High-profile barber in cheeky bid for another medal
He’s already got an Order of Australia gong but one of Brisbane’s most renowned barbers thinks he deserves another medal.
City Beat
Farmers fume over plans to drill near disaster ‘ground zero’
A gas company says it wants to drill within 1.3km of the site of one of Queensland’s worst environmental disasters, even though it was previously the subject of 314sq km excavation exclusion zone.
Talk grows of BoQ acquisition deal
Is Bank of Queensland well advanced with plans to acquire a rival bank in a deal that could easily top $1 billion?
Plans for $15m Brisbane beer venture collapse
Plans to build Brisbane’s largest venue providing contract brewing services for aspiring beer makers have fallen in a heap.
Founders of Brisbane gym chain split
From a modest start in a Brisbane garage, they launched an innovative chain of gyms across the country but now these two business partners have gone their separate ways.
Brisbane corporates pump up the volume
Brisbane corporate figures in seven bands will raise money this weekend to help Australia’s leading charity for struggling music industry players.
Last part of Uebergang hospitality empire goes bust
One of the last intact vestiges of failed publican Mic Uebergang has gone under after dramatic final months of trade that included tens of thousands of dollars in fines.
Kapow! Comics retailer calls in liquidator after 20-year life
A Brisbane comics retailer has been forced to call in the liquidator after more than 20 years of trading, but there is hope that the store could survive.
Gourmet cookie maker goes bust
A gourmet cookie maker on the Gold Coast has gone bust after nearly 20 years in business, falling victim to pandemic pressures.
How Arnott’s heir made $8.2m from $760K
The great-great-grandson of the Arnott’s Biscuits founder has just turned $760,000 into a massive $8.2 million.
High-profile car dealers chase upscale caravan market
A Brisbane duo who spent more than 30 years flogging luxury cars are now getting into the upmarket caravan game.
Top Brisbane eatery shuts after 14 years
It’s the end of the road for a Brisbane dining institution after it was revealed its owners were unable to access government help to see them through tough times.
Christians overseas facing COVID-19 persecution
A new report has found that the battle against COVID-19 has intensified harassment and discrimination targeting Christians in numerous countries.
Is this Brisbane’s most expensive tennis court?
Richlister Robert Nioa was missing only one thing at his mansion in Brisbane’s blue ribbon Ascot – a tennis court. So he purchased the house next door for $2 million to make room for one.
Embattled removalist ‘not going anywhere’
A troubled removalist group is determined to survive despite several of its subsidiaries being placed into administration.
Rich lister’s pool battle set for showdown
Rich lister Jamie Pherous will have his day in court next month in a battle with Brisbane City Council over a pool at his mansion.
Elite golf club boss resigns
Changes have occurred at the top of the elite Royal Queensland Golf Club where members are divided over controversial plans to bring in more cash.
Billions wiped from Qld’s big-name stocks
It was a year of winners and losers for Queensland’s biggest publicly listed companies with COVID-19 the backdrop to their various fortunes.
Church-run hospitality firm goes bust
A Presbyterian Church-run hospitality company that provided meals to the aged and hotel industry across Queensland has gone under, adding to the financial woes of the church’s businesses.
Queensland business winners, losers in 2020
It’s been a hard year for business in Queensland, but while some have thrived, others have suffered huge blows – and they’re not all related to COVID-19.
The invite-only club Virgin might not reopen
A very hush-hush network of VIP lounges remain closed as one of Australia’s major airlines debates whether to reopen them.
Mining giant’s ‘top gun’ purely for ‘marketing purposes’
“Top gun” is widely applied in a generic sense to a senior figure in an organisation but does it imply someone is a company director?
Entertainment guru’s company collapses
A leading Queensland sport and entertainment titan has pulled the plug on a mortally wounded part of his business empire.
Public Trustee called in to Lamb House battle
The long-simmering battle over one of Brisbane’s most historic homes has taken a dramatic turn.
Bogus Brisbane tax agent with 300 clients jailed
A Brisbane man who repeatedly thumbed his nose at court orders to stop acting illegally as a tax agent is about to pay a mighty price for his misconduct.
‘Cruel and deceptive’: Brisbane tech giant’s toxic culture exposed
A toxic corporate culture has encouraged bullying and unfair dismissal to flourish at one of Australia’s biggest software companies, a court has heard, with the company’s founder and chairman, who has vowed to appeal the decision, singled out for especially scathing criticism.
