As it happened: Brisbane on Thursday, June 12

Thanks for joining us for live coverage of today’s news. We will be back tomorrow with more live news coverage, so please join us then. If you’re just catching up, here are some of the stories making news today:

Tolls on Queensland roads can be hiked more easily after laws passed state parliament, but Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg has denied there are plans to toll the Story Bridge.

There will be major changes to bus services in the Brisbane CBD over 10 weekends as part of testing for the new Adelaide Street tunnel, which will allow buses and Metro vehicles to drive through it for the first time later this year.

A woman who allegedly lured people to Australia from Papua New Guinea with fake scholarships has been arrested and charged after arriving at Brisbane Airport on Wednesday.

The United States has launched a review into whether the AUKUS submarine deal should be changed or scrapped, with the Pentagon saying the Joe Biden-era arrangement must be examined to ensure it meets President Donald Trump’s “America First” priorities.

Protests over immigration raids that began in Los Angeles have continued to spread across the United States, as President Donald Trump unleashed new federal powers and the White House warned that troops could be sent to other American cities.

NSW will reunite one of rugby league’s most successful halves pairings in history, with Jarome Luai coming into the Blues squad after Mitchell Moses went down injured ahead of Origin II.

Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ visionary and fragile leader whose genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression inspired Good Vibrations, California Girls and other summertime anthems and made him one of the world’s most influential recording artists, has died at 82.

A whale has been saved from a shark net after a rescue operation off the Gold Coast today.

The whale became tangled in a net at Greenmount Beach, before dislodging itself and travelling north to Kirra Point.

It was left swimming with part of the net caught on its body, and Seaworld Rescue crews launched an operation, with video from Nine News showing them trying to free the whale about 8.30am.

Less than an hour later, the whale was freed and swam away.

Queensland unions say 17,000 new public sector jobs are needed, along with more investment in staff wages, after the LNP’s election promise to bring more consultancy services in-house.

The Queensland Council of Unions released its public sector report today, two weeks ahead of the state budget, praising current high wages in Queensland’s 500,000 public sector jobs.

But it argued that wages in frontline services – such as health, education, and emergency services – needed to remain competitive to stave off private sector competition.

And it said the commitment to save $6.7 billion by boosting in-house consulting would require an additional 17,000 public sector positions.

Jacqueline King, the QCU general secretary, said the report reinforced the sector’s importance, which she said added $39 billion back into the state economy each year.

“We cannot meet the growing demands of our rapidly expanding population without investing in the people who make it happen,” King said.

Premier David Crisafulli has sought to draw a line under the COVID-19 pandemic once and for all, confirming vaccine mandates in the public sector had all been abolished.

In response to a question from Katter’s Australian Party MP Shane Knuth about the rehiring of staff who refused COVID vaccinations at the height of the pandemic, Crisafulli said that was no longer a concern.

Last year, Queensland police and ambulance staff won a legal fight against state government vaccine directives, with some starting to return to work.

“We spoke a lot about workforce retention and attraction [during the election campaign], but it’s also about getting them to come back,” Crisafulli told parliament this morning.

Premier David Crisafulli in state parliament (file image).Credit: Jamila Filippone

“There’s been some good people who haven’t been given the opportunity to serve and we want them to come back.

“It’s the same across the board, whatever department they work in. Whether it’s a role that has interfaced with the public, whether it’s someone serving back of house, we need a public service that feels empowered and we need a public service that feels respected.

“But remember, above all, the reason why it’s essential that those mandates aren’t in place is we have to put that all behind us. We’ve got to move on. We have to move forward and we have to do so with a way that the community understands that the division that has been experienced can’t continue.

“The division that existed for whatever reason must be a thing of the past.”

Queensland Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg has “categorically” ruled out a toll on the Story Bridge after legislation passed last night that would change the process in which tolls were applied to the state’s roads.

But the job he put on the line over that promise was not his own, instead it was that of Opposition Leader Steven Miles.

“Those opposite have said, when it comes to the provisions we brought into the house last night, that … this is part of some sneaky plan to toll the Story Bridge,” Mickelberg said during question time, in response to a question from Miles.

