As it happened: Brisbane on Tuesday, April 1

Both footpaths on the Story Bridge have been closed for almost a month – and will remain closed for weeks, with no reopening date revealed yet.

The east and west Story Bridge footpaths, a popular route for cyclists, e-scooter riders and pedestrians, were closed on March 5 as Cyclone Alfred approached.

Two weeks ago, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the council would use the opportunity, after receiving funding from the federal government for a business case to investigate the bridge’s restoration, to do technical assessments on the bridge, starting with the footpaths.

Schrinner did not answer why both paths were closed at the same time.

At the time, Infrastructure chair, councillor Andrew Wines, said engineers would assess the footpaths for “the next few weeks”.

This morning, Brisbane Times asked council’s media team if there was a date for the reopening of the footpaths, why they were still closed, what the assessments had revealed, and whether one footpath could be reopened while one remained closed for tests.

In an Instagram post, Schrinner said detailed assessments were continuing to ensure the paths were structurally safe, revealing the works would “continue for the next couple of weeks”.

He said a detailed structural assessment of the 85-year-old footpaths was vital following the cyclone, and new drone footage was being inspected by structural engineers to assess whether the paths were damaged during the storm.

Thanks for joining us for our live coverage of today’s news. We’ll return tomorrow morning.

If you’ve just joined us, here are some of the stories that have made news today.

A four-year-old girl missing from a Forest Lake home on Monday morning has been found dead in a neighbour’s pool, sparking a police investigation.

Premier David Crisafulli told parliament that additional offences would be added to the state’s “adult crime, adult time” laws – the election campaign centrepiece that aimed to punish young offenders with adult-style sentences.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared key issues in trade talks with the United States are “not up for negotiation” after the US trade office added to its list of grievances with Australia just days before the Trump administration unveils a new tranche of tariffs.

In other political news, a teal candidate has apologised for making a sexual joke to a 19-year-old hairdresser, which she has admitted was a poor attempt at humour.

The makers of the hit Netflix show Adolescence have sparked a conversation in Britain and beyond on how to protect children from violent misogyny and other harmful content on social media – and now they have the ear of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

And American videogame champion Billy Mitchell has been awarded $350,000 in damages by a Brisbane court, after winning a defamation lawsuit against YouTuber Karl Jobst.

The state government says finishing a northside walking, cycling and e-scooter link would not be “cost-effective”.

More than 1100 people signed a petition asking for a missing link in the Ferny Grove rail trail to Samford to be delivered.

Cyclists had called for the state government to build the “missing link” in the Ferny Grove rail trail to Samford.Credit: Space4cyclingbne

The bikeway was designed to offer a safe and flat cycling and walking route between Ferny Grove and Samford, but on a missing section, people must walk or ride on the road with vehicles, or on the grass verge.

In a response, Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said the “important works” to connect the rest of the bikeway through to Samford Village was not completed “due to the economic mismanagement of the former Labor government”.

“While I acknowledge that further works on the connection via Petersen Road and Camp Mountain Road would be attractive for residents in the Ferny Grove and Samford Village area, the current economic challenges arising as a result of a decade of poor government has meant that the cost of these works would not be a cost-effective expenditure of Queensland’s limited public funds,” he said.

Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg has revealed $14.3 million was spent on fare compliance and enforcement in south-east Queensland in 2023-24, when an estimated $37 million in revenue was lost.

The cost of compliance and enforcement, revealed in response to a question on notice from the opposition, was more than $5 million higher than previous years.

The government has yet to recalculate the revenue lost to fare evasion under 50c fares, but Translink has vowed to remain vigilant.

The Reserve Bank has held interest rates steady at 4.1 per cent amid uncertainty around US President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda.

The decision comes after the bank cut rates for the first time in 4½ years at its previous meeting in February, and as its new monetary policy committee met for the first time this week.

It comes after last week’s monthly inflation figures showed the rate of price growth continuing to ease.

Both footpaths on the Story Bridge have been closed for almost a month – and will remain closed for weeks, with no reopening date revealed yet.

The east and west Story Bridge footpaths, a popular route for cyclists, e-scooter riders and pedestrians, were closed on March 5 as Cyclone Alfred approached.

Two weeks ago, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the council would use the opportunity, after receiving funding from the federal government for a business case to investigate the bridge’s restoration, to do technical assessments on the bridge, starting with the footpaths.

