As it happened: Brisbane on Friday, March 14

Premier David Crisafulli has declined to recommit to his promise “no new stadiums” will be built for the Olympic games.

Nine News has revealed the 100-day government review recommends construction of an arena at Victoria Park.

The report was raised in parliament on Thursday, with Labor pressing the LNP leader on if he still stood by his commitment to use existing facilities.

He did not answer the question.

“I say to Queenslanders, I understand they want hope. I say to Queenslanders … you will have a world-class plan and I’ll tell you what it will do: it will deliver a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” the Premier said.

Brisbane architectural firm Archipelago’s proposed Victoria Park stadium is one of the more contentious bids.Credit: Archipelago

“I want every part of Queensland to know that this will be a great moment for all of the state. This will be a moment that unifies because I understand and I have heard about the embarrassment of Queenslanders.

“Queenslanders will see on the 25th of March what a plan looks like. Queenslanders will see what a generational infrastructure plan looks like.

“A plan for road and rail, a plan for tourism, a plan to deliver the best world-class Olympic and Paralympic Games, a legacy plan, a plan that Queenslanders can truly be proud of.”

The Games Independent Infrastructure and Co-ordination Authority handed over its 100-day review report to Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie on Saturday. The findings and the government’s response will be made public on March 25.

Read our reporter Cameron Atfield’s stories about some of the submissions to the Olympic infrastructure review here.

Thanks for joining us today for our live coverage of news in Brisbane. Here are some of the stories making headlines today.

A teenager accused of killing Queensland grandmother Vyleen White has been committed to stand trial, as his lawyer claimed he was “absolutely remorseful”.

Some of Brisbane’s best restaurants want diners to know they’re open and ready for business, after sitting mostly empty this week in the wake of the chaos caused by Cyclone Alfred.

Queensland dodged disaster but is being warned to do more to prepare for more frequent extreme weather in a changing climate.

US influencer Sam Jones (also known as Samantha Strable) has left Australia after apologising for a social media post in which she allegedly took a baby wombat away from its mother, saying she has received death threats over the incident.

An American Airlines jet’s engine has caught fire after diverting to land in Denver, forcing the evacuation of passengers using the plane’s slides.

The Albanese government is facing demands for another overhaul of the way the GST is shared after the Commonwealth Grants Commission delivered a $1.2 billion budget headache to Queensland and a $3.7 billion windfall to Victoria.

And Queensland Reds flanker Fraser McReight has shunned the chance to earn millions overseas to ink a long-term extension with Australian rugby, revealing the desire to lift the World Cup trophy on his home soil as the primary motivation.

All ferry services will resume tomorrow, following their suspension during ex-tropical cyclone Alfred and its aftermath.

CityCat and KittyCat are due to start again from 6am on Saturday, Brisbane City Council says.

All ferry terminals will also reopen.

CityCat services will resume on Saturday morning.Credit: Rosanna Ryan

South-east Queenslanders and those just across the border will get the best view in Australia of tonight’s lunar eclipse, but the full spectacle of the blood moon will be mostly over by the time the moon rises in Brisbane about 6.04pm.

“It’s not a great eclipse for us,” University of Southern Queensland astronomer Professor Jonti Horner said, noting this was really an event for the Americas.

A 2022 blood moon over Melbourne.Credit: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Horner said it would appear as if there were a “chunk bitten out of the moon at the top”, which would get smaller and smaller as it rose in the east.

“For about an hour, people who’ve got really eagle eyesight will be able to tell that the top half of the moon is a little bit dimmer than the bottom half, but that will ease off from about 8pm and it’ll all be finished,” he said.

“But you’ll get some incredible photos from North America of the blood moon, when the moon is fully in the lunar eclipse, which is before it rises for us.”

There was still plenty to look forward to, though. Horner said Australia was about to enter a golden age of eclipses.

“In September this year – September the 8th – we’ve got a fabulous lunar eclipse in the morning, hours before sunrise, and then this time next year, we get another lunar eclipse in the evening,” he said.

“Then we get four total solar eclipses over the next 10 or 12 years as well, which is really good, because after that we won’t get another one until 2066.

“We’ve got a good decade coming up and [tonight’s lunar eclipse] is like the warm-up act.”

A proposed national redistribution of GST revenue would see Queensland lose $2.4 billion in 2025-26 – while Victoria gains $4 billion and NSW $1.3 billion.

In what would be the biggest redistribution in history, Queensland would be the only state to lose GST revenue next year, standing to lose $5.3 billion over three years.

The redistribution formula effectively punishes states for previous windfalls, in their own revenue collections, compared to other jurisdictions.

Treasurer David Janetzki – who had hoped to start reining in Queensland’s deficit and debt – described it as a “shonky shifting of Queenslanders’ money for a better payout for New South Wales and Victoria”.

“The outcome of this review is based on disputed methodology, with Queensland left to foot the bill for the failures of New South Wales and Victoria during COVID-19,” he said.

“Queensland should not be penalised because of our strong resources industry or our decentralised population.”

Janetzki said the LNP would push the federal Labor government to reject the proposed redistribution before the upcoming election.

A teenager accused of killing a Queensland grandmother has been committed to stand trial, as his lawyer claimed he was “absolutely remorseful”.

Vyleen Joan White, 70, was fatally stabbed in the chest outside a shopping centre at Redbank Plains, west of Brisbane, last year.

