As it happened: Brisbane on Friday, June 20

Thanks for joining us for live coverage of the news in Brisbane and beyond. We’ll be back on Monday morning with another live blog, so please join us then.

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

Queensland’s transport minister has told protesting construction workers to “get on with the job”, after disgruntled CFMEU members walked off job sites for a second day on Friday morning.

The lagoon at South Bank is empty again, with investigators yet to find where the 33-year-old pool has been leaking and no timeframe given for when it will reopen.

Iran must stop its nuclear weapons program to seize an opening for peace created by US President Donald Trump’s two-week deadline to decide whether to strike the country, Foreign Minister Penny Wong told her US counterpart Marco Rubio overnight.

Despite minimum-standard regulations introduced by the Queensland government last year, tenants such as Aimee have limited options when homes become unsafe to live in.

Looking for Brisbane’s best chook sanger? Here’s a textural, flavour-filled contender from a popular Toowong bakery-café.

American authorities once attempted to deport John Lennon, ostensibly for possessing cannabis. Now this Australian writer has been expelled because of a drug lie.

Russian tech tycoon Pavel Durov has just written his will – and won’t let his 100 children touch his fortune for 30 years.

The British and Irish Lions have rejected a proposal from Rugby Australia to use golden point in next month’s Test series against the Wallabies, leaving open the possibility of the teams sharing the spoils in a tied series.

Brisbane’s deputy mayor has taken aim at council opposition leader Jared Cassidy’s budget reply, criticising his decision not to deliver the speech in person, or stay for estimates.

“Councillor Cassidy, in recent days, has … cherry-picked line items and made outlandish claims about materials and services and investment in our suburbs,” Deputy Mayor Fiona Cunningham said in her response to his speech.

“Perhaps if he bothered to stick around, he would have learned a thing or two.”

Cunningham rejected Cassidy’s claims the LNP would toll the Story Bridge, telling the chamber that the lord mayor and premier had that ruled out.

“The Labor Party are the only people that are talking about a toll on the Story Bridge. [Their] tall tales are brazen disinformation.”

Cunningham was not the only councillor to criticise Labor’s absence.

“One of the worst LNP Council budgets in years. Higher rates. Slashed services. And Labor councillors? Nowhere to be seen,” Greens councillor Trina Massey posted on Instagram.

Speaking about the team at his Toowong bakery and café, Riser, Tom Cooney notes that it’s “not really … a top-down structure”.

“Maybe it would be different if it was chef-owned. But we’re excited to have people bring their ideas in to work on. It’s definitely the sum of all its parts.”

That philosophy extends to one of the main reasons to check out Rise: its chicken caesar sandwich.

Riser’s immaculately soft, freshly baked sourdough loaf helps the sandwich avoid any carb-on-carb crime.Credit: Morgan Roberts

As Matt Shea writes, it’s one of the very best chook sangers in the city. Read more.

Queensland’s transport minister has told the CFMEU to “get on with the job of building the infrastructure” that the state needs, following the second day of protest action by disgruntled union members.

“I think Queenslanders have had enough of the CFMEU and their bullying and thuggery, and that was recognised with the decision of the High Court two days ago,” Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg told a press conference this morning.

“The approach taken by the CFMEU over recent days, the Queensland government [is] not going to tolerate that behaviour.”

This week’s protests followed a court ruling that threw out an attempt by ousted union bosses to wrestle back control from its administrators.

Mickelberg described the action as “nothing more than a dummy spit”, and put the cost of the union’s industrial action in the millions.

“If I look at the Centenary Bridge upgrade, a large project on the western side of Brisbane … it is multiple millions of dollars that the CFMEU have added to the cost of this project,” he said.

“The majority of our construction workers just want to get on with the job and deliver the infrastructure that we need here in Queensland.

“It is that small minority of CFMEU thugs who are deliberately trying to destroy productivity here in Queensland and across Australia, and we won’t stand for it.”

Council opposition leader Jared Cassidy has accused the LNP of shirking its responsibility to ratepayers, while criticising the state of the Story Bridge, changes to bus routes and approaches to homelessness.

In a budget reply speech he tabled in council chambers rather than present in person this morning, Cassidy argued the lord mayor was warned the Story Bridge was at risk of failure in 2016.

“Internal council documents detail the level of neglect at the hands of this LNP mayor, starving the bridge restoration of money,” the speech says.

“Without hundreds of millions of dollars from the state and federal government, Brisbane’s LNP mayor knew he had to prepare for a toll on the bridge.”

Cassidy argued the LNP’s bus review had resulted in cuts to services and routes, pointing to recent changes to Brisbane’s bus network.

“Residents who rely on public transport to get to work, school, medical appointments and the shops, will need to walk further, make more transfers and commute longer,” the speech says.

“It’s no wonder Brisbane has been ranked the worst congestion in Australia.”

