As it happened: Brisbane on Wednesday, December 4

Queensland’s new Treasurer David Janetzki has left the door open for his government’s support of nuclear energy in the state.

Janetzki delivered his first major address as Treasurer and Energy Minister at a business luncheon a short time ago.

Queensland Treasurer and Energy Minister David Janetzki speaks to journalists in Brisbane after his first major speech in the role to the Australian British Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.Credit: Matt Dennien

His speaking notes included some curious new phrasing around the state’s energy future.

“In Queensland, we are developing a roadmap for an energy system that is affordable, reliable and sustainable,” his speaking notes say.

“We will set our own path to achieve this, that is pragmatic and technologically agnostic.

“It is an approach based on the economy, and not ideology, that will lead our [energy] transition.”

Readers will remember the LNP has vowed to dump renewable energy targets, and flagged changes to targets for interim emissions reductions on the way to net-zero by 2050.

Premier David Crisafulli has previously responded to a bold push for nuclear energy by his party mate and federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton by saying it was “not part of our plan”.

Asked how the Queensland government could be “technologically agnostic” and “against nuclear” at a brief media conference after the lunch event, Janetzki said: “I have to deal with what we face right now.”

Thank you for joining us on this Wednesday. We will be back with more news from Brisbane and beyond tomorrow, so do join us.

If you are just catching up, here are some of the stories making headlines today:

Queensland’s Treasurer David Janetzki has left the door open for his government’s support of nuclear energy in his first major speech in his new role.

Brisbane City Council says the former state Labor government is responsible for cuts to library funding and denies there have been cuts in the order of $3.5 million to its Better Suburbs program for footpath and kerb upgrades, green spaces and street furniture.

Queensland has retained the unenviable title of recording the poorest NAPLAN scores of any mainland state for the second consecutive year.

Brisbane public transport users are significantly better off than those in other states, saving $3316 a year on average, thanks to the introduction of 50¢ fares.

The Commonwealth Bank has paused its controversial plan to charge customers a $3 fee for withdrawing cash from bank branches, following significant public backlash.

Queensland University of Technology’s Art Museum is axing its 2025 program due to budget constraints, with one artist fearing the state will become a “cultural desert” following cuts to arts programs at several institutions, including the University of Queensland.

And, Citycat services are set to resume from the refurbished Mowbray Park ferry terminal on Monday for the first time since April. But the same cannot be said for the defunct Norman Park ferry terminal, where the old pontoon, gangway and piles have finally been removed, four years after it closed.

An accidentally triggered alarm is understood to have caused the evacuation of the Commonwealth Law Courts building on North Quay in the CBD.

Our reporter Felicity Caldwell spotted the crowds of legal professionals just before 4pm, noting that she had “never seen so many pedestrians on the Kurilpa Bridge”.

At least two fire engines were called to the scene, but the building was declared safe shortly afterwards.

Pedestrians streamed over the Kurilpa Bridge after the law courts were evacuated.Credit: Felicity Caldwell

Artist Jemima Wyman is worried the Queensland University of Technology is technically shutting down its art museum and fears what this and cuts at other tertiary institutions mean for the state’s artists.

As we reported earlier, QUT’s Art Museum, one of Brisbane’s premier visual arts spaces, is cutting its 2025 program and has axed Wyman’s show. Instead, it will show one exhibition of items from the university’s art collection.

“If you’re only having one show a year, and it’s from the collection, then you’re not really being an active institution in terms of supporting contemporary artists,” Wyman said.

“It sounds to me like a strategy to not ring alarm bells ... a strategy to step down the museum and eventually shut it down completely.”

University vice-chancellor and president Professor Margaret Sheil apologised to Wyman in an email, saying the university had to make tough decisions, with departments prioritising teaching and research until the budget returned to surplus.

Sheil also cited a rapid decline in creative and fine arts enrolments, and said fine arts degrees and staff were now based at QUT’s Kelvin Grove campus, several kilometres away from the museum.

There have been a series of recent cuts to arts courses at institutions in the region, including at the University of Queensland, James Cook University, Queensland College of the Arts, and Southern Cross University.

“It’s a shame that it’s all being cut, I think it will be really detrimental to the region,” Wyman said.

“Artists will have to go interstate to get the education they need, it will probably create a cultural desert in Queensland.”

AAP

Brisbane City Council has removed the remains of the defunct Norman Park ferry terminal, demolishing the old pontoon, gangway and piles.

The terminal closed four years ago due to low patronage, with the council reporting the service averaged one passenger per day.

It said any upgrade to the terminal would have come at a cost of more than $54,000 per passenger per day.

The council has removed the pontoon, gangway and piles from the old Norman Park ferry terminal, but the historical hut at the site remains.Credit: Lucy Collier / Facebook

Transport chair Ryan Murphy said the council had no intention of restoring the service, which he called the “worst-patronised ferry service in Brisbane’s history”.

The pontoon, gangway and piles have been removed, but Murphy said the historical ferry terminal hut would remain at the site.

“Brisbane is lucky to have heritage-listed infrastructure across our suburbs, and we have no plans to remove this unique piece of our river history,” Murphy said.

The ferry terminal was built in the early 20th century and received heritage protection in 2004 as “one of the few surviving intact examples of ferry terminals” from its time.

Labor councillor Lucy Collier said the council had not given notice for yesterday’s demolition works and had not offered clarity on future uses of the site.

