r/queensland

Everybody in California, We as an e-bike community need to step up and protect our e-bike freedoms and rights from the harmful bills/laws that will come if we don't stop AB 1557 and AB

1942! That’ll affect all e-bike riders in California.

Bad news, AB 1557 and AB 1942 passed through the first step, Good news, there’s still time to stop AB 1557 and AB 1942 from passing the second step.

We must defeat AB 1557 and AB 1942!

E-bikes are not the problem, only e-motos are a problem.

AB 1557 (lowers legal wattage of 250 watts and speed limit to 16 mph) and AB 1942 (forces e-bike registration/licensing with the DMV) will ruin the fun and take away our freedom of e-biking and actually both bills do not address the issue, it punishes legal e-bikes instead, it'll discourage and purge e-bike use, they do not understand the actual difference between e-bikes and e-motos and both bills do not understand the actual problem, e-bikes are not the problem, only illegal electric motorcycles that go 40-70mph are the problem. Legal compliant e-bikes of all class 1, 2, and 3 are bicycles that are safe to ride.

Please support SB 1167 where it actually addresses the issue.

Immediately, we must do everything in our power to Contact your local or every lawmaker, assembly members, senators, and contact governer Galvin Newsom to prevent AB 1557 and AB 1942 from becoming law! We must talk to lawmakers and Governer Galvin Newsom on stopping AB 1557 and AB 1942 and defending our e-bike freedoms and rights.

We must come together and fight the good fight! Defeat AB 1557 and AB 1942!

Support SB 1157!

We need to create a massive movement of e-bikers, cyclist, and lawmakers/government officials who support our cause to defend our e-bike freedoms and rights from any harmful bills/regulations that’ll destroy e-biking culture and lives.

I wish there was a company that offers guided Bluey tours that, started in Brisbane and when to all the Brisbane locations in the show (including bringing people to or from Brisbane Airport), offered whale watching tours (A nod to that episode), and even brought people to where the Heelers allegedly stayed in the episode “relax”. And everyone would be on a tour bus most of the time. Also, when you book your trip with said company, it would include hotels and flights. Does anyone else think that would be cool?

I ask as part of a linguistic study on this topic!
Examples could include things like T-bar, Bundy or Brisvegas... - the smaller the better!

incl. nicknames for schools, parks, peaks, hospitals, islands... basically any natural or cultural feature!

We have nefarious gambling ads just about every 15mins on TV, but we can't play a simple traditional game on Anzac Day? What twisted Scrooge did this?

Hi 👋🏻

I have a question. I saw that wild camping (sleeping just one night from sunset to sunrise) is almost everywhere prohibited in Queensland, which makes me quite sad because to me it is a fundamental right we should all have in public natural spaces.

My question is: is there any tolerance? I used to go in Europe 2-5 day hikes in the middle of nowhere, just to reconnect, feel alive, enjoy nature away from work, fish alone, sleep under the stars, and leave without a trace in the morning to another spot. The idea of sleeping in a designated campsite that has to be booked in advance is not my very personal idea of these kinds of trips.

Is it a strict law, or is there some tolerance? I obviously don’t want to break any laws and ending up with an expensive fine, but maybe I am misinterpreting the law and it is still possible?

I have heard of some national parks where it might be allowed, but I don’t seem to find them. I live in Brisbane.

Thank you for your help.

The Crisafulli government has been issued with a please explain after it was revealed the state’s sports minister is enrolled to vote at the address of a staffer, and is not residing within his electorate.

Minister for Sport and Racing and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tim Mander has been the state MP for the seat of Everton, an electorate covering suburbs in Brisbane’s northwest including Everton Park, Gaythorne, Albany Creek and Eatons Hill, since 2012.

The former NRL-referee split from his wife Gayle at the start of last year. In July, he and Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm formally declared their relationship to Premier David Crisafulli.

At a cabinet meeting last week, the pair reportedly told fellow ministers they had purchased a property together in Brisbane’s CBD – prompting further questions about where Mander had been living since separating from his wife.

The Australian reported Mander spent most of his time living in accommodation attached to Parliament House, and was found to be enrolled to vote at the rental home of a staffer in Arana Hills, but not living there.

Queensland Deputy Labor Leader Cameron Dick said Mander has “serious questions to answer” over the revelations, including whether he has broken the law by “knowingly giving false or misleading advice to the Electoral Commission”.

Under Queensland’s Criminal Code, a person who gives false or misleading information to the Electoral Commission can face up to seven years imprisonment, if found guilty.

