David Crisafulli has narrowly won 9News Queensland's Great Debate against Premier Steven Miles as the pair went head to head before the October 26 election, according to analysis by a panel of experts.

In an unexpected declaration during the debate, the opposition leader pledged to resign as premier if he was elected and didn't bring down crime numbers in his first term.

"If there aren't fewer victims, you won't be seeing me," Crisafulli said in a standout moment during the debate that put cost of living, youth crime, and health front and centre.

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Miles landed some blows on his well-polished opponent, but the expert panel of 9News Queensland state political editor Tim Arvier, 4BC Afternoons presenter Sofie Formica and Brisbane Times editor Sean Parnell ruled the overall debate victory went to Crisafulli.

Miles opened the 9News special by promising that his party was best to address the cost-of-living crisis facing Queensland.

"This election is all about who Queenslanders trust to tackle the cost of living and to deliver a plan for our state's future," he said.

"On cost of living, I took those progressive coal royalties and used them to give $1000 on everybody's electricity bill, made public transport almost free, cut 20 per cent off rego, and gave every Queensland child $200 so they could play community sport.

"But I also have plans for our state's future: on healthcare, to get the doctors and nurses and hospital beds that we need, on community safety, to make sure our state is safe, on delivering cheaper energy for the future, and for building homes for Queenslanders.

"On all of these issues, Queenslanders know where I stand and know that I will fight for them."

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Crisafulli said the election was about change for Queenslanders.

"In 23 days you can choose change," he said in his opening address.

"The question you have to ask yourself is after 10 years of Labor, are things better or worse when it comes to youth crime, health, housing, cost of living, and who has got the right plan for Queensland's future?

"I lead a united team and we have set solutions and targets to deliver the change that Queenslanders need."

Crisafulli said he expects "a scare campaign" from Labor in the final weeks before election day, but "I am choosing hope. Hope over fear.

"And I'm asking you to choose hope over fear.

"We are a great state with a great future.

"Together, we can build a Queensland we are all proud of."

Crisafulli is seeking to be the first LNP leader elected since Newman was premier a decade ago.

Arvier said "the bigger picture" was a win for Crisafulli but Miles had landed some blows on the bookies' favourite.

"Crisafulli's big moment was committing to resigning if youth crime doesn't come down. If he becomes premier, that will hang over him," Arvier said.

"Steven Miles had a lot more work to do here in terms of trying to win back support that Labor has lost.

"I think he made some good arguments, but I think overall, David Crisafulli played it a lot safer tonight.

"Watching both their performances, I think that David Crisafulli comes out the winner … I don't think that performance by Steven Miles makes up a lot of ground."

Formica said Queenslanders were looking for something different and based on that she gave the debate win to Crisafulli.

"In terms of performance and comfort, I actually think that even though David Crisafulli tends to have the slogans in his back pocket, and is very well prepared in terms of how to answer questions, he's been doing a lot of work in this space," she said.

"There is still detail that is missing … but certainly here, he was more energetic in the way he delivered his vision.

"I'm still not convinced that either of them can really shape what happens beyond four years. I think that's the next question for Queensland."

Formica said the fact Miles "sat for a long time next to" former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was damaging to him.

"If he felt that there were things that needed to be changed in a very long period, he was already able to affect the direction of Queensland and he had a chance, and he didn't use it well."

Parnell gave the win to Miles, who he said honed in on demonstrating that being in government is difficult, while Crisafulli used the debate to reveal more of himself as a candidate.

"Both leaders were trying to achieve something completely different," Parnell said.

"I do think even though the premier appeared frustrated at times, and even though Crisafulli at times appeared too prepared, long term I think tonight's debate has landed some blows on David Crisafulli," he said. 

"Those areas where [Crisafulli] doesn't have a plan, where he had to commit tonight [on crime figures] on the spot, to act in a particular way if he wins … I think long term, David Crisafulli lost."

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The horrified family of a Perth man watched on helplessly as he was brutally attacked in his own home.

The Lockridge victim's wife and two young children screamed in horror as a man, 43, allegedly struck with a hammer.

"The screams that she was letting out were just blood curdling, it wasn't a typical scream," nearby resident Jesse told 9News.

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"It broke me. It's something I will never forget."