Schrinner did not answer why both paths were closed at the same time.

At the time, Infrastructure chair, councillor Andrew Wines, said engineers would assess the footpaths for “the next few weeks”.

This morning, Brisbane Times asked council’s media team if there was a date for the reopening of the footpaths, why they were still closed, what the assessments had revealed, and whether one footpath could be reopened while one remained closed for tests.

In an Instagram post, Schrinner said detailed assessments were continuing to ensure the paths were structurally safe, revealing the works would “continue for the next couple of weeks”.

He said a detailed structural assessment of the 85-year-old footpaths was vital following the cyclone, and new drone footage was being inspected by structural engineers to assess whether the paths were damaged during the storm.

The latest diet data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals discretionary foods – those high in energy and low in nutritional value – make up 38.5 per cent of our daily energy intake.

And snack food consumption rose by 4.7 per cent in 2023-24, compared with the previous year.

Fruit and vegetable intake showed little improvement overall, and carrots, sweet potato and beetroot recorded drops in per capita consumption.

Avocado, capsicum, cucumber, zucchini and mushrooms increased 0.9 grams (2.3 per cent) to 40.5 grams a day, while lettuce, spinach, celery, cabbage and cauliflower also had small increases.

An average Hass avocado weighs 200 to 300 grams, so in this cost-of-living crisis, it seems people are only smearing a tiny extra sliver of avocado on their toast.

“It is a small uptick, but Health and Wellbeing Queensland certainly welcomes the increase in these vegetables,” CEO Dr Robyn Littlewood said.

“Eating more vegetables each day isn’t just good for you now – it’s one of the most important steps you can take to improve your long-term health.”

North Queenslanders have been reminded never to feed cassowaries after a man was attacked by one of the birds in his backyard last week.

The man from the town of Cardwell, between Townsville and Cairns, said he was in his yard on Friday and had his back to the animal, when it approached and kicked him in the back of the leg.

He suffered a 2-3-inch deep wound to his upper thigh, authorities said, and was taken to Tully Hospital where he was treated.

A population of cassowaries live in Queensland’s wet tropics region.

Wildlife rangers went to the man’s street yesterday and could not find the cassowary, but were told by locals it had been approaching them “with bold behaviour”.

“The behaviour of the cassowary is consistent of a cassowary that has become accustomed to being fed,” the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation said in a statement.

“It’s a good reminder to the public not to be complacent when they are in close proximity to these animals.”

American arcade game champion Billy Mitchell has been awarded $350,000 in damages after winning a defamation lawsuit against a Queensland-based YouTuber.

Karl Jobst posted a YouTube video online for a total of 15 days that claimed Mitchell’s lawsuit against another online creator had left the young man “deeply in debt”.

The American claimed Jobst’s video had implied Mitchell’s actions had contributed to YouTuber Benjamin Smith, who went by the screen name “Apollo Legend”, taking his own life.

American computer video game champion Billy Mitchell is seen outside the Brisbane District Court.Credit: AAPIMAGE

Judge Ken Barlow handed down his judgment this morning following a trial in September and October.

Read the full story.

Seqwater has advised flood releases from Somerset and Wivenhoe dams have stopped, with low level operational releases to continue from both until Thursday.

Twin Bridges, Savages Crossing and Colleges Crossing remain closed to traffic.

Savages Crossing and Colleges Crossing are expected to be free of flooding today and will reopen after inspections.

Twin Bridges is expected to remain flooded for several days.

Yes, it’s still before noon on April Fool’s Day, and Councillor Ryan Murphy is now claiming Brisbane City Council work crews have crossed the border and begun changing signs in the former Redland City as part of “long suspected plans” to annex the smaller council.

“In a lengthy, often rambling press conference this morning, Cr (Lord Mayor Adrian) Schrinner said former Redlands residents would benefit from much lower residential rates and the much anticipated Brisbane Metro connecting the city,” Murphy wrote on social media.

“Cr Schrinner repeatedly refused to call Redlands Mayor Jos Mitchell by name, referring to her multiple times as ‘champ’, or ‘his little buddy’.”

We’re not sure if Murphy has any more up his sleeve, but tradition says you’re supposed to come clean on April Fool’s jokes by noon.