Almighty God, we, the representatives of thecitizens of the City of Brisbane, are assembled here to strive and care for the welfare ofour city and all its people. Lord, we ask that you to guide us in the decisions we maketoday. Amen. Brisbane City Council acknowledges this Countryand its Traditional Custodians. We acknowledge and respect the spiritual relationship betweenTraditional Custodians and this Country, which has inspired language, songs, dance, lore,and Dreaming stories over many thousands of years. We pay our respects to the Elders,those who have passed into the Dreaming, those here today, those of tomorrow. May we continueto peacefully walk together in gratitude, respect, and kindness, in caring for thisCountry and for one another.
Please be seated.I declare the meeting open. Are there any apologies?Confirmation of minutes, please. Chair, I move that the minutes of the 4,731st meetingheld on Tuesday 23 April 2024 be received, taken as read and confirmed. Seconded. Ithas been moved by Councillor DIXON, seconded by Councillor GIVNEY, that the minutes ofthe 4,731st meeting of Council held on 23 April 2024 be received, taken as read andconfirmed. All those in favour, say aye.Councillors say aye. To the contrary, no. The ayes have it.I would like to call on Mr Peter Poulsen, who will address the Chamber on flash floodingin Orient Road Park, Yeronga. Please proceed,.
Mr Poulsen. You have five minutes. Madam Chair,LORD MAYOR, and Councillors, I really appreciate the opportunity to come and speak to you todayabout a flood report that I’ve submitted for Orient Park, Yeronga. We’ve had issuesthere with flash flooding for many years. The problem has been in 2002-03, one of thelandowners filled in the main waterway and we have had problems ever since.Orient Park is about 25,000 square metres and it’s the main waterway to the riverfor the western catchment in Yeronga. It covers about 80 hectares. What’s happening is,in real heavy rain, the water backs up and it can’t get away through the steel pipesthat the owner at 133 Hyde Road has fitted. They’re two 1,200 millimetre steel pipes.They should have been 1,800s at least, like.
They are under The Corso. That acts as a chokingeffect, plus they fill the block about four metres. Now, this was all done between 200203, no approvals whatsoever. Now, we’re at a stage where the community is sort ofrenewing. There’s a lot of young people there with kids. It’s a great community.There’s water held, trapped in Orient Park about a metre deep all year round. Becauseof the blockages that are there now and the way these pipes have been constructed, ifwe had a rain event like Bray Park, we would be in serious trouble. It’s just—I havea mate of mine, Bruce McNaughton, who’s a local civil engineer, retired civil engineer,and he’s done a mountain of work and he’s just been a terrific campaigner for the area.It doesn’t even affect him, but he just.
Feels that concerned about it that somethingshould be done. We’ve had a lot of correspondence with theLORD MAYOR’s office through our Councillor and different things like that, but I’mstarting to see now, the problem is going to be, these are two private properties thatthe blockages are on. There is some conjecture whether the Council can actually do too muchat all. There are blockages on the east side of 133 that are probably a metre high. They’reon Crown land. This was investigated by the Council, I think Councillor Abrahams in 2006,and no action was taken because they didn’t have enough information or enough evidenceto proceed with prosecution, yet Bruce and I have an RTI which shows the owner of theproperty admitted he filled it in and did.
It without approval.So, it’s a bit hard now to go back 20 years, I know, but I just think houses in our areaare $1 million plus, and I just feel that people deserve their properties to be protected.I don’t think it’s a lot to ask. I know it’s difficult. Bruce and I would be morethan happy to help you. We’ve got—we’d have more information on—Bruce has donea chronology of the last 30 years of the entire area, so we’d have more than the State Library.The thing is, we just keep going nowhere with all these different departments. We just getpassed around. One thing has gone from one department, the next it went to four differentdepartments, and we come back to where we started. That took a year.I believe, LORD MAYOR, that you’re an honest.
Man. I believe that and I remember your acceptancespeech that you put up that Brisbane was your universe. Well, there’s a lot of young peoplewith young families. I saw the passion in your face that night, and I see that samepassion in the people in our area. I think they deserve—I’m really not affected.You know, I’m a builder. If my house floods, I’ll fix it up. I’m the last of five generationsin my family to live in the area, and I think we can do better.So, you know, I’m here today and I really appreciate—I first applied to come herein 2014. That’s how passionate I am about it. I didn’t get a guernsey then, but toget one today, I think it’s an honour. I think that we’ve got to look into this.I was down at 133 the other day with one of.
Your inspectors, and I said, this rock wallis going to collapse, and that’s what’s going to happen. These walls are going tocollapse and it’ll flood worse, because it’ll block the whole waterway. Wesley saidto me, I’m surprised it hasn’t collapsed already. Then, the owner’s representativecame down and he wasn’t happy. Sorry, Mr Poulsen. That was it. Thank you. Thank you.Thank you, Mr Poulsen, and I’m going to call on Councillor WINES, Chair of Infrastructure.Would you care to respond? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair, and can I thank Mr Poulsen foryour time to come and speak with us today. We really appreciate the effort you have goneto and your presentation, and to provide us with this report. As you rightly acknowledgethat flooding is a concern in our city, not.
Only in the Yeronga area, but for many communities.Many districts were hit particularly badly in the recent flooding. As such, we take theseissues, both flooding generally and also flooding specifically in communities, very seriouslyand we recognise the impacts on lower-lying areas in suburbs such as yours.While many of the districts face increasingly severe weather as part of our climate changeand also the fact that Brisbane resides on a flood plain, one of the great challengesof a city like ours is finding the balance between ensuring that there is sustainableand reasonable growth in inner-city areas while managing the best possible ways to supportthat growth with adequate infrastructure that’s needed to impact those who are currently residentin those communities. Please note that it’s.
Always the intention of this Council to getthe best possible outcome for residents, and your concerns have been taken onboard seriously.Listening to your speech earlier, this has been a long running concern of yours, andI appreciate some of the identities you spoke about have not been members of this Councilfor quite some time. We also recognise that the approvals for this project predate mostof the Councillors here, if not all of them, and so that has been one of the major issues,that there is a historical approval that predates many of—or, I should say, all of us here.We have reviewed the application and reviewed the site, and there are ongoing reviews, asyou identified. Following some of these reviews, particularly the earliest one, Council’sCompliance and Regulatory Services branch.
Have conducted investigations into the steelpipes in an attempt to assist the water flow following complaints after their installation.We are always interested in determining whether the outcomes of these changes have affectedresidents elsewhere. We are grateful for your new report and we uphold high standards forrigorous development assessments and planning processes on all applications. Can I assureyou, they are much more rigorous now than they were 20years ago. I appreciate thisreport and we all do, and we’d like to thank you for taking the time and effort to makeit, the time and effort to come and present to us today. I will make this undertakingto you, that this will be properly considered and investigated, and that we will have complianceofficers and the city legal team review this.