Police were called to the unit complex on Arbon Way in Lockridge about 2am today after reports a man was smashing power boxes and causing a disturbance.

It's alleged the victim, aged in his 40s, went to investigate the noise and was attacked by a 43-year-old man.

A neigbour and an off-duty nurse rushed to the man's aid and he was taken to hospital, where he underwent surgery for a fractured skull and a broken jaw.

"He was injured, mostly on his head, that's where there was the most bleeding, but I had to put a bandage across his neck because his jaw was open," nurse Zipporah Bartocho said.

The man was fighting for his life in hospital.

Police allege the attacker continued on, smashing windows and breaking into another unit.

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The 43-year-old was charged with grievous bodily harm and 10 counts of causing criminal damage to property.

The charged man has appeared before the Midland Magistrates Court.

The parents of a nine-month-old boy who was attacked with hot coffee at a Brisbane park have expressed fears justice may never be served.

The baby was on a picnic with his mother at Hanlon Park in Stones Corner when a man approached and poured scalding coffee on the infant about midday on August 27.

The nine-month-old underwent four surgeries for burns to his face, arms and legs following the attack.

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The name of the suspect, who fled the country, has since been revealed in a Chinese media outlet, which has frustrated the boy's parents.

"It's information we would've liked to have received weeks ago," the boy's mother said.

Police have refrained from releasing further details on the suspect's identity in the midst of an international manhunt.

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"Sometimes these posts can be a distraction to what we're attempting to achieve, but that search will continue until we locate this person," QPS Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Massingham told 4BC's Peter Fegan.

"Those things always need to be made confidential up until the time we go public with the information."

The family has struggled to return to normality after the attack and have been left with questions.

"Where is he? Is he in jail now that the media knows who he is over there? Is he just walking the streets?" the mother said.

The family has been told if the man is not extradited to Australia he could be punished in his home country.

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https://omny.fm/shows/4bc-breakfast/youth-crime-on-a-downward-trend-in-queensland/embed

"We just want him to be punished, here or there, we just want him to be punished," the boy's father said.

In a recovery milestone, the boy is now bandage-free, however he is expected to receive treatment for scar management for years to come.

Police had released CCTV imagery of the man wanted in connection, along with details of his movements after the attack.

The man is described as in his 30s or 40s and of a proportionate build with tanned skin.

He was wearing a black hat, glasses, a shirt and shorts at the time.

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Police are hunting for a man who slashed the tyres of a mobile speed camera van in Adelaide.

CCTV obtained by 9News shows a man casually approaching the van and damaging the tires before calmly walking away in North Plympton.

The tyre-slashing tradie was then captured on CCTV strolling down Birdwood Terrace, checking over his shoulder.

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A police officer was inside the van operating the speed camera at the time of the attack.

According to locals, drivers often speed along the stretch of road, which has a speed limit of 50km/h and regularly has mobile cameras deployed in the area.

Police are investigating the incident and are seeking information from anyone who may have seen the vandalism.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.

An Adelaide school teacher is stranded in Lebanon despite days of desperate attempts to make it onto a flight out of the escalating conflict zone.

Her worried husband says they're struggling to get help from the Australian government and it's rapidly becoming too dangerous for her to leave the home she's staying in.

"We hear the planes flying in the sky and sometimes they are very very low and the sound is scary," Josiane Vekas said from near the capital of Beirut. 

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"Plus, when they are bombing or attacking we hear the explosions."

The 49-year-old teacher from Klemzig, who travelled to Lebanon six weeks ago to visit family, now finds herself trapped in the dangerous conflict zone.

"There's nothing left, no buildings, no cars, no home… nothing… kids are injured," she said. 

"It's like you can see the war in front of you and you can't do anything."

Vekas has had two flights cancelled, but even getting to the airport is a challenge. 

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"Even the taxi is afraid to take me to the airport… no one will take me to the airport…but even if I go to the airport, there's no flights," she said

"You sit at home, and you wait. When will it be our turn? It's so frustrating. Just sitting and waiting to die."

Another option for Vekas is to take a boat from Beirut to Cyprus, but even that journey poses significant risks. 

"The captain told me if there's waves, and high waves… it's for the safety of everyone…we don't take this trip, so it's cancelled," she said.

