Brisbane news live: Helicopter crashes into hotel; Neo-Nazis marched out of CBD

Greens MP Michael Berkman was promoting his party’s proposal for a state-owned bank this morning, but said he has little faith in Labor’s pitch for government-owned petrol stations.

Last week, Premier Steven Miles unveiled an election pitch to build 12 state-run petrol stations, at an initial cost to the government of $36 million, to boost competition in poorly serviced areas.

Today, Berkman welcomed “the fact that the state is talking about public ownership as a way of addressing the cost-of-living crisis”, but said he did not have great hope for Miles’ petrol stations.

“I can’t say I have a great deal of faith that 12 petrol stations statewide is going to make a massive dent in petrol prices, or create the competitive environment that they might hope,” he said.

However, Berkman said the Greens hoped a Queensland Public Bank would quickly gain a 20 per cent market share in the state to rival the ‘Big Four’ banks.

When Olympic chef de mission, Anna Meares, jumped to the defence of Brisbane’s Olympic organising committee on Saturday she pointed to those who criticised plans to host the Paris opening ceremony on the Seine River.

All the criticisms that happened leading in to Paris, the comments around the risk they took around the opening ceremony being on the Seine - you have got to take risks.

You have got to challenge yourselves, just as the athletes have.

And I really look forward to how we can showcase Australia, how we can showcase our spirit, our character, our history, our culture.

They’re the things that I want to be able to focus on leading in to Brisbane as well as our athletes and our sports.

It’s largely over to the Brisbane organising committee ... but we don’t need to compare ourselves to anyone else.

This was a French Games, a Paris Games, and they did it superbly.

We will do it the Aussie way.”

In case you missed it: Australia and Brisbane must stop bickering over the 2032 Olympics, the country’s chef de mission, Anna Meares, says.

Los Angeles hosts the next Games in 2028 while Brisbane’s preparations for its ’32 Olympics have been pockmarked by political stoushes over funds and venues.

“It would be really nice if we all came together to work towards a great Games [in Brisbane],” Meares said in her final, teary, address to media in Paris.

“And everyone has ideas and opinions, don’t they, so that is what creates the difference in the lead-up.

“I believe in our Brisbane organising committee and I know they will work hard in the next eight years to put on a great Games.

“And I hope that Australia and Brisbane will come together and work towards that same goal.”

Meares struggled to hold back the tears during her final press conference as she hailed Australia’s performance at the Paris Games.

Evidence about the motivations of three people who gunned down two police officers and a civilian is set to be heard by Queensland’s state coroner.

An inquest is being held into the deaths of Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare, who were ambushed and shot at a rural property in the Western Downs area, west of Brisbane in December 2022.

The shooters Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train were killed in a gunfight with specialist police that night.

Witnesses due to testify in Brisbane Coroners Court on Monday include a forensic psychiatrist who was asked to provide an expert opinion on the Trains’ mental states before and during the incident.

An academic who has provided a report identifying the political, religious and ideological influences that shaped the Trains’ actions is also scheduled to take the stand.

The administrators for embattled regional airline Rex are urging wary travellers to keep flying with the heavily indebted carrier, despite concerns about its future viability.

Professional services firm EY Australia is working to rescue the five companies in the Rex Group since the airline grounded its Boeing 737 fleet on major metropolitan routes in July.

Rex’s regional flights have continued due to ongoing funding from private equity firm PAG Asia Capital, but the carrier’s long-term future remains unclear amid calls for a federal government bailout.

A creditors’ meeting on Friday was told the airline is about $500 million in debt and had launched an asset sale and buyer search in a desperate effort to stay up in the air.

EY partner Samuel Freeman on Monday said travellers could still be confident about booking on Rex while administrators were at the helm.

“We’re saying to Australians, keep booking with Rex, the administrators are in control of the business and are overseeing its operations,” he told ABC TV.

“We have demonstrated since the appointment that the Rex planes are getting people where they need to go to and we’ve secured funding to enable us to continue to do so in the administration period,” he said.

Allegations of shadow directing have been made in an administrator’s report of the failed group that operated the Wilkie Creek coal mine in south-western Queensland.

The report by KordaMentha has raised the possible involvement of shadow directors in the operation of New Wilkie Energy, the group that ran the Wilkie Creek coal mine.

The KordaMentha report noted that Andrew Lowry, whose real name is Andrew Lowy, was made the sole director of all seven of the inter-related New Wilkie companies, one week before the group was placed into voluntary administration last December.

“We note that whilst the director of the group entities upon our appointment was Mr Andrew Lowy, there are multiple directors that resigned shortly before an appointment, and multiple other individuals whose conduct may consider them to be shadow directors,” the report said.

New Wilkie Energy collapsed with debts of $304 million, most of which was owed to private lenders.

The full story is here.

Australians appear to be navigating tighter budgets by making more considered technology purchases, with JB Hi-Fi posting lower revenue and profits amid a tough retail trading environment.

The electronics retailer’s earnings fell 8.2 per cent to $634.1 million and net profits dropped 16.4 per cent to $438.8 million in the 2024 financial year as it cut more deals with customers who were asking for discounts.

Chief executive Terry Smart described sales as “remaining solid”.

“In this tough retail environment where customers are seeking value, our brands continue to resonate strongly driven by the trust customers have in our low-price best value proposition,” he said in a statement.

The company is also declaring a special fully franked dividend of 80¢ per share, which will see $200 million will go to shareholders when taken together with the final dividend of 103¢ per share due to be paid on September 6.