“Tim Mander needs to answer the question today about whether he was properly enrolled under the law of Queensland to vote in Queensland,” Dick said.

He said Mander should ask the Electoral Commission to release his enrolment forms to make clear when and where he changed his address and enrolled to vote.

“If Mr Mander can’t be trusted to be honest about where he’s living and where he is enrolled to vote in Queensland, how can they trust him for other things?” Dick asked. MPs are not legally required to live in the electorate they represent, and state members can enrol to vote in their own electorate if special notice is given to the commission.

Mander’s office was contacted for comment on Monday.

Queensland Police Minister Dan Purdie was asked about the revelations but refused to comment on the MP’s living arrangements.

“We’ve got a redistribution coming up, and they happen all the time, and MPs end up living in their electorate and living out of their electorate,” Purdie said.

“There’s no requirement [to live in your electorate], so you disclose where you live.

“I’m not going to comment on the decision that someone made in the best interest of themselves or their situation … it’s a personal issue.”

The Crisafulli government wants to fast-track the development of an oil field in Queensland through a mechanism that doesn’t exist under new environment laws, according to a stinging letter sent to the premier from federal cabinet minister Murray Watt.

The federal Environment Minister’s letter, sent on Friday and seen by this masthead, also reveals Queensland is yet make any formal request to the Albanese government to advance drilling prospects in the Taroom Trough despite the state government’s vocal and concerted push for the project.

Premier David Crisafulli on Friday again demanded the federal government grant a national interest exemption for the oil exploration under its Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act for the prospective project, about 300 kilometres west of Brisbane.

Watt wrote in his letter to the premier there are a “number of issues I would like to bring to your attention regarding these statements”.

“Firstly, the Australian government has not received any documentation that would allow us to consider your proposal. I invite you to present such documentation for our consideration, without delay,” the federal minister wrote.

“Secondly, it is unclear what you mean by the ‘National Interest Fast-Track Assessment Pathway’ as no such pathway exists under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).”

Watt said the federal government is unable to “consider basic questions” without Queensland providing documents related to the Taroom Trough, such as the proposed number and depth of oil and gas wells, potential environmental risks and the pipelines needed to transport the extracted fossil fuel.

Crisafulli has also asked for the federal government to remove duplicated approvals already conducted at a state level, but Watt wrote that this fast-track mechanism already exists under the EPBC laws.

“This [existing bilateral] agreement enables the Queensland government to assess projects in relation to EPBC Act requirements at the same time as assessing those projects in relation to state requirements,” he wrote.

“This removes the need for a separate assessment by the Australian government and is a more efficient process for proponents to navigate.”

Last week, state Treasurer David Janetzki ordered the Queensland Productivity Commission to begin a 12-month inquiryinto the bilateral agreement in the EPBC after his government’s bid to fast-track the Taroom Trough through the new federal laws fell flat.

Watt said this move will only slow down any hopes of kickstarting an oil industry in Queensland.

“I invite you to reconsider this position, as it would significantly delay the opportunity for Queensland to further speed up project assessments and approvals,” the Queensland-based minister wrote in the two-page letter to the premier.

“In any case, senior officials in my department stand ready to engage with their counterparts in Queensland on opportunities to advance Australia’s fuel security, with appropriate management of impacts to Matters of National Environmental Significance.”

While on the hustings on Sunday for a byelection in the state seat of Stafford, Crisafulli repeated his efforts to secure short, medium and long-term fuel security which is expected to be a primary campaign message ahead of the May 16 vote in the inner-north Brisbane electorate.

“We’re at a juncture, and there’s such great uncertainty in the community, I want to send a message that never again will we be at the mercy of others when it comes to our own fuel security,” the premier told reporters.

“Never again should we be at the end of a supply chain that we don’t control.

“We do have the resources and the know-how to be able to control our own destiny with fuel.

“We do have a vision when it comes to drill and refine and store our own fuel. And the biggest impediment to that is Labor and the Greens, putting extra overlays and just trying to find every reason to stop those projects from going ahead.”

Anyone disappointed with their local councils response to spraying weeds?

I’ve reported some and it just seems as though I’m passing the burden onto what seems like one worker that seems overworked already.

I know there’s about 100-500 individual lantana plants along a road I travel on daily and as much as I want to report it, it’s that obvious I don’t really feel like I should need to, why aren’t lga’s held more accountable for minimising the spread of invasive plants.

I’ve been looking seriously into buying a small block of land in Queensland and putting a tiny home on wheels on it — fully self‑sufficient with solar, a water tank, and a septic system. Something simple, affordable, and sustainable.

