Ambulance ramping has hit a record high in Queensland, 9News can reveal ahead of the release of new data tomorrow.

In the March Quarter of 2024, 45.5 per cent of Queensland patients spent more than 30 minutes waiting on the ramp before being taken into the hospital.

This figure surpasses Queensland's highest previous mark of 45 per cent.

READ MORE: UK engineering giant revealed as $25 million deepfake scam victim

Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said that emergency department presentations were up by 5.7 per cent, which was a record demand and caused the increase.

"We could not have predicted the huge demand we have seen in the last few months, particularly January and February," she said.

"We were absolutely smashed with flooding, cyclones and a heatwave, as well as a surge in flu."

Fentiman has been the health minister for a year.

In June 2023, when ambulance ramping was at 43 per cent, the minister exclusively told 9News her goal was to reduce the rate to 28 per cent.

Fentiman denied that the increased rate was a failure and said nobody could have predicted the demand that Queensland emergency departments had seen.

She said Queensland's ramping performance was comparable with other states and more data would be released publicly tomorrow.

She also said the Queensland Ambulance Service was free for patients since it was paid for by the state government and claimed that they have some of the best response times in the country.

Mum at centre of Waitara incident relieved alleged thief caught, describes her trauma.

‘It is just so hard for people to survive.’

An Australian tourist has reportedly been injured in a deadly shooting in central Afghanistan.

Several gunmen opened fire in central Afghanistan late on Friday local time, killing at least four people including three foreign nationals, a Taliban spokesman said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) confirmed it was providing consular assistance to an Australian in Afghanistan.

READ MORE: Support for Broncos star's father arrested over alleged drug plot

"Owing to our privacy obligations we cannot provide further comment," a DFAT spokesperson said.

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that three Spaniards had died in the attack and that at least one more had been injured.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described them as "tourists" in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing that he was "overwhelmed" by the news.

Four suspects were arrested at the scene in Bamyan province, a major tourist area, and an investigation was underway, the official said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the late-evening attack.

According to Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the Taliban's interior ministry, seven other people, including foreign nationals were wounded in the attack.

He did not elaborate or give the nationality of the foreign citizens.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and NATO forces were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after 20 years of war.

Blame is likely to fall on the Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan, a major Taliban rival.

IS militants have carried out scores of attacks on schools, hospitals, mosques and minority Shiite areas throughout the country.

Bamyan is probably best known as the site of two massive Buddha statues that were carved into the cliff face between the 4th and 6th centuries and which were destroyed by the Taliban at al-Qaida's urging in early 2001.

The jackpot remains unstruck.

The federal government will provide consular assistance to Gregor Johann Haas after he was arrested in the Philippines over an alleged drug smuggling plot.

The 46-year-old, who is the father of NRL Broncos player Payne Haas, was arrested in Cebu City on Wednesday and is now facing extradition to Indonesia.

"We will provide all of the consular assistance that he needs at this time," Treasurer Jim Chalmers said today.

READ MORE: Broncos star's father arrested in the Philippines over alleged drug smuggling plot

"The commonwealth government has the ability to provide that kind of assistance and that will be provided in full, " Chalmers said.

Chalmers opposed the death penalty Gregor Haas could face if convicted but said he could not discuss the details of the case.

After last night's game in the NRL's Magic Round, Payne Haas was quickly ushered off the ground, with his teammates and coach rallying around him. 

"He's a tremendous guy, tremendous family person and in this moment in time he is going through, we will get around him to support him and his family," Broncos Coach Kevin Walters said.

Indonesian police want Haas to be extradited to Jakarta from the Phillippines.

Indonesian officials told local media they "suspect him to have networks all over Asia" and Australia. 

Indonesian authorities have been searching for Haas after five kilograms of meth was allegedly discovered in December, according to local media outlet Tempo.

If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

“They weren’t scared of hard work. They would’ve done well.”

MetService has a raft of advisories in place for the lower south.

The event has raised nearly $16 million for blood cancer patients and their families.

It was estimated Cindy Taylor’s mother went up to 15 days without food before dying.