Queensland is preparing to buy up to 630 new diesel buses, replacing the former zero-emission procurement policy and prompting questions about long-term costs, pollution and whether electric suppliers should’ve been allowed to compete.

In this Greater Brisbane update, we also cover the Riverfire ferry strike, new e-bike and e-scooter rules, the push for 50-cent Airtrain fares and three Brisbane 2032 controversies, including the decision to withhold rejected stadium designs.

We unpack falling Brisbane home values, conflicting Social Housing Register figures and four developments proposed within a small part of South Brisbane and West End. Later, we examine two very different youth-justice bills, concerns about Queensland’s new child-protection watchdog, children living outside approved care placements and allegations that community organisations fear losing funding if they criticise government policy.

We finish with the Logan West Upgrade, the Gardner Road extension, a new memorial garden in the Redlands and Akers Road Park in Lawnton.

Brisbane’s housing market has recorded its second consecutive monthly fall—just as Brisbane City Council approves major planning changes allowing some lots as small as 120 square metres.

A separate draft plan could bring towers of up to 30 storeys to Upper Mount Gravatt. But creating development capacity doesn’t guarantee that new homes will actually be built, or that supporting infrastructure will keep pace.

This Greater Brisbane update also examines Ballymore’s next redevelopment and its still-undisclosed cost, the federal reconsideration process affecting the Birkdale whitewater centre, rapid growth in Brisbane Metro patronage, continuing train and ferry disruption, e-scooters dumped in the Brisbane River and improving hospital figures.

There are also updates on the Cowboys’ proposed 100-pokie venue in Logan, unanswered questions about Meadowbrook housing, the Wyllie Park camping trial, The Bluey Movie and two developing stories on youth justice and mental-health care.

Greater Brisbane is being rebuilt around us, but are the developments, public spaces and homes emerging across the region taking the shape we want?

Waterfront Brisbane’s expected completion has slipped to late 2029, adding another year to a project that began with a 2027 target. Meanwhile, part of Albert Street has re-emerged as a leafy pedestrian boulevard after nearly 7 years behind construction fences, and Brisbane’s median 1-bedroom apartment price has climbed to $670,000 - just $15,000 below Sydney’s.

We also examine plans to reshape Mowbray Park and change how King George Square is operated, along with new filming rules prompted by camera-equipped smart glasses at Brisbane’s public pools. There are updates on the CityCat industrial dispute and scrutiny surrounding BMD’s early-works contract for Brisbane’s new Olympic stadium.

In the Redlands, new renders reveal what Redland City Council promises for the Birkdale Community Precinct, but an unpublished audit, undisclosed operating projections and an environmental reconsideration leave significant questions unanswered. We also look at why Logan City Council is re-examining its controversial flood maps.

Moreton Bay Council says its proposed 60-site campground at Wyllie Park will provide a safer and more dignified place for people sleeping rough. But the Queensland Government says it was blindsided and has serious concerns about the plan.

In this Greater Brisbane update, we examine what the campground would provide, what it wouldn’t, and the questions still surrounding security, support services and long-term housing.

We also look at an analysis finding public transport beats driving into Brisbane from 72 suburbs - depending heavily on how long drivers need to park and walk. Plus, Brisbane and Logan’s use of AI to detect swimmers in trouble, Ipswich’s conditional $2.5 million commitment to a synthetic athletics track, an $85 million vision for Kedron Brook, Southern Thornlands’ planned 8,000 homes and a proposed five-day food market at Hamilton.

UPDATE: Economic Development Queensland’s consultation page now states that the Queensland and Australian governments have committed $544 million in catalyst infrastructure funding for Southern Thornlands. This new information differs from the funding position described in the video.

Brisbane’s Olympic precinct finally has a masterplan—but we still don’t know what the wider transformation will cost, which connections will be ready for 2032 or exactly how vehicles will reach the proposed stadium.

We also examine what happens after households are evicted from public housing, new data identifying almost 1,000 Brisbane families experiencing homelessness, another ferry stoppage and Airtrain’s multimillion-dollar court action over 50-cent fares.

