Owen Jacques
Maroochydore, QLD
Owen Jacques is an ABC News journalist, working as a senior reporter on the Sunshine Coast. He began his career in 2007 in central Queensland. He has also worked throughout south-east Queensland as an investigative journalist, columnist and editor.
Latest by Owen Jacques
Woman, 68, living in new social housing forced to take showers and hide in car to cool down during heatwave
Sixty-eight-year-old Suellyn Lott's Sunshine Coast apartment complex was officially opened less than 12 months ago, but she says living there is unbearable when the temperature spikes.
Almost 170,000 air conditioners remotely turned down six times during blistering summer heat
Queensland’s state-owned power grid quietly forced almost 170,000 air-conditioners in homes and businesses into low-power mode six times over summer.
Melioidosis death prompts health warning to cyclone-impacted communities
A Cairns patient has died from the bacterial disease melioidosis, with health authorities further south warning those on cyclone clean-up to take precautions against contracting the infection.
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily crossing coast near Townsville downgraded to category two system — as it happened
Tropical Cyclone Kirrily is crossing the north Queensland coast near Townsville, with the system revised to category two — as it happened.
This grazier was caught out by a cyclone that cost him $100K. Here's what to do before Cyclone Kirrily arrives
From sandbags to generators, this is what you need to know ahead of a tropical cyclone forecast to make landfall in north Queensland between Cardwell and Bowen.
Meet 'Magoo', the chopper pilot who saved 16 people from a pub roof in Far North Queensland
The pilot, who leapt into action to fly a group of people stranded on the roof of the Lion's Den Pub to safety one by one, is being lauded as the "real hero" of the flood rescue efforts.
What you should know about insurance claims after a flood or cyclone disaster
Countless homes have been damaged or destroyed in Far North Queensland since Tropical Cyclone Jasper and flooding hit the state last week. If you've been affected, here's what you need to know.
Insurance premiums in flood-hit Queensland to increase due to gaps in government plan to keep prices down
A major insurer says the state's Far North must prepare to pay higher premiums, due to a critical flaw in a $10 billion federal government scheme designed to limit costs in disaster-prone areas.
18 lives saved from rising floodwaters in Far North Queensland by a boatie named Gavin and a pilot named Magoo
A group of North Queensland locals braved driving rains and rising floodwaters to rescue 17 people trapped in trees and from the rooftop of a pub.
'Intense rainfall' to ease as defence force deployed to rescue stranded residents in flooded Far North Queensland — as it happened
The Bureau of Meteorology says rainfall has been easing around Cairns but the emergency continues for already-waterlogged areas of Queensland's Far North.
Council may call for police help after bringing in new laws to ban dogs from popular off-leash beach
A Sunshine Coast council budgets more than $10,000 for police patrols after creating new laws banning dogs from previously designated off-leash areas.
Cairns cut off with 'worst flood on record' as mayors call for help from Australian Defence Force
Heavy rain is battering Queensland's far north, causing heavy flooding in low-lying areas as rivers burst their banks in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
Cairns enduring largest flood on record as BOM forecasts rainfall will not ease until Tuesday — as it happened
Emergency flood alerts have been issued for parts of Queensland's Far North, following torrential rainfall in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
Tropical Cyclone Jasper expected to weaken overnight, but damaging winds and heavy rainfall remain — as it happened
The cyclone is expected to take several hours to fully cross the coast due to its size, with authorities warning of potentially life-threatening flash flooding. Look back on Wednesday's updates.
Damaging winds for parts of north Queensland expected today as Cyclone Jasper approaches
Tropical Cyclone Jasper has been re-upgraded to a category two system, with the "worst impacts" to be felt from tomorrow.
Elderly Sunshine Coast couple held captive by armed men in 'terrifying' home invasion
Police say four armed men smashed their way into a Sunshine Coast home and held a couple in their 70s hostage before stealing personal items and fleeing the scene.
Anywhere between '20 or 20,000' bull sharks in Sunshine Coast waterways, as scientists attempt count
Unlike on the Gold Coast, researchers say there is little knowledge of how many bull sharks are in the region's canals and waterways, which are often lined with multi-million dollar properties.
Video shows moment two men are saved from sinking life raft after plane crash off Sunshine Coast
Paramedics say it's incredible no one was hurt after two people were winched from a life raft after a light plane crash off the Sunshine Coast.
Homes in almost every part of Queensland now worth more than ever before
While "some heat" could leave the market after the Reserve Bank lifted interest rates this week, for now, house prices have surpassed even the post-COVID records of early 2022.
What do we know about why arsonists light fires?
Police believe several recent bushfires that threatened homes and residents in Queensland were started on purpose. Motivations for arson can vary but will be key to investigations.
420 bushfires in days exhaust firefighters and 'worst fire season in 70 years' is just beginning
After a rugged week, Queensland is facing up to a "generational fire season" the state hasn't experienced since the 1950s, according to the rural fire brigade chief.
Woman with cystic fibrosis on brink of homelessness told to start calling caravan parks
With the clock ticking on her lease, 37-year-old Prudence McGuire was desperate for help. When she turned to the government for assistance, she received a devastating response — but one that led to an 11th-hour intervention.
In the parts of Queensland where the No vote was strongest, voters reflect on the referendum
Not a single Queensland electorate outside of the state's south-east voted to support the referendum, and the firmest of those against it all fall within Queensland. We ask voters why.
Rural brigades boss hoses down talk of national firefighting force
A key group representing Queensland's volunteer fire brigades pours water on the idea of a "semi-professional firefighting service" akin to the Army Reserve, saying it could alienate those already tackling this year's bushfire season.
Second 'heartbreaking' whale calf rescue from Queensland shark nets in three days
A juvenile humpback whale calf has been saved from nets near Noosa, the second calf to be entangled in recent days.