But the deeper I dig into the regulations, the more absurd it gets.

If you want to live in a tiny home as your primary dwelling, QLD council rules basically forces you to comply with the same building code requirements as a traditional house. That means engineering, energy efficiency, minimum dwelling sizes, and a whole list of standards designed for brick‑and‑mortar homes — not lightweight, low‑impact structures.

It completely destroys the affordability and practicality that tiny homes are supposed to offer. Meanwhile, if there’s already a house on the property — even if it’s falling apart — you can just plonk a tiny home on the land as a “secondary dwelling” (same for granny flats or else) with far fewer requirements. Suddenly the safety concerns disappear. Suddenly the building code doesn’t matter.

So apparently tiny homes are dangerous and non‑compliant… unless you already own a house. Then they’re fine. How does that make any logical sense? The structure doesn’t change. The risks don’t change. The only thing that changes is whether the government considers it a “primary dwelling” or not.

And here’s the kicker - heaps of people in QLD are already living in tiny homes anyway. They just avoid the rules by parking them on a friend’s or family member’s property, which is legal as there is a "primary dwelling" on site.

But not everyone has that option. I don’t. I’m trying to do things legally, on my own land, without relying on someone else’s backyard — and the system basically punishes you for that.

Tiny homes are a smart idea for so many reasons:

• They’re affordable in a housing market that’s completely out of control
• They’re low‑impact and sustainable
• They reduce infrastructure strain
• They allow people to actually own something without a 30‑year mortgage
• They’re perfect for singles, couples, retirees, and anyone who doesn’t need a 200 m² house

Yet QLD’s current rules make it almost impossible unless you already own a traditional home.

It feels outdated, inconsistent, and completely out of touch with how people are trying to live in 2026. Ironically, our neighbour New Zealand allows for you to use granny flats, RVs, or Tiny Homes as primary dwellings as long as you comply with basic requirements to ensure you do not ruin the enjoyment of the land of your neighbour or pose a safety risk, which is totally fair!

Has anyone else run into this? Anyone actually managed to get a tiny home approved as a primary dwelling in QLD without spending a fortune?

For reference, this is my inspiration for design.

https://preview.redd.it/r06kxbufi2wg1.jpg?width=2030&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d378059bb1dc744d202ee639a03d5fcfde266b70

https://preview.redd.it/m5i4gr1ki2wg1.jpg?width=2250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c93b6c158796cd81448f97cc2c9525bed92b2e5e

I've had some social chats with a local cop here in Townsville and he laughed when I asked him about the new 10kph ebike speed limit. He said, mate unless there's a specific operation called GETEM or something intended to fine ebike riders going about their business, and without causing mayhem or being a danger to others and themselves, then no .. we have better things to do. Trust me, we're not going to check you for speeding unless you're clearly really speeding in a dangerous manner. Besides, our radar technology is designed for cars, not bicycles. It would be hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt you've been speeding over 10kph.on a footpath when there are so many obstacles that could give a false reading. But he said, those kids riding without due care on an ebike, on the road, swerving traffic, that is clearly an electric motorcycle, yeah... we'll go after them.

Phew!

More criticisms including from Brisbane and Gold Coast councils..

Has anyone else noticed this driving trend around Brisbane / Ipswich? 😵

I’ve been seeing more and more people stopping at traffic lights with a full car length — sometimes two — between them and the car in front. Not just one-off drivers either, it’s happening pretty regularly now.

It ends up leaving big gaps in the line, and you’ll often see fewer cars getting through the lights because of it.

Is there some new driving advice or rule I’ve missed, or is this just one of those habits that’s quietly crept in?

Curious if others are seeing the same thing, or if it’s just my area.

Blended families whos kid free weekend falls on this current weekend have all the public holidays, and have done so for years.

So they get all the long weekends to go away with new partner while we're always stuck with kids.

Not only that, but the Monday we should have got for Anzac day is not happening.

These days there's mass chains of blended couples deep worth of agreements so you essentially have shit all luck getting anyone to agree to swap.

You don't know these things when you initially work things out with the ex, but once you're locked in you effectively have to date in your half of the kid free weekend pool.

Frustrating as!

Enough material here to make a Four Corners episode. Millions of $ given to unlicensed care organisations and therefore you’d have to argue why do we bother with the lengthy licensing process at all. Secondly, why is it so that an organisation which receives government funding (ie public money) is paying its executives $600k pa, more than a state Premier or even the Prime Minister?