As it happened: Brisbane on Tuesday, November 12

A teenager has been arrested after an extended car chase through the northern suburbs of Brisbane.

The stolen Mercedes-Benz SUV was pursued by a police helicopter from about 6am today through Sandgate, Chermside, Aspley and Enoggera.

It was located about 11.45 in Anderson Street, Bowen Hills and a 14-year-old boy was arrested nearby a short time later.

The SUV had allegedly been stolen in the early hours of Monday from a property in Milton.

Thanks for joining us today for our live coverage of news in Brisbane and around the country. We’ll be back tomorrow morning.

In case you missed them, here are some of the major stories making headlines today.

A third person has been charged as police investigate the death of Rosemary Franzidis, who was killed when an allegedly stolen Audi driven by a teenager smashed into her car.

The PM has defended his government’s $470 million quantum computing bet following Queensland’s decision to review a deal it struck to fund a start-up alongside the federal government.

After receiving a payout after a collision, Queensland businessman Doug Wright wanted to invest the money. But his decision to respond to a Facebook ad promising high returns ended up costing him $1 million.

Over five months, Doug Wright received returns on his investment. Then communication stopped.Credit: Ben Shipway

Jamie Oliver’s latest children’s book barely hit the shelves before it was pulled after First Nations complaints over cultural insensitivity. Here’s where everything went wrong.

In cricket, Xavier Bartlett is set to return to the international arena on his home turf, and he’s salivating at the thought of dispatching the injury concerns that cruelled his meteoric rise.

And in a heritage-listed 19th-century church building, celebrated young-gun chef Brad Cooper and his partner, Matilda Riek, have created an intimate, Euro-focused diner with a punchy wine list.

August is a new restaurant from former Bar Francine chef Brad Cooper and partner Matilda Riek.Credit: Cindy Yohana

Three of the 12 men accused of murdering a teenager in a northside Brisbane public park have admitted being in the vicinity but have denied causing injuries, a judge has heard.

The trial was restarted in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday as a judge-alone matter after the jury was discharged last week over concerns that one or more members could have been racially prejudiced against the dozen defendants, who are all of African background.

Police and ambulance crews swarmed O’Callaghan Park and the surrounding area after the stabbing.Credit: Nine

Justice Lincoln Crowley was handed a note from the jury on Thursday that said more than one member was concerned for their safety after seeing men who might have been the defendants in the Brisbane CBD during a break in the trial.

On Tuesday, the 12 defendants pleaded not guilty to the murder of 19-year-old Girum Mekonnen, who died near a soccer club’s playing fields at O’Callaghan Park in Zillmere at 5pm on September 13, 2020.

Read the full story.

A woman has been fined after dozens of native reptiles were found in crowded conditions at her home. Some were so sick they were euthanised.

Twenty-six lizards, snakes and turtles were seized from the Queensland property during a search in early 2024 following a tip-off, along with 18 eggs.

Species included multiple python types, a shingleback lizard, inland bearded dragon, and broad-shelled turtle. A veterinarian found some of the animals were suffering from necrosis, dehydration and neurological defects.

Twenty-six reptiles and 18 reptile eggs were seized from the woman’s house.Credit: Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation

Among the animals were six species of python.Credit: Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation

Bearded dragons were also found at the woman’s home.Credit: Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation

The woman was fined $20,000 at Nambour Magistrates Court for four counts of keeping native wildlife suspected to have been unlawfully obtained.

“The surviving reptiles can never be released to the wild as they may have been exposed to disease while they were in captivity,” Jonathan McDonald, a senior wildlife officer at the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, said in a statement.

“There is an increasing trend in people seeking to profit from high prices that our unique wildlife fetch on domestic and international markets.”

A teenager has been arrested after an extended car chase through the northern suburbs of Brisbane.

The stolen Mercedes-Benz SUV was pursued by a police helicopter from about 6am today through Sandgate, Chermside, Aspley and Enoggera.

It was located about 11.45 in Anderson Street, Bowen Hills and a 14-year-old boy was arrested nearby a short time later.

