As it happened: Brisbane on Tuesday, February 25

The government has categorically rejected claims it is planning to permanently close bushwalking tracks on Mount Beerwah, one of the Glass House Mountains north of Brisbane.

News Corp reported yesterday on documents released under the Right to Information Act, which lobby group Save Our Summits characterised as “clear evidence that the department has been working behind the scenes on closing Mount Beerwah”.

Mount Beerwah, the highest of the Sunshine Coast’s Glass House Mountains.Credit: File

Wollumbin/Mount Warning in northern NSW has been closed to bushwalkers since 2020, with the NSW government consulting traditional owners about its future, and some fear similar restrictions will be placed on popular south-east Queensland hiking trails.

But Tourism Minister Andrew Powell told the 4BC this afternoon there were no such plans for Mount Beerwah.

“There will be, categorically, no closure to Mount Beerwah on a permanent basis, nor, for that matter, any other Glass House Mountain peaks or national parks,” Powell told Sofie Formica.

“My role, as set by the premier, is to ensure Queensland’s natural landscapes remain accessible for education and experience, so people can get out there and appreciate their conservation value.”

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

Until then, here are a few of the stories making headlines today:

The first draft from the 100-day Olympic infrastructure review has been handed to the government, but that has not slowed the flow of ideas for Brisbane.

Librarians, call centre workers and other public workers will walk off the job this week amid a pay dispute with the Brisbane City Council.

Air traffic authorities only discovered Chinese warships were conducting a live-fire exercise in the Tasman Strait 30 minutes after it began thanks to an alert by a Virgin pilot rather than a warning from government officials.

French President Emmanuel Macron corrected US President Donald Trump in front of the cameras and made a point of stressing Russia was the aggressor against Ukraine when the two leaders met on the third anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion.

Pope Francis remained in a critical condition but showed a slight improvement in laboratory tests and resumed some work activities, the Vatican said.

And a cult Brisbane CBD cafe has been named one of the world’s best coffee shops, beating out specialty coffee spots from across the globe.

The government has categorically rejected claims it is planning to permanently close bushwalking tracks on Mount Beerwah, one of the Glass House Mountains north of Brisbane.

News Corp reported yesterday on documents released under the Right to Information Act, which lobby group Save Our Summits characterised as “clear evidence that the department has been working behind the scenes on closing Mount Beerwah”.

Mount Beerwah, the highest of the Sunshine Coast’s Glass House Mountains.Credit: File

Wollumbin/Mount Warning in northern NSW has been closed to bushwalkers since 2020, with the NSW government consulting traditional owners about its future, and some fear similar restrictions will be placed on popular south-east Queensland hiking trails.

But Tourism Minister Andrew Powell told the 4BC this afternoon there were no such plans for Mount Beerwah.

“There will be, categorically, no closure to Mount Beerwah on a permanent basis, nor, for that matter, any other Glass House Mountain peaks or national parks,” Powell told Sofie Formica.

“My role, as set by the premier, is to ensure Queensland’s natural landscapes remain accessible for education and experience, so people can get out there and appreciate their conservation value.”

Bird flu has been found at a fourth poultry farm in Victoria, putting further pressure on the nation’s egg supplies.

Agriculture Victoria has confirmed avian influenza – a highly contagious viral infection of birds – on a new property in Euroa, close to three other infected properties.

This is a new outbreak and not related to the 2024 outbreaks in Victoria, NSW and the ACT, which were eradicated. But the effects of last year’s bird flu outbreak linger.

Australians are paying 23 per cent more for eggs than they were two years ago, official data shows, as bird flu outbreaks limit supply.

The big supermarket chains have buying limits to manage supply challenges and prevent panic buying.

Celebrated Brisbane CBD cafe Coffee Anthology has been named the eighth-best coffee shop in the world in the inaugural World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops awards.

Anthology joined two other Australian cafes in the top 10, with Melbourne’s Proud Mary placing fourth, and Toby’s Estate’s cafe in Chippendale in Sydney taking out the top spot.

One other Brisbane cafe made the top 100, with Albion’s Fonzie Abbott coming in 70th.

Coffee Anthology sits inside the ground floor of Midtown Centre in the CBD.Credit: Markus Ravik

Read the full story.

Multiple pay-by-app parking systems are set to be rolled out in Brisbane, with Brisbane City Council confirming it will go to tender for new providers to “allow motorists to have a choice”.