Again, and to see what actions can be taken.I think it’s only appropriate and fair that the effort you have gone to be recognisedby our organisation. Can I thank you for your time, recognise your ongoing concerns, andwe’ll hope to be in contact soon with further information in regards to this. Thank youvery much. Thank you, Councillor. Thank you very much to you all, and one other thing,if I may. You’ve got a monumental task in front of you, this Council, with the nextterm with the Olympics, and I just wish you well with this. Thank you, Mr Poulsen, andthank you for coming in today. There is a copy of the report there at thefront for Councillors, so thank you. Question Time. Are there any questions ofthe LORD MAYOR or a Civic Cabinet Chair of.
Any of the Standing Committees?Councillor DIXON. My question is to the LORD MAYOR.LORD MAYOR, last week’s news that Pinkenba will be used as a training facility insteadof crisis accommodation is a bitter blow for those sleeping rough. Can you please updatethe Chamber on the history of Pinkenba, including how it would have helped address Queensland’shousing crisis? LORD MAYOR. Thank you. Thank you for the question, Councillor DIXON. Obviously,we all would have seen the news just recently that the Federally owned and built Pinkenbaquarantine facility will not be used for crisis accommodation, but will instead be used forFederal Police training. Obviously, something my team feels bitterly disappointed and letdown by, and I assume that the State Government.
Also feels disappointed and let down by. Itwas June last year that we made a commitment that we would put money on the table to helpactivate and make modifications to that facility, to make it more suitable to house people.Following that announcement, the State Government then committed $10 million for that same purpose.While, obviously, it’s been a long time since then and there’s been frustrationwith the delay, we had all assumed and sought assurances that things were still progressing.I still, until just a few days ago, had the hope that it would happen and that we wouldsee 500 beds activated for people that need them. Now, I’m very aware that this facilitywas not built as crisis accommodation. It was built for a different purpose. I’m alsoaware that not only are people sleeping tents.
That were not built for long-term accommodation,they’re sleeping in cars that were not designed to have people sleeping in them. Also, theState Government has people housed in hotels, not flash hotels, very old, rundown hotelswith no kitchen facilities in the room. In fact, I would suggest that many of the hotelsthat people are being housed in at the moment are substandard compared to the Pinkenba accommodation,which is brand new. I, together with Councillor HOWARD, have beeninside the facility. I’ve been inside the rooms, and they are very modern, they aresoundproof, they are air conditioned, and they are certainly better than sleeping intents and cars and, I would suggest, better than some of the hotels that people are beinghoused in, as well. So, for me, it wasn’t.
The perfect option, but it was an option.We also have a situation where the State Government is celebrating the construction of 12 homes.The most recent media statement from the Minister for Housing about a new housing project, greatnews, we built 12 new homes. Well, there are 500 beds here that can be activated. So, ifthey’re celebrating 12 homes, then we should celebrate and take advantage of 500 beds thatcan be activated. It is deeply disappointing. This suggestioncame out of a meeting that I had with an organisation called Mangrove Housing, otherwise known asthe Forgotten Women. It was discussed at that meeting. It was then floated publicly. Somepeople thought it was a good idea, some people didn’t think it was a good idea, but progressivelyover time, as people have become more and.
More frustrated as the situation continuesto get worse, more and more people have come onboard, including major organisations likethe Salvation Army, like Q Shelter, who wanted to be involved in helping the government runthis facility. So, when I heard the news, like so many people,I was deeply disappointed and demoralised, because the reality is, the solutions thatare being put forward now, I don’t see any that can, in a short period of time, provide500 beds. There is nothing like that scale that’s available anywhere else. You canbuy hotels here and there, you can build 12 houses, but there’s nothing like that scalethat can be activated in a relatively short period of time. We obviously will continuecalling on the Federal Government to review.
This decision. Yes, I’m sure the FederalPolice need a training facility, but people need houses. They need roofs over their heads.They need beds more urgently. We again call on the Federal Government toreconsider this decision so that we can get the State Labor Government, the Federal LaborGovernment working together for the benefit of the people who desperately need it, peoplewho are in dire straits and will be grateful to have a roof over their head, even if itis close to the airport, even if it is away from many facilities. It is the feedback thatwe have heard that there are many, many people out there that would appreciate this facility.We continue to support its activation as crisis accommodation. Thank you.Are there any further questions?.
Councillor COLLIER. Thanks, Chair. My questionis to the Chair of City Standards, Councillor SarahHUTTON.What real-time data has been provided to the general public for the reporting of brokenfootpaths, playground and park equipment, including the plan for their repair works?Councillor HUTTON. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I thank the Councillor for the question.The real-time data piece, I will actually have to take on notice and come back to you,but I would like to acknowledge that our Council teams are working very, very hard to ensurethe safety of our footpaths. We do that on a—if there is a report that is put forwardby the public with a broken footpath that is dangerous, we get out there ASAP to fixthat broken footpath as quickly as possible.
Safety is paramount for our city and we reallywant to ensure that our Brisbane residents are cared for in this way, but I will returnto the question. I will provide that answer to you later. Thank you. Are there any furtherquestions? Councillor WOLFF. My question is to the Chairof City Planning and Suburban Renewal Committee, Councillor ALLAN.Councillor ALLAN, a recent announcement by the Queensland Government showcased theirnew approval timeframes to build new homes. Can you please update the Chamber on thisannouncement, including any other timeframes you are aware of? Councillor ALLAN. Thankyou, Madam Chair, and thank you, Councillor WOLFF, for the question. Earlier this month,the State Government passed the Housing Availability.
And Affordability Bill. Whilst the bill hasbeen passed, in true Labor fashion, a number of amendments to the planning regulation,Ministers’ guidelines and rules, and development assessment rules are only now being releasedand consulted on. According to the State, the bill will support more homes being builtfaster through a new pathway. The State-facilitated development team, whowill fast track the assessment of development applications for infill developments thatdeliver diverse and affordable housing, the Labor Housing Minister wants developers andresidents to believe that this new screen blind program will cut approval times downto just 75 days. However, they failed to mention this so-called fast track team will assessthese State-facilitated development applications.