The SUV had allegedly been stolen in the early hours of Monday from a property in Milton.

Four foreign nationals have been found on Croker Island in the Northern Territory, the ABC reports.

The Northern Land Council said traditional owners found the men suffering from exhaustion on Monday.

The ABC reports that the men told traditional owners they had paid someone to be taken to Australia.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the incident was further evidence of the Labor government’s failure to protect Australia’s borders.

“It’s clear that the people smugglers believe that they’re back in business,” he said.

“This is now the 23rd boat arrival and it’s another one that’s been undetected – our borders are not secure under the Albanese government.”

Australian Border Force said it does not comment on operational matters.

The Northern Land Council has been contacted for comment.

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has cited David Crisafulli’s early work as Queensland premier as a demonstration of what the Coalition would do if it won the federal election.

“I think what the new Premier here in Queensland has demonstrated is that a Liberal National Party has, in our DNA, the ability to manage the economy, the ability to make decisions which are economically prudent, and ultimately, I think which will put downward pressure on interest rates, which is why interest rates will always be cheaper under a Coalition government than what they are under a Labor administration,” Dutton said at a press conference in Brisbane with the LNP’s candidate for Ryan, Maggie Forrest.

“I think people in Ryan, in Brisbane and elsewhere, will be voting for the Coalition at the next election because they want to get our country back on track.

“I just don’t think any Australian can say that they’re better off today than they were two and a half years ago, and imagine how bad it will be in two and a half or three years time if the Albanese government’s re-elected.”

Premier David Crisafulli has continued the theme of his government’s first weeks in government – highlighting budget blowouts of infrastructure projects under the previous Labor government.

This time, it was Cross River Rail which, Crisafulli said, had blown out by almost half a billion dollars more than previously thought.

“The most damning thing is it was signed off in September,” he said.

“It was signed off in September, and no one from the former government thought that Queenslanders deserved to know about a $494 million blowout relating to Cross River Rail.”

Transport and Main Roads Minister Brent Mickelberg said the additional costs were related to integrating Cross River Rail to the broader train network, for work such as junctions, stabling yards, train station improvements and other surface work.

And, just like Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie yesterday, Mickelberg placed the blowout blame firmly on Labor and the CFMEU.

Brisbane Airport has recorded its busiest day since the COVID pandemic began, with about 77,300 domestic and international travellers passing through the gates on Monday.

The record for most passengers leaving the domestic terminal in an hour was also broken, with 4452 people flying between 6am and 7am.

A glut of travellers whose weekend flights were cancelled due to storms is believed to be partially responsible for the surge.

“We know when Brisbane Airport is busy, Queensland is busy,” the airport’s Ryan Both said in a statement.

The record for the number of passengers passing through in one day is 81,820, which was set on October 4, 2019.

The impact of flight noise on residents has become a growing political issue. A federal parliamentary inquiry is due to hand down its findings in the coming days.

He forged a career in which he became one of America’s finest shooting guards, and now George Gervin has stepped in to take the Brisbane Bullets into the future.

The legendary Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs sensation, who in 2021 was named among the NBA’s top 75 players in history, has joined forces with global sports development and strategic investment GameAbove Sports to announce this morning its acquisition of an ownership stake of the Queensland NBL franchise.

GameAbove founder and chairman Keith J. Stone revealed it was the Bullets’ “tremendous growth potential” in the leadup to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games that appealed to the company.

Meanwhile, Gervin – a nine-time NBA All Star – is set to bring an eye for what success looks like.

“Basketball has always been my passion, and to be part of a franchise like the Brisbane Bullets is an incredible opportunity,” Gervin said.

“Australia has a rich basketball culture, and the Bullets have a storied legacy. I look forward to helping elevate the team and build toward a bright future, especially with the upcoming Olympics in Brisbane.”

The Bullets will take on the JackJumpers in Tasmania on Friday night in what will be forward Tohi Smith-Milner’s 150th NBL appearance, before returning home to face Perth on Sunday.