As it happened: Brisbane on Wednesday, April 3

Thank you for joining us today. We will be back tomorrow with the latest news and developments. Until then, here are some of today’s top stories.

• Police believe 42-year-old Steven Rhain Pinker allegedly killed his mother at least two days before her body was found in a Fortitude Valley apartment. News of the 66-year-old mother’s death came as domestic violence advocate Rosie Batty said women and children are still being murdered at an “alarming rate” in Australia during an address to the National Press Club.
• More than a dozen new AI-related billionaires have joined Forbes’ Rich List this year, including Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI. Global pop sensation Taylor Swift also joined their ranks, with her fortune hitting $US1.1 billion.
• A change in the weather will put a dampener on Queensland’s school holidays, with heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and possible flash flooding forecast for parts of the south-east.
• Businesswoman, lawyer and former AFL commissioner Samantha Mostyn has been named as Australia’s next governor-general.
• Overseas, a powerful earthquake has struck off Taiwan, rocking the entire island, collapsing buildings and prompting tsunami warnings in Japan and the Philippines.

You might have heard the government’s announcement a fortnight ago that Queensland would have its first pill testing service at a music festival over the Easter weekend.

Well, the early results are in, and a total of 257 partiers at the Rabbits Eat Lettuce electronic music festival near Warwick had drugs tested by a qualified chemist and met with a harm-reduction worker as part of the free and confidential scheme.

In a statement this afternoon, Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said the average age of those using the service was 28 to 30, and that of the 210 drug samples provided for testing, about 14 were then discarded.

The most common samples were MDMA and ketamine, while some higher-risk substances were also identified after being mis-sold as something else.

“It has been really disappointing to see the LNP indicate they want to roll back these services,” Fentiman said.

“These services will save lives and keep people safe, and it’s time the LNP stop standing in the way of harm reduction measures.”

Alex Leapai Junior’s imminent professional boxing debut will mark only the start of what he hopes is a meteoric rise through the ranks, with his trainer revealing the 18-year-old was set to partake in up to eight fights in the next 12 months.

The former Gold Coast Titans-contracted prop will take on Joe Ageli tonight on The Gathering card – one featuring predominantly past AFL players and broadcast on Stan.

As the Mabel State High School product sparred with the likes of Joe Goodall preparing for his inaugural fight, his trainer Noel Thornberry declared this was just the beginning.

“We’ve definitely got long-term plans, but the first year is going to be activity – activity is the key to growth at this stage of his career,” Thornberry said.

“We need seven or eight fights in the 12 months. We’re not fighting Mike Tyson in that period, but we’re looking to fight boxers that will test Alex at different stages, and help him develop.”

Ex-prime minister Paul Keating has congratulated his former communications policy adviser Sam Mostyn on her appointment as governor-general.

In the 1980s and ’90s Mostyn worked as a communications policy adviser to Keating. She also worked for Labor ministers Bob Collins and Michael Lee.

Samantha Mostyn will be the new governor-general, Anthony Albanese announced today.Credit: AAP

In a statement this afternoon, Keating said such an appointment is a great honour.

“I am certain Samantha Mostyn will bring much credit to the office of Governor-General,” he said.

Awe, anger, disdain, envy and concern – these about cover off on the responses to the annual publication of the Forbes list of the world’s most colossal fortunes – the elite group of 2781 that count themselves members of the billionaires club.

And as the saying goes, the rich have gotten richer over the past year. They have increased their collective wealth by $US2 trillion ($3.1 trillion) since 2023 to $US14.2 trillion. To put this into perspective, this is larger than the gross domestic product of any country other than the US and China.

More than a dozen new AI-related billionaires joined the list, including Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI.

Global pop sensation Taylor Swift also joined their ranks, with her fortune hitting $US1.1 billion.

But the number one spot is held by Bernard Arnault, the majority owner of the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, whose fortune, Forbes calculates, has increased by 10 per cent to $US233 billion.

Elon Musk is in second place with $US195 billion, up 8 per cent on last year.

Here are the top 10:

Read more, here.

Premier Steven Miles has travelled to Mackay for a sod-turning to mark the start of construction of an upgrade to the city’s major public hospital, set to deliver 128 more beds.

But he has not escaped questions about his decision last month to reject the key recommendation of his specially commissioned review into the $7.1 billion 2032 Games venue project pipeline after sporting figures questioned the move again this week.

