Brisbane news live: Fire ban won’t be extended in Brisbane | Schrinner cashes in on ‘bet’ with Victorian mayor | Plans for huge build-to-rent development in South Brisbane

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Fire ban won’t be extended in Brisbane

By William Davis

The total fire ban for Brisbane expired overnight, and won’t be renewed in the immediate future.

Large bushfires have burned on Moreton Island, in the Darling Downs and near Bundaberg amid hot and dry conditions.

Blazes near Mount Nebo Road, north-west of Brisbane, and at Ripley, south of the Ipswich CBD, also contributed to the smoky atmosphere around Brisbane.

A six-day total fire ban for Brisbane went into effect on Thursday last week.

Last night, a spokesperson for the Queensland Fire Department confirmed it would not be extended.

New fire bans were announced for the Townsville, Whitsunday, and Mackay Council areas.

9.28am

Meriton tower evacuated in 1am fire scare

By William Davis and Catherine Strohfeldt

Residents and hotel guests were evacuated from the 74-storey Meriton tower in Brisbane’s CBD in the early hours of the morning due to a fire scare.

Dozens of people gathered on Adelaide Street after the five-star hotel was evacuated, as well as the building’s residential wing.

Fire trucks outside the Meriton on Adelaide Street.

Meriton staff initially told guests the evacuation was “not a false alarm, but the fireys have rectified it”.

The Queensland Fire Department said crews investigating the alarm reported there was no fire, and residents and guests were allowed to return about 1am.

9.19am

Government and Coalition clash over return of IS brides

By Matthew Knott

The government and the Coalition have clashed over the return of the wives and children of Islamic State fighters to Australia from Syria, after it was revealed last week that a group of six women and children had smuggled themselves out of Syria and returned to Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denied earlier reports that a cohort of women and children was set to return home by the end of the year.

Australian women with their children in Al-Hawl camp in northern Syria in 2019.

The women were wives of men who travelled to Syria to fight for the Islamic State (IS) when the radical jihadist group was trying to establish a hardline Sunni caliphate across the Middle East.

On Tuesday, the Coalition probed why Albanese dismissed as inaccurate reports that Australian women would be returned home before Christmas as part of a top-secret operation.

The government has stressed that, unlike a 2022 repatriation mission, it did not organise an evacuation of the latest cohort or organise their flights.

Describing the lack of detail as a “cover-up”, opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said: “It is an absolute disgrace that the Albanese government refuses to give the most basic details about the return to Australia of this cohort.”

Federal government to bail out Queensland’s Glencore copper smelter

By Nick Newling

The federal government will offer a taxpayer bailout to Swiss multinational Glencore’s struggling Mount Isa copper smelter today, with Industry Minister Tim Ayres travelling to the north-west Queensland city to announce the deal.

As reported in the Australian Financial Review, the agreement to keep the loss-making smelter in operation will secure about 600 jobs in the region.

It follows a similar deal inked in February alongside the SA government to support the Whyalla Steelworks at a cost of about $2.4 billion.

The cost of the bailout for Glencore’s smelter is not yet known, but is likely to be announced this morning at a doorstop interview with Ayres in Mount Isa.

The smelter is Australia’s third-largest industrial facility. Glencore announced last month that it would be forced to close should it not receive support from state or federal governments.

9.03am

Take the Brisbane Times quiz

In case you missed it, test your knowledge of the River City and the latest news with our weekly quiz from resident quizmaster Nick Dent ...

9.02am

Today’s cartoons

9.00am

Plans for huge build-to-rent development in South Brisbane

By Cameron Atfield

A run-down South Brisbane motel could be replaced by a 41-storey tower, including 35 levels of rental units, in the latest development to take advantaged of relaxed zoning laws on the Kurilpa peninsula.

If approved and built, Pellicano Living would provide 570 new rentals to Brisbane’s inner-city market, including 205 studios, 320 one-bedroom and 45 two-bedroom units.

The site, at 55 Boundary Street, was formerly a low-rise motel. Property records show Pellicano Living bought the site in 2023 for $22 million.

Pellicano Living’s plans for a 41-storey build-to-rent development at 55 Boundary Street, South Brisbane.

Beneath the units would be a podium, including a wellness centre, a food and drink tenancy and 2173 square metres of available office space.

“It offers a centralised building management, and a high-quality resident experience distinct from traditional strata,” town planning firm Property Projects Australia says in its assessment report, submitted to Brisbane City Council on Pellicano’s behalf.

“This proposal reflects the demand for flexible and affordable housing with a high level of amenity that directly addresses the increasing concern regarding housing affordability and supply constraints.”

Like ICD Property’s planned $2 billion riverside precinct at nearby West End, Pellicano’s proposal will be assessed through the Kurilpa temporary local planning instrument, a short-term override of the Brisbane City Plan Act to “facilitate housing supply, affordability and diversity” in the area.

8.41am

Schrinner cashes in on ‘bet’ with Victorian mayor

By Brittney Deguara

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has celebrated his city’s victorious sporting weekend by cashing in on a cheeky bet with his Melbourne counterpart Nick Reece.

The mayors put a jersey on the line for Sunday’s NRL grand final between the Storm and Broncos.

Reece shared his punishment on social media overnight – a photo of him wearing a Broncos jersey to a council meeting.

“I threw my Melbourne pride on the line, and now, it’s time to honour my end of the deal,” he wrote.

“Looking good Nick,” Schrinner quipped back.

Yesterday, Schrinner told ABC Radio Brisbane he was in talks with the Broncos and the premier’s office about additional celebrations for the Broncos.

8.28am

Federal government to bail out Mount Isa copper smelter

By Nick Newling

As reported in the Australian Financial Review, the agreement to keep the loss-making smelter in operation will secure about 600 jobs in the region. It follows a similar deal inked in February alongside the SA government to support the Whyalla Steelworks at a cost of about $2.4 billion.

Negotiations over a multibillion-dollar package to support the Tomago aluminum smelter – the nation’s largest energy consumer – were also underway earlier this year.

The cost of the bailout for Glencore’s smelter is not yet known, but is likely to be announced this morning at a doorstop interview with Ayres in Mount Isa.

The smelter is Australia’s third-largest industrial facility. Glencore announced last month that it would be forced to close should it not receive support from state or federal governments.

8.26am

Send us your photos of the supermoon

The moon rose bigger and brighter last night, glowing over the horizon and lighting up the night sky.

The harvest supermoon rising over the Brisbane River.

This month’s full moon, known as the harvest moon, kicks off a striking run of supermoon sightings, which are forecast monthly until January.

Read more about the phenomenon in this explainer – and share your photos of the evening spectacle.

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