Brisbane news live: Dutton joins Crisafulli on campaign trail | Teen accused of Emma Lovell murder will face judge-only trial

The Crisafulli campaign has moved to Brisbane’s northern suburbs, where the opposition leader promised a local Aussie rules club $1.8 million for new female change rooms.

As is custom, David Crisafulli kicked a Sherrin with some of the Aspley Hornets’ female footballers, in Transport Minister Bart Mellish’s Aspley electorate.

Former Brisbane councillor Amanda Cooper is contesting the seat, which Mellish holds by 5.16 per cent, for the LNP.

Crisafulli did not take questions at the photo-op, but said in a statement the commitment would help drive grassroots sports participation.

In week one of the Queensland election campaign, the incumbent premier, Labor’s Steven Miles (centre), and the LNP challenger, David Crisafulli, have each sought to demonstrate they are fit to lead the state.

“The Olympics legacy shouldn’t be about a single stadium or venue, it should be about delivering upgrades to grassroots sports across Queensland,” he said.

The future of the primary AFL stadium in Queensland, the Gabba, remained a matter of contention, with a renewed push for a new oval stadium for Brisbane to be delivered for the 2032 Olympics.

Crisafulli has repeatedly refused to offer his preferred stadium option, leaving it to the LNP’s planned 100-day venue review.

“Queensland needs world-class sporting facilities, and as part of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they need a plan for generational infrastructure,” he said on Monday.

Thanks for joining us this Friday. Our live coverage will return on Tuesday, but stay on Brisbane Times over the long weekend – we’ll have daily coverage of the election campaign, along with other news from Brisbane and further afield.

Here are some of the top stories making news today:

The trial of a teenager accused of killing mother Emma Lovell will be conducted without a jury, after a judge found members of the community would be influenced by the debate over youth crime.

A woman found dead in a reported ride-on mower incident west of Brisbane was murdered, police now believe, revealing her husband was in contact with other women, who they have urged to come forward.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected calls to expel Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi as Australians trickle out of Lebanon, despite the government booking planeloads of seats to get them to safety.

Greens senator Dorinda Cox has apologised for any “shortcomings” in her office, but hit out at coverage of bullying allegations as two more women allege mistreatment by Cox.

And a couple of days before the NRL grand final, we meet the men who make the larger-than-life cut-out footy heads that have become part of rugby league culture.

Sports Heads owners Jake Fenech and Enzo Montana with some of the large images of players that fans have been buying ahead of the weekend’s NRL grand final.Credit: Janie Barrett

Sniffer dogs have detected fire ants at the Oakey Army Aviation Centre near Toowoomba, five months after they were first discovered at the site.

In a statement, the National Fire Ant Eradication Program said the site and everything in a 2km radius was subject to movement restrictions and treatment.

While insecticide granules had already been used at the centre, in the hope fire ants would spread it throughout the colony, multiple rounds of treatment over a two-year period were sometimes required for complete eradication.

“It is not uncommon to find foraging fire ants in areas undergoing eradication treatment,” the statement said.

“The ants have been treated with direct nest injection and the program is continuing to work with the Department of Defence to ensure no fire ants remain.”

A major milestone has been reached in police efforts to crack down on knife crime in Queensland.

Officers this week confiscated the 1000th concealed weapon since random wand searches were permitted in the wake of 17-year-old Jack Beasley’s stabbing death in 2019.

“It’s something that still haunts me,” father Brett Beasley told 4BC radio this afternoon.

“We couldn’t be happier … You’ve got to ask yourself, how many lives has this saved?”

Jack Beasley, pictured with his father Brett, died in 2019 after he was stabbed during a fight.

About one weapon is found every 100 searches statewide. In some previous hotspots that figure has dropped as low as one in every 300, according to Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Massingham.

He revealed police have ordered more than 3000 new wanding devices, with about 2000 already delivered.

“I think we’ve prevented some really serious offences,” Massingham said.

Data revealed this month shows wand searches are about three times more likely to uncover drugs than weapons.

Two people have been shot by NSW Police in western Sydney after they allegedly drove a car, stolen from the home of Penrith MP Karen McKeown, at officers.

One man is in a critical condition and the other is stable after the shooting on Friday afternoon in Wentworthville. Both were taken to hospital suffering from gunshot wounds.

The officers, who were not injured in the incident, had followed the car’s tracking device to the address. One of the men is believed to have a connection to the complex.

“When police entered an underground car park of a unit block, the stolen vehicle was allegedly driven at them,” police said in a statement.

Police Commissioner Karen Webb said a critical incident team, including homicide squad detectives, would be established to investigate.

With federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton hitting the campaign trial with his state counterpart David Crisafulli today, you could have bet Labor would raise the issue of nuclear power.

Speaking from an electric bus depot in Caloundra today, one of the party’s two marginal seats in LNP-heartland Sunshine Coast, Miles said Crisafulli’s insistence it was not part of his plan was “weasel words”.

“That’s his way of saying, it’s not in my plan, but we’ll just let it happen,” Miles said, before being asked what he would do to oppose what Dutton has described as the mandate he would have if elected at the next federal election.

