A Brisbane couple, Angus and Alissa McDougall, have won a four-year legal battle against their neighbours after a row of trees planted for privacy grew tall enough to block the river view from their $2 million Graceville home. The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) ruled that neighbour Louise Arvier must cut back the trees, finding they had become a "severe obstruction" that substantially and unreasonably interfered with the McDougalls' enjoyment of their property.

Under the ruling handed down on 18 August, tribunal member Vass Poteri ordered Mrs Arvier to prune five weeping lily pillies and viburnum trees to about three metres by 30 October, and to keep maintaining them twice a year for the next decade. Mrs Arvier, who bought her riverside property for $2.2 million in 2015, had argued the trees were needed for privacy and sought approval to let them grow to six metres, but the tribunal found blinds or curtains could address those concerns instead. If she fails to comply, the McDougalls may hire a contractor after giving 28 days' notice, with the costs recoverable as a debt.