Happy new year/Queensland cabinet minute release day! From me: some insight from 1995's short-lived third-term Goss govt scramble to show voters it was serious about hundreds of election promises. Except one maybe rather telling one.

Premier David Crisafulli has today described the former Labor govt’s decriminalisation of public drunkenness, as recommended by the 1991 Aboriginal deaths in custody royal commission, as “knee-jerk”, “short-sighted” & “wrong”. His govt will look to change in 2026.

In other news today: Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls says he is yet to be briefed on the details of the staff in his department accused of taking kickbacks for allowing the use of a medical company’s devices in public hospitals.

Breaking: Queensland’s ban on gender-affirming care for children will continue until at least 2031, the state government announced, as it released a long-awaited review into public hospital gender services.

The Qld govt is looking to expand the number of banned hate symbols alongside other action on hate speech and antisemitism, Attorney-General Deb Frecklington says. While there's little detail so far of what may feature, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie has offered some hints.

Exclusive from yesterday I forgot to post: Qld's major public sector union has taken what it says is unprecedented industrial umpire action, accusing the health dept of bargaining in bad faith and seeking to have what it says was a withdrawn pay offer put back on the table.

Nicholls has denied forcing Kelleher to quit because he lacked the power to sack her, after board concerns her work could harm its relationship with him But he also shed new detail, & downplayed his role, as an anti-corruption group warned about govts removing critics

Scoop: Queensland’s health minister pushed a prominent abortion advocate to quit a hospital board worried her public work could harm its relationship with the new govt, according to documents obtained by BT. Then the govt boosted its powers to sack directors without cause.

The 50-year-old Bondi beach terror suspect who died was a licensed firearms holder, and had six firearms, NSW police say. Police have the six firearms from the scene yesterday. His 24yo son is in police custody in hospital in a critical but stable condition.

heartbreaking

Queensland teachers have escalated a year-long fight with the education department over special school funding reductions, filing a formal dispute in the state’s industrial commission.

Breaking: Property developers will again be allowed to make political donations in Qld state elections under proposed electoral law changes by the Crisafulli LNP govt, also reducing prison voting rights from those serving up to 3y sentences to those serving less than 1.

New: A major anti-corruption group has raised concerns over a Crisafulli government move to expand its sweeping overhaul of board positions to Queensland’s health services.

Updated now with more detail from the report: the accidental disclosure was found to have occurred in seven cases from 2020 to 2023 In the three most serious cases, the offender used the detail to track down the women at home. In two of these, the offender committed new “acts of domestic violence”

New: Queensland Police unlawfully gave victims’ addresses to domestic and family violence offenders in seven cases, despite being aware of the risks for years, a report has found.

it’s new BT Qldpol polling day (and the third-last state parli sitting day)

my weekend attempt to distill last week's three-days of CFMEU Inquiry evidence, alongside what we learned from the first hearing block, into ~1k words

some insight into the direction Queensland may go on e-bikes/scooters out of the parliamentary committee inquiry today

New detail via AWU boss, beyond the headline, in our week 2, day 3 wrap of Qld’s CFMEU Inquiry (likely the last til Feb) - identity of prev unnamed CFMEU official who had a close personal relationship w a key bureaucrat - funded plans in CFMEU to take over AWU in future vote

Week 2, day 2 of Qld’s CFMEU inquiry, ft AWU secretary Stacey Schinnerl, who: - Believes she received a death threat amid rival’s escalating campaign for civil project coverage - Was told by a rep of major govt project contractor CPB that AWU site access was “not my problem”

via James Hall at Queensland Labor’s 2025 state conference: “party figures have essentially given the leader a deadline of the end of next year to boost Labor’s primary support.”

New: CFMEU officials who had been stripped of their right of entry permits were able to argue their way onto Queensland building sites for years, under an agreement between police and the state’s industrial relations office which inaccurately reflected law.

between our live blog and daily news pieces, I reckon I’d have written at least10k words on the CFMEU Inquiry’s first three days of evidence this week. here are the most important new details (in about one-tenth of that word count)

Inquiry day 3: Mark Irving KC w new detail of “coercive control” ousted Qld leaders had over, & retained until mid-year, what he described as a kingdom consolidated by potential breaches of union rules & the law, driving his moves to expel them (w similar likely for others)

“These words should shame not just those there that day who failed Lomas but every person who watches this footage.”

