As it happened: Brisbane on Thursday, January 30

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has backed the federal government’s pick of Australian golfing legend Greg Norman to join the Brisbane 2032 organising committee board.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese nominated Norman to join the 24-person board as one of the federal governments representatives, replacing Moreton backbencher Graham Perrett, who is retiring from politics at the upcoming election.

While Norman’s sporting experience and business acumen were cited as driving factors in his appointment, there may also be some geopolitics at play – Norman is known to have the ear of US President Donald Trump.

Greg Norman with then-former president Donald Trump last April.Credit: Getty

Speaking at Maryborough this morning, Crisafulli said Norman was “one of Queensland’s greats” as he welcomed him to the board.

“When he speaks, people listen and we look forward to him helping us shine a spotlight on what will be a really great project for this state,” he said.

“We’ve taken steps to get that show back on the road. We’ve taken the steps to make sure that Queenslanders see that there will be generational infrastructure for every part of Queensland, that there will be a plan to make sure that every part of Queensland can benefit.

“And to have the ‘Great White Shark’ on board? It’s great.”

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

In the meantime, catch up on some of the biggest stories we’ve been covering today:

Emergency services have pulled bodies from a river near Washington DC after a passenger jet collided midair with an army helicopter, local media reports.

Heavy and light rail projects are in doubt despite being part of the LNP’s election commitment to boost mass transit before the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

One of Brisbane’s most historic buildings is about to get a new tenant, with fashion brand Country Road submitting plans to fit out a 95-year-old building for its new flagship shop in the city.

The daughter of a woman strangled at a resort on Valentine’s Day has welcomed a 12-year jail term for the killer, saying “justice has been served”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has branded the perpetrators of antisemitic attacks “cowards” who will be “hunted down and locked up”, as Israel’s foreign minister accused Australian authorities of allowing attacks on Jews to run rampant.

And finally, if you’re searching for the chook sanger of your dreams, you may just find it in a sleepy Holland Park street, in a shop that shifts close to 200 sandwiches a day.

The state government says it’s happy with Queensland’s share of Rugby World Cup games, declining to comment on suggestions a bigger stadium could have helped push for grand final hosting rights.

Speaking from Suncorp Stadium alongside multiple former Wallabies on Thursday, Sport Minister Tim Mander confirmed 14 games will be held across Brisbane and Townsville during the 2027 event.

Two quarter-finals, two round-of-16, and six pool matches are scheduled to be played at Suncorp Stadium, while four pool matches will be played at North Queensland Stadium.

Asked whether Brisbane needed a bigger stadium to compete with Sydney, which will host the semi-finals and grand final, Mander said the government was happy with the number of games allocated to Queensland.

“We’re very content with that,” the former NRL referee said.

“We’re very hopeful that we’ll be able to cheer on the Wallabies here.”

Suncorp Stadium – also known as Lang Park, or Brisbane Stadium – has historically been among the venues where the Wallabies have performed best, but holds about 30,000 fewer spectators than Stadium Australia in Sydney.

The Queensland government is using the hosting agreement for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games to keep informal advice from John Coates a secret.

The veteran sports administrator helped secure the Games for Brisbane, and was influential in the former Miles government’s decision to ditch the planned Gabba upgrade amid public concerns about the cost.

After the Liberal National Party won the October state election, Coates told Brisbane Times he had sent David Crisafulli a message but it would be up to the new premier to release it.

In response to an application under the Right to Information Act, Crisafulli’s department identified the one-page message from Coates but claimed releasing it would breach a confidentiality clause in the Olympic Host Contract.

The government is awaiting advice from a review panel examining the plan for Games venues and other infrastructure, and will consider a confidential draft before the final report is made public.

It remains unclear whether Brisbane will have a new or upgraded stadium for 2032.

The daughter of a woman strangled at a resort on Valentine’s Day has welcomed a 12-year jail term for the killer, saying “justice has been served”.

Jeffrey James Godfrey, 53, faced Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of his wife of 27 years.

Vanessa Godfrey, 46, was killed at the Pelican Waters Resort on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast on February 14, 2022.

Vanessa Godfrey was found dead inside the Pelican Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast on Valentine’s Day. Her partner, Jeffrey James Godfrey (pictured) was charged with murder. 

Justice Glenn Martin said Godfrey’s wife had trusted him and he had “betrayed that trust in the ultimate way by killing her” while affected by drug-induced psychosis and paranoia.

Read the full story.

All big four banks now believe the Reserve Bank will slice official interest rates when it meets for the first time this year on February 17 and 18.

After this week’s better-than-expected inflation figures, which showed inflation down to a near four-year low of 2.4 per cent, Westpac joined the ANZ and Commonwealth banks in expecting the RBA to cut the cash rate to 4.1 per cent next month.

This morning, the NAB – which had been expecting a rate cut in May – joined the February rate change club.

“The fourth-quarter consumer price index confirms that inflation has moderated more quickly than the RBA expected and sets up a likely downward revision to the inflation profile in the February statement on monetary policy,” NAB chief economist Alan Oster said.

“This now makes February the most likely starting point for a gradual easing in interest rates.”

An ongoing concern for the RBA and many economists has been the strength of the jobs market. Unemployment is still at 4 per cent, with more than 440,000 jobs created over the past year.

Oster said the jobs market would not prevent a rate cut.