“If we’re elected in October, then we will have a mandate to block nuclear reactors. I don’t think Queenslanders want the most expensive power possible. I think they want the cheapest power possible, and that is our plan with stored renewables.”

After visiting Cairns together last month, Miles was asked if Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would campaign with him before the election.

“I’m not sure what his plans are for the rest of October, but whenever he’s about, we usually catch up,” he said.

The woman found dead in a reported ride-on mower incident west of Brisbane was murdered, police now believe.

Investigators have revealed her husband was in contact with other women around the world and are calling for them to come forward.

Frances Elizabeth Crawford was found at the bottom of a retaining wall on Thomas Road property in Upper Lockyer Valley about 3.30am, July 30.

Frances Crawford.

The 49-year-old’s husband Robert Crawford called triple-zero, telling police she had been killed by a mower.

“Following extensive investigations, police have deemed her death suspicious … we’re now alleging she was murdered,” Detective Superintendent George Marchesini said this morning.

Read the full story.

The trial of a teenager accused of killing mother Emma Lovell will be conducted without a jury, after a judge found members of the community would be influenced by the debate over youth crime.

Lovell, 41, died in front of her husband and daughters after a violent North Lakes home invasion on Boxing Day in 2022.

Emma Lovell was killed and her husband, Lee, was injured during the confrontation at their North Lakes home.

Two teenagers were charged, with one of them sentenced earlier this year to 14 years’ jail.

The second defendant, who will turn 19 in November, was due to face trial in the final week of the Queensland election campaign. His charges include murder and burglary.

His legal team this week made an application to have the case heard by a judge, not a jury. His barrister submitted dozens of media reports on Lovell’s case and law changes made after her death.

Read the full story.

The Crisafulli campaign has moved to Brisbane’s northern suburbs, where the opposition leader promised a local Aussie rules club $1.8 million for new female change rooms.

As is custom, David Crisafulli kicked a Sherrin with some of the Aspley Hornets’ female footballers, in Transport Minister Bart Mellish’s Aspley electorate.

Former Brisbane councillor Amanda Cooper is contesting the seat, which Mellish holds by 5.16 per cent, for the LNP.

Crisafulli did not take questions at the photo-op, but said in a statement the commitment would help drive grassroots sports participation.

In week one of the Queensland election campaign, the incumbent premier, Labor’s Steven Miles (centre), and the LNP challenger, David Crisafulli, have each sought to demonstrate they are fit to lead the state.

“The Olympics legacy shouldn’t be about a single stadium or venue, it should be about delivering upgrades to grassroots sports across Queensland,” he said.

The future of the primary AFL stadium in Queensland, the Gabba, remained a matter of contention, with a renewed push for a new oval stadium for Brisbane to be delivered for the 2032 Olympics.

Crisafulli has repeatedly refused to offer his preferred stadium option, leaving it to the LNP’s planned 100-day venue review.

“Queensland needs world-class sporting facilities, and as part of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, they need a plan for generational infrastructure,” he said on Monday.

Up to 500 high-risk domestic violence offenders would have to wear GPS ankle bracelets in an $18.1 million pilot program, if the LNP is elected to government in Queensland later this month.

Visiting a domestic violence support centre in Carindale this morning, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli also promised $2.5 million for three new DV help centres.

Danielle Carroll, whose sister Kelly Wilkinson was burned to death by her estranged husband in 2021, welcomed the GPS announcement.

“Having monitoring on perpetrators offers another level of safety for any person going through domestic violence,” she said.

“In Kelly’s case, she was in her family home. Brian was hiding in the bushes for nearly three hours.

“If she had an opportunity to know he was close, I know she would be sitting next to me now. It really is the difference between life and death.”

In last night’s leaders’ debate, Crisafulli staked his job as would-be premier on reducing the number of Queensland victims of crime.

He today confirmed that pledge included victims of domestic and family violence.

“We have to have a situation where there are fewer victims and ultimately, what I did last night, was put a line in the sand and say that it is victim numbers that matter and I’ve never sought to try to skew that,” he said.

After last night’s leaders’ debate, we’re onto day four of the official election campaign, and Labor’s money man has been keen to talk money before the campaign gets on the bus to the Sunshine Coast.

Deputy Premier and Treasurer Cameron Dick has held a morning media conference to give an early insight into the final budget position for the now-finished 2023-24 financial year.

Standing in front of not one, but two, “LNP cut-o-meter” placards outlining Labor’s tally of LNP funding promises, Dick said his most recent budget was better than first thought.

The incumbent Queensland treasurer, Labor’s Cameron Dick, outside Parliament House with what he called ‘The LNP cut-o-meter’.Credit: Matt Dennien

Treasury figures show the state’s surplus was $1.68 billion (up from the $564 million flagged in the June budget), with net debt at $5.6 billion rather than $12.2 billion.

Dick said this was due to lower than expected spending, which had lapsed, and higher revenue from advance federal payments. Neither were likely to change forward estimates.

While not promising a total figure for Labor’s debt-funded election promise list before early voting starts on October 14, Dick called on the LNP to explain how it would fund its own.

Leader David Crisafulli was “gaslighting Queenslanders”, Dick said, by failing to do so while also promising lower taxes, lower debt, and no public service cuts.