As it happened: Brisbane on Wednesday, March 12

People living in the Brisbane City and Scenic Rim council areas are now eligible to apply for Personal Hardship Assistance after the federal government found those regions met the criteria for disaster payments.

There are now seven council areas in south-east Queensland where residents can apply for payments of $180 for individuals, or up to $900 for a family of five or more to cover essential items.

Residents fill up sandbags at the Toowong Bowls Club in Brisbane on Friday.Credit: Dan Peled

Queensland Disaster Recovery Minister Ann Leahy said three levels of government were working together to support communities.

“Personal Hardship Assistance provides immediate financial aid to get people back on their feet following a disaster,” she said.

“This funding covers emergency essentials like food, clothing and medicine, and grants for more severe impacts such as destroyed household goods and extended loss of services.”

Eligible residents can apply at www.qld.gov.au/disasterhelp or by phoning the 24/7 Queensland Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349.

Thanks for joining us today for our live coverage of news in Brisbane. If you’re just catching up, here are a few of the stories that have made headlines today.

Detectives are working to determine if a mother-of-two whose body was found in the Brisbane River by a rower was killed in a random attack or by someone known to her.

Venomous fire ants swept up in floodwaters from Cyclone Alfred are forming teeming rafts and travelling downstream, sparking fears that the invasive pest will infest new areas.

In parliament, Tourism Minister Andrew Powell urged tourists not to cancel Easter holiday plans as parts of Queensland recover from ex-tropical cyclone Alfred’s devastating deluge.

Ten people, including three brothers, have been found guilty of murder after a teenager was stabbed to death in a group attack in a public park.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused Donald Trump of breaching the spirit of Australia’s close relationship with the United States by slapping a 25 per cent tariff on all US steel and aluminium imports.

And Newstead Brewing Co in Milton has closed permanently, with the craft brewpub announcing its closure in a lengthy social media post yesterday.

We’ll be back tomorrow, so please join us then.

Bundaberg police have expanded a search for suspicious brown packages washing up on Fraser Coast beaches after Cyclone Alfred, with PolAir, SES, water police, and local surf lifesavers aiding efforts.

Chief Inspector Grant Marcus said a local first reported the packages – which “look like a brick, wrapped up in brown paper” – yesterday afternoon.

“Yesterday, yes, we did find quite a number of them … and we have found some more again today,” he said. “[The packages are] yet to be tested, so we don’t know exactly what they are, but we’re saying to the public they could be quite dangerous.”

Police had yet to determine where the packages had come from, but said they could have been washed in by Cyclone Alfred as it travelled down the coast, or exposed when storm surge eroded sand dunes.

“Our concern is it’s potentially that these haven’t been in the water for too long, so we’re trying to ascertain if that is or is not the case,” Marcus said.

Police do not know where the packages have come from, but are investigating links to a recent drug bust off K’gari.Credit: Australian Federal Police

The discovery comes months after a boat breakdown near K’gari, off the coast of Bundaberg, led to the largest cocaine bust recorded for the country – weighing in at 2.34 tonnes.

Marcus said police were investigating whether the incidents were linked, and asked members of the public to leave packages alone when found and report them immediately.

Former Star Entertainment boss Matt Bekier told the Federal Court today that he did not consider warnings from his executives in May 2018 about the VIP room operated by junket operator Suncity were a real risk to the casino operator.

The court heard how Star’s general counsel, Andrew Power, emailed Bekier about transactions occurring at Pit 95 (Suncity’s Salon 95) at The Star Casino in Sydney, and how the room “exposes Star to unacceptable risk” and “constitutes a breach of applicable laws”.

Nine of Star’s former board members, are charged with breaching their duty to act with care and diligence.Credit: Steven Siewert

Bekier said it was not clear at that point if the risks were real, and he focused on the action steps to fix the issue which had been recommended. “From my point of view the matter was in hand,” Bekier told the court.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has charged nine of Star’s former board members, including Bekier, with breaching their duty to act with care and diligence.

Bekier later testified that he had no recollection of a May 2018 meeting with Star executive Paula Martin where she informed him of video footage that showed bags of cash in Suncity’s Salon 95 – a potential indication of illegal activity.

When these issues did come to light – following reports in this masthead – Star lost its licence to run casinos in NSW and Queensland and is now on the brink of collapse.

It faces a fine in the hundreds of millions of dollars for contraventions of Australia’s money-laundering laws.

The hearing continues.

Ten people including three brothers have been found guilty of murder after a teenager was stabbed to death in a group attack in a public park in Zillmere in Brisbane’s north.

A total of 12 defendants faced the Queensland Supreme Court today for their verdicts, each charged with murdering 19-year-old Girum Mekonnen, following a judge-only trial in November 2024.

Girum Mekonnen.Credit: Facebook

Justice Crowley heard the motive for the attack was retaliation for the bashing of John Wal Wal at an Ipswich shopping centre five days before Mekonnen was stabbed.

John Wal Wal is the brother of four of the defendants. Three of them – Kresto Wal Wal, 29, Gabreal Wal Wal, 31, and Santo Wal, 36 – were today found guilty of murder and other charges including causing grievous bodily harm.