It's left her waiting, holding onto hope for an end to the conflict and a safe return home. 

"We have hope. We have hope that they will finish this soon, please," she said.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.

‘Risk of flooding, slips are high. Follow the advice of local authorities’ – MetService

Exclusive: Telecommunication companies will be put to the test when postal workers hit the road to check phone signals around the nation.

The nation's first-ever independent audit of mobile coverage will get under way in October, aimed at finding black spots and building a clear picture of the network.

"Sometimes it really differs from what the mobile carriers say is available," Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said.

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"For the first time, consumers are really going to have something they can rely on."

Australia Post vans, and eventually long haul trucks, will help Accenture carry out the audit, which will cover 180,000 kilometres of regional roads every year until 2027.

Each vehicle will contain mobile phones from Australia's major carriers – Telstra, Optus and TPG – carrying out a range of functions on a loop including making phone calls, sending text messages, uploading or downloading to test signal strength and quality.

"The telcos coverage maps use predictive algorithms to identify areas where they believe there should be phone signal," RMIT Associate Professor Mark Gregory said.

"There's often situations where there may not be coverage in areas where it says there's coverage."

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Seventy post offices in regional towns will also be fitted with measuring devices.

"It's about safety, particularly in the regions, people rely on coverage more than ever before," Rowland said.

"It's patchy … depending on where you are in Australia, it can be very good."

Our capital cities mostly enjoy world-class 5G coverage, but even in busy, suburban areas, residents might notice their phone dropping out in certain pockets.

"In a city or an urban environment, wherever you have buildings, hills, trees, freeways – these are all going to block the mobile signal," Gregory said.

The national network will face another major challenge when 3G is turned off by Telstra and Optus on October 28, previously delayed over concerns Australia wasn't ready.

"There hasn't been enough testing," Gregory said.

"We don't fully know the extent of the problems that will occur when we turn 3G off… there will be people that end up with no coverage."

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Telcos say 3G-only areas will have no loss of coverage as a result of the switchover, but there are also concerns for other technology that relies on 3G including some medical devices and farm equipment.

"Get ready, don't delay, make sure you check your tech," Rowland said.

"It's very important for carriers to not only listen to concerns from consumers but also act on them."

You can check your own device by texting "3G" to 3498.

Telstra and Optus are carrying out a national campaign which is expected to reach 90 per cent of Australians before the switch off.

Both telecommunications companies say they are committed to improving the network in regional areas and have invested billions of dollars in recent years to address blackspots.

The largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere has powered up for the first time today.

The massive project a few hours west of Brisbane will produce enough energy to supply 600,000 homes.

"To see it doing what it's meant to be doing, exporting clean, renewable energy to the grid, is such an important achievement," Acciona Energia director Andrew Tshaikiwsky said.

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"They first came to us 12 years ago and we had the attitude of 'we'll believe it when we see it'," landowner Jono Carson said.

That vision was brought to life with 162 turbines now scattered across the hills of the state's granite belt region, each piece transported painstakingly from the port of Brisbane to the bush.

"As far as the turbines go it's good use of this country because you can't farm it but you still run sheep and you can still run goats," Jane Carson said.

The farm covers an area of more than 3600 hectares, with landowners compensated for hosting turbines on their properties.

"Well that's the best thing about it, it's a guaranteed income, we're not relying on the weather," Carson said.

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Each blade is 80 metres long and weighs more than 26 tonnes. 

It took the team between two and three days to complete the installation of a single turbine.

From the top tip of the blades to the ground is almost 230 metres, allowing the turbines to be exposed to winds you can't feel on the ground below.

Using those gusts the farm will produce 920 megawatts of power – enough energy to supply 600,000 homes.

It will effectively double the amount of renewable energy being generated by wind farms injected into the grid in Queensland.

The farm was developed by the Spanish company Acciona and the Queensland government's renewable energy generator CleanCo.

It's hoped the new wind farm could help push down power prices by as early as next year.

"This is an enormous milestone and we are looking forward to having more cheap and clean energy coming into the grid to put downward pressure on our power prices," Labor MP Lance McCallum said.

This track ends a seven year journey and is the final addition to his trilogy.

It is the first red warning issued for Otago since MetService started the system in 2019.