As it happened: Brisbane on Friday, January 24

A police officer is in critical condition after a patrol car collided with a truck along the Cunningham Highway near Ipswich, trapping the officer within the vehicle.

Paramedics were called out to Warrill View – south of Ipswich – about 1pm this afternoon, and the officer was airlifted to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a serious condition.

The officer had been trapped within the car – a marked police vehicle – and suffered life-threatening injuries to the head, chest and abdomen, as well as an arm and a leg.

On-scene crews also treated the truck driver for neck pain.

He was transported by ambulance to Ipswich Hospital in a stable condition.

Thanks for joining us for live coverage of today’s news. We’ll be back on Tuesday morning. If you’re just catching up, here are a few of the stories that made headlines today:

Brisbane Metro is changing the city bus network, with tweaks to eight public bus routes along with broad changes to school bus routes too. Here’s what you need to know.

From rats’ nests and cockroaches to hand basins without clean water, almost 50 food venues were taken to court by Brisbane City Council last year for serious food-safety breaches.

Premier David Crisafulli has sought to assure public servants their jobs are “secure” after his government’s budget update forecast debt would rise to $217.8 billion by 2027-28.

Novak Djokovic has stunned the Australian Open, withdrawing through injury after losing the first set against Alexander Zverev in their much-awaited semi-final.

The high-profile case of locked-up Australian Gregor Haas, father of NRL star Payne Haas, has taken an extraordinary turn in the Philippines by way of a secret and successful bid for him to be recognised as a Filipino citizen.

Award-winning US singer-songwriter Luke Combs will take over Brisbane this weekend, playing in front of a packed house at 52,000-seat Suncorp Stadium.

And as the nation waits to find out which name will be added to the long and illustrious list of winners, we’re asking: what does it mean to win the Hottest 100 today?

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has called for an end to the “divisive rubbish” that he fears is undermining Australia and its national day.

In Toowoomba on Friday, Crisafulli was asked for his views on “Invasion Day” protests, after polls showed an increase in public support for Australia Day to be retained.

“I’m just going to make some generic comments about Australia Day,” Crisafulli responded.

“I love this country, I love everything about this country. We’ve got the longest running, two longest running continual cultures in the world – we should celebrate that.

“We’ve got an amazing multicultural story. My family chose this country, my grandfather came here for a new opportunity – I love that. I love seeing Australians on Australia Day sign up to become citizens – I love that.

“This country’s not perfect, the past isn’t perfect, but we should acknowledge that and we should celebrate our wins and our losses, the highs and the lows, the good and the bad.

“And to people trying to weaponise the day – no, no, we’re better than that.”

The Breakfast Creek Hotel is seeking Brisbane City Council approval to add a touch of Italian cuisine to its menu.

Built in the French Renaissance Style, and known for its Spanish Garden Steakhouse, the heritage-listed hotel wants to convert an existing area of its Albion site into a pizza kitchen.

Concept drawings include signage for pizze al tagio, a variety known for square slices from rectangular trays, as well as coffee and gelato.

The Breakfast Creek Hotel.Credit: Matt Dennien

The hotel continues to benefit from urban renewal in the area, with several towers planned for a site across the creek and nearby Albion Park still considering a major redevelopment.

Premier David Crisafulli said it was “his pleasure” to announce today that an election pledge to first home buyers would be top of the agenda when parliament resumes next week.

Speaking from Toowoomba, Crisafulli announced the first bill the government would table would be a bid to “get young people into a home”.

“We are going to remove entirely stamp duty on all new purchases for first home buyers – and it’s the first order of business in 2025,” he said.

“Tabled in the parliament and debated will be the abolition of a tax in 2025, and I hope that signals to Queenslanders how serious we are about addressing the cost of living.”

During last year’s election campaign, the LNP promised to abolish stamp duty for first home buyers, but only those building new homes.

The announcement follows Labor’s criticism of yesterday’s budget update, with former treasurer Cameron Dick saying the LNP had focused too much on “funny money” rather than addressing cost-of-living measures.

A crime scene has been declared at a property in central Queensland and specialist police are investigating following the death of a two-month-old girl this week.

Emergency services were called to a home at Gracemere, near Rockhampton, about 11.15pm on Sunday after reports an infant was unconscious and not breathing.

The baby had sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to Rockhampton Base Hospital before being flown to Brisbane.