The big bank, an AFL richlister and kidnap in paradise claims
A Brisbane media adviser, a former AFL player turned richlister and a private eye have won a fight over claims they concocted a wild conspiracy to kidnap a NAB banker and extract a bogus confession after enticing him to a remote Indonesian island. But their battle is far from over.
Why do we still have a bridge named after Pisasale?
Why do we still have streets, bridges and parks named after now-disgraced former public officials? Following Paul Pisasale’s seven-and-a-half year sentence for 33 offences this week, fresh questions are being asked about a controversial public crossing.
Aussie arm of UK trailer maker goes bust
A Brisbane-based liquidator has been tapped to clean up the mess for a company known as one of the UK’s leading truck, trailer and conversion manufacturers after its Australian arm crashed after only three years.
Why Abbot Point is no good for rocket launch site
Both sides of politics want a launch site north of Airlie Beach but a prominent Queensland rocket maker says the location poses too many problems.
Trad’s husband in legal shake-up
The husband of former deputy premier Jackie Trad has had a bitter falling out with a long-time business partner.
How best mates made $1.25m in five months during lockdown
There’s no shortage of irony that a young Brisbane entrepreneur had his “light bulb” moment during one of his regular sauna sessions.
Public Trustee ‘proud’ despite $12m loss
The Public Trustee of Queensland has suffered a big hit to its bottom line, according to its annual report. But that didn’t stop the Acting Public Trustee and CEO from describing the document in glowing terms in an email to his troops.
Flow-on effect of Brisbane’s empty buses, trains
It’s not only public transport revenue that’s been smashed by the pandemic-related decline in commuters, as new figures reveal.
$24m crash behind CityCat builder
How closely did the Brisbane City Council examine the track record of the local boat builder who is now churning out the next generation of double-decker CityCats?
Summer from hell: 21,000 empty rooms, Accor hotels closed
The boss of Australia’s biggest hotel group Accor has issued a stark warning about Queensland’s border shutdown, saying unless things dramatically change, there could be 21,000 empty rooms over summer. He says that would force Accor to close some venues.
Coast investment firm in $10m collapse
A long-troubled Gold Coast financial services outfit has crashed, owing over $10 million, despite efforts to revive it.
Two firms in concrete empire liquidated
Trouble has emerged in this concrete design group of companies overseen by two Brisbane brothers. While they continue to trade, two companies have been tipped into liquidation.
Brisbane lawyer leads $1b COVID compo battle
A Brisbane legal eagle is heading up a closely watched test case with enormous implications for business owners nationwide battling to get insurance payouts for their COVID-19 shutdowns.
Brisbane fund manager wants developer wound up
The legal stoush between a Brisbane fund manager and a property developer over $60m master planned community has intensified.
Legal battle snares big-name business identities
Some of Brisbane’s most high-profile business people have been caught up in a legal battle launched by a former employee who alleges he was a whistleblower.
Wagner family’s $250m mecca to rival Gold Coast Indy
The Wagner family has revealed ambitious plans for a $250 million motor sports and entertainment complex near Wellcamp Airport at Toowoomba that would not only create up to 400 jobs, but rival the iconic Gold Coast Indy.
Why craft brewers are unhappy
Queensland craft brewers are definitely seeing the glass only “half full” after a proposed legislative overhaul of the fledgling industry was announced this week.
Brisbane property identity masters the art of hypnosis
A veteran Brisbane commercial property player has just learned the ancient art of hypnosis. What could possibly go wrong?
Inside story on controversial CityCat tender process
There are troubling questions about the tendering process and the specifications requested for Brisbane’s new double-decker CityCats
Worries over Chinese mine buyout
There are fears parties connected to the Chinese Communist Party are poised to snare a valuable copper resource in Queensland for a song. A staggering $578m in shareholder value went up in smoke when the miner collapsed.
Mining baron’s $100m splurge resurrects jobs
The sorry tale of a failed Queensland coalmining company has come to a surprisingly happy ending.
Another Horn backer switches corners to Tszyu
Rising boxing star Tim Tszyu got another vote of confidence this week when a Queensland law firm signed on as one of his major sponsors.
Qld restaurateurs bucking the national trend
A new national survey has found that in the age of COVID-19, Queensland restaurant owners are leading their interstate counterparts on an important metric.
‘Miss you all’: End of era as Regal Twin sold after 50 years
One of Brisbane’s few surviving independent cinemas – The Regal Twin at Graceville – has changed hands for the first time in 50 years. But in good news for movie buffs, the new owners have vowed to keep the indie tradition alive.
Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/business/citybeat/page/19