Back to diesel: LNP dumps Queensland’s electric bus program

The Crisafulli government has turned its back on environmentally friendly buses, with plans to procure a new fleet of more than 600 diesel-powered vehicles to roll out across Queensland.

Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg announced up to 630 new buses would hit the state’s roads, the first of which would be delivered in the 2027-28 financial year.

All the buses would be diesel, Mickelberg said, closing the door on zero-emissions technology.

“When we came to government, we inherited a thought bubble from Labor in the form of their zero-emissions bus program,” he said.

“Under Labor’s policy, all buses from January 1, 2025, were to be electric zero-emissions buses. However, they’ve done none of the work to upgrade the depots, none of the work in relation to securing appropriate charging infrastructure and sites.”

Speaking at Transdev’s Capalaba depot on Tuesday morning, Mickelberg would not put a price tag on the purchase – a common approach by the Crisafulli government, ostensibly to encourage competition in the market.

“We want to ensure that we drive the best value for money for the taxpayer,” he said.

“Suffice to say, this program will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but we want to ensure that we get the most competitive bids possible, so we won’t be foreshadowing the funding allocation until we’ve awarded the contracts.”

While weighting would be given to local providers, there was no guarantee from Mickelberg that all the buses would be built in Queensland.

“We’ve received feedback from industry that the quantum of buses that we are seeking probably exceeds capacity here in Queensland, but we want to see as many buses built locally as possible,” he said.

“The tender process will elicit just that.”

Mickelberg said the buses would feature Euro 6 diesel technology – the strictest international emissions standard for diesel engines, mandating advanced exhaust technology to significantly reduce, but not eliminate, harmful air pollutants.

Labor opposition spokeswoman Meaghan Scanlon said the LNP’s pursuit of new diesel buses would take Queensland backwards.

“This rollout will deliver buses that are louder, dirtier and outdated – and the complete opposite of every other state in the country,” she said.

Scanlon also shut down the suggestion that electric buses were more expensive, particularly over their long-term service life.

“Well, anyone who fills diesel up at the petrol station at the moment will tell you how expensive that is,” she said.

In 2020, in the very depot Mickelberg announced the abandonment of the electric bus policy, Transdev developed a bus that ran entirely on solar power.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/back-to-diesel-lnp-dumps-queensland-s-electric-bus-program-20260901-p60tg4.html

In a statement, a spokesperson for [Tim Nicholls] said: "The Crisafulli government has made its position clear: there is no safe way to take drugs."

Nicholls can go fuck himself. Utter garbage excuse for a human.

Sorry if this doesn’t belong in here. Hello, I’ve just recieved a fine for no registration and no insurance, totalling over $1100. The offence is dated 26/07/2026, but was issued 19/08/2026, and I’ve only just received it now. I have paid my rego instantly after receiving the fine (somehow just forgot to pay it earlier). However, I know that since the date of my offence, I have driven on that same road where the camera got me for no rego. My question is, will I be receiving another fine (or more) for the same offence and same amount, and am I required to pay it?

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/sep/01/queensland-ebikes-e-scooters-rules

"How many people die as a result of ebikes in Queensland?

Queensland recorded its worst road toll in 16 years in 2025, with 306 deaths. There have already been 206 fatalities in 2026, a 7.9% increase on the same time last year, according to Department of Transport and Main Roads data.

Almost all of them were people either driving or a passenger in a car, riding a motorbike or killed in a crash involving a heavy freight vehicle.

There have been three fatalities involving people using a non-compliant e-mobility device in 2026.

There is no specific category covering legal ebikes, but an inquiry into the bill heard that just one person had been killed in a crash involving a legal ebike in Queensland in 2025, a 79-year-old woman who was hit by a car on Bribie Island in July.

In March two teenagers died after an ebike crash with a motorbike south of Brisbane, though police could not say at the time whether their ebike was legal."

So in a nutshell, compare to the horrendous road death toll caused by cars, trucks and motorbikes, virtually nobody on or around legal pedal assisted e-bikes was ever in danger but because the regressive, corrupt, out of touch Qld govt doesn't like active transport and is friends with the car industry who feel financially threatened by an uptick in e-bike use, these laws were forced on Qld. And remember that no other place on Earth besides the likes of North Korea has bike laws as ridiculous as these.

Hi! I’ve applied for several administration roles and had a few questions.

1. How competitive are the AO2 and AO3 positions? I’ve only ever had food experience so far but have gotten interviews for admin.

2. How long does it typically take them to progress you to the next stage after the interview? Is it after a day you’ve had the interview?

3. What are the common mistakes people make in the one to one interview?

This would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Heading on a family holiday to Sunshine Beach over Christmas. Children are pre-school aged and lower primary aged. What are some good recommendations for: playgrounds, restaurants and family activities to do.

Thought I'd share some old footage of the gateway bridge being built that I found on some old VHS family videos that I'm digitising.

I'm doing a research essay for university on government process, can anyone direct me to the best person/place to understand the decision making behind the defunding and subsequent banning of pill testing services in QLD. E.g. what were the reasons that drove these decisions.

Contacting the QLD government through official channels has gone nowhere.

L to R: Chris Minns (NSW-ALP), Andrew Barr (ACT-ALP) Peter Malinauskas (SA-ALP), Ben Carroll (VIC-ALP), Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (ALP), Roger Cook (WA-ALP), Lia Finnochiaro (NT-CLP), Jeremy Rockliff (TAS-LIB), David Crisafulli (QLD-LNP)

The identity of a high-profile married man linked to an extortion case involving an alleged affair will stay secret after a ruling by a Supreme Court judge.

Several media organisations fought to reveal the man’s identity after months of secrecy over the case in the north Queensland city of Cairns.

But the challenge, brought to the Supreme Court, was ultimately unsuccessful, with Justice James Henry ruling on Friday to keep the man’s identity suppressed.

The man, who can only be referred to as ‘MM’, is not facing any charges himself and is not accused of any wrongdoing. But his name was aired in the local court earlier this year as part of another man’s extortion case.

The press were initially unable to report the allegations after Acting Magistrate Gelma Meoli ruled to uphold a police order to suppress the identities and the facts of the case.

She told the court that non-publication orders were made in blackmail and extortion cases, and if threats were not suppressed, victims of this type of offending would not come forward with their complaints.

Andrew O’Brien KC, representing several media outlets including this masthead, applied for a judicial review of the decision, arguing for the non-publication order to be lifted.

He previously told the court the law did not provide the principle for MM to have the protection of anonymity. The only way MM could be protected would be if he was a victim, or a witness in the case, O’Brien said.

After four weeks of deliberation, Justice Henry ruled to keep the suppression order in place.