Miles opted to forgo a $3.4 billion new stadium at Victoria Park for essentially a temporary seat boost at the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre and improvements to the Gabba and Suncorp Stadium, at “marginally” lower cost.

In Mackay, the premier was asked why increased mining royalties or stamp duty revenue couldn’t help fund the infrastructure.

“Those that are calling on us to build a big new stadium in Brisbane are calling on us to spend billions more, billions above that $7.1 billion already allocated, and I just couldn’t justify that to Queenslanders at a time that I know that they are struggling, at a time that I know we should be focused on delivering more hospitals, more schools, upgraded roads,” he said.

Turning now to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who has been asked about his potential support for divestiture powers that could break up major supermarket chains.

The Greens and members of the Nationals Party including leader David Littleproud back the push, which would allow the competition watchdog to strip supermarket giants of some stores.

Australia’s consumer watchdog is probing supermarkets.Credit: Getty Images

Speaking at a press conference in Sydney earlier, Dutton said that if there was a market failure where consumers were being adversely impacted then “you would look at whether or not that market domination would continue”.

“You’ve got a situation now where Coles and Woolies have their own property development arms, they’re purchasing blocks of land so that other competitors can’t build within the vicinity of their existing operations or their planned operations,” he said.

“I think there’s a question mark about the appropriateness of that behaviour.”

But he blamed the Albanese government for increased prices at the checkout, saying its decisions in previous budgets had forced up inflation.

When the last state budget was handed down, Treasury was expecting to rake in $857 million in revenue from fines and forfeitures in 2024-25.

Fines have been a handy earner for the Labor government, which has rolled out more cameras to detect traffic offences, beefed up the powers of the State Penalties Enforcement Registry, and given the Queensland Revenue Office overall control of the program.

Treasurer Cameron Dick recently ruled the indexation rate for fines would be 4.2 per cent from July 1. That means fines will go up – for example, the fine for using a mobile phone while driving will increase to $1210 – and so will government revenue.

In making its original budget forecast, Treasury had factored in a 2.5 per cent increase from indexation. On paper, at least, Dick has delivered an extra $14 million in revenue.

If you are just joining us, here is what has been making news today ...

• A change in the weather will put a dampener on Queensland’s school holidays, with heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and possible flash flooding forecast for parts of the south-east.
• The man accused of fatally stabbing his mother at a Fortitude Valley apartment has been identified as 42-year-old Steven Rhain Pinker. He is charged with murdering his 66-year-old mother who was visiting from Western Australia.
• That came as domestic violence advocate Rosie Batty said women and children are still being murdered at an “alarming rate” in Australia during an address to the National Press Club.
• Queensland’s Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has confirmed an investigation is under way into the treatment of a 20-month-old Zara Mulheran at Queensland Children’s Hospital after her mother invoked Ryan’s Rule at the weekend.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also named businesswoman, lawyer and former AFL commissioner, Samantha Mostyn as Australia’s next governor-general.
• A former producer on Seven’s Spotlight program alleged Bruce Lehrmann received perks totalling tens of thousands of dollars before he signed an exclusive interview deal with the network.
• Israel’s military chief says a deadly Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza - including Australian Zomi Frankcom - was the result of a “misidentification” in complex conditions.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express his outrage over the deadly strike on behalf of Australia. He said his Israeli counterpart had committed to a full investigation.
• Overseas, a powerful earthquake has struck off Taiwan, rocking the entire island, collapsing buildings and prompting tsunami warnings in Japan and the Philippines.

Domestic violence advocate Rosie Batty is speaking from the National Press Club this afternoon, where she is highlighting the “alarming rate” at which women and children are still being murdered in Australia.

A decade ago, Batty’s son Luke was murdered by his father. In 2015 Batty was made Australian of the Year for her domestic violence advocacy work.

Former Australian of the Year and domestic violence advocate Rosie Batty during a March meeting with the Prime Minister.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Here’s an extract from her address:

Between many things [I] have grappled with since Luke’s death, large among them is the feeling of absolute despair I carry. That despite my campaigns, despite the hundreds of speeches I’ve made, despite marching, crying and shouting from the rooftops about family violence, despite a Royal Commission and millions of dollars of resources to prevent violence … women and children are still being murdered at an alarming rate in Australia.

One woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner, last year, 64 women were killed in instances of violence in Australia.”