Within a minimum of 75 days. Let me repeatthat. Within a minimum of 75 days, that’s 15 working weeks.Madam Chair, I understand why Labor would believe that 75 days seems like a short timeframe.You only have to reflect on other planning amendments that Council has sent to the State,either for adoption or for approval to commence consultation. It took the State 218 businessdays to support the commencement of consultation on the Nathan, Salisbury, Moorooka NeighbourhoodPlan. It took the State 286 business days to support commencement of consultation onthe qualified State interest amendment, local heritage places. This is meant to be a streamlinedamendment process that is more efficient due to the limited State interest review.Madam Chair, do I even need to mention Pinkenba.
Which, as the LORD MAYOR has indicated, tookmore than 640 days to elicit a response? These timeframes are, frankly, not good enough.It is, however, encouraging to see the State, through their South East Queensland RegionalPlan, delivered in just December last year, committing to streamlining planning schemeamendments as a priority action. Madam Chair, I do not want our OppositionCouncillors to be confused. We are very keen to work with the State Government to streamlineamendment and approval processes. While we are keen to improve these pathways, in a bidto support more housing, the reality is that the Opposition in this Chamber continuallyimpede progress on housing. Both the Greens and Labor stand up in this very Chamber andtalk about how housing is a priority.
Councillors interjecting. Councillors, you’vebeen here long enough. Excuse me, Councillor COLLIER. You do notcall out across the Chamber, particularly while another Councillor is speaking.Councillor ALLAN. Both the Greens and Labor stand up in this very Chamber and talk abouthow housing is a priority, but their actions impede housing.Councillor interjecting. Councillor COLLIER. Councillor ALLAN. Their actions impede housingand their understanding of the factors impacting the market is abysmal. Time and time again,they have not supported neighbourhood plans within this Chamber. They haven’t supportedplanning scheme amendments and they haven’t supported incentives that are aimed at bolsteringhousing in this city. Since 2016, the Greens-Labor.
Coalition of chaos, through their failureto support neighbourhood plans, has put at risk the provision of 30,000 new dwellings,but they do like to redirect the blame to this side of the Chamber.So, Madam Chair, what are we doing? On average, assessment timeframes for code assessabledevelopment applications in the Council is 51 business days. This average timeframe wasover 2,000 applications over a year. We are certainly performing well in this particularmetric. How does this fare in comparison to other capital cities? Brisbane processes developmentapplications 38% faster than Sydney or Melbourne. Our development services team is experiencedand agile, and we often implement dedicated teams to focus on key development approvals.During COVID, we implemented the house and.
Homes priority service to stimulate new buildingand construction. This service prioritised and assessed all small-scale domestic codeassessable applications. We set 20 business day KPIs and the team was highly successful,with an average timeframe of 16 business days. Currently, the special assessment unit isfocused on supporting developments that meet the Build to Rent and housing supply incentives.Both these incentives focus on supporting the construction of more housing sooner.Madam Chair, the Schrinner Council will continue to plan for our rapidly growing city in adeliberate and sustainable manner. Thank you. Are there any further speakers?Councillor CASSIDY. Yes, thanks, Chair. I have a question, and my question is to theCivic Cabinet Chair for City Standards, Councillor.
HUTTON.Councillor HUTTON, today you revealed in the E&C report that Council will reduce the supplyand delivery of concrete for basic maintenance by 20% over the next two years. My questionis, why do you support plans for less footpath and drainage repairs and for hardworking Councilstaff to lose their jobs as a result of your LNP Council’s cuts to basic maintenance?Councillor HUTTON. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I would like to thank the Opposition Leaderfor the question. Let’s address the facts. Under this Administration, we consistentlyexceed Labor’s spending on footpaths year after year. Footpath maintenance and reconstructionare prioritised on a needs basis, and safety being the number one concern.Councillors interjecting. Our suburbs are.
A fantastic place to live, work, and relax,and ensuring they are walkable, connected, and accessible is a crucial part of why wecontinue to invest in maintenance schedules here. With 5,000 kilometres of footpath acrossthe city, Council relies on the eyes and ears of our residents and local Councillors toreport damaged footpaths to us, in addition to Council’s inspection and regular maintenancework. To put this into context, if we measured allof the footpaths in Brisbane, they would stretch the entire width of Australia and we’d stillhave 1,000 kilometres left to travel to Sydney. Our dedicated Council employees work tirelesslyto build and reconstruct footpaths and they do an excellent job. We have crews out onthe ground every day across our city, carrying.
Out make safe works where needed and loggingthem for future repairs. If anyone comes across a footpath that isn’t safe, they shouldreport it to Council immediately. Point of order, Chair. Point of order, Councillor CASSIDY.Yes, just on relevance. I agree with absolutely everything Councillor HUTTON is saying, butshe’s not answering the question. It was why is she supporting a 20% cut in fundingfor basic maintenance? Thank you, Councillor. She is trying to answer the question and shestill has several minutes. Thank you, Chair. It’s unfortunate that the Opposition continuesto play politics with the essential Council services that we have. The safety of residentsis the Council’s highest priority and that’s why this Administration has, year on year,committed to record investment in footpath.
Infrastructure and maintenance. We are committedto ensuring that our safety and accessibility of our footpaths for Brisbane residents remains.Are there any further questions? Councillor DIXON. My question is to the Chairof the Environment, Parks and Sustainability Committee, Councillor DAVIS.Councillor DAVIS, the Schrinner Council continues to roll out our plans to make Brisbane thekoala capital of the country. Can you please update the Chamber on this morning’s announcementto helping achieve this goal? Councillor DAVIS. Well, thank you, Madam Chair, and throughyou, I’d like to thank Councillor DIXON for the question. Madam Chair, as you know,we take great pride in Brisbane being the most biodiverse capital city in Australia.Our proximity to nature and the opportunity.
To experience iconic species like the koalain our very own backyards is something that the residents love about Brisbane, becausethere’s nothing else like it in the world. That’s why we’ve teamed up with the leadingexperts from Queensland universities to deliver the Koala Research Partnerships program, andnow the Koala Recovery and Resilience Project, which the LORD MAYOR announced earlier thisyear. The project demonstrates our commitment toleading the way on koala conservation by taking a proactive approach to boost the populationand distribution of this iconic species across Brisbane. This involves not just monitoringand maintaining existing koala populations, but actively reintroducing koalas to areasof Brisbane where they are no longer found.
Through our partnership with the Universityof Queensland, we have undertaken the first successful reestablishment of koala populationat Pooh Corner in Wacol, and I know that the local Councillor is very excited about thatproject. Several years ago, we undertook a citywidesurvey of koalas using specially trained detection dogs, and one of the things we realised isthat we have a number of reserves, including Pooh Corner and Wacol Bushland Reserve, wherethere was really a high-quality koala habitat, but no koalas were present there. We partneredwith the leading experts at the University of Queensland to reestablish koalas in Wacolwith our first release in late 2022. I’m pleased to report that the Pooh Cornerpopulation is thriving. Just last month, Olive,.