The state government says the toll changes have nothing to do with the Story Bridge.Credit:Credit: Courtney Kruk

“Well, the opposition leader, if he genuinely believes that is the case, if there is not a toll road on the Story Bridge in 2028 – resign.

“I will categorically rule out that we are tolling the Story Bridge. Resign if you can make it to 2028, which is going to be a stretch.”

In response to another question, Premier David Crisafulli said there would be no rise in tolls above CPI, and repeated the promise there would be no toll on the Story Bridge.

Almost 5500 workers at Griffith University will receive a collective $8.34 million in payments, after employees were found to have been underpaid across all six south-east Queensland campuses.

The Fair Work Ombudsman estimated more than $5.95 million in underpaid wages, $830,000 in superannuation, and $1.55 million in interest, with the smallest individual underpayment coming in at less than $1, and the largest over $92,000.

The investigation found Griffith failed to pay staff for training courses, out-of-work activities, and meal allowances, and did not honour rates for staff who upskilled – including those who became subject coordinators or got a PhD – changed roles, or progressed to new pay brackets.

Griffith University underpaid staff more than $8 million, an investigation has found.Credit: Tony Moore

Underpaid wages were caused by gaps in training, faults in payroll systems, and insufficient or non-existent payroll review processes.

The university was also ordered to pay $175,000 to the Ombudsman, and fix the issues in its processes that caused the underpayments.

The university reported the underpayments in March 2022, and has paid about 5200 employees so far.

While many Brisbane commuters have found the changes to the city’s bus network a rude shock, the council maintains that most commuters will be better off, with 85 per cent of trips faster or similar to existing routes.

Here are some positives commuters are picking out:

“This is how Metro/Bus Rapid Transit works – the big bendy buses run up and down the ‘trunk’ at high frequency and ‘truncate’ the ‘feeder’ services. It means we don’t have lots of services running along the same routes, clogging up the busway and city streets. People all over the world in mature cities transfer to trunk services in this way. Yes it’s inconvenient to have change but we need change to improve the transport network for now and the future.”

“It’s changes that need to happen. If Brisbane expects to be a world class city, then not every single bus needs to go to the city. More buses need to go across town. From hub to hub. I support the changes. The Northside and northwest desperately needs changes. More gliders and across town.”

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says he is “confident” that AUKUS will happen, adding the review announced by the US was a “normal” part of an incoming government.

“It’s something which is perfectly natural for an incoming administration to do,” he said on ABC Radio Melbourne.

However, Marles acknowledged a clause in the deal where the US won’t have to provide submarines if not enough are produced.

“There is a challenge in terms of getting the production and sustainment rates of the United States submarine, the industrial base up. We do need to be achieving that. That is a really critical component of it,” he said.

Asked whether there was a backup plan, Marles said it was important to stick to the deal.

“We will only acquire a future submarine capability if we stick to a plan,” he said.

“This is something that takes 20 years before you’re able to build them. These are the most complicated machines, the most complex machines that humanity have ever built.”

A whale rescue operation has begun on Gold Coast after a whale became trapped in a shark net.

The whale became tangled in a net at Greenmount Beach, before dislodging itself and travelling north to Kirra Point, where Sea World is conducting the rescue operation, Nine’s Today Show reports.

The whale is reportedly fatigued, and sustained a cut as it was caught in the net.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles has responded to the AUKUS news, saying it was normal for a new administration to review such a big program, emphasising the component of the deal that involved Australia spending $US3 billion in US shipyards.

“The United States advised Australia and the UK of the review,” Marles said in a statement.

“It is natural that the administration would want to examine this major undertaking, including progress and delivery,” he said in a statement.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“There is bipartisan support in the United States with the passage of important provisions in the National Defence Authorisation Act in 2023 to enable the transfer of US Virginia-class submarines to Australia, and to enable Australians to work on maintenance activities of US Virginia-class submarines.

“Our engagement with the Trump Administration and across the full political spectrum in the United States has shown clear and consistent support for AUKUS, [and] we look forward to continuing our close co-operation with the Trump Administration on this historic project.”