Health

Brisbane news live: RACQ accused of ‘misleading’ customers over price hikes; Public to get first sneak peek of new Adelaide Street tunnel; Does Brisbane need a larger rectangular stadium?

Brisbane news live: RACQ accused of ‘misleading’ customers over price hikes; Public to get first sneak peek of new Adelaide Street tunnel; Does Brisbane need a larger rectangular stadium?

Thousands of people will today get a sneak peek of the new Adelaide Street tunnel, beneath Brisbane’s CBD.Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has described the new Adelaide Street tunnel as the “biggest boost to underground infrastructure we’ve seen since the Queen Street bus station”, which was built for Expo ’88.LoadingHe said the new tunnel would take a lot of pressure off the Queen Street bus station, “which does a lot of the heavy lifting”.More than 1400 bus and Metro trips will traverse the 213-metre tunnel each weekday, which the council promises will reduce congestion in the CBD and create capacity for more services.The Adelaide Street tunnel is part of the Brisbane Metro project, which was first proposed by former lord mayor Graham Quirk in 2016.This will be the public’s only chance to experience the tunnel before it opens as a busway, with registration essential and open here.Latest postsLatest postsKeeping with Trump-related news for a moment … Health Minister Mark Butler has responded to US President Donald Trump’s claims yesterday that paracetamol use by pregnant women caused autism and that the childhood MMR vaccine should be “taken separately” rather than as a combined shot, after concerns that parents may refrain from getting their children vaccinated because of his claims.“I was really worried when those comments first started being reported … that’s why I asked the TGA, our medicines regulator, to look urgently at what the Americans were putting out to see if that was any reason to review our advice,” Butler said on Nine’s Today show this morning.“The advice of our regulator is that Panadol, which is our equivalent to paracetamol, is safe for pregnant women to use, not to overuse, but to use, particularly in the case of fever because we know untreated fever to be particularly dangerous for a pregnant woman and for her fetus as well.“The TGA reaffirmed the advice that’s been long-standing that [it] is a safe drug to take for pregnant women, particularly in the case of fever, that’s the same thing that other regulators have done very quickly after the president’s comments over the past couple of days. I don’t want pregnant women right now to feel unsure about what to do. I don’t want women who were pregnant in the past to feel unsure or even guilty about the fact that they took a treatment that was advised to them as being safe.”On Trump’s childhood vaccination claims, Butler said, “I was really worried about that… I cannot say strongly enough: MMR is a free vaccine on the childhood immunisation program. It provides really strong protection against what are potentially very serious diseases.”Turning to world news for a moment … French President Emmanuel Macron likes to say that he can get US President Donald Trump on the phone any time he wants. In New York for the UN General Assembly, he proved it.Blocked on Monday night (US time) by police officers when he sought to cross a New York street – they told the French president the road was closed to let a VIP motorcade pass – Macron fished out his phone and dialled his US counterpart.“How are you?” Macron said. “Guess what? I’m waiting in the street because everything is frozen for you!”French media that filmed the scene said Trump was, in fact, on the other end of the line, which a French official confirmed to The Associated Press.Macron told the officers that he was trying to make his way on foot to France’s diplomatic mission in New York.“I have 10 people with me,” Macron said, trying to negotiate passage across the street.“I’m sorry president, I’m really sorry, it’s just that everything’s frozen right now,” one of the police officers told Macron.But since he had Trump’s ear, Macron took the opportunity to keep chatting. “I would love this weekend [to] have a short discussion with Qatar and you on the situation in Gaza,” he said.AP

Brisbane Broncos and Maroons great Wally Lewis has revealed his desire to be buried at Suncorp Stadium.The NRL immortal, nicknamed The King and The Emperor of Lang Park, made the revelation in an interview with The Australian on Saturday.His intention is now gaining traction, with Queensland Rugby League boss Ben Ikin saying he could “certainly see Wally being buried out the front of the stadium under his statue”. However, a burial at the stadium would require state government approval.