One of our koalas there released into thereserve, gave birth to a healthy baby joey. Earlier this morning, we welcomed anotherkoala to his new home at Pooh Corner. Two-year-old Adam has become the newest release into thereserve, following extensive treatment for chlamydia and kidney problems at the MoggillKoala— Councillor interjecting. —Moggill KoalaRehabilitation Centre, and thanks to the fantastic care of the veterinary team at Moggill who’veworked hand in glove with Council and the experts at UQ, young Adam now has a freshstart at Pooh Corner. Adam joins Matilda, Carrie, Lady Jane, Glenda, Chandler, Heaven,Attie, Oscar and Olive’s yet-unnamed baby joey in calling Pooh Corner home. As wellas being new to the reserve, Adam is actually.
A new Brisbane resident, having originallybeen found in Logan. Like all people, once coming to Brisbane, it’s very hard to leave.His health challenges were quite significant, so it was determined by the veterinary staffat Moggill that keeping him close by at Wacol was in fact the best option for him.Before his release, Adam was fitted with a tracking collar which will now allow the teamat UQ to closely monitor his movements and help them check up on him to ensure that hestays happy and healthy. While Adam will hopefully call Pooh Corner home for many years to come,we’re also busy looking for more opportunities to expand this program. A big part of protectingBrisbane’s koala population is ensuring we have adequate habitat for our furry andsometimes a little fussy eating friends.
While we continue to welcome new koalas likeAdam to Pooh Corner, we’ll also be working with the team at UQ to identify other siteswhich could be suitable for koala reintroductions. So, thanks to the initiatives like the BushlandAcquisition program and our Target 40 commitment, there’s now more opportunity to boost populationsand distribution of koalas across the city. The work is in its early stages, but basedon the initial assessment, there are several sites that are looking very promising, includingMt Coot-tha Reserve, Marstaeller Road Reserve, Karawatha Forest, and Bayside Parklands.As part of that, we are also supporting the rollout of a brand-new chlamydia vaccine,developed right here in Brisbane by Professor Ken Beagley at QUT. The Council has committed$150,000 to fund the vaccine’s registration.
So that it can be used in a widespread scaleby any registered veterinarian. The vaccine has been proven very safe and effective, andin trials on both captive and wild koalas, it returned a 100% success rate. So, as partof our recovery and resilience project, all koalas going through the reintroduction programwill be vaccinated by experts from UQ using the vaccine developed at QUT.Madam Chair, this has been a real team effort and demonstrates the Schrinner Council’scommitment to the protection of koalas, and while there’s lots more work to do, I lookforward to sharing updates on young Adam and his new family at Pooh Corner very, very soon.Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Councillor DAVIS.Are there any further questions?.
Councillor GRIFFITHS. Thank you, Madam Chair.My question is to the Civic Cabinet Chairperson for City Standards, Councillor Sarah HUTTON.Councillor HUTTON, how many staff has Council currently allocated within the PPI—program,planning, and implementation—area of Council to repair footpaths, parks, and playgrounds?Councillor HUTTON. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I’d like to thank the Councillor forthe question. I think I’m in the hot seat today. People know where I am now, which isfantastic. Councillors interjecting. Unfortunately, Idon’t have those details on hand, so I will come back to you. Thank you. Thank you, CouncillorHUTTON. Further questions?Councillor ATWOOD. Thank you, Chair, and whilst.
Councillor HUTTON is in the hot chair, letme add to you. My question is to the Chair of the City Standards Committee, CouncillorHUTTON. Councillor HUTTON, Brisbane’s outdoor lifestylegives us the opportunity to make our city even better. Can you please update the Chamberon the latest initiative helping to boost Brisbane’s lifestyle? Councillor HUTTON.Thank you, Councillor ATWOOD. I know you are a big supporter of our street art wall program,and it is going from strength to strength. Madam Chair, Brisbane boasts the title ofAustralia’s lifestyle capital and our street art wall program epitomises our commitmentto fostering our city’s vibrant culture while providing a platform for artists torefine their craft freely.
Just last week, the LORD MAYOR unveiled thelatest addition to the program at Paddington Skatepark. It has many locations where thesebudding artists can showcase their talents, but starting from mid-May, the PaddingtonSkatepark will also become the inaugural site to feature a purpose-built tri-wall. Thisinnovative design consists of three 2.4 metre square panels offering artists the opportunityto create larger-scale murals for the community to enjoy. The Paddington Skatepark holds arich legacy within Brisbane’s graffiti community, serving as a canvas where budding artistslike Drapl and Sofles initially crossed paths and admired each other’s work. From thesehumble beginnings, both artists have ascended to international acclaim, securing commissionsacross the globe. Their journey traces back.
To the vibrant walls of Paddington Skatepark,where their talents first nurtured and celebrated, marking a pivotal chapter in their artisticevolution. The artwork created by Tervo and his teamfor the grand opening of this Paddington site is truly exceptional. Despite the challengesposed by the rain in the days preceding the event, their dedication and meticulous planningshone through in every spray and detail. I must also highlight the remarkable El Schrindogpiece, a standout addition to the unveiling. The opening also saw the honour bestowed uponTervo by the LORD MAYOR, presenting him with the inaugural street art keys to the city,underscoring the significance of his contributions. Tervo’s vision has been instrumental inestablishing the very first legal street art.
Wall, serving as a beacon for aspiring artists.His unwavering passion for this program reflects his belief in the potential to cultivate andshowcase world-class talent, thus shaping the future of urban artistry.As rightly pointed out by Councillor ATWOOD, Brisbane’s outdoor lifestyle presents uswith the chance to enhance our city even further, and the street art program is a fantasticinitiative to elevate our outdoor spaces. Street art walls serve as a safe haven forboth emerging and established street artists to unleash their creativity while also fosteringa culture of learning and collaboration within the broader community. The success of thefirst street art wall at Ekibin Park in Greenslopes, launched in January 2023, is evident withbudding and established artists heading to.
The site to push their styles, practise theirtechniques, and develop in an artistically safe environment. It is great to see thatthis wisdom is being passed down to an eager next generation of Brisbane artists and muraliststhat are ready to be recognised on the global stage.In January of this year, we also introduced a new site at Tingalpa Spillway, at the StantonRoad, West Tingalpa, or more commonly known as the Tingalpa Spillway, within CouncillorATWOOD’s ward. Artist Fintan Magee, who has been painting at this site while growingup, has recently moved back to Brisbane from overseas. He said, to many, this is the greyspillway under the gateway. To us, the artists, this has the potential to launch an artist’scareer, not only locally, but onto the world.
