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A man accused of murdering of a wealthy Gold Coast retiree almost three decades ago has been granted bail amid claims detectives made cash payments to witnesses for statements.

Philip Michael Stearman is charged with murdering 89-year-old Gold Coast inventor Hugo Benscher in June 1992.

The high-profile crime baffled investigators until a cold case breakthrough when Stearman, 64, was arrested in Tasmania and charged with murder in 2020.

The former Gold Coast resident has been in custody since his arrest.

But Supreme Court Justice Peter Callaghan on Wednesday granted Stearman bail following a hearing last month.

Stearman's detention could no longer be justified because of the weakness of the prosecution case, defence barrister Tim Ryan argued during the earlier proceedings.

"The investigation that lead to Mr Stearman's arrest was a relatively superficial one," he said.

The prosecution case is based on alleged admissions made to several friends and associates in the years after Mr Bencher was killed.

The court was told the case relied on admissions by some witnesses with extensive criminal histories and substance abuse issues who were paid by police.

Justice Callaghan described the payments as "extraordinary".

"I certainly have never seen the like," he said earlier.

The Crown did not comment on the "propriety or otherwise" of the cash transactions, but argued the payments were "relatively small".

"You say that, but $200 can be a fortune to people with a substance abuse issue," Justice Callaghan added.

"If the payments were being made on the day a statement was made, it's hard to resist the inference."

A committal hearing in December was told Stearman boasted of "killing a guy on the Gold Coast", discussing it "three or four times" over the years.

But when asked if he believed the story the witness said "not really".

"I thought he was a bit of a bragger ... it wasn't something I was overly concerned about."

Police previously alleged Stearman had been involved in a botched robbery of Mr Benscher's home.

Born in Hamburg in 1903, Mr Benscher emigrated to Australia in 1948, where he made his fortune by inventing the inflatable ball bladder and valve.

After living most of his life in Sydney, he retired to the Gold Coast in 1986 where he lived alone until his death.

The widower's body was found by Mr Benscher's now-deceased former assistant on the kitchen floor of his plush Paradise Point home, tied and gagged with evidence of head injuries.

Footprints found in the canal sand leading to Mr Benscher's home prompted speculation that more than one person was involved.

Detectives found no fingerprint or DNA evidence at the crime scene.

Only a bedroom where Mr Benscher hid cash was disturbed, with a canvas bag, cash and traveller's cheques stolen.

© AAP 2022

Victoria could drop its COVID-19 vaccine mandates in restaurants, cafes, pubs and nightclubs after the latest wave of infections, expected to peak within weeks.

The state's hospitals are bracing for 500 or more patients a day with the virus at the height of the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant outbreak, according to Health Minister Martin Foley.

However, overall daily case numbers are harder to predict because of factors including the number of people getting tested and those who are asymptomatic.

With cases still rising through April, Victoria will not yet be following Queensland's lead from April 14 by dropping the vaccine mandate for hospitality venues.

But Premier Daniel Andrews indicated that could be revisited once infections start falling again.

"Let's get through these next few weeks, let's get past this peak in sub-variant Omicron cases and then we'll have options," Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Wednesday.

"One of those, hopefully, will be dealing with things like the vaccinated economy and all sorts of other rules."

Mr Andrews last year flagged Victoria's vaccinated economy would remain in place until at least this weekend's Formula One Grand Prix and possibly throughout the entirety of 2022.

The state's pandemic declaration, which allows the government to enforce ongoing restrictions as well as mask and vaccine mandates, is due to expire on April 12.

Health Minister Martin Foley expects it will be extended but is awaiting updated health advice.

Despite vaccine immunity waning over time, he said the double-dose vaccine mandate for hospitality patrons has helped mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and should stay for now.

"The vaccinated economy has made a significant contribution," he said.

"So keeping those (restrictions) in place until we see the downturn of the BA.2 sub-variant seems to be at the heart of the direction that AHPPC (Australian Health Protection Principal Committee) wants the states and territories to go."

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, who returned to state parliament on Tuesday after isolating as a close contact of his infected nine-year-old son, said it was time to move on from vaccine mandates in most settings.

"It's about time we moved on with our lives, sensibly," he said.

There are currently 331 people in Victorian hospitals with the virus, including 16 intensive care patients.

Three more people have died.

Meanwhile, traditional Anzac Day activities in Melbourne will revert to normal this year after two COVID-disrupted years.

RSL Victoria confirmed people planning to attend the dawn service, march or commemorative service in the city won't need to register and their vaccination status will not be checked.

© AAP 2022

A third person has been charged with murder in relation to the disappearance of missing Queensland man Lachlan James Griffiths.

A 28-year-old man was arrested during a police search of a Brisbane residence on Tuesday and will face the Caboolture Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

His arrest follows that of Francescos Giorgi, 40, who was charged over Mr Griffiths death following a raid of a Gold Coast hinterland property on March 24.

A 40-year-old Tingalpa man has also been charged in relation to the alleged murder.

Mr Griffiths, 35, was last seen alive in the Brisbane CBD in January, before his mother reported him missing on Australia Day.

Queensland Police believe Mr Griffiths was taken by car to a Coopers Plains transport depot but are yet to find a body.

His alleged death is linked to that of 35-year-old Andrew Christopher Walsh, whose body was found encased in concrete at the same transport depot last month.

The depot is the common link between the men, but detectives don't believe Mr Griffiths' remains are buried there.

Mr Walsh was reported missing by family in the north Queensland town of Mossman in January, however detectives say he was last seen alive at Slacks Creek in November.

David Lee Tan, 39, Dewald de Klerk, 27, and a 39-year-old Thagoona man have been charged with being an accessory after the fact of Mr Walsh's murder and misconduct by interfering with his corpse.

© AAP 2022