tragic deaths of a man and his father who drowned trying to save a toddler who fell into a hotel pool have prompted a discussion about water safety.

Dharmvir Singh, 38, and Gurjinder Singh, 65, leapt into the pool at a Gold Coast hotel to try to save the younger man’s child on Sunday.

The child had been playing on the step of the pool before losing their footing and falling into deeper water.

When the father and grandfather tried to save the toddler, they got into trouble in the water themselves.

Royal Life Saving chief executive Justin Scarr suggested there might be a need to revisit safety guidelines and precautions in hotels.

“It may be that the current regime, signing and fencing is not enough and more needs to be done, given a range of factors including the sorts of activities that people are doing in those pools and perhaps some weaknesses in people’s understanding of water safety,” Scarr said.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles said his government funded swimming lessons for a range of groups but was open to making changes.

“We have bolstered our efforts to teach particularly young people to swim ... we need people to swim before they get to school,” Miles said.

“If there are more things that we should do for migrant communities I’m sure we can talk with them.”

Today marks one year since Jack’s Law came into effect.

The law, named after 17-year-old Jack Beasley, who was fatally stabbed on a night out with friends in 2019, allows Queensland police officers to scan people using handheld metal detector “wands”.

The initiative aims to reduce knife crime, particularly among young people.

Since coming into effect, more than 50,000 people have been wanded, with officers seizing dozens of knives off the streets and from people on public transport.

While many see the laws as an important component of crime prevention, others, including the Civil Liberties Council, have warned against increased police powers to conduct warrantless searches and wanding based on generalisation and stereotypes.

Today would have been Jack Beasley’s 22nd birthday.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles has responded to an open letter signed by 14 high-profile athletes urging him to reconsider the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre (QSAC) as the main venue for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, by telling a press conference he would not review the decision.

“But what I will do is encourage our fantastic Olympian and Paralympians to look at what this plan actually delivers,” Miles said.

“This is a plan to deliver more than $7 billion of sporting infrastructure for our state. That’s an incredible legacy.”

Miles said the athletes were entitled to their opinions but maintained that his decision was based on a broader portion of the population and their needs.

“As I travel around the state, particularly in regional Queensland, they’re not talking to me about the need to spend billions more on sporting infrastructure,” he said.

“They’re talking to me about their hospital, about their school, about how hard they’re finding it to make ends meet.

“And when Queenslanders are facing those kinds of day to day challenges, I can’t justify spending billions more on stadiums, no matter how many swimmers ask me to.”

After several years without any services, Dockside, the popular Kangaroo Point ferry terminal, reopened today following a significant upgrade.

The new terminal has been made more flood resilient and redesigned to cater for future growth and travellers with mobility needs, with dual berths for both CityCat and KittyCat vessels and wider entrances.

Regular services linking passengers to inner-city terminals including Sydney Street, Holman Street, Riverside, Maritime Museum, South Bank, and North Quay will recommence from today.

Artist’s impression of the Mowbray Park ferry terminal, which will be redeveloped next.Credit: Brisbane City Council

Transport chair Ryan Murphy said the Dockside reopening is part of continued council investment to improve Brisbane’s ferry network.

“Brisbane’s ferry network is not just a popular mode of public transport but also a fantastic tourism offering that helps visitors see more of our amazing city,” Murphy said.

Mowbray Park terminal is next to be upgraded, with works due to commence later this month and finish before the end of the year.

In a radio interview with ABC Brisbane’s Steve Austin this morning, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked about the “extraordinarily damaging” increase in property prices.

Albanese responded by saying there had been price increases over a long period, not just when Labor was in power. He said his government had responded by introducing measures to boost supply.

Austin then pressed the PM on whether there was a link between “high levels of immigration in Australia and property prices at the moment”, prompting Albanese to acknowledge the increase in new arrivals but not specifically comment on any link.

“What I see is that population figures are less than they were going to be, and that we need to lower the migration numbers, which is precisely what my government is doing by putting in place measures, for example, to weed out some of the rorts that were there with people coming to do courses, allegedly, that simply didn’t stack up,” Albanese said.

“We are getting on top of these issues, which is why we have had a migration strategy to clean up the mess that we inherited.

“But it’s not surprising that after an economy opens up, which was closed, that you have an increase in the number of students, for example, which is the major reason why you’ve had that spike in numbers was always going to occur after there was a reopening up of what was closed borders.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has refused to say whether his government would be prepared to commit more funds to Brisbane 2032 Games venues.

On ABC Radio on Tuesday morning, Albanese was asked about the extent of the funding commitment, following an independent review and the Queensland government’s decision to make the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre a temporary Games venue and upgrade the Gabba and Suncorp Stadium.

Albanese would only say that his colleagues Annika Wells and Catherine King were discussing the issues with their Queensland counterparts.

The changes, and ongoing discussions, come ahead of the state election in October.

“I’m a Labor loyalist and I hope that Steven Miles is successful in the election,” Albanese said.

Queensland health authorities have issued warnings ahead of flu season following alarming numbers of influenza-related deaths and hospitalisations.

So far this year, 11 people have died from influenza in Queensland and more than 700 people have been hospitalised because of serious illness from influenza.

Premier Steven Miles announced that the government would again be offering free flu vaccinations for all Queenslanders for anyone aged six months and older.

According to Queensland Health data, there are 83 people in hospital and more than 7000 flu cases have been recorded in 2024.

People aged 65 years and older are at higher risk of severe illness from influenza, along with pregnant people, children aged under five and people with chronic medical conditions.

Traditionally, flu season in Australia runs from May to September but since 2022, Australia has recorded more cases in the summer months.

A pedestrian has died after being hit by a truck on the Gold Coast, causing the southbound lanes of the M1 to close.

Emergency services were called to the incident at Pimpama about 7.30am, with police now warning of delays, and avoid the area if possible.

Police said diversions were in place but there would be heavy congestion this morning.