He also called the LNP’s approach to homelessness and clearing public encampments “cruel and heavy-handed” and vowed to work with community partners and frontline services to focus on housing if elected.

An echidna nicknamed Edwina, or Eddie, which had swum one kilometre in ocean waters and was found washed up on the Sunshine Coast, has now made a full recovery.

The monotreme was first spotted on a battered tip of Bribie Island, before winding up on a rock wall at Golden Beach in Caloundra.

After being rescued, Edwina was taken to Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, where she was diagnosed with pneumonia due to being in the water for so long. The juvenile echidna has now been released back into the wild.

Edwina the echidna has been released back into the wild at Bribie Island.Credit: Coast Guard Caloundra

Pumicestone Passage Catchment Management Body spokesperson Jen Kettleton-Butler told 4BC she first discovered Edwina on a trip to Bribie Island to monitor erosion caused by Cyclone Alfred. She later noticed the echidna missing from her habitat.

“The last time I went there, I thought: ‘Well, she’s gone’,” Kettleton-Butler said. “[But] within two days, it was Saturday morning three weeks ago, I think it was...my phone just started blowing up, saying, ‘We’ve found Eddie’.

“She’s washed up at Golden Beach. And, one of our local coast guard captains happened to be doing park runs down at Golden Beach.

“He saw an animal in the water in distress, and he jumped in and they fished this animal out and it ended up being an echidna.”

Kids’ theatre festival Out of the Box was on hiatus for seven years but is back with a vengeance at QPAC. Until Sunday, catch The Gruffalo, Where Is the Green Sheep?, Club Origami and new Circa show Wolfgang and the Stars.

Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience is a night-time woodland walk recreating famous scenes from the books and movies. It opens tonight at Sirromet Winery, Mount Cotton.

Pete Murray plays the Lyric Theatre QPAC on Saturday with just his acoustic guitar, while on Sunday, London rapper Central Cee brings his Can’t Rush Greatness tour to Boondall.

The production DragSpeare, which premiered at MELT festival last year, gets a return season at Metro Arts.Credit: Joel Devereux

Men played women in Shakespeare’s day, but now the tables are turned in Metro Arts cabaret production DragSpeare, with the “Stallion Squad” of five drag kings offering an irreverent take on the bard.

This weekend the Catchment Brewing Co. in Boundary Street is hosting the West End Film Festival, a celebration of local short films. Sessions are $15 and include music videos, documentary, drama, romance and horror.

Night market the West End Solstice Market takes place tonight at Davies Park while Saturday has Milton by Moonlight in Cribb Street. Expect bonfires, mulled wine, street food and live music.

Upmarket skincare brand La Mer will set up outside Queens Plaza from 11am today in a pop-up called La Mer Cremery.

We lined up yesterday for the launch to see what the fuss was all about.

After 15 minutes, we were walking away with a complimentary ice cream scoop crafted by celebrated Sydney chef Neil Perry that was topped with matcha powder, cookie crumble and toasted almonds.

La Mer Cremery pop-up near Queens Plaza.Credit: Neesha Sinnya

We also got a tiny sample of the face cream that promises to renew cells and deliver unreal levels of hydration (to be confirmed).

For those unimpressed with the sample size, keep in mind a regular 30ml container costs an eye-watering $355.

Our final verdict? It’s worth the wait for an expensive free sample and a Friday lunchtime scoop of ice cream.

Queensland’s peak automobile club has called for a crackdown on illegal e-scooters and greater law enforcement, as public submissions for the parliamentary inquiry into e-scooter safety close today.

The RACQ’s submission covers 23 recommendations, including impounding illegal devices, strengthening enforcement of rules for legal devices, enhancing rider protection and improving education.

RACQ general manager of advocacy Joshua Cooney says the state government needs to act quickly to address safety concerns.

“Since 2018, nearly 6300 people presented to Queensland emergency departments with
injuries from an e-mobility crash, many of which suffered severe facial injuries. Most of our members recognise that e-mobility devices have their benefits but the scale of lawlessness and subsequent trauma on Queensland’s roads and paths demands urgent action.”

The Crisafulli government’s State Development, Infrastructure and Works Committee launched the inquiry to examine the safety, regulation and future of personal e-mobility devices, and address increasing injuries and fatalities.

Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg urged Queenslanders to share their views, “whether you’re a parent, a commuter, a health expert, or part of the e-mobility industry”.

Commuters have been warned to expect delays in Brisbane this morning, as a CFMEU rally to protest this week’s high court ruling enters its second day.

Union members arrived outside CFMEU Queensland’s office on Campbell Street in Bowen Hills about 5am.

Police were also on site, with lanes blocked in both directions.

The action is expected to continue for hours, with a police alert issued on Thursday night warning traffic would be disrupted until 11.30am.