Stage. Fintan’s earlier, large-scale paintingsoften inhabited the isolated, abandoned, and broken corners of the city, and today arefound all over the world, including London, Vienna, Los Angeles, Moscow, and Rome.I love that, Madam Chair, because this demonstrates how much impact these sites have in increasingthe liveability of our suburbs, by seeing amazing mural and art in our community spaces,but also how we’re fostering that next generation of artists.I want to quickly talk about two Brisbane local artists, Guido and Gus, who are incrediblytalented and are doing amazing work in this space. Guido van Helten is renowned for hisphotorealistic murals and has pioneered the silo art trail in rural towns. These siloand water tower murals are driving the economy.
In some of these rural communities. I’vehad a look at some of the artwork, Madam Chair, and it is truly exceptional. Guido has commissionedartwork not only in Australia, but in Italy, Jordan, Poland, the United States, India—Thank you, Councillor HUTTON. Your time has expired. Thank you, Madam Chair. Further questions?Councillor JOHNSTON. Yes, my question is to the LORD MAYOR.LORD MAYOR, it’s six months since you committed to ensure that the Venner Road resurfacingproject that you announced in the budget in June would be delivered this year. There’sonly two months of the year left. It’s almost five years since GeoffCopland was killedand Council has taken no action to address how dangerous and degraded Venner Road is.It is in appalling condition. Will you commit.
Again today, as you did six months ago, toensure that Venner Road is resurfaced, as you promised in the budget in June last year?LORD MAYOR. One of the things that I strenuously object to is any kind of linking of that tragicaccident and the surface of the road, because there was a thorough investigation done intothat accident and it was a driver that was drugged up at the time. You don’t blamethe road when that happens. It was a tragedy and it should never have happened, but totry and make some political points out of this and suggest that resurfacing the roadwould change that is actually really disappointing. So, we’ll continue delivering upgraded andresurfaced roads. I’ll see if I can provide a more detailed timing of the Venner Roadproject, but obviously, it was one that we.
Included in the budget. At this point in time,linking those two things together is completely inappropriate.So, we will continue resurfacing roads as part of our ongoing program, and we did fundthe Venner Road project in the budget. I will endeavour to get an update on the timing ofthat project, but certainly, we are committed to resurfacing Venner Road. Exactly whichmonth it will happen, I don’t have at hand to me right now. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thankyou, LORD MAYOR. Further questions?Councillor ADERMANN. Councillor—me? Councillor ADERMANN. Thank you. Yes, thank you, Chair.My question is to the Chair of the Economic Development, Nighttime Economy, and the Brisbane2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Committee.
DEPUTY MAYOR, recent data indicates touristnumbers to Brisbane reached a recent all-time high. Can you please update the Chamber onthese stats, including Brisbane’s visitor economy? DEPUTY MAYOR. Thank you, Madam Chair.Thank you, Councillor ADERMANN, because you are right, Brisbane tourism is booming, andthe latest data showing that visitors from across Australia and the world spent over$10 million in our city last year. This is great news for our local economy, with tourismsupporting local jobs and businesses, including our hotels, tourism operators, cafés, andrestaurants right across the city. For the year ending 2023, both domestic and internationalvisitation to Brisbane hit new heights. Post-COVID, domestic tourism was quick to recover andcontinues to soar, with 7.3 million Australian.
Travellers injecting a record-breaking $7.2million dollars into Brisbane in 2023, up 14% year on year.Our popularity with southern states is also stronger than ever, with record numbers ofvisitors from Melbourne up nearly 9.5% year on year to 654,000, as well as an increasein visitors from Sydney up 10.3% to 940,000. Of course, we’re not surprised because Brisbanecements its place as the destination for choice for holidaymakers. We are setting the paceand we’re excited to see this trend really gaining momentum.On the international front, we’re seeing promising signs of growth back to pre-COVIDlevels. International travellers flocking back to Brisbane have driven record-breakingvisitor spend in the city. When I say in the.
City, I mean right across Brisbane, not theclass warfare we hear from the Opposition of just in the CBD. Right across the city,we are seeing the data showing the spend from our 2023 international visitors at $2.9 billion,up nearly two per cent from 2019. While overall international numbers still have some wayto fully recover, the average level of stay for visitors has also increased by three nights,now sitting at just over 20 nights with a record number of nights for travellers visitingfriends and family, up 21% from 2019 to 9.5 million.That has been a major focus we’ve had in BEDA, to keep those families and friends stayinghere in the city and spending in Brisbane. New Zealand, the UK, and the USA are the largestnumbers of international visitors to Brisbane,.
While the number of visitors from countriesincluding Canada, India, and Thailand also hit all-time highs. Fantastic news, as I said,for our economy, and also wonderful to see residents welcoming their loved ones backto Brisbane to spend time together. Not only did we see record spending, but internationalvisitors are also enjoying longer stays in Brisbane because, of course, there’s moreto see and do here than ever before. We are now renowned as Australia’s lifestyle capital,world-renowned, in fact, as reported by Time magazine, the New York Times, and Travel Biblefrom us as a must-visit destination. From riverside precincts like Howard Smith Wharvesand South Bank to world class dining, stunning natural surrounds, and an abundance of freeand affordable events right across our city.
We have Australia’s best restaurant, Agnes,the best hotel, the Calile, not to mention international blockbuster sports events likeFIFA Women’s World Cup, Brisbane’s Cycling Festival wrapping up just last weekend, andthe NRL Magic Round coming up in May. Another key driver to attracting our visitorsto Brisbane has been what we call bleisure travel, so mixing business with leisure. Thisis in no small part to the competitive business events calendar we continue to drive throughBrisbane’s economic development agency. Hundreds of thousands of delegates are setto hit Brisbane this year, travelling from across Australia and around the world, fillingour hotels and restaurants while boosting our city’s reputation as a global businessevents destination.
Last year, business events in Brisbane delivered$90 million in economic activity for the city, and this year, it’s looking at close to$95 million. Many of our conferences which are scheduled are from the health and sciencerealm, no surprise when you learn that Brisbane has one of the largest hospital and healthcareclusters in the southern hemisphere and is home now to more than 100 health and biotechfacilities. As our city continues to secure high-profileevents, we’ll continue to better our hotels, venues, and lifestyle offerings to match.We’re also supporting the return of these events and ensuring our international visitorscontinue to grow through new and expanded aviation routes to Brisbane from key markets,so more visitors from around the world can.