The Ipswich grandmother was fatally stabbed in February 2024. Credit: Nine News

A teenage boy, now aged 17, from the nearby suburb of Bellbird Park was charged with offences including murder, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and stealing.

During a committal hearing in the Ipswich Childrens Court, the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared via video link.

Sitting quietly, wearing a blue shirt and black shorts, he was asked by magistrate Dennis Kinsella if he understood his charges.

The teenager replied: “Yeah, I understand.”

Read the full story.

The fate of one of the three Queensland wind farm projects halted by Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie will be known within weeks.

In line with an LNP election commitment, Bleijie in January ordered a stop to departmental consideration of the three projects and introduced a new wind farm code requiring greater consultation.

On March 5, Bleijie ordered a decision be made on the Bungaban Renewable Energy Farm proposal within 20 days, satisfied by the level of consultation and that his department had enough information to make a decision.

“For nearly a decade, the previous Labor government failed to consult with Queenslanders on major renewable projects and that’s why the LNP government was determined to deliver a voice for local communities,” he said this week.

“Introducing an in impact assessable planning framework underpinned by a new development code for wind farms will provide certainty for investors, communities and councils.”

If approved, Wungaban, about 40km from Wandoan, would generate enough energy to power 70,000 homes.

Bleijie, the minister for state development, infrastructure and planning, is still considering whether to allow decisions to be made on the Wongalee wind farm and Theodore wind farm projects.

After the chaos of the last two weeks, leisure events are back on the schedule.

St Patrick’s Day falls on Monday, but the parade will take place tomorrow, leaving from the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at 10.30am. More than 40 floats will celebrate all things Eireann.

Round five of the Super Rugby Pacific Season comes to Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night as the Queensland Reds take on the NSW Waratahs.

Peter Pan prequel Peter and the Starcatcher was originally developed for the stage by the Disney Theatrical Group, but the version opening this weekend at the Playhouse, QPAC has been reimagined for Australian audiences by local heroes Dead Puppet Society.

La Boite’s new Macbeth has an unusual take on Shakespeare’s story of murder, war and witchcraft: the three witches tell the story and play all the parts. It’s at the Roundhouse Theatre until March 22.

Tying the knot? Brisbane’s Wedding Expo, at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Sunday, has over 120 stalls covering florists, gowns, photography, invitations, hens’ parties, make-up, videography, cakes and more. Entry is free.

Jimmy Webb wrote timeless hit songs including MacArthur Park, Up Up and Away and Wichita Lineman, and he’ll be performing them in an intimate show at the Brisbane Powerhouse on Sunday and telling the stories behind them.

And it’s the final weekend for nun-tastic musical Sister Act at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC, starring the fabulous Casey Donovan.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will join a phone call with the leaders of the UK-led “coalition of the willing” to discuss the possibility of Australian peacekeepers joining the Ukrainian resistance, according to an ABC News report.

Early last week, the prime minister opened the door to potentially putting boots on the ground in Ukraine, suggesting, unprompted, that he would consider an Australian peacekeeping mission if requested. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton rejected the idea.

Prime ministers Keir Starmer and Anthony Albanese.Credit: Instagram

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has assumed a leadership position in the coalition, arranged the call, that the ABC reports will include the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Canada.

The call follows a summit in Paris on Tuesday that discussed the creation of an international peacekeeping force. Military officials from more than 30 countries, including Australia, took part in the talks.

Sam Day was brought in to be the leading contender to replace Joe Daniher, but the Brisbane Lions recruit will be unavailable for his side’s first AFL clash of the season.

The former Gold Coast Sun withdrew from selection from the grand final rematch against Sydney following the passing of his father, Chris, on Thursday, with all Lions players, coaches and staff to wear black armbands in his honour on Saturday.

Levi Ashcroft, the highly-touted draftee and brother of Norm Smith Medal winner Will, will make his AFL debut as a substitute.

The 18-year-old had shoulder surgery in the offseason, but has impressed coach Chris Fagan and his teammates since his return to training.

Levi Ashcroft is primed for a round-one debut.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images

“It is a bloody fair effort to break into this side, when you think of it,” Fagan told Ashcroft.

“Of the 23 that represented this club in the grand final last year, the only bloke missing is Joey [Daniher] because he retired, but everybody is fit and available for selection.

“So, on the back of having shoulder surgery, a bit of a later start to the preseason then getting involved in some of the later practice games, you’ve been able to force your way into the side, which is a remarkable effort when you think about it.”

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten has called for Australia to “push back” and place reciprocal tariffs on the US after the government confirmed it would not pursue retaliatory tariffs on steel and aluminium because of the potential cost-of-living hit to consumers.

Months after he retired from politics to take up the vice chancellorship at the University of Canberra, Shorten raised his head above the political parapet to argue Labor should return fire on the US in the same vein as Canada and the EU.

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten.Credit: Oscar Colman

Shorten told Seven’s Sunrise that if the trade war continued, “every option’s got to be on the table”.

“If they keep putting tariffs on all of our goods, we have to reciprocate tariff for tariff,” he said.

Pushed to elaborate, Shorten said the aluminium and steel industries may be able to withstand the tariffs but that “at a certain point”, the US needed to think that Australia meant business and had alternatives.

“Tariffs don’t help anyone, but if President [Donald] Trump thinks he can push other countries around, sooner or later you have to push back.”