A group of tradies and police officers are "lucky to be alive" after an allegedly stolen car ploughed into a police van at a roadworks site at 2am this morning.

The teens were driving south on the Pacific Motorway when they smashed into the van being used to oversee the Pimpama worksite, police said.

An injured police officer climbed out of the van and tore after the teens allegedly involved after they fled the scene toward a nearby sports complex.

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"The police dog and his handler located two of the three offenders hiding in a tree and very quickly took the third into custody," Queensland Police Superintendent Rhys Wildman said.

"You put yourself in the position of being struck from behind at 100 kilometres an hour and then suddenly go into an operational environment where you go and arrest an offender whilst injured is incredible and fantastic from the officer involved."

A 15-year-old who police allege was driving the car has been arrested.

Wildman said it was miraculous there were only minor injuries.

"There was heavy machinery, light machinery and workers completing their duties to try and get the M1 upgrade completed in that location – it is extremely lucky one of them wasn't injured or killed as well," he said.

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The officer in the van suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Extensive damage was done to the rear of the van.

Three teens were also hospitalised with minor injuries.

"The amount of road workers on scene walking around and queuing traffic, it's very surprising there weren't more serious injuries," QAS senior operations supervisor for Gold Coast Adam Flory said.

"It's a testament to that officer to be able to walk away from that accident."

Two 15-year-old boys were given a notice to appear in court with unlawful use of a vehicle, one of whom will also appear for possessing drugs.

A 16-year-old and 17-year-old are still being treated.

Investigations are continuing.

A white Kia sedan spotted nearby at the time of the arrest is also thought to be involved, police said.

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An innovative new treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will soon be available for defence force veterans following Australia-first research.

The treatment will explore a new form of intensive exposure therapy, and has showed to be as effective as standard treatment.

It follows the release of the interim royal commission report into veteran suicide earlier this year.

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The report called for immediate action, including eliminating the backlog of compensation claims and simplifying and harmonising veteran compensation.

Assistant Veterans' Affairs and Defence Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said veterans experienced PTSD at higher rates than the general population.

"PTSD is a huge issue for veteran community in Australia," he told reporters today.

"These trial findings indicate that a new form of therapy is getting outcomes that are just as good as the longer form.

"We are committed to offering veterans experiencing PTSD the best range of treatments possible."

The Rapid Exposure Supporting Trauma Recovery (RESTORE) trial investigated a new method of delivering treatment for PTSD in an intensive two week period.

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It found that it was equally effective as standard therapy which runs over 10 weeks, with veterans taking part being less likely to drop out.

"This treatment offers veterans a shorter method of therapy that may better fit their lifestyle," Thistlethwaite said.

The research was developed in partnership between the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Department of Defence and the Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health.

The treatment for PTSD will be offered through the veteran and families counselling service Open Arms.

The final royal commission report will be handed down in June 2024.

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, you can contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

Crisis support is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Scott Morrison's decision to secretly appoint himself to five different portfolios while prime minister is a "black mark" on his behaviour, according to Nine's political editor.

Morrison fronted the media on Wednesday afternoon in a defiant press conference where he defended his actions, saying they were necessary steps during extraordinary times.

However, Nine political editor Chris Uhlmann said the former PM's reasoning didn't stack up.

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"It is a bit hard to follow some of the logic, I have to say, that he needed these emergency powers and proof that he had confidence in his ministers was that he never used (the powers)," Uhlmann said.

"If he had confidence in his ministers, then you wouldn't think that he needed (the powers) in the first place."

Uhlmann went on to say Morrison had trashed the conventions of the prime ministership.

"A cloud hangs over the way he acted," he said.

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"He rightly says again it was in extraordinary times. And no Prime Minister since the Second World War has faced times like this. An enormous number of things that were done at a state and territory and federal level now do need a lot of examination.

"We need to learn the lessons of the past. I think one of the lessons we are learning at the moment… this is a black mark over the way that he behaved when he was prime minister.

"Although it might have been legal, convention is important, and this was a trashing of that convention."

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Uhlmann said Morrison's move to the health portfolio was to put checks and balances on the Biosecurity Act – a "very bad piece of law" – at the start of the pandemic, but that the other ministries had less and less to do with COVID-19.

"Then he goes further, into home affairs. Goes further, into treasury, not telling any of the ministers involved in that and he says because he didn't want to undermine their confidence," he said.

"The only time he used these powers were when he was wanting to knock off a resources project, which had nothing to do with the pandemic."

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