She was pronounced dead on Wednesday.

Detectives from Rockhampton’s Child Protection and Investigation Unit and specialist police from Crime and Intelligence Command’s Child Trauma Unit are investigating her death.

Those looking to flee the city for a long weekend road trip are in luck – fuel prices are expected to remain low for the next few days.

RACQ principal economic and affordability specialist Ian Jeffreys said the fuel cycle had hit its “cheap phase” and drivers should aim to spend about 176 cents per litre or less.

“There are also plenty of service stations out there charging 169 cents per litre, but the cheaper fuel won’t last long, so it’s a good idea to fill up before the weekend,” he said.

“If you’re driving around or on a road trip, it’s also worth checking if fuel is cheaper somewhere along your journey, as Brisbane prices are often higher than regional service stations.”

The tragic deaths of two teenagers at a popular Queensland waterfall show the dangers of the slippery rocks and turbulent water, an expert says.

Honor Ward, 17, fell off a waterfall and failed to resurface at Wappa Falls on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday afternoon. Friend Beau Liddell, 17, jumped in to save her but also failed to resurface. Emergency services later found their bodies in the water.

The deaths have devastated the Sunshine Coast community, with friends and family remembering the teens as caring and kind.

Their friend Kaylee was at the waterfall when she saw the pair slip away, posting on social media of the emptiness she now feels.

“I couldn’t reach [Honor] in time, couldn’t pull her from the water, and it’s suffocating, knowing I couldn’t save her when she needed me most,” Kaylee said on Instagram.

Friends and family of 17-year-old Beau Liddell paid tribute to the boy on his Instagram page.Credit: Instagram/beauliddell

“Thank you Beau ... you didn’t hesitate, didn’t think twice, just got in when she needed someone.

“I’ll carry both of you with me forever.”

As the community reels, James Cook University Professor of Public Health Richard Franklin says the tragic deaths serve to warn others of the hidden dangers of waterfalls.

Royal Life Saving Australia figures from 2022-23 reveal there were 76 deaths at rivers or waterfalls versus 75 at beaches across Australia.

Franklin said waterfalls can be particularly dangerous, creating turbulence and currents that can push people underwater or trap them beneath a rock ledge. He said droplets and mist mean the rocky sides are inevitably slippery.

Franklin urged waterfall swimmers to check for dangers before taking the plunge.

AAP

A man strangled his wife at a hotel on Valentine’s Day while suffering a drug-induced psychosis that sparked paranoia that she had stolen his driver’s licence.

Jeffrey James Godfrey, 53, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday, accused of killing his wife of 27 years, Vanessa Godfrey, 46, at the Pelican Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast on February 14, 2022.

Prosecutor Matthew Le Grand said Godfrey had been a heavy meth user for more than 10 years before he became increasingly paranoid and started experiencing delusions.

Vanessa Godfrey with partner Jeffrey James Godfrey, who was charged over her death. Credit: Facebook

Le Grand said the night before the attack, while the couple were away at a friend’s birthday weekend, Godfrey realised he was missing his driver’s licence and Medicare card, and believed his wife had stolen them.

He confronted her about it and asked if “his whole life had been a lie” before the pair slept.

On Valentine’s Day morning, Godfrey asked her husband to massage her neck. During the massage, he again asked if his “whole life had been a lie” before putting his arm around her neck and strangling her.

Godfrey sat looking at his wife’s limp body and thought he saw her breathe, so he took a knife and cut her arms.

He then drank alcohol, took valium tablets and cut his arms over several hours before hotel staff found him passed out on the floor and his wife in a pool of blood on the bed.

Godfrey confessed to police that he killed his wife and was charged with murder. This was later downgraded to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.

Justice Glenn Martin will hand down his sentence on January 30.

If you or anyone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (see lifeline.org.au), Beyond Blue on1300 22 4636 (see beyondblue.org.au) or 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).

AAP

It’s the day we’ve been dreading – today is forecast to be the hottest of the week, with an expected top of 37 degrees.

Hopefully the bureau’s prediction of a thunderstorm comes to pass, although it’s only a “chance” at this stage. Today is set to be partly cloudy, with a 40 per cent chance of showers.

And if you make it through today, the weekend will be slightly cooler, with maximums of 31 degrees predicted for both days.

If you’re looking for somewhere to cool off, here’s our handy guide to the area’s pools, water parks and swimming holes.