Enjoy the best of Brisbane. These events injecthundreds of millions of dollars into the economy, attracting visitors from across Australiaand the world, making Brisbane an even better place to work, visit, and invest. Thank you,DEPUTY MAYOR. Further speakers?Councillor CASSIDY. Thanks very much, Chair. My question is to the Civic Cabinet Chairfor City Standards, Councillor HUTTON. This is a very simple and easy one. I’msure you’ll have these figures at your fingertips. How many footpath repair jobs are currentlyoutstanding across Brisbane? Councillor interjecting. Councillors.Councillor HUTTON. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to Councillor CASSIDY for thequestion. Again, the Opposition love to play.
Politics with the everyday services of Council.It’s interesting that you’re bringing up what you would consider the footpaths thathave not been repaired. At the moment, our teams are going through those processes andare reviewing the way that they are managing those programs, so I will come back to youin time with those details. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor HUTTON.Further questions? Councillor PARRY. Thank you, Madam Chair.My question is to the Chair of the Community and Arts Committee, Councillor HOWARD.Councillor HOWARD, supporting Brisbane’s creative sector is a key part of our planto make Brisbane’s lifestyle even better. Can you please update the Chamber on the SchrinnerCouncil’s latest investment in the arts?.
Councillor HOWARD. Well, thank you, MadamChair, and through you, I thank Councillor PARRY for the question because, of course,I’m always very happy to talk about the community and the arts of our beautiful cityof Brisbane. The Schrinner Council has long supported the promotion and development ofthe arts and arts workers to ensure Brisbane remains a vibrant, creative, and culturalworld city. Through the Creative Brisbane Creative Economy strategy, we are committedto developing a creative and prosperous Brisbane where our city’s artistic sector thrivesand is driven by talented leaders, creative entrepreneurs, and a skilled, artistic workforce.This commitment involves investing in initiatives that support the continuing growth and professionaldevelopment of this sector, and showcases.
Brisbane’s talented and diverse creativeand cultural community. To foster this growth within the city, I’m happy to announce thatearlier this month, we announced the successful recipients of both our Creative Sparks Grantsprogram and our Lord Mayor’s Creative Fellowships. By way of brief background, the Creative SparksGrants program is a Brisbane City Council initiative, delivered in partnership withArts Queensland to support artists, art workers, and producers who live and work in Brisbaneto extend their creative practice in the development of new works.Council funding towards the initiative fosters creative entrepreneurial and commercial approachesand investment in new partnerships between the arts, community, and business. I’m happyto announce that, earlier this month, Council.
Awarded close to $200,000 in funding to 19local artistic groups or individuals to deliver new, creative projects across the city andsuburbs, boosting the city’s creative industry. Successful recipients this year include PaulHodge, whose innovative new musical Black Box will be premiered at QPAC in May, andBrisbane-born arts company Flipside Circus, who have also received funding to collaboratewith The Good Room to deliver a blend of contemporary circus and visual theatre. We really are privilegedas a city to have such a strong and burgeoning pool of talent, creating new artistic worksacross the city, and we look forward to seeing this new wave of Creative Sparks alumni asthey bring more creative offerings to our suburbs.Moving on now to another one of our ongoing.
Initiatives, the Lord Mayor’s Creative Fellowships,the Lord Mayor’s Creative Fellowships support Brisbane artists, art workers, cultural workers,or creative producers who wish to develop and expand their careers in the arts and culturalsector. Since the program began in 1996, over 120 creatives have received financial supportfrom Council to develop their skills, attend workshops, host residencies, participate inconferences, and undertake structured learning opportunities across the world. I’m happyto announce that just this week, Council announced the successful recipients of this fellowshipprogram who are set to take their careers to the next level and showcase their skillsfor the world to see. The initiatives funded under this year’sfunding include creative residencies in Denmark.
And the UK and other professional developmentopportunities, such as writing and screenplay workshops in Brisbane and across the globe.Providing funding for initiatives like the Lord Mayor’s Creative Fellowships ensuresthat we foster and develop the next generation of creative talent that our city is knownfor, making Brisbane’s cultural scene even better.As you will all know, supporting, developing, and establishing creatives and arts workersreaps a tremendous amount of benefit for the city, including fostering the developmentof new creative arts and artworks for the benefit of visitors and residents of Brisbane,building our creative and cultural scene, creating employment opportunities for locals,and encouraging tourism to the city, and of.
Course building Brisbane’s reputation asa global creative hub. The Creative Sparks Grants program and our Lord Mayor’s CreativeFellowships are just two examples of initiatives that build our city’s reputation as a modernand creative world city. Our initiatives, that I encourage those heretoday to investigate, include Brisbane City Council’s QUBE Effect, which is runningat the moment and it’s giving 19 musical acts the opportunity to take part in an annualmusic development program. These 19 acts have been undertaking a range of musical professionaldevelopment opportunities since November 2023, and the program will culminate in an awardsnight on 19 August. We are a vibrant and creative city and supporting initiatives like theseensures that the Brisbane of tomorrow is even.
Better than the Brisbane of today. Thank you,Councillor. Further questions?Councillor CASSIDY. Thanks very much, Chair. My question is to the Civic Cabinet Chairfor City Standards, Councillor HUTTON. You might be reviewing this process, as well,and maybe you’ll have to take this at notice, just like how footpaths are determined tobe broken or not, apparently, but my question is how many playgrounds and pieces of parkequipment are currently broken and awaiting repair? Councillor HUTTON. Thank you, MadamChair. I am feeling very popular over here, and I would like to say thank you, CouncillorCASSIDY, for being so inquisitive about our footpaths, our playground equipment. It isfantastic. We are reviewing the process at.
The moment and, unfortunately, I don’t havethat data at hand, so I will be able to come back to him in due course. Thank you, Councillor.Further questions? Councillor ADERMANN. Yes, thank you, Chair.My question is to the Chair of Economic Development, Nighttime Economy and the Brisbane 2032 Olympicand Paralympic Games Committee. DEPUTY MAYOR, investing in Brisbane remainsa strong option for those looking to do business in our city. Can you please update the Chamberon some of the latest deals happening in Brisbane ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games?DEPUTY MAYOR. Thank you, Councillor ADERMANN, again, and Madam Chair, because it’s notjust our visitors that are flocking to Brisbane. We are alive with opportunity here in Brisbane,and we are also seeing people coming to Brisbane.
To invest, to work and live here, as well.The more that people visit Brisbane, the more we know that people will know where Brisbaneis, and that’s when they’ll come and invest here, as well. People from all corners ofthe world are coming here now to live and work, and we are a city with unstoppable momentum.It’s an upward trajectory for us, and I am very proud to say that the City of Brisbanehas given us the very big responsibility, but humble responsibility of being the Administrationthat makes sure we continue in an upward trajectory, as well. It’s all about creating that perfectenvironment for businesses to start, run and grow.BEDA drives investment demand for the city in both domestic and international markets,and as a city with a thriving economy, we.