Majok Riel Majok, 23, Alex Edward Deng, 22, Chan Kuchmol Kon, 28, Joseph Lokolong, 28, Abraham Ajang Yaak, 30, Ben Abio, 23, Juma Makuol Deng Makuol, 28, were also found guilty of murder.

Yohana Wal Wal and Malat Akoi Makuach were found not guilty of murder and other charges related to assaults and wounding.

Justice Crowley said he intended to sentence the defendants on March 31.

Newstead Brewing Co in Milton has closed permanently. The craft brewpub announced the closure in a lengthy social media post on Tuesday.

Newstead Brewing was one of the early movers in Brisbane’s craft beer scene, having originally opened on Doggett Street in Newstead in 2013, a few blocks over from fellow local brewer Green Beacon. Green Beacon still trades, but is fully owned by Japanese-based major Asahi.

Newstead Brewing Co in Milton.Credit: Courtesy of Brisbane Marketing

“Being an OG of an industry, you aren’t immune to being taken advantage of nor making mistakes,” the post from Newstead Brewing read, before apportioning much of the reasoning behind the closure to the pandemic and, in particular, the 2022 floods.

“It’s heartbreaking for us all, that in these times of industry crisis, we just couldn’t weather this final storm. From Doggett St to Milton, it has been an honour serving you all.”

Read the full story.

Labor frontbencher Shannon Fentiman has used question time to ask why the Queensland government briefed the federal opposition about the unfolding disaster before it briefed the state opposition.

Fentiman asked Premier David Crisafulli whether that was appropriate given the federal Coalition leader, Queensland MP Peter Dutton, had “fled to Sydney to fill moneybags rather than sandbags”.

Crisafulli did not comment on Dutton’s attendance at a political fundraiser, nor did he answer the specific question about the timing of the briefings, but said Dutton “has called me every day, every day”.

Reiterating all levels of government had worked together during the crisis, Crisafulli said Labor’s line of questioning was “pretty poor form”.

“We haven’t seen a single bit of decency today,” he told parliament.

Attorney-General Deb Frecklington has been accused of using the cyclone as cover while she “secretly” sacked a ministerial advisory council established by the former Labor government to consult on youth crime policies.

Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington.Credit: Jamila Filippone

Opposition Leader Steven Miles levelled the accusation at Frecklington in his first question of the day, sparking an outcry from the government benches.

“What a shameful display,” Frecklington replied.

“I know the opposition are struggling, but seriously? For your first question?”

Frecklington said the LNP had appointed a victims minister, and consultative forums, and while the Labor-appointed council was no longer needed, its members could still be involved.

Labor followed a similar theme in its questions to other ministers, with Housing Minister Sam O’Connor at one point accusing the opposition of using a natural disaster to scare Queenslanders.

Now is the perfect time to scrap the “inconsistent, out of date trouble-riddled NAPLAN” test, the Queensland Teachers’ Union has argued.

In a statement, the union said that since 2018, NAPLAN was subject to state and federal reviews, switched from paper to online, abandoned during COVID, moved earlier in the year, and changed to a four-point scale.

Some Queensland students will begin sitting NAPLAN tests today, while others in cyclone-affected areas of the south-east will have their tests delayed until next week.

“The QTU maintains the testing is stressful for students, not fit for purpose, and an out-of-date burden on a system that is chronically short of teachers already drowning in workload and red tape,” the QTU statement reads.

“Added to this is the psychological and physical impact on students and school communities affected by recent natural disasters.”

Queensland tops the nation for pulling kids out of NAPLAN tests.

People living in the Brisbane City and Scenic Rim council areas are now eligible to apply for Personal Hardship Assistance after the federal government found those regions met the criteria for disaster payments.

There are now seven council areas in south-east Queensland where residents can apply for payments of $180 for individuals, or up to $900 for a family of five or more to cover essential items.

Residents fill up sandbags at the Toowong Bowls Club in Brisbane on Friday.Credit: Dan Peled

Queensland Disaster Recovery Minister Ann Leahy said three levels of government were working together to support communities.

“Personal Hardship Assistance provides immediate financial aid to get people back on their feet following a disaster,” she said.

“This funding covers emergency essentials like food, clothing and medicine, and grants for more severe impacts such as destroyed household goods and extended loss of services.”

Eligible residents can apply at www.qld.gov.au/disasterhelp or by phoning the 24/7 Queensland Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349.

Premier David Crisafulli has told parliament flooded rivers are receding, all major roads are open, public transport is resuming and most schools are open.

Reflecting on the recent cyclone and flood disaster, Crisafulli said the SES received a record number of calls and the government would appoint a disaster coordinator to oversee the ongoing effort.

Major roads have now reopened after being closed over the weekend.Credit: Getty Images

Crisafulli said power companies had reconnected 390,000 homes and businesses, or 90 per cent of those hit by outages, but conceded tens of thousands more remained in the dark.

“We sincerely acknowledge the ongoing strain on those who remain without power, the stress and the impact on their daily life, and we also acknowledge the around-the-clock efforts of Energex and Ergon workers to get the lights back on,” he said.

All properties are expected to be reconnected by Sunday night.