As it happened: Brisbane on Friday, May 10

The winners of the 2023 Artforce Brisbane Awards have been crowned. ⁠
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For more than 20 years, the awards have celebrated the colourful murals that have transformed 65 traffic signal boxes and nine Energex padmount transformers into works of art.⁠

In that time, more than 5000 volunteers have painted more than 1200 boxes around Brisbane.⁠
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“Each year the calibre of works gets better and better, so choosing our winners is always a difficult task,” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said. ⁠
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“We are proud to offer a program that supports local artists and groups in honing their talents and making Brisbane’s lifestyle even better.”

A 34-year-old Logan man, already facing 18 sexual assault and domestic violence related offences, has been charged with a further 34 offences after an extensive police investigation.

The man is accused of using dating apps and social media platforms to meet women in Brisbane and the Gold Coast between 2019 and 2023, before allegedly committing offences against nine of them.

The man was charged with the first 18 offences in March and April. Today, he was charged with 34 more, including 24 counts of distributing intimate images, three counts of rape and one count each of attempting to commit rape, choking in a domestic setting, recordings in breach of privacy, unlawful stalking and contravening a domestic violence order.

He is expected to appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court on May 27.

Police believe there are more women in the community who can help with the investigation.

“We have uncovered multiple intimate images and videos where the identity of the person depicted is unknown and we are urging anyone who had contact with this man to come forward to police,” Detective Senior Constable Katherine McDonald said.

For confidential information, counselling and support, call the State-wide Sexual Assault Helpline on 1800 010 120 or 1800 RESPECT for 24-hour help.

Australia’s crumbling centre of sporting excellence will be given a $250 million facelift to prepare the nation’s top athletes for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Having decided not to move the Australian Institute of Sport to Brisbane, the federal government will instead upgrade its Canberra site. Initially, that will include new housing for athletes, an indoor training facility and a high-performance training and testing centre.

“This facility has been allowed to decay and not be as good as it should be,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Friday.

“By making this announcement today, we position ourselves to be in a really positive frame in the lead-up to 2032, when we will host for the third time the Olympics that will be so important in Brisbane.”

The funding comes as part of the government’s response to an independent review into the state of the AIS. A further $10 million will be set aside to develop a precinct masterplan to ensure the site is fit for purpose.

Hall Chadwick has told some of Bonza’s 60,000 creditors there is an outside chance the airline could be saved, with multiple “interest parties” including investors, other airlines and travel companies in talks.

“We are unable to provide further information as these discussions are commercially sensitive,” Hall Chadwick partner Richard Albarran said today. He confirmed the administrators are considering selling the airline, or liquidating it.

Albarran also confirmed the federal government is unlikely to provide any financial assistance.

“The Queensland government is considering its position, so hopefully there will be some assistance, but we can’t say what that looks like. They want to know what’s the strategy for Bonza, who’s the purchaser – there’s a few things to be dealt with.”

Bonza currently owes about $115 million to about 60,000 creditors. The bulk of this amount is owned to private equity owner 777 Partners, with the remaining owed to staff, airports, ground handling companies, and passengers.

Hall Chadwick is still unclear as to whether any of the passengers will receive refunds, or whether the company traded while insolvent, but said it continues to investigate both matters. A credit report is expected next month.

It’s budget season around the country, with the federal government set to deliver theirs next Tuesday, while Western Australia and Victoria handed theirs down this week.

And Queensland’s senior government figures are assuring their budget in a month’s time won’t be anything like the latter – which hit the brakes on projects to manage spending.

“We’re not going to disclose the budget [early], but it is not the intention of the government to cut,” Infrastructure Minister Grace Grace, who sits on the powerful cabinet budget review committee, told journalists asking about any Victorian parallels today.

Transport Minister Bart Mellish, speaking alongside Grace, echoed the sentiment amid recent federal project pruning, construction sector crunches, and warnings of a “difficult budget” from cabinet colleague Cameron Dick.

“I’m really keen to see what we can do within the funding envelope on what the federal government gives us, but our early indications are we’re looking to increase our infrastructure spend in terms of transport in terms of the number of projects.”

Back in November, then premier Annastacia Palaszczuk led what her office described as the state’s largest trade mission to China – its biggest export market, worth $23.7 billion.

By mid-June she will have led another delegation to the country: this time in her first post-politics role. And politics is something she’s keen to keep at arm’s length for now.

In an interview with ABC Radio Brisbane, Palaszczuk said she was proud to start a part-time role – announced this week – as international ambassador with the Smart Energy Council.

But she would not be drawn on whether she’s likely to join campaign efforts to help the Labor Party she led for almost 12 years fight for a fourth-term in government.

“We will have to wait and see,” she said when asked about plans to write a memoir. “I’ve been able to take a bit more care of myself, engaging in sport activities, keeping healthy and I’m very much enjoying my lifestyle.”