Brisbane news live: Thousands of residents without power heading into day of extreme heat; Premier ‘not happy’ with crime figures

Queensland’s consumer spending and housing strength has propelled it to second place among Australian states and territories – up one position from last quarter – according to CommSec’s latest rankings of economic performance.

Chief economist Ryan Felsman said the state’s economy was rebounding after Cyclone Alfred and floods, and planned Olympic infrastructure projects meant the public investment outlook was promising.

CommSec chief economist Ryan Felsman.Credit: Steven Siewert

“While equipment investment remains a relative weakness, the Sunshine State’s resilience continues to shine through,” he said in a statement.

“Looking ahead to 2026, stabilising exports, government support and firm household consumption are expected to underpin growth in Queensland’s resources-led economy.”

Western Australia led the ranking for the fifth quarter in a row.

Felsman said the two resource-driven states, along with the Northern Territory, were well-placed to maintain their advantage heading into 2026.

As you scroll social media this morning, looking at wild weather videos of last night’s storm, it’s important to keep in the back of your mind that AI might be playing tricks on you.

There are several videos circulating on social platforms showing a BBQ smashing through a balcony and furniture flying that may be the work of AI.

While it’s difficult to know for certain, this is a timely reminder to ensure you trust the source of the content and are confident it has been verified by the outlet or person sharing it.

On that note, here are some photos and videos we shared of the last night’s storm - a collection taken from our journalists and provided to us by readers.

The critical minerals deal signed with US president Donald Trump this month presents a “once in a generation” opportunity for Queensland, the premier says.

David Crisafulli said yesterday the state government had been working on a framework to attract investment through the $8.5 billion bilateral agreement.

“I haven’t spoken about this publicly, but on the back of the deal between the prime minister and the president, I see a once in a generation opportunity,” he said.

Premier David Crisafulli spoke at the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia in Brisbane in July.Credit: Cameron Atfield

“We will be shortly releasing our plan to make sure that we don’t just get our fair share, but a little bit more.”

Crisafulli did not say how the plan would work, but added the state had vast reserves of multiple commodities in high demand.

Read the full story.

Turning to politics for a moment: At a press conference yesterday, the Premier was asked about the recent state crime statistics blunder.

Data released earlier this month claimed Queensland’s crime victim numbers per capita were down 10.8 per cent compared to the same time last year. But several days later, on October 16, it was revealed the actual reduction was 6.5 per cent.

Premier David Crisafulli.Credit: Dan Peled

Following Police Minister Dan Purdie’s apology in parliament that day, the Premier on Sunday expressed his disappointment with the incorrect data but commended police for swiftly correcting the error.

“It has to be said, I make this point the police at the moment ... they realised that [the incorrect figure], they transparently said what was wrong with it – but the figures remain,” Crisafulli told reporters in Petrie.

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When asked how police and the government could avoid a similar debacle in future, he said “by making sure that there’s checkpoints in police data and that there is relentless checking on it”.

“I’m not happy with the number ... because I’ve seen how much that victim number has increased every year, but the facts remain, there are fewer victims of crime – but it’s off such a high base that people quite rightly, still feel that there is a crisis that needs to be resolved.

“Everything that we do will be about strengthening the laws, not weakening them. Every investment will be about doing early intervention and rehabilitation at a level we’ve never seen.

“Every change for police will be to put more of them and give them better resources, and you’ll never have me making excuses for the troubles that people have faced.”

Almost 75,000 homes in the Greater Brisbane region lost power in yesterday’s wild storms.

Energex was scrambling to restore power thousands of premises across Brisbane.Credit: Energex

Of those homes, almost 50,000 have had power restored this morning, leaving about 24,000 homes without power heading into an expected 37-degree day.

Kenmore, Indooroopilly, Brookfield, Chapel Hill, Fig Tree Pocket are among the worst-affected suburbs.

Energex crews from the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast have been called in to help restore power to Brisbane households.

Here’s the full storm wrap, with a photo of the inner-city house that slipped off its pilings in the extreme weather.

Here’s what’s making news further afield:

Authorities have arrested two men suspected of taking part in a heist at the Louvre museum in Paris, in which a crew of four criminals made off with crown jewels worth an estimated €88 million ($157 million), according to French media. Le Parisien reported the pair, aged about 30 and from the Seine-Saint-Denis area, were arrested on Sunday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese touched down in Malaysia last night to take part in meetings with key Pacific leaders at ASEAN. Escalating Trump administration tariffs are on the agenda, as well as the war in Ukraine and close security calls in the Pacific. The PM is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea before flying home.

US President Donald Trump is optimistic that he will strike a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping when they are expected to meet in South Korea this week, as both countries’ trade negotiators agreed to a framework to be signed off by the leaders.

Two players in Australia’s World Cup squad were allegedly stalked and touched inappropriately while in India for the women’s ODI cricket tournament, Cricket Australia confirmed at the weekend. CA said the incident had been raised with police after the pair were followed by a man on a motorbike while walking to a cafe in Indore on Thursday. The man was later reportedly identified as Akil Khan by The Times of India, The Economic Times and ANI newswire on Sunday morning.