Airport security-please tell me this is a joke

[Morexbs]

On Monday this week I flew to Brisbane for work as I do every few months.I went to the Jet Star security checkpoint and,as I do every trip,put my backpack on the conveyor and then put my 2 phones,deodorant,wallet and coins in the blue tray and started to walk through.
I was then stopped by the security officer and told to take my phones and wallet out of the tray and to put them inside my backpack for screening.
I thought I had misheard him so I queried his instructions and he repeated them.He wanted me to put the phones and wallet INSIDE the backpack before it went through.I told him what I thought of his ridiculous instruction and he agreed with me.
I flew up with Qantas and wasn't required to do this and I asked a friend who regularly flies Virgin out of Brisbane and he has never been asked to do it either.What possible reason is there for such an absurd practice or is it just yet another Queensland rule dreamt up by someone with nothing better to do that makes no sense in the real world?