Brisbane news live: Review into ‘broken’ foster home system to begin hearings

The state has boasted an uptick in the number of foster carers, as its child safety review begins three weeks of public hearings.

The review, launched in July and set to run for 17 months until the end of 2026, will examine standards for children in residential care, as well as safety in childcare facilities.

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Speaking outside Parliament on Sunday, Premier David Crisafulli said the state’s residential care system was “categorically broken”.

“If you look at … the number of kids under six in care, the cost per child, [and] the fact that we’ve got people leaving the system, it is as broken in Queensland as anywhere in the country, and I’d argue anywhere in the world,” he said.

Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm said the number of foster carers in the state had risen, with an additional 357 foster and kinship care homes registered from March 2024 to 2025 – a 5.4 per cent increase.

“We know that family-based care is the best form of care for our vulnerable children,” Camm said.

Crisafulli said the government would consider all recommendations put forth by the report in 16 months’ time, and would remain “transparent about the timelines” for action sparked by the review.

If you’ve been seeing pops of colour across the city as of late, that could be due to art duo Craig Redman and Karl Maier, who have transformed the city for Brisbane Festival.

Craig and Karl’s installation across the new Kangaroo Point bridge as part of Brisbane Festival.

Redman and Maier, originally from the River City, are recognised globally for their bold installations.

They are now based between London and New York, but have made the trip home to launch their series of 20 art installations.

Most notably is the duo’s immersive exhibition across the Kangaroo Point Bridge.

“It’s something we hope gives form to how we see Brisbane as a very vibrant city,” Maier said.

“We’ve been inspired a lot by the colours we’ve grown up with here in south-east Queensland and it’s just about bringing the city to life.”

Triple-murderer mushroom cook Erin Patterson will be sentenced in the Victorian Supreme Court hours from now, after a jury found Patterson guilty of her crimes in July.

Prosecutors are calling for Patterson to be jailed for life without parole, which, if handed down by Justice Christopher Beale, would render Patterson only the second Australian woman to receive such a sentence.