At council level, Brisbane is targeting another 50,000 homes while some unit owners face rates increases far above the promoted household average. In Redland City, a confidential internal review has raised questions about investment in ageing water and wastewater infrastructure.

Plus: the Guyatt Park tree investigation, Brighton’s proposed eight-storey retirement village, developments across Greater Brisbane and five double passes to Ice Cream Man.

Brisbane has long carried a reputation as a city that goes to bed early. Queensland now has its first Nightlife Economy Action Plan—but which changes will actually happen, which have been rejected, and why could some of the most important reforms take years?

This Greater Brisbane update also examines why Queensland Rail still cannot provide a date for restoring its normal timetable, the High Court challenge to Queensland’s restrictions on two protest phrases, and the unresolved question of who should pay when Council-managed trees damage historic graves.

Plus: major road and bridge projects take shape, Brisbane increases the recycled content of its asphalt, Queensland records its first confirmed detection of the globally circulating H5 bird flu, the fire-ant eradication program expands, and new technology helps researchers protect local koalas.

Six years out from Brisbane 2032, the countdown clock is running—but key venue costs, capacities and the Games’ operating budget remain unresolved.

This Greater Brisbane update examines what is actually moving forward, before following the money through Airtrain’s accounts as calls grow for a government buyback and 50-cent airport fares. We also look at the first signs of a Brisbane property slowdown, the extraordinary decline of Karalee’s Bubble House and the historical discoveries made beneath Shorncliffe Station.

Every week, I bring together the stories shaping life across Greater Brisbane—from major infrastructure and housing to transport, local initiatives and the smaller changes that often fly under the radar.

This week we look at AI-powered traffic signals in Moreton Bay, new technology aimed at reducing rail delays, major revisions to the Toowong Central redevelopment, rising rents, historic buildings being incorporated into new developments, a Brisbane company helping reduce grocery bills, Sustainable Aviation Fuel at Brisbane Airport, and much more.

After years of rapid growth, Brisbane's housing market is showing signs of cooling. But what does that actually mean for buyers, homeowners and the future of housing across Greater Brisbane?

This week we also look at the key themes emerging from all five council budgets, Queensland's new e-bike crackdown, progress on Queensland Rail negotiations, Moreton Bay's push for better public transport, Brisbane City Council's governance changes, the latest developments at Kurilpa Commons, water prices, and what's on my radar over the coming months.

Queensland has handed down its second budget since the election, with billions of dollars committed to infrastructure, housing, schools and transport. But with a record construction pipeline now planned, the big question is whether the state can actually deliver it all.

This week, we take a closer look at what the budget means for Greater Brisbane, including permanent 50-cent public transport fares, water and electricity bills, new infrastructure, housing, and the challenges of finding enough workers to build and staff the projects now on the drawing board.

We also explore the proposed transformation of Brisbane's former Visy glass factory site into what some are already calling a "new South Bank", the planned revitalisation of Uptown Brisbane, and why Greater Brisbane's rapid growth is creating opportunities—and challenges—for the future.

In this week's My Two Cents, I take you behind the scenes of how I investigated one of the political claims surrounding Queensland's permanent 50-cent fares, following the evidence wherever it led and explaining why fact-checking isn't always as straightforward as it first appears.

Brisbane's budget is out, the Story Bridge could cost $3.6 billion to save, major Olympic projects are moving forward, and new questions are being raised about whether South East Queensland can actually build enough homes to keep up with growth.

In this Greater Brisbane Update, we take a look at Brisbane City Council's budget, the future of the Story Bridge, new housing announcements, Suncorp Stadium upgrades, Olympic infrastructure, transport projects, flood preparedness, recycling initiatives and more from across Greater Brisbane.

Brisbane is changing quickly.

This week, we're looking at the push for more housing across Greater Brisbane, the controversy surrounding affordable housing requirements, a bold proposal to transform South Brisbane, and what all of this says about the kind of city we're becoming.

We'll also cover Bluey's World securing its Brisbane future, the Gabba's first major concert in years, new flight routes, community initiatives making a difference across the region, and whether Brisbane should embrace the things that make it unique rather than trying to become something it's not.