Have the potential for huge growth acrossthe entire business ecosystem. We are currently experiencing a transformative era with a strongpipeline of infrastructure projects that are shaping our city shape. From the constructionof Queen’s Wharf precinct, Brisbane Metro, bridges, Victoria Park, to significant advancementsin our technology and research sectors, we are rapidly emerging as a prime destinationfor investors globally. As the closest major city to Asian markets,we are looking to secure our position as the economic powerhouse in the region, bolsteredby a global, 24-hour airport that has the largest runway capacity in Australia. Oneof the fastest growing multi-cargo ports with unparalleled links domestically and internationally,our close proximity gives us a clear advantage.
Over cities like Sydney and Melbourne, whichI like to say are so 50 years ago. Couple that with the incredible lifestyle of ourthriving city, we are looking at a powerful array of investment drivers.BEDA’s Investment Attraction team provide a one-stop shop providing potential investorswith industry insights and business data, as well as access to our business network,including critical introductions to local industry stakeholders, public and privatebusinesses, and other levels of government. The team have been run off their feet fieldingenquiries from interested investors at a rate of knots, with no signs of slowing down. Theyare meeting and beating their targets with over 300 enquiries fielded for the financialyear against the KPI of 104. February saw.
The biggest influx, with a record of 73 enquiriesfollowed by 63 in March, bringing the total number of enquiries for this quarter alonejust shy of 160. There is no shortage of interest in Brisbane,and the team are working around the clock to make sure we don’t miss any of thoseopportunities. They’re converting interest into early-stage leads, leads converting intoinvestment wins. The teams are tracking well, looking to advance close to 60 early-stageleads, and that is no mean feat as the type of projects we’re looking at here are megamultimillion dollar investments, often in the hundreds of millions of dollars. BEDAofficially landed their second investment win for the financial year in March, withan estimated economic impact of 150.24 million,.
Creating 223 new jobs and supporting 341 localjobs. There was the Martin Brower facility project at Karawatha, a new, state-of-the-art,temperature-controlled distribution facility that will support international supply chains.The ripple effect of these investments extend far beyond direct job creation and the immediateeconomic boost. A flourishing investment landscape means local businesses also thrive, from theretail, the hospitality, the services all benefitting from increased consumer spendingand enhanced economic activity. We are proud to be playing such a crucial role in thisjourney and we are working hard to continue our city’s potential, support our localbusinesses, and work towards a thriving future. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, DEPUTYMAYOR, and that now ends Question Time.
LORD MAYOR, Establishment and CoordinationCommittee report of 22 April 2024. Point of order, Chair. Point of order, Councillor COLLIER.Yes, I move that the motion currently lying on the table, that this Council fly the Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander flags on the Story Bridge come off the table for debate. Seconded.Councillors, you have to move that there be a suspension of standing rules.Councillors interjecting. Oh, take off the table, sorry. My apologies. Thank you.It has been moved by Councillor COLLIER and seconded by Councillor CASSIDY that the motionfrom 6September 2022 be taken off the table. This is a procedural motion, so I now putit to the vote. All those in favour, say aye.Councillors say aye. Those against, say no.
Councillors say no. The noes have it.The motion is lost. Sorry, we will now move to E&C.LORD MAYOR. Madam Chair, I move that the report of the Establishment and Coordination Committeemeeting held on Monday 22 April 2024 be adopted. It has— Seconded. It has been moved by theLORD MAYOR and seconded by the DEPUTY MAYOR that the report of the Establishment and CoordinationCommittee meeting dated Monday 22 April 2024 be adopted.Is there any debate? LORD MAYOR. Yes, Madam Chair. I can reporton the matter that Councillor COLLIER just raised. Right now, we are going through aprocess of consultation with our First Nations stakeholders on this matter, and that processhas not yet been finalised. So, once we do.
Get the feedback and that consultation isfinalised, we will happily report back to the Chamber and have that debate, but thathas not yet been finalised. I think it would be premature, unless of course you were justtrying to play politics with this issue, to have this debate prior to the consultationwith our Traditional Owners being finalised. Councillor interjecting. So, moving forward—Councillor interjecting. Moving forward, I just wanted to talk about Labor’s approachin Question Time and their approach generally since losing the election, in the worst waythat they have lost in the history of the Labor team, effectively, ceding all groundand all credibility to a radical left-wing party that has absolutely abhorrent viewsthat are totally out of touch with the wider.
Community. You’d think, after getting amessage like that from the public, that they would change their approach, but they haveliterally come in and they’ve started a new term exactly the same way they finishedthe last term. They have learnt nothing. They’ve doubled down on a strategy which is quiteclearly failing, and has only failed to boost the Greens’ support—only succeeded inboosting the Greens’ support, but it’s completely failed in this Administration losingany support whatsoever. So, they’ve doubled down on it.It’s almost as if they think, oh look, people haven’t heard our message. We need to keeprepeating it. All of the money they spent on radio ads and advertising, they just think,oh, maybe if a few more people hear that message,.
They might fall for it. What we see is failureto accept that the problem here is that, first of all, they can’t offer any alternativeplans and they certainly can’t offer a costed alternative, but they don’t get the fundamentalidea or concept that, when people pay their rates, they actually want that money managedresponsibly. They want their Council not just to keep spending, despite the fact that costsare going up, and drive up rates and rents, but instead, people might actually want theirCouncil to manage their money responsibly. They haven’t got that message at all.The other thing is, they always gild the lily. They always overstretch. They overreach. So,in their major advertising campaign during the election, we all remember the ads whereit started off with a very sombre video of.
Me. It was a black and white one. Everythingwas black and white, and I was looking very sombre. Why? Because they lifted that videofrom the message of condolence that I was giving for Queen Elizabeth’s passing. Theydidn’t consider that it was a little bit off to use a video of me giving a messageof condolence for the Queen’s death. They were quite happy to use that in their negativeadvertising campaign, but that was only just the minor problem with that.Secondly, they suggested that I had stopped an SES depot from going ahead and that I hadstopped flood recovery works, when in fact both of those things were stopped by the LaborState Government. The SES depot had funding rejected from the Labor State Government.You know this, Madam Chair. They missed out.