About 50 per cent of parking in the city is paid for with an app. CellOPark holds the existing contract, and could reapply when the tender goes out.

“As the demand for digital payment options continues to grow, we are committed to delivering greater convenience and improved parking experience for residents and visitors,” a statement from the council says.

“Introducing multiple pay-by-app suppliers in Brisbane will deliver new and improved technology, offering motorists more choice and flexibility.

“CellOPark Australia will continue to provide paid parking services while Council completes the procurement process.”

It comes a few months after Brisbane drivers were caught up in an apparent internal stoush within the company that runs CellOPark.

Former Labor transport minister Bart Mellish has urged Brisbane City Council to stick with a route for stage five of the North Brisbane Bikeway and build it.

This week, Brisbane Times reported council has run four rounds of community consultation for three different routes for the bikeway – but has now returned to the original route it kiboshed in 2018.

Under an agreement signed in 2013, the Queensland government delivered stages one to four of the North Brisbane Bikeway, from Herston to Wooloowin, and the council is responsible for stage five.

Mellish, Labor’s transport spokesman, said the saga had been “going on for more than a decade”.

“Brisbane City Council need to just bite the bullet, pick the right route, and get on with building it,” he wrote on Facebook.

Council has this year returned to a route heading west on Price Street, whereas cycling advocates also believe Dickson Street – the route most recently dumped – needs protected bike lanes.

However, some residents in the area have fiercely opposed bike lanes, with their concerns including the loss of car parking spaces.

Brisbane librarians and other public workers are planning to walk off the job this week amid a pay dispute with council.

The Services Union has confirmed its members will strike from 2pm to 4pm on Thursday, February 27.

Libraries are among the Brisbane City Council locations that may be forced to close during the strike, the union says.Credit: Nick Dent

The union says libraries, call centres and other public services could close during that period due to understaffing. Council disputes this.

Workers have been offered a 7.25 per cent pay rise over the next two years by Brisbane City Council.

The union says it is pushing for 8.7 per cent and backpay to the date the existing agreement expired. It has also raised concerns about job security and redundancy entitlements.

“We have workers all through the council,” union secretary Neil Henderson said.

“I think our members are just getting a bit weary of how long it’s taking. They haven’t had a pay rise since 2023, so they want a pay rise and they want a decent one.

“It is a complex agreement, but it’s the council that’s really found itself wanting. It needs to focus and get this agreement done.”

Brisbane Times has contacted the council for comment.

Australian authorities found out Chinese warships were running live fire exercises in the Tasman Sea 30 minutes after it started when a Virgin Australia pilot notified them, instead of officials.

Airservices Australia officials told Senate estimates on Monday night that 49 flights were diverted from flight plans because of China’s exercises.

The incident marked the latest challenge to the government’s efforts to stabilise relations with China, as the Albanese government called for answers from Beijing after commercial pilots were forced to divert their routes last week.

Chief executive of Airservices Australia, Rob Sharp told estimates last night they only found out the Chinese task group was planning a live firing exercise at 9.58am on Friday.

“It was, in fact, Virgin Australia, advising that a foreign warship was broadcasting that they were conducting live firing 300 nautical miles east of our coast,” Sharp said.

“That was how we first found out about the issue.”

Read more about the incident here.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held a press conference in Sydney, where he spoke from a health care centre alongside MP Jerome Laxale.

They continued Labor’s promotion of its $8.5 billion Medicare package that will expand the bulk-billing incentive to all Australians. Announced by the prime minister on Sunday, the funding commitment has been matched by the Coalition.

Watch the press conference back here:

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie received the first draft of the 100-day Brisbane 2032 Olympic infrastructure review at the weekend.

As Cameron Atfield writes, this starts the process to finalise the venues and connections needed for the event.

The report remains officially under wraps for now, but according to reports on last night’s Nine News, it recommends building a new stadium at Victoria Park.

A new stadium is something the premier rejected before last year’s election, although he’s been walking away from that position since.

Nine says senior LNP members preferred the option of rebuilding the Gabba.

But the draft review questions whether this could be done in time, as the Gabba can’t be demolished until after Tests in the Ashes cricket series are played there in December.

When asked if the Premier would follow recommendations of the review, his office said the government would make its plan public on March 25.