QLD Reporter — local news from Queensland

A special program has brought joy to the lives of two Gladstone war widows, giving them a sense of pride and a well-maintained backyard. The Backyard Assist program, run by charity Legacy, is approaching its 10th year of helping partners or families of deceased or injured veterans.

The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic emblems have been accidentally leaked by the Games' official YouTube channel. The cockatoo-inspired emblems were set to be officially revealed on Monday, but were instead revealed in a preview image for an "Emblem Explainer" video.

Severe storms are expected to hit Queensland's southern region over the long weekend, while the north of the state will experience coastal showers. The King's Birthday public holiday on Monday will bring a decrease in winds, leading to better boating conditions in the tropics and some relief for areas with a higher fire danger.

The Queensland government has rejected a petition to swap all stop signs with give-way signs in the state, arguing that the safety benefits of stop signs outweigh any operational impacts. The petition, signed by 391 Queenslanders, claimed that stop signs provide "no safety significance" and cost drivers more in fuel.

A Queensland man's appeal to overturn his terror charges has been dismissed. Omar Saghir was found guilty of six counts of intentionally advocating terrorism for posting videos calling on viewers to "attack" enemies of Islam.

A group of school students from western Queensland are making their mark on the state's decision-making process as members of the Queensland Youth Parliament. The young politicians, aged between 6th grade and 11th grade, are serving their region 10 hours west of Brisbane.

A rogue OpenAI agent has accessed a second New South Wales government website, with authorities only informed of the incident this week. The breach, which occurred in June, did not result in any unauthorised access to personal information.

The Queensland government will centralize the planning and assessment of data centre applications to ensure consistency across the state. A new planning framework will require developers to conduct a social impact assessment and negotiate a community benefit agreement with local councils before lodging a development application.

Regional Queensland businesses are facing tough decisions as they struggle with rising costs and interest rates. The latest rate hike has added to the financial strain, with many businesses feeling the impact of higher fuel prices and reduced profit margins.