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The Trump administration. Credit: Matt GoldingQueensland’s powerful CFMEU inquiry has quietly opened public submissions, and suggested upcoming hearings will be held publicly “wherever possible”.Announced in mid-July and officially beginning on August 1, the 12-month, $20 million inquiry said “considerable work” was being done behind the scenes.LoadingBut there had been no public detail about how people could share information with the royal commission-style inquiry into the union and construction industry misconduct.The inquiry’s new website now provides this, and while not yet outlining any dates for an opening public hearing, it notes the principles of open justice are “central”.“Open justice means that, wherever possible, hearings are conducted in public so the community can see how evidence is tested and how decisions are made,” it says.“Public hearings will be live-streamed, and recordings and transcripts will be published on this website.”Thousands of people will today get a sneak peek of the new Adelaide Street tunnel, beneath Brisbane’s CBD.Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has described the new Adelaide Street tunnel as the “biggest boost to underground infrastructure we’ve seen since the Queen Street bus station”, which was built for Expo ’88.LoadingHe said the new tunnel would take a lot of pressure off the Queen Street bus station, “which does a lot of the heavy lifting”.More than 1400 bus and Metro trips will traverse the 213-metre tunnel each weekday, which the council promises will reduce congestion in the CBD and create capacity for more services.The Adelaide Street tunnel is part of the Brisbane Metro project, which was first proposed by former lord mayor Graham Quirk in 2016.This will be the public’s only chance to experience the tunnel before it opens as a busway, with registration essential and open here.

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Keeping with sport for a moment, Snoop Dog will perform at this weekend’s AGL grand final at the MCG when the Brisbane Lions fight for a back-to-back premiership against the Geelong Cats, has made his presence felt on the hallowed turf . Check this out …Tickets for the Brisbane Broncos’ double-header sold out in record time on Monday and Tuesday.The sell-out marks one of the fastest in Broncos history, with chief executive Dave Donaghy saying: “This is a remarkable show of loyalty and belief from our members and fans.”But thousands of fans missed out on tickets to Sunday’s matches at Suncorp Stadium, with many disappointed punters on social media saying Brisbane needs a larger rectangular stadium to cater for the city’s population growth.The Broncos NRLW team will play the Newcastle Knights at 1.15pm on Sunday, before the Broncos NRL side takes on the Penrith Panthers at 4.05pm.Suncorp Stadium has a capacity of 52,500.Greater Brisbane is tipped to have 2,887,000 residents in 2025-26, rising to 3,288,000 by 2034-35, as Queensland continues to take on more interstate migrants than any other jurisdiction.The corporate watchdog has accused insurance giant RACQ of lying to half a million customers about savings by providing false information on insurance premiums, potentially fooling them into overspending.The Australian Securities and Investments Commission revealed yesterday it had launched Federal Court action against the company over an anticompetitive “pricing transparency” practice.ASIC deputy chair Sarah Court said RACQ claimed it was providing pricing transparency but “did the exact opposite”.Credit: Louie DouvisThe regulator alleged RACQ, one of the largest insurers in Queensland, sent 573,407 renewal notices that listed an existing premium higher than what the customer was actually paying in a five-year period between September 2019 and December 2024.In one example provided by ASIC, a customer was told they would pay a 1.5 per cent increase on their insurance, but the documentation quoted their existing premium as $1906.37 more than the actual amount the customer paid – making the actual increase closer to 40 per cent.Read journalist Catherine Strohfeldt’s full story here.

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The sun is out on what has been forecast to be a clear, cool Wednesday in Brisbane.The weather bureau says we should expect a top temperature of 26 degrees today – a cool maximum before the days will edge much closer to 30 degrees from tomorrow.A clear sky over the River City appears to have made the apparent temperature feel much crisper. When the day peaks, the “feels like” temp will be in the low teens.Here’s the outlook into the weekend and beyond