Our write-up of today’s CFMEU Inquiry hearing incl investigator’s big picture take on Qld emulation of Vic campaign against AWU, prev unreported criticism of “lack of cooperation” from big contractors CPB and BMD, view that situation in Qld/NSW is “under control”, + much more

Forgot to post yesterday as my phone and laptop batteries were stretched to their limit, but here’s our write-up of the first Qld CFMEU Inquiry hearing day. Things kick off again from 10am AEST.

The senior public servant who oversaw the introduction of Australia’s first pill testing programs – and was most recently Qld’s education dept head – has described the Crisafulli government-unwinding of the state’s fledgling scheme as “absolutely staggering”.

I took a deep dive into the politically charged waters in and around the Qld inquiry set to begin public hearings into the cfmeu and broader construction sector next week.

A longstanding scheme allowing Queenslanders to access info used to help reconnect w family separated by the state’s historical adoption practices will be returned after the govt back-tracked on unexpected changes criticised by support services, and first reported by BT

Queensland’s LNP state council has called on the Crisafulli government to abolish payroll tax by 2032, among a series of resolutions up for debate at a weekend party gathering.

The Crisafulli govt has been accused of failing to meaningfully respond to concerns from groups helping adopted Queenslanders reconnect w forcibly separated family, after a two-month silence from one minister re changes to information access was only broken after Qs from BT

The Queensland LNP government has scrapped a new purpose-built clinic for children’s mental health in Yeronga, despite months ago putting aside more than $3 million for it to go ahead. Story from Felicity Caldwell

Queensland’s CFMEU inquiry will hold its first block of public hearings within a fortnight despite the sudden loss of five key staff members, with their replacements to be detailed in days.

icymi late on Friday

New: The Queensland commission of inquiry into CFMEU corruption has suffered a major setback, through the sudden resignation of its senior counsel assisting and three junior barristers amid concerns about its operations. Story w Nick McKenzie

New: The Queensland commission of inquiry into CFMEU corruption has suffered a major setback, through the sudden resignation of its senior counsel assisting and three junior barristers amid concerns about its operations. Story w Nick McKenzie

Queensland Finance Minister Ros Bates has handed a recent state port board appointee with links to her governing Liberal National Party a lucrative new position after his property conflicts became too difficult to manage.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli this morning on that election vow for a yearly ambulance ramping target More in the blog: www.brisbanetimes.co...

Updated tonight with confirmation from LGBTI Legal Service of new action in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal on discrimination and human rights grounds.

Updated tonight with confirmation from LGBTI Legal Service of new action in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal on discrimination and human rights grounds.

The Queensland government could yet face another courtroom push against its pause on gender-affirming care for children, with the legal service behind this week’s successful ruling considering options to fight Health Minister Tim Nicholls’ new directive. Story w Courtney Kruk

Queensland is still yet to complete a whole-of-government update to its appointment process for major board roles more than three years after a critical auditor-general report.

The federal environment minister has called the weather bureau in for an urgent meeting to explain how it will fix its new website, which launched just days before wild storms hit south-east Queensland — sparking criticism today from the state’s premier and energy minister.

From Julius Dennis today on govt board changes: Dr Aysin Dedekorkut-Howes, who served just a year of her Qld Reconstruction Authority board term, is worried about its lack of expertise after she & renowned disaster risk reduction expert Dr Robert Glasser were cut. More here www.brisbanetimes.co...

The Queensland government acted unlawfully and did not follow proper procedures when enforcing a ban on gender-affirming treatment for children with gender dysphoria earlier this year, a court has ruled – story w/ Courtney Kruk

some curious finer internal details in James Hall’s 12 months of Crisafulli govt piece here, incl grumblings Jarrod Bleijie is the only partyroom figure w license to share ideological views & his renewable energy retreat undermines delivery of David Janetzki’s energy roadmap.

Brisbane/Meanjin vigil to observe the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, Nov 2. We will commemorate the 50 years since the killing of the Balibo Five and Roger East, as well as lament the killing of all journalists and media workers over the last year. meaa.io/4nlgVuz

New: A senior Queensland minister has sought to discredit the Australian chapter of a global anti-corruption organisation in response to revelations by this masthead of a suite of quiet board appointments by his government since the state election.

The Qld govt has quietly appointed a series of people with LNP connections to state boards without public announcements in the year since it took office, including at least 10 party figures whose appointments have not yet been reported. (w Julius Dennis) www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/que...