As it happened: Brisbane on November 4, 2025

Queensland government trades workers have walked off the job across the state as part of negotiations with three departments for better pay and conditions.

Workers from the building trades group of unions, including the CFMEU and ETU, have been calling for a 36-hour work week to bring them in line with office-based public servants.

“It’s time blue-collar public sector employees had the same working conditions as their white-collar colleagues, who have worked a 36-hour week for nearly 100 years,” CFMEU Queensland branch executive officer Jared Abbott said in a statement.

We’re calling on the Queensland government to return to the bargaining table so we can deliver these essential workers a fair deal.

Hundreds of workers rallied in the Brisbane CBD outside the government headquarters at 1 William Street on Tuesday with chants of “Jarrod Bleijie, where’s my pay”.

Talks between the union group, also encompassing plumbers and manufacturing workers, the transport and health departments and QBuild, are said to have broken down. Queensland Health and QBuild are in conciliation with the group in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.

The trades’ workers action comes as teachers seek to take a second round of strike action after voting down the government’s “final” offer last week.

That’s it from me and the live blogging team today, thank you for joining us. Here’s a quick recap of some of the headlines we brought you this morning.

• Man who crashed into car while riding e-skateboard now in critical condition
• Green bin roll-out to finish by Christmas
• QUT aerosol physicist awarded Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
• Second Story Bridge footpath will reopen within weeks
• Government tradies strike for white-collar working hours as talks break down
• Uproar after ‘problem crocodile’ relocated from Cape York to Australia Zoo

Also, here are some stories featuring on our homepage, if you’re interested in some additional reading.

• Do you work too hard? The Brisbane suburbs where people work the longest hours
• Revealed: The final exam that blindsided 140 year 12 students

And if you’re interested in the Melbourne Cup, you can follow the live blog from our southern colleagues here.

Have a great day!

Queensland government trades workers have walked off the job across the state as part of negotiations with three departments for better pay and conditions.

Workers from the building trades group of unions, including the CFMEU and ETU, have been calling for a 36-hour work week to bring them in line with office-based public servants.

“It’s time blue-collar public sector employees had the same working conditions as their white-collar colleagues, who have worked a 36-hour week for nearly 100 years,” CFMEU Queensland branch executive officer Jared Abbott said in a statement.

We’re calling on the Queensland government to return to the bargaining table so we can deliver these essential workers a fair deal.

Hundreds of workers rallied in the Brisbane CBD outside the government headquarters at 1 William Street on Tuesday with chants of “Jarrod Bleijie, where’s my pay”.

Talks between the union group, also encompassing plumbers and manufacturing workers, the transport and health departments and QBuild, are said to have broken down. Queensland Health and QBuild are in conciliation with the group in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.

The trades’ workers action comes as teachers seek to take a second round of strike action after voting down the government’s “final” offer last week.

Brisbane Powerhouse has announced an art show with a difference with Swingers: The Art of Mini Golf.

A nine-hole mini-golf course has been designed by several major female artists and invites visitors aged nine and over to putt away.

New Powerhouse artistic director Louise Bezzina said the show “blurs the boundaries between play and art”.

“Swingers perfectly embodies what I want to champion at Brisbane Powerhouse: experiences that are daring, participatory and deeply creative,” she said.

Opening on January 10, 2026, Swingers features “holes” by artists Miranda July (US), Kaylene Whiskey (Australia), Saeborg (Japan) and more.

Swingers draws on mini golf’s forgotten feminist history, as the game was first created by 19th-century Scottish women who were banned from “real” golf courses.

Three teenage boys have been arrested following an early morning break-and-enter attempt and car theft on the Gold Coast.

Police responded to reports of a group attempting to break into a Paradise Point home at around 2.40am on November 4. They were allegedly armed with knives and bats, police said.

The resident confronted the group before they verbally threatened him and fled in two vehicles.

One vehicle – stolen from a Stretton home between November 2 and 3 – was located shortly after in Arundel. Tyre deflation devices (TDD) were deployed, but the driver allegedly avoided them and hit another car before getting away. Police were still trying to locate the vehicle and its occupants.

The second car – stolen from a Springfield home between November 1 and 2 – was spotted in Bundall, and a TDD was successfully deployed. The dog squad then tracked three teenage boys – two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old – to Boomerang Crescent where they were arrested.

Investigations remain ongoing.

Art lovers are in for a treat as The Art of Banksy: Chapter 2 opens in Uptown this Wednesday.

The world premiere reimagines the iconic exhibition with over 300 artworks on display.

The interactive art journey has travelled the world for 10 years with 2.8 million visitors across 35 cities. We visited the exhibition for a special preview, keep an eye on our social channels for a full walk-through.

You can check out the exhibition at Uptown until January 2026.

In case you missed it earlier, here is today’s brainteaser:

What begins with the letter P, finishes with the letter E and has more than a thousand letters in it?

And the answer is ...

Post Office

A Queensland-based aerosol physicist has been awarded the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science.

QUT’s Distinguished Professor Lidia Morawska is an expert in air quality and its human impact, and correctly disputed the World Health Organisation’s assertion that COVID was not airborne.

During the pandemic, she led an international group of over 200 scientists who proved the virus spread through the air, their work prompting health authorities to amend infection control strategies.