As it happened: Brisbane on Wednesday, February 5

A man charged with rape allegedly waited for his victim as she hid in a backyard before sexually assaulting her in the early hours of Sunday morning, police say.

The 18-year-old woman was walking towards the intersection of Patrick Street and Edward Street in the south-east Queensland town of Laidley, about 80 kilometres west of Brisbane, at 3am on Sunday when she was approached by a man riding a scooter.

“The man allegedly made inappropriate comments towards the woman, leading her to seek refuge in the backyard of a nearby property,” police said in a statement.

“When she returned to the street a short time later it is alleged the man has approached her again before physically assaulting her.”

The alleged attacker – a 33-year-old Gatton man – has been charged with two counts of rape.

He was due to appear in the Ipswich Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

“The woman was treated for injuries,” police said.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

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

In case you missed them, here are some of the stories that made headlines today:

In many rape cases, victims are forced to hear their attacker described as a “good person”, or a “valued member of community”. The Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council has now questioned whether such character references should be allowed.

Fresh footage has emerged of a two-metre crocodile that has sparked a search near Rainbow Beach, north of Brisbane, appearing to show the animal swimming off the beach near the barge landing.

President Donald Trump has declared his intention for the United States to take control of war-torn Gaza and redevelop the land after permanently relocating all Palestinians elsewhere, an idea swiftly rejected by the Arab world and widely described as ethnic cleansing.

Back home, Brisbane’s Legacy Way Tunnel remained closed more than nine hours after it was shut due to a power failure.

The owners of Spring Hill hotel Soho Brisbane are taking legal action over plans for a 15-storey hotel that would overlook their establishment, Roma Street Parkland and the CBD.

And in sport, Brisbane Lions star Callum Ah Chee wants to prove his 2024 finals heroics were no flash in the pan, outlining his plan to become one of the AFL’s most prolific forwards.

Eight teenagers, including a 13 year old, have been arrested after a police helicopter tracked a stolen luxury car to a suburban Brisbane home.

The silver Mercedes Benz was allegedly stolen from a property on Wade Street in Virginia overnight.

PolAir tracked the car across the city to Vincent Street in Indooroopilly, where police were able to recover it on Wednesday morning.

The vehicle had sustained damage, police said.

The teenagers, aged between 13 and 18, have been taken into custody.

Investigations are ongoing.

The Legacy Way Tunnel remains closed nearly 10 hours after it was shut due to a power failure, with concerns mounting for the evening commute.

This is the latest update from tunnel operator Transurban:

“Early this morning an incident occurred in one of the Legacy Way tunnel substations which has impacted the power supply to the tunnel.

“We are working to restore the power as soon as possible and reopen the tunnel to traffic.

“Legacy Way remains closed in both directions and customers are advised to seek an alternate route.”

Read more here.

A man charged with rape allegedly waited for his victim as she hid in a backyard before sexually assaulting her in the early hours of Sunday morning, police say.

The 18-year-old woman was walking towards the intersection of Patrick Street and Edward Street in the south-east Queensland town of Laidley, about 80 kilometres west of Brisbane, at 3am on Sunday when she was approached by a man riding a scooter.

“The man allegedly made inappropriate comments towards the woman, leading her to seek refuge in the backyard of a nearby property,” police said in a statement.

“When she returned to the street a short time later it is alleged the man has approached her again before physically assaulting her.”

The alleged attacker – a 33-year-old Gatton man – has been charged with two counts of rape.

He was due to appear in the Ipswich Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

“The woman was treated for injuries,” police said.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

Brisbane Lions star Callum Ah Chee has paid tribute to former clubmen Troy Selwood and Dale Tapping, following the passing of the pair this week.

Selwood, who played 75 games for the Lions between 2003 and 2010, died age 40 on Tuesday for reasons not yet known. Tapping, a former assistant coach with Brisbane who was preparing to lead Essendon’s VFL side, lost his battle with myeloma on the same day.

Former Lion Troy Selwood.Credit: AFL Photos

“Extremely sad day for the club obviously with the passing of Taps and Troy Selwood. I obviously spent a bit of time with Taps here when I first got to the club, and he was just a fantastic person,” Ah Chee said.

“He always gave you the time of day. He cared about the football player, but I think he cared about the person the most. I was really sad to hear the news, and hope his family’s doing OK.

Former Brisbane Lions assistant coach Dale Tapping (left).Credit: AFL Photos

“I was talking to a few of the boys yesterday and [former Lions midfielder] Anthony Corrie who knew Troy Selwood pretty well and just said he was a great person.”

Question time is under way in federal parliament in Canberra. You can watch it below:

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will not say if he supports US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he wants the US to take over Gaza to redevelop the area, as Albanese told journalists he would not keep giving commentary on every decision made by Trump.

Earlier today Trump suggested displaced Palestinians be “permanently” resettled outside the war-torn territory.

Albanese said Australia’s position on the US remained the same.

“What I would say is that Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year and it was 10 years ago, and it was under the Howard government,” Albanese said.

“The Australian government supports, on a bipartisan basis, a two-state solution in the Middle East.”

Peppered with questions about Trump’s announcement, Albanese grew frustrated with reporters.

“I’m not going to have a running commentary on statements by the president of the United States. I’ve made that very clear,” he said.

Read the full story on Trump’s plans here.

Former Queensland police commissioner Katarina Carroll has a new role, accepting a spot on a board tasked with funding medivac services in the state.

LifeFlight Commercial was launched in 2018 to channel funds into the not-for-profit aeromedical organisation.

Former police commissioner Katarina Carroll has joined the LifeFlight Commercial board.Credit: AAP Image

“LifeFlight is a proven leader in aeromedicine and I look forward to providing support to the board as opportunities arise and we further develop partnerships, both in Australia and abroad,” Carroll said.

LifeFlight commercial chairman John Lewis said Carroll’s experience would provide added depth to the organisation, which was seeking new strategic contracts with government, counter-disaster agencies and the Australian Defence Force.

“Katarina Carroll is one of the most decorated and adept leaders in emergency services in the country and we are delighted to have her join the LifeFlight Commercial board,” he said.

“The next few years will see investment in LifeFlight Commercial’s operations to build the business and capability so we can continue to compete on the international stage.”

Another former Queensland police commissioner, Ian Stewart, joined the Crime Stoppers Queensland board as chairman in December.

Turning to breaking news from Canberra: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced $1.7 billion in funding for public hospitals and health services, an increase of 12 per cent to the federal government’s overall contribution to state-run health systems.

And Queensland is set to receive the biggest boost of any state or territory – $414 million.

Albanese told reporters that strengthening Medicare has always been a priority for his government.

“Today I can announce we’re delivering an additional $1.7 billion to properly fund public hospitals and health services next year,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with Health Minister Mark Butler.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“This funding will be delivered to states and territories to help cut waiting lists, to reduce waiting times in emergency rooms.”

He said the increase brings the Commonwealth contribution to Medicare to “almost $34 billion in 2025-26”.

“Right across every state and territory, this means a double-digit increase in Commonwealth funding for their public hospitals. This is absolutely essential,” he said.

Stay with us as we bring you more on this announcement.