Queensland’s new Treasurer David Janetzki has left the door open for his government’s support of nuclear energy in the state.

Janetzki delivered his first major address as Treasurer and Energy Minister at a business luncheon a short time ago.

Queensland Treasurer and Energy Minister David Janetzki speaks to journalists in Brisbane after his first major speech in the role to the Australian British Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.Credit: Matt Dennien

His speaking notes included some curious new phrasing around the state’s energy future.

“In Queensland, we are developing a roadmap for an energy system that is affordable, reliable and sustainable,” his speaking notes say.

“We will set our own path to achieve this, that is pragmatic and technologically agnostic.

“It is an approach based on the economy, and not ideology, that will lead our [energy] transition.”

Readers will remember the LNP has vowed to dump renewable energy targets, and flagged changes to targets for interim emissions reductions on the way to net-zero by 2050.

Premier David Crisafulli has previously responded to a bold push for nuclear energy by his party mate and federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton by saying it was “not part of our plan”.

Asked how the Queensland government could be “technologically agnostic” and “against nuclear” at a brief media conference after the lunch event, Janetzki said: “I have to deal with what we face right now.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has dismissed shadow treasurer Angus Taylor’s critique of government spending, saying the biggest increase was in Defence expenditure and calling on the opposition to declare where it thinks that should be cut back.

Appearing on Sky News, Chalmers was asked how he responded to critics who claimed the Reserve Bank was having to delay interest rate reductions because of the Australian government’s spending.

“I think it’s hard to justify the position taken by our critics that the economy is running too hot,” the treasurer said.

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Credit: AAP

“We hear that, from time to time, from Angus Taylor and Peter Dutton and others. There’s nothing … in these figures, which would suggest that ...

“If our critics and opponents think there’s too much spending, and the biggest part of that is Defence spending, let’s hear what Peter Dutton is proposing when it comes to winding that back.”

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor has attacked the federal government for its spending, claiming it has fuelled inflation and an “unprecedented” and “absolute collapse in Australian standard of living”.

Speaking at a press conference in Canberra, Taylor reacted to new GDP figures released today that showed Australia’s economy grew by a less-than-expected 0.3 per cent in the September quarter, taking annual growth down to just 0.8 per cent. Outside the COVID-19 pandemic recession, it is the worst run of growth figures since the 1990-91 recession.

“The numbers are quite extraordinary,” Taylor said.

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor at a press conference on Wednesday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“In the last quarter alone, Australian governments have borrowed $40 billion. That’s $4000 for every Australian household … This is a government that has lost control of its spending. And the result of that is there is no comfort in these numbers for the Reserve Bank.”

Taylor also said the Albanese government was responsible for high immigration. “That population rate growth is outpacing, substantially, the growth in the economy,” he said. “And that’s why we’ve got GDP per person going backwards. That’s why we have a household recession.”

Read more about today’s economic figures here.

The launching of a National Rugby League team in Papua New Guinea has “nothing to do with China”, PNG’s foreign minister says, as he reveals new details about the competition’s historic expansion to his country, Australia’s nearest neighbour.

The NRL is expected to announce the entry of a PNG team in 2028 as early as next week after an agreement was struck between the Australian Rugby League Commission and the Australian and PNG governments.

Fans pack the national stadium in Port Moresby to watch the PNG Kumuls.Credit: Getty Images

The Albanese government will commit $600 million over 10 years towards the expansion venture and the development of the game as it bids to deepen relations with PNG and ward off the influence of China in the Pacific region.

In an exclusive interview, PNG’s Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said the government in Port Moresby had also set aside 100 million kina ($38 million) in its budget next year to begin building facilities for the new team.

Read the full story here.

The Australian economy remains stuck in first gear with new figures showing it barely growing over the past three months, with public spending keeping the country afloat.

Earlier today, the country’s September national accounts were released, showing the economy grew by a less-than-expected 0.3 per cent.

Household spending, the single largest part of the economy, was flat during the month even though many people enjoyed pay rises and stage 3 tax cuts.

Spending on essentials fell by 0.1 per cent, largely due to drops in expenditure on electricity, gas and other fuels. This was caused by the federal government’s energy subsidies which kicked-in from July 1 and a warmer-than-normal winter.

Energy subsidies and state government-level public transport assistance, such as the former Queensland government’s 50 cent fares, helped lift overall spending.

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he spoke with Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn this morning about the “unacceptable” changes to cash withdrawal fees.

“The CBA has released a statement in the last few minutes which makes it very clear that they accept that these changes were not acceptable,” Chalmers said.

“I welcome their change of heart.”

This week, CBA announced it would close an account called “Complete Access” and move customers in the product to its main transaction account called “Smart Access”, which charges a $3 fee for an “assisted withdrawal”, such as those occurring through a branch, or via telephone banking.

After considerable backlash, CBA confirmed it would pause the transaction fee for six months to consult those affected.

In further comments on the matter, Chalmers said the CBA was “doing the work now” to make sure that no one was worse off as a result of any changes.

“People are doing it tough enough as it is without the imposition of extra costs and that’s why the Commonwealth Bank has had this change of heart and that’s what they are having a look at,” he said.

“If you go through the statement … the bank’s expectation is that the vast majority of these customers will not be worse off and if there is a portion of these customers at risk of being worse off, then they will address that.”