Tobi Loftus
Toowoomba, QLD
Tobi Loftus is a journalist who has worked across print and online media since 2016. He has worked all over regional Queensland including in Mundubbera, Kingaroy and Toowoomba. He joined the ABC in 2020, joining the ABC Tropical North newsroom in Mackay, before moving to Gladstone for ABC Capricornia in 2022. He recently returned to Toowoomba where he is now working for ABC Southern Queensland. You can follow him on various social media platforms by searching @tobiloftus.
Latest by Tobi Loftus
Six paramedics thought they were going to a car crash. Instead, they were met with gunfire
Six first responders to the fatal 2017 shooting of police officer Brett Forte have been commended for their bravery on that fateful day.
How a pasta dish named after an Australian inland city took South Korea by storm
By Tobi Loftus in Seoul
Originally introduced in the country by US chain Outback Steakhouse, experts say the dish's meteoric rise proves there are big export opportunities in South Korea for "truly authentic" Aussie products.
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Woman defrauded container refund scheme the cash equivalent of almost 1 million cans
Shannara Cindy Dyball, 26, defrauded a Queensland container refund company of about $95,500, under the noses of her bosses for almost a year, the District Court in Toowoomba has heard.
State government not 'fair dinkum' over handling of Queensland pumped hydro projects, LNP claims
By Tobi Loftus and Amy Sheehan
But Queensland's opposition faces growing pressure to explain its own policies so voters can decide at October's state election.
Win and Jim live in a tropical paradise. Their home could soon be flooded for the 'greater good'
The couple are at the confluence of how governments are responding to climate change and what is appropriate clean energy development.
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Back from the brink, hairy-nosed wombats settle into ready-made new home
The success of conserving and breeding one of the world's most endangered animals, the northern hairy-nosed wombat, has seen the species move to a third location for the first time in decades.
Temperatures drop below freezing in parts of Queensland as cold snap arrives
By Ned Hammond and Tobi Loftus
Queensland's south-east has shivered through its coldest temperatures this year, including some areas that dropped below zero overnight.
Three family members killed in horror car crash remembered
Steven Wheeler, 54, along with his parents Margaret, 81, and Bob Wheeler, 84, were killed when the car they were in collided with a B-double truck.
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Three people dead after truck and car collide on Queensland highway
An 81-year-old woman and two men aged 84 and 54 have died and the truck driver is in hospital after the crash on the D'Aguilar Highway this morning.
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Farmer found guilty of raping British backpacker at Queensland property
A court heard the father of three had an "open door policy" for his workers, including when they were in the shower.
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Two by Two sect survivors wait years to access National Redress Scheme
By Tobi Loftus
A survivor of a fundamentalist Christian sect says getting access to the scheme will provide "closure" for what happened to her.
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Controversial project to dump carbon dioxide into Great Artesian Basin dealt a blow by Qld premier
Opponents of a controversial plan to store waste carbon dioxide in Australia's biggest underground freshwater system say state government approval will be difficult after the premier labelled the project "not a good idea".
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Murder probe launched after elderly man attacked in his home dies
Police say Jim Hill, 76, was showing signs of recovering from an assault in his Gatton home before his condition "rapidly deteriorated".
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Human bones believed found in Glen Lomond Park bushland on Toowoomba escarpment
Police have declared a crime scene at bushland in the Toowoomba suburb of Middle Ridge after what they believe to be human bones were discovered by a member of the public.
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FBI investigating secretive Christian sect with Australian followers for historical child sex abuse
By Tobi Loftus
The fundamentalist sect is known by a variety of names including the Two by Twos, The Church With No Name, The Truth and The Way, and has about 8,000 followers across Australia.
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Trauma of family's lifetime with mental health system brought home by Bondi killings
The sister of a man whose schizophrenia diagnosis has been part of her family's life for 30 years says the mental health system, as she has experienced it, is non-existent.
Five weeks ago, Joel Cauchi sent his parents a message from a beach. The next time they saw him was on the news
A month ago, Joel Cauchi's parents were relieved to see a text message showing him enjoying life at the beach. Next time they saw him it was on national television as he attacked people in a Sydney shopping centre.
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'Only doing her job': Family of Bondi Junction attacker release statement in support of officer who shot him
By Tobi Loftus and Jessica Black
The family of a Queensland man who killed six people at a Sydney shopping centre have condemned his actions as "truly horrific", and say they are still "trying to comprehend what has happened".
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Conditions imposed on urologist accused of blowing nose on surgical curtain
Daryl Stephens had been under investigation in Queensland following allegations made against him in 2022.
'End this once and for all': Accused's alleged words moments before family's shooting
Mervyn and Maree Schwarz, along with Ms Schwarz's son Graham Tighe, were allegedly shot dead outside a north Queensland cattle property over a property dispute.
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Body of man missing in Queensland for 13 days found
Authorities confirm the body has been identified as that of 38-year-old Scott Billingham, who has been missing from Mackay since March 8.
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With 55,000 cars stolen across Australia last financial year, ABS figures reveal household crimes are rising in Qld and NT
By Cindy Wockner, Rachael Merritt, and Tobi Loftus
New data reveals the worst states and territories in Australia for car thefts, home invasions and other crimes during the last financial year.
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Cost of living, youth crime lead voters to kick incumbents across regional Queensland
By Tobi Loftus and regional Queensland reporters
A mood for change has swept through regional Queensland, with voters punishing incumbent mayors in several major cities.
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When card-carrying political party members call themselves independent candidates, when does the spin stop?
By Tobi Loftus
New ABC analysis has revealed just how many councillors and candidates across Queensland are members of a political party.
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One person found dead after fire rips through Queensland home
A crime scene has been declared at a home that adjoins a bakery north of Toowoomba after it was destroyed by an early morning fire.
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