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Thousands of residents without power heading into day of extreme heat
By Dominique Tassell
Almost 75,000 homes in the Greater Brisbane region lost power in yesterday’s wild storms.
Energex was scrambling to restore power thousands of premises across Brisbane.Credit: Energex
Of those homes, almost 50,000 have had power restored this morning, leaving about 24,000 homes without power heading into an expected 37-degree day.
Kenmore, Indooroopilly, Brookfield, Chapel Hill, Fig Tree Pocket are among the worst-affected suburbs.
Energex crews from the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast have been called in to help restore power to Brisbane households.
Here’s the full storm wrap, with a photo of the inner-city house that slipped off its pilings in the extreme weather.
34 degrees and climbing
By Marissa Calligeros
In the last hour, the temperature in Brisbane has climbed five degrees, making it 34.9 degrees in the city right now.
And it’s only going to keep climbing, with the temperature forecast to hit a sweltering 37 degrees at midday.
The weather bureau is predicting the temperature will remain around 37 degrees until 5pm.
More than 23,000 homes and businesses are still without power in Brisbane after yesterday’s wild storms – not ideal when it’s this hot.
It’s a hot one in Brisbane today.Credit: Glenn Hunt
The advice Crisafulli ignored on his way to forming government
A short time ago, news editor James Hall sat down with Premier David Crisafulli on the anniversary of his thumping election victory …
It’s a Friday afternoon in October when the premier is outlining to this masthead his plan to lead a generational government. Speaking from the relatively new digs of the public service “tower of power” at One William Street, Crisafulli says he’s still awed by the view out over the Brisbane River.
Premier David Crisafulli.Credit: Joe Ruckli
And rightly so. The suite faces south-west and laps up the vast expanses of Brisbane’s urban sprawl, and the housing affordability crunch within it. The state’s agricultural bowl is beyond the horizon. It’s a spectacular site, but the floor-to-ceiling windows also frame the many pressures that weigh on whoever sits behind the premier’s desk.
It’s barely 4pm, but the congestion on the Pacific Motorway is already compressing as the surge of population strains transport infrastructure. Sirens from emergency vehicles roar towards clogged hospitals, and there’s a distinct lack of hotels in South Bank and the city’s central area as the state rushes preparations to host the world at the 2032 Games. Not to mention the lack of building under way to erect the Olympic stadium in the inner north at Victoria Park.
How these issues and economic factors are managed will define Crisafulli’s legacy.
How Crisafulli has, so far, kept most of his contract with Queensland
By Matt Dennien
On election night 12 months ago, Premier David Crisafulli made it clear that he believed he had entered a contract with Queenslanders.
But he decided not to put his contract to paper.
David Crisafulli addresses media for the first time as Premier-elect following his election win last year.Credit: Joe Ruckli
Instead, in response to a question from this masthead, he told one post-election press pack that he felt this would be done by the media. So we did.
Two men arrested in Louvre jewel heist case
By Patrick Begley and Ellen Connolly
Authorities have arrested two men suspected of taking part in a heist at the Louvre museum in Paris, in which a crew of four criminals made off with crown jewels worth an estimated €88 million ($157 million), according to French media.
Le Parisien reported the pair, aged about 30 and from the Seine-Saint-Denis area, were arrested on Sunday.
The two men, already known for burglaries, appear to be experienced criminals and may have been acting on orders, the newspaper reported.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrests and said one of the men had been preparing to leave for Algeria from Roissy Airport, triggering the need for police to swoop and make the arrest.
The suspects can be held in custody for up to 96 hours without charge, under French law.
‘More about money than connection’: Tearful Robin Bailey takes swipe at radio network after shock axing
By Marissa Calligeros
A tearful Robin Bailey has told listeners of her breakfast radio show she is fearful about how she will earn a living after being axed from FM station 97.3 for the second time.
Speaking about the on 97.3FM this morning, the veteran Brisbane radio host said: “I’ve just got to believe that something will happen, something good.”
Radio personality Robin Bailey has been axed from 97.3FM alongside co-hosts Corey Oates and Kip Wightman.
ARN, which owns the KIIS Network, announced last Thursday that the Robin, Kip & Corey Oats breakfast show would air for the last time on December 12.
The announcement came just months after former Broncos star Corey Oates joined hosts Bailey and Kip Wightman on the breakfast program.
In an emotional post on Facebook, Bailey took a swipe at the network, saying “seven amazing, talented, kind and compassionate people lost their jobs last Thursday”.
“Our industry care [sic] more about money than connection.”
Bailey has faced turmoil in her personal life and career, including the deaths of her first husband Tony Smart, who ended his life in 2014, and her second husband Sean Pickwell, who died from liver cancer.
In 2016, she was blindsided when 97.3FM did not renew her contract after 10 years on air. She returned to the station three years later, before last week’s axing.
The shake-up comes amid a turbulent period for Brisbane radio, with 4BC Mornings host Bill McDonald and Breakfast host Peter Fegan also confirming their departures in recent weeks.
Today’s cartoon
Take the Brisbane Times quiz
By Nick Dent
If you are feeling a little bleary-eyed on this Monday morning, take our Brisbane Times quiz to sharpen your mind.
265,000 lightning strikes recorded during Sunday storm spectacular
By Dominique Tassell
More than 265,000 lightning strikes were recorded over Brisbane during yesterday’s spectacular storms, including one that struck this tree causing it to burst into flames.
The lightning strikes took down 369 wires and three substations, cutting power to tens of thousands of homes.
Queensland ranked as country’s second strongest economy
By Rosanna Ryan
Queensland’s consumer spending and housing strength has propelled it to second place among Australian states and territories – up one position from last quarter – according to CommSec’s latest rankings of economic performance.
Chief economist Ryan Felsman said the state’s economy was rebounding after Cyclone Alfred and floods, and planned Olympic infrastructure projects meant the public investment outlook was promising.
CommSec chief economist Ryan Felsman.Credit: Steven Siewert
“While equipment investment remains a relative weakness, the Sunshine State’s resilience continues to shine through,” he said in a statement.
“Looking ahead to 2026, stabilising exports, government support and firm household consumption are expected to underpin growth in Queensland’s resources-led economy.”
Western Australia led the ranking for the fifth quarter in a row.
Felsman said the two resource-driven states, along with the Northern Territory, were well-placed to maintain their advantage heading into 2026.
Is the AI storm blowing?
By Brittney Deguara
As you scroll social media this morning, looking at wild weather videos of last night’s storm, it’s important to keep in the back of your mind that AI might be playing tricks on you.
There are several videos circulating on social platforms showing a BBQ smashing through a balcony and furniture flying that may be the work of AI.
While it’s difficult to know for certain, this is a timely reminder to ensure you trust the source of the content and are confident it has been verified by the outlet or person sharing it.
On that note, here are some photos and videos we shared of the last night’s storm – a collection taken from our journalists and provided to us by readers.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
