Brisbane news live: Queensland appoints new chief health officer

5 days ago 5

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Marianne Gale appointed as chief health officer

By Rosanna Ryan

Queensland has a new top doctor: Marianne Gale, who has been serving as deputy chief health officer in NSW.

Media reports that Queensland Health staff received the news in an all-staff email yesterday.

Before working for NSW Health, Gale spent years treating Myanmar refugees on the Thai border for Medecins Sans Frontieres, and working in Africa, the Caucasus, South America and the Asia-Pacific region.

Queensland’s last chief health officer stepped down in December, and the process to find a replacement has been mired in politics.

One candidate, Krispin Hajkowicz, was made an offer for the job, advertised with a salary near $400,000, that was later rescinded.

The government said it raised concerns about his appointment, although it denied it intervened because of a Save Victoria Park sign and a Greens election corflute seen outside Hajkowicz’s house.

Dr Marianne Gale is Queensland’s new chief health officer.

7.28am

Broncos farewelled on route to grand final showdown

By Stephanie Felesina

The Broncos have officially departed Brisbane Airport, as the team heads towards a grand final against the Melbourne Storm in Sydney.

Before they made their way to the Qantas lounge, the team made sure to say hello to some young fans.

Young fans arrived, scarves and jerseys ready, half an hour before the team hoping to get some signatures and face time with their favourite players.

Harvey, Bruce, Isaac, Hendrix and Emily farewelled the Broncos as they departed for Sunday’s NRL grand final in Sydney.

Isaac, 10, and Hendrix, 8, were looking forward to meeting Reece Walsh because “he’s fast, good at kicking and good at tackling”. They were feeling optimistic about a Broncos premiership win.

Bronco Lock Patty Carrigan looked in good shape after missing last week’s Preliminary Final against the Panthers.

The 27-year-old said, “I’m back, I’m feeling good and I’m ready for the grand final.”

The team will be hoping to end a 19-year-premiership drought.

6.55am

Sun hits the sky

There’s no other way to say it: today is expected to be a spring scorcher in Brisbane.

The Bureau of Meteorology says after a chance of fog in the early morning, today will be mostly sunny, with the mercury forecast to hit 35 degrees. Fortunately, the “feels like” apparent temperature will remain in the low 20s.

The warmth appears to be just a spike, with Friday’s maximum to drop back just shy of 30, with a cooler weekend ahead, before temperatures rise next week.

Here’s the outlook:

6.50am

While you were sleeping

Here’s what’s making news further afield:

The US government shutdown is continuing today as over 700,000 federal government employees will be temporarily laid off. There are no indications yet about when the shutdown might end, but analysts have warned it could last longer than past shutdowns as Democrats are not budging on Republicans’ proposed funding cuts to federal programs.

The Global Sumud Flotilla – a fleet of pro-Palestinian activist boats attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver aid to civilians – is currently being intercepted by Israeli military forces. The boat, carrying Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, was the first to be intercepted by the IDF.

Jane Goodall, the conservationist renowned for her groundbreaking chimpanzee research, has died at 91. While living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago, her observations transformed how the world perceived not only humans’ closest living biological relatives but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals.

And if you’ve watched the cost of your coffee inch upwards over the past few years, the numbers are in: Australians are forking out more than $1 on average for their favourite caffeinated beverage than six years ago.

6.44am

Marianne Gale appointed as chief health officer

By Rosanna Ryan

Queensland has a new top doctor: Marianne Gale, who has been serving as deputy chief health officer in NSW.

Media reports that Queensland Health staff received the news in an all-staff email yesterday.

Queensland’s last chief health officer stepped down in December, and the process to find a replacement has been mired in politics.

One candidate, Krispin Hajkowicz, was made an offer for the job, advertised with a salary near $400,000, that was later rescinded.

The government said it raised concerns about his appointment, although it denied it intervened because of a Save Victoria Park sign and a Greens election corflute seen outside Hajkowicz’s house.

6.39am

The top stories this morning

Good morning and welcome to Brisbane Times’ news blog for Thursday, October 2. Today we can expect a mostly sunny day with a maximum of 34 degrees.

In this morning’s local headlines:

The once working-class Brisbane suburb of Stafford has changed significantly in a few years. And a major overhaul would transform it further, with a pitch to make it the James Street of the north.

There are major redevelopment plans for Stafford.

Neighbours recall that as a little girl, Tiffany Wilkes’ daughter Clementine played in the backyard of her Norman Park home. But on Monday, the bright eight-year-old was found dead alongside her mother. Police suspect Wilkes had killed herself and her daughter.

The men leading Queensland’s long-awaited inquiry into the troubled CFMEU and the wider construction industry have promised it will not become a union-bashing exercise.

She has established herself as a formidable dual-code talent, but Broncos sensation Shalom Sauaso has not considered where her long-term future lies.

Reece Walsh is the man everyone wants a piece of – he is rugby league’s rock star. At this weekend’s NRL grand final he could produce an absolute classic and break the Broncos’ premiership drought, writes Andrew Johns. Or he could produce a horror movie.

And how will you spend the King’s Birthday long weekend? We’ve come up with a range of ideas, both in the Brisbane region and in the surrounding cities.