Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie has formally declared a personal conflict of interest over the Sunshine Coast rail project.Bleijie, the Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning and Industrial Relations, declared the conflict in routine forms required to be completed by MPs following an election.LoadingBleijie told parliament he owned a property at Aroona which was adjacent to the rail corridor but, according to the Department of Transport and Main Roads, might be resumed for the project.The department advised Bleijie, the LNP member for Kawana, in August that his property “may be materially impacted”.Bleijie detailed the steps he had since taken to manage the conflict, including taking advice from the integrity commissioner and clerk of parliament and executing a conflict management plan.The revelation came as Bleijie continued to call on the federal Labor government to help fund a rail extension to Maroochydore, and accused the former state Labor government of mismanaging the project.Latest postsLatest postsThe head of Queensland’s bus drivers’ union says he would welcome a phone call from the Brisbane City Council today, before tomorrow’s planned strike action.As we reported yesterday, Brisbane bus drivers will strike tomorrow morning from 4am to 6am – a move that will cause headaches for morning peak-hour commuters.Tom Brown from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union says his drivers’ gripe is not just about an annual pay rise.LoadingHe told ABC Radio a short time ago that drivers want four months’ worth of back pay that amounts to about $50 a week for each driver, which the council was so far refusing to pay.“Negotiations are four months overdue,” Brown said. “It’s the backpay that we’re angry about.”Brown said councillors had their annual pay rise backdated.“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” he said.Brown said the strike could be called off, if he received a call from the council today saying it would come to the party over back pay.The two parties were set to return to the negotiation table tomorrow.Mining tycoon Clive Palmer is expected to launch a new political party later today called Trumpet of Patriots.Palmer failed in a High Court bid to register his United Australia Party for the coming election, forcing him to opt for a new outfit.A screenshot from the Trumpet of Patriots website. The party has the tag line “commonsense policies for Australia”.Credit: Trumpet of PatriotsThe Trumpet of Patriots party was registered with the electoral commission in 2011 under a different name and last year changed its title in what appeared to be a nod to US President Donald Trump.Billionaire Clive Palmer is launching a political combat with his new party, Trumpet of Patriots.Credit: Glenn HuntPalmer is expected to hold a press conference in Canberra today with United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet, the party’s only elected representative.New laws passed last week stop Palmer from spending the tens of millions he has outlayed in the past few elections on often anti-Labor advertising. Those laws do not apply until the next election due in 2028, meaning the coming election due by May will be his last opportunity to spend big.Trumpet of Patriots’ website described the party’s mission as follows:The world is changing. In the USA, government waste and corruption is finally being exposed. For too long, Australians have suffered from a Labor and Liberal duopoly of power supported by the Greens and now the Teals.The simple reason your cost of living is so high is because Australians are being ripped off by the political system, unelected bureaucrats and the lobbyists who support them. Enough is enough! We will drain the swamp! Amid building political speculation around what impact the Reserve Bank’s rate cut will have on the 2025 federal election, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has declared Labor isn’t “getting carried away” by the decision.After welcoming the relief to millions of Australian households, Chalmers said that while he acknowledged the political commentary, he’d tried not to add to it.“I think the facts of the matter are that under this Labor government, we’ve been able to get inflation down, wages up, keep unemployment low, and now we’ve got interest rates coming down as well,” he said.Loading“They will be part of the story that we tell Australians when we ask them to make an important choice later this year.”Chalmers said the government’s maintained focus on cost of living and inflation was key to the decision.“It’s why we’ve made so much progress and it’s why we’ve seen this outcome today from the Reserve Bank.”Asked to reflect on the political implications of the decision, Chalmers wouldn’t be drawn on how the rate cut might affect the date of the upcoming federal election or the likelihood that the budget scheduled for March 25 will go ahead.“We’re not getting carried away by this decision today. It will help, it won’t solve every challenge in our economy or in household budgets, and that’s why the hard work of managing our economy and our budget responsibly continues.” Advertisement Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie has formally declared a personal conflict of interest over the Sunshine Coast rail project.Bleijie, the Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning and Industrial Relations, declared the conflict in routine forms required to be completed by MPs following an election.LoadingBleijie told parliament he owned a property at Aroona which was adjacent to the rail corridor but, according to the Department of Transport and Main Roads, might be resumed for the project.The department advised Bleijie, the LNP member for Kawana, in August that his property “may be materially impacted”.Bleijie detailed the steps he had since taken to manage the conflict, including taking advice from the integrity commissioner and clerk of parliament and executing a conflict management plan.The revelation came as Bleijie continued to call on the federal Labor government to help fund a rail extension to Maroochydore, and accused the former state Labor government of mismanaging the project.For the first time this week, the clouds over Brisbane might do more than just tease us, with the weather bureau forecasting a 60 per cent chance of rain today.The temperature is set to hit a top of 28 degrees, which is on par with how the past week has felt in the River City. Tomorrow might be slightly spicier on that front.Here’s the outlook into the weekend and beyond.Here’s what is making news further afield:After delivering the first cut in official interest rates in more than four years, the Reserve Bank has dampened hopes for another rate cut in the middle of the looming federal election campaign.Six public officials will be investigated over their roles in the robo-debt scandal, in a major turnaround from the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s original decision not to pursue royal commission referrals.Egg retailer Stan Graczyk’s caged eggs start at $7.80 a carton, with certified organic eggs up to $17.50 a dozen.Credit: Simon SchluterThe price of eggs has cracked a new high, with Australians paying 23 per cent more than they were two years ago as bird flu limits supply.New footage of the Delta Air Lines plane crash in Toronto gives a clear view of the jet hitting the tarmac hard before rolling on its side and flipping upside down.Donald Trump’s top energy official has urged Australia to overturn its self-imposed ban on nuclear energy and begin exporting enriched uranium.Egypt is developing a plan to rebuild Gaza without forcing Palestinians out of the strip, in a counter to Donald Trump’s proposal to depopulate the territory so the US can take it over.In sport, our rugby league experts have produced the definitive list of the NRL’s top 50 players. Today, numbers 30 to 21. Advertisement Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times’ news blog. Today the city can expect a medium chance of showers and a top temperature of 28 degrees.In local news you need to know:Questions on the government’s youth crime laws dominated an often-fiery return to Queensland parliament on Tuesday, as senior ministers wrote off criticisms as part of a “left, woke agenda”.Greater Brisbane will be home to more than half of Queensland’s population within months, as migration reshapes the Sunshine State.The state government will have the results of its 100-day Olympic venue and governance review for more than a month before they are made public.A small Catholic parish in Brisbane’s south is asking for the right to demolish a 77-year-old asbestos-laden building that has been condemned, despite its heritage protection.Brisbane City Council is warning commuters of public transport disruptions tomorrow, when bus drivers are set to strike over stalled pay negotiations.The Fifty Six is an early contender for restaurant opening of the year.Credit: Markus RavikAnd its heritage digs, a star chef, an opulent design and a menu that creatively updates Cantonese food give new Brisbane restaurant The Fifty Six an early chance for 2025’s best opening.