“While the labour market remains strong, we do not see current conditions as inflationary. However, the RBA’s growing confidence will need to come in part from a reassessment of tightness in the labour market,” he said.

NAB believes the RBA will be gradual with its rate cuts. It expects the cash rate to edge down to 3.1 per cent by February next year.

Maritime Safety Queensland and a sea pilot company failed to identify and plan for the risk of floods causing moored ships to break free, an investigation has found.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Thursday handed down its findings into two separate incidents where container ships broke free at the Port of Brisbane during the 2002 floods.

In both incidents, strong currents after high rainfall wreaked havoc when other ships passed by and moored ahead of the ships, causing them to break away from the wharves.

It found MSQ, the regulator, and the Poseidon Sea Pilots were ill-prepared for such events, creating a safety issue, but had since improved their extreme weather planning.

“These breakaways highlight the importance of robust, properly structured and clearly defined emergency and risk management arrangements for managing port shipping movements outside of normal operating conditions,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said.

“Such arrangements must facilitate accurate assessment of all the available information by the involved parties and provide for adequate assessment of all potential risks.”

A popular riverside venue will reopen months earlier than first thought after a freak storm ripped the roof off.

The Officers Mess, a repurposed World War II-era US naval base, had parts of its roof ripped off at the height of the storm about 7.50pm last Friday.

General manager Alex Sey, who initially feared they would be out of action for three months, said they had made the best of a bad situation and would be able to reopen tomorrow.

The Officers Mess on Saturday morning, after the freak storm the night before.Credit: Cameron Atfield

But it will be a more open experience for patrons – the devastated space has, through necessity, been transformed into an al fresco dining area, with tables, umbrellas and fairy lights.

“After a catastrophic event where, miraculously, no one was seriously injured or killed, we have worked around the clock with our incredible team, suppliers, and contractors to be able to open less than seven days after the event,” Sey said.

“We are so proud of our team members who not only averted disaster but have rallied together to bring Officers Mess back to life.

“Having only opened several months ago, we quickly became a part of the fabric of New Farm and can’t wait to continue to serve our community by providing quality products in a family-friendly environment enjoying unparalleled views of the Brisbane River.”

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has backed the federal government’s pick of Australian golfing legend Greg Norman to join the Brisbane 2032 organising committee board.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese nominated Norman to join the 24-person board as one of the federal governments representatives, replacing Moreton backbencher Graham Perrett, who is retiring from politics at the upcoming election.

While Norman’s sporting experience and business acumen were cited as driving factors in his appointment, there may also be some geopolitics at play – Norman is known to have the ear of US President Donald Trump.

Greg Norman with then-former president Donald Trump last April.Credit: Getty

Speaking at Maryborough this morning, Crisafulli said Norman was “one of Queensland’s greats” as he welcomed him to the board.

“When he speaks, people listen and we look forward to him helping us shine a spotlight on what will be a really great project for this state,” he said.

“We’ve taken steps to get that show back on the road. We’ve taken the steps to make sure that Queenslanders see that there will be generational infrastructure for every part of Queensland, that there will be a plan to make sure that every part of Queensland can benefit.

“And to have the ‘Great White Shark’ on board? It’s great.”

The Australian Human Rights Commission is concerned Queensland’s “pause” on hormone therapy for young people with gender dysphoria goes against medical advice and will put lives at risk.

Under the immediate restrictions announced by Health Minister Tim Nicholls on Tuesday, any existing patients receiving puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormone therapy will be allowed to continue.

But hormone therapy will no longer be offered to new patients in state facilities. At the end of December, 448 people were on the service waiting list.

On Thursday, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr Anna Cody said “a fundamental human right is access to healthcare, and gender-affirming healthcare is part of this right”.

“Trans and gender-diverse children and young people should feel supported to affirm their gender by the adults in their lives and healthcare providers,” Cody said in a statement.

“This pause has the potential to harm the physical and mental wellbeing of children in Queensland who are currently awaiting care.

“We note that these treatments are supported by evidence and the Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines for Trans and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents that are endorsed by medical experts.”

Premier David Crisafulli said on Wednesday the government was intervening out of concern for “the wellbeing and safety of Queensland kids” and to review the evidence around hormone therapy.

Northern Australia is being battered by heavy rainfall and flooding as two tropical lows linger off the Queensland coastline, and may yet escalate to cyclones.

Tully, Innisfail and Gordonvale were hit by up to 250mm of rain last night into this morning, while Mackay received around 150mm.

Areas around Cairns can expect rain to ease today, but showers and thunderstorms are forecast to develop in the afternoon further south in Bowen and Mackay, with the potential for flash flooding.

A tropical low off the coast of Cairns is behind the heavy rainfall, but senior meteorologist Jonathan How said it will start to move away over the next three days, and is less likely to develop into a cyclone.

A weather map from this morning shows storms off the north Queensland coastline.Credit: Bureau of Meteorology

“The chance of this system becoming a tropical cyclone over the weekend has fallen from 25 per cent and is now back to 15 per cent,” he said on Thursday.

There are still four other tropical lows across northern Australia including one in the Gulf of Carpentaria, one offshore of Queensland in the Coral Sea and two in Western Australia that could become cyclones.

How said the tropical low in the Gulf of Carpentaria still has a 25 per cent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone from Sunday, and is forecast to bring heavy rainfall and flooding between Townsville and Cairns.