George Street Beat: Latest news and gossip in Qld politics

Premier David Crisafulli might want to be seen as a man of the people — but not too seen, thank you very much. THIS IS GEORGE STREET BEAT

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has made his home disappear.

Premier David Crisafulli might want to be seen as a man of the people — but not too seen, thank you very much.

GSB found out this week he has blurred his inner-Brisbane home on Google Maps, shielding the swish $1.025 million Queenslander from public view, well, online at least.

The Crisafulli’s snapped up the three-bedroom house in August 2023, and it’s been undergoing renovations ever since.

Given how notoriously private Mr Crisafulli is, we were itching for an update on the build, but a quick google search showed we may never get one … ever.

Sigh.

SKY HIGH NIMBY

MPs on the State Development, Infrastructure and Works Committee were treated to a $15,000 flight this week to glare at wind turbines from above.

GSB is told Mirani MP Glen Kelly whipped out a map and instructed the pilot where to fly so he could personally point out the renewable projects he has been railing against.

The scenic tour was to show the committee the current and proposed wind farms between Rockhampton and Biloela, including Moar Creek, you know, the one conveniently located near Mr Kelly’s own property. But don’t expect him to declare that.

Glen Kelly enjoyed a ride on a chopper this week.

The trip was greenlit by LNP committee chair Jim McDonald and ended in Biloela for a formal public hearing.

We know the laws should change to force all renewable developers to engage with local communities, but is an aerial protest tour really necessary when it comes with a $12,000-15,000 price tag?

KILLER VOLUNTEER

You’d think a convicted double murderer turned priest might raise a few red flags.

In Queensland Labor, he raises campaign corflutes.

John Holznagel, the man who brutally killed his ex and her new partner in a frenzied knife attack, somehow found redemption not just in the church, but on the hustings.

He’s been snapped grinning alongside Labor’s Ipswich West MP Wendy Bourne, in the volunteer tent for Federal Blair MP Shayne Neumann, and even scored a mention in former Ipswich West MP Jim Madden’s 2018 maiden speech.

Naturally, we asked Labor HQ how a man with such a violent past became a recurring feature in party circles. A whisper from one insider revealed that some MPs knew he had a criminal record but not to the extent reported in the Sunday Mail.

It goes to show, some skeletons don’t stay in the confessional.

Rosewood resident John William Holznagel was pictured alongside Ipswich West MP Wendy Bourne

BLURRY BLOCKING

Queenslanders are up in arms over MPs blocking them on social media, so much so, they have launched a petition to get them to stop.

Leading the charge is Tony Magrathea, known for his repeated use of petitions and parliamentary loopholes.

He once famously sued One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts for $6000 in the aftermath of the 2017 dual citizenship scandal, after alleging he’d been blocked for questioning Roberts’ eligibility to sit in parliament.

Now he’s raising questions about whether elected officials should be allowed to silence online critics, especially when they use social media as an extension of their public office.

Whether intended or not, the petition spotlights a murky area of modern politics: Can MPs pick and choose who gets to speak on their platforms, especially when that criticism comes from across the aisle? And what happens when legitimate scrutiny gets blurred with digital abuse?

It’s a question plenty in parliament would rather avoid, but with Magrathea’s petition now tabled, ignoring it may no longer be an option.

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls.

RADIO SILENCE

Those keeping up with the news this week would be aware that Queensland’s nurses and midwives began Industrial Protected Action – their first strike action in over two decades.

No biggie.

But it seems Health Minister Tim Nicholls isn’t fully caught up to the latest EB12 offer.

While he’s happy to champion the pay rise for the grade five nurses, letting that one detail brand the entire wage offer as “nation leading,” he’s been scant on the details for the other pay grades.

When ABC’s Ellen Fanning grilled him on air about it, he replied “It’s not comparable” and “I haven’t come in with a complete set of numbers”.

Our favourite? “I’m not going to negotiate over the airwaves with them (the union).”

Yes Minister, there may be 200 pay grades in Victoria compared to Queensland’s 50, but if you’re going to defend the wage offer that made 55,000 nurses so upset they’ve taken to strike action for the first time since 2002, at least bring a cheat sheet with you.

Terri Irwin took aim at croc culls this week.

SHANELESS CUT-AND-PASTE

Katter’s MP Shane Knuth was caught in 4k this week, shamelessly copying and pasting the party’s unsuccessful 2017 croc bill.

And who other than wildlife queen Terri Irwin to call him out on it.

She didn’t hold back, describing the legislation as a “lazy and sloppy attempt to recycle” old draft laws.

And she came armed with receipts, pointing out the bill’s explanatory notes still refer to the long-defunct Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, a name that hasn’t existed in eight years.

AI analysis of the two bills backs her up, finding more than half of the 2025 Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill appears to be directly copied or only lightly edited from the original 2017 version.

A KAP staffer didn’t deny the copy past job, saying “we’re going to keep putting it in” until the government of the day gave in.

At least they knew they had to rename the bill to put it back on the table.

Originally published as George Street Beat: Latest news and gossip in Qld politics