That part in their advertising campaign. So,the Labor State Government stopped the SES depot from going ahead by rejecting the funding,and then the flood recovery works that were apparently stopped were actually rejectedby the Queensland Government’s Reconstruction Authority. Why? Because they believed thatthey were not flood recovery works. Oh, they don’t meet any criteria. They’re not actuallymeeting our criteria for flood recovery works. They didn’t mention that part in their advertisingcampaign. What they did do is they then ended it offby saying, how does the LORD MAYOR have hundreds of millions of dollars to spend on self-promotion?Not thousands of dollars, not even millions of dollars, hundreds of millions of dollarsto spend on self-promotion. So, as I said,.
They can’t help themselves. They alwaysgo too far. They always gild the lily. They always stretch the truth, and people can seestraight through it because the amount of people that came up to me during the electionsaying, what’s this about hundreds of millions of dollars? That just really doesn’t soundcredible. I’m like, that’s because it’s not. People didn’t believe it. They knewit was gilding the lily. So, to come in here today and to pursue thesame issues and to double down without learning anything from the election is quite extraordinary.I probably shouldn’t say anything. I should probably just let them keep doing it, becauseit’s been such a failure to this point that maybe I should let them do it, but look, it’sgrowing tired. We’re growing tired of this.
Approach. The reality is, we have had to reduceour spending in order to keep rates and rents down. It’s as simple as that. We’ve beenreally clear about that. It hasn’t been a secret. It’s not some kind of caught-outmoment here. We were proactive about telling people.In fact, people have also said to me, oh, that was a great election strategy, to announcethat you had to reduce spending. I’m like, what do you mean that was a great electionstrategy? We had to reduce spending because the cost of everything was going up. It wasn’tan election strategy. It was actually responsible financial management. That’s why we didit and that’s why we’ll continue to keep the budget balanced, and that sometimes involvescutting back on spending in certain areas.
To relieve the pressure on rates and rents.You know, it’s no secret. They’re like, whoa, if only more people would know. Well,everyone heard. Everyone heard the message. They rejected it.So, going forward, we will continue a responsible financial approach when it comes to the managementof the city’s finances, and that means we won’t spend more than we can afford to spend,because in the end, we know how that ends. We know that, in the end, ratepayers pay moreif you take the Labor approach or the Green approach. That also means renters pay more,as well, because rates are passed on to renters. So, this idea that you can somehow increaserents without there being any impact on—increase rates without there being any impact on rentersis, obviously, a bit farfetched. So, by keeping.
Rates down, we’re also not adding to thepressure on rents. We’re also keen to continue to increase supply of housing, and whetherit’s affordable housing, whether it’s just general housing that’s being built,we have been very proactive in making sure that we accommodate supply wherever possible.I heard Councillor COLLIER interjecting when Councillor ALLAN called Labor and the Greensout for opposing development. They’re like, you guys are in charge. The clear implicationthere was, well, don’t worry about us. We don’t have any power. What we do is notsignificant. Yet they promise people that they will fight for the residents and standup for the residents. The only thing I’ve seen them fighting is actually fighting newhousing. That’s consistently what they have.
Done the entire time I’ve been LORD MAYOR.They have fought against new housing being built. So, to say, oh, don’t worry aboutus, it’s not us, people want to know what you stand for.They know that we stand for increasing housing supply and that we stand for reducing thecost of building homes in Brisbane, but they also know that you stand against housing.In fact, a big part of the vote of the Greens is an assumption that the Greens will stophousing being built. We know, we know it to be true. We know that people are like, ohyes, I’ll vote Greens so that nothing happens in my area, and these lovely, leafy areaswill stay exactly the same because the Greens will stop it. Somehow, the Greens can promiseto build a million new homes, but they certainly.
Won’t be in green areas. They certainlywon’t be in green areas. That’s the ultimate NIMBY-ism. LORD MAYOR, your time has expired.Move for an extension. Seconded. It has been moved for an extension by the DEPUTY MAYORand seconded by Councillor DIXON. All those in favour, say aye.Councillors say aye. Those no. The ayes have it. Then, we also saw last weekquestions around Kurilpa. How many new homes are being built in Kurilpa? As though theGreens were hungry for new homes to be built in Kurilpa. We know they don’t want anynew homes to be built in Kurilpa. We know they have opposed new homes being built inKurilpa because they want it in other parts of Brisbane, not in green areas. It’s thesame with Labor. They want homes in other.
People’s areas, not in their own. One thingthat’s been really consistent is, people know what Labor and the Greens are fightingagainst, but they don’t know what they’re fighting for. Once again, they double downon being against things rather than being for things. So, it’s a real disappointingapproach, but as I said, I probably shouldn’t have said anything. They might actually changetheir approach and they might actually get somewhere, but I doubt it.Madam Chair, in front of us, we have two items, but before I go into those, I just wantedto, as I normally do, talk about the lighting up of assets to support our community in variouscauses. Last night, City Hall was lit up in blue to support World Wish Day. This is theglobal campaign that supports the granting.
Of wishes to children who are suffering criticalillnesses. Whether it’s trips to theme parks, a ride in a supercar or a new puppy, the campaignaims to bring these wishes to life for sick kids.Tonight, all our assets will be lit up in green for the eve of Lyme Disease AwarenessDay. The Lyme Disease Association of Australia runs their campaign throughout May to raiseawareness for and support for patients of Lyme and other tickborne diseases.On Wednesday and Thursday night, all our assets will be lit up in purple to mark the beginningof Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month. The month will work to raise awarenessof domestic and family violence, coercive control, and mobilise corporate and communityaction to end this behaviour in Queensland.
On Friday night, the Story Bridge, VictoriaBridge, City Hall, and Reddacliff Place will be lit up in blue and purple to support InternationalHuntington’s Month. Huntington’s is a neurodegenerative disorder that’s both fataland incurable, and affects about 10 out of every 100,000 Australians.Saturday is International Firefighter Day and our assets will be lit up in red to markthe occasion. Celebrated globally, this day recognises the bravery and sacrifice our firefightersmake, both locally and across the world, every single day.On Sunday night, the Story Bridge, Victoria Bridge ,and Reddacliff Place will be lit upin the rainbow colours for Big Gay Day. It’s back for its 24th year and, once again, we’resupporting it. It’s a festival of celebration.
Of Brisbane’s LGBTIQ community, with bothlocal and international talent on display. Councillor HOWARD is very much looking forwardto it, as she does every year. Item A in front of us, the contracts and tenderingreport for March, five out of five contracts were awarded to local suppliers. The caretakerperiod obviously related to March, so there were a limited number of contracts that monthfor obvious reasons, and only essential contracts that had to be dealt with in that period weredealt with. Obviously, we weren’t involved in that process. 199 contracts have been awardedto local suppliers so far this financial year, 87.7% of contracts with local suppliers, whichmeans a total spend of $1.25 billion has gone to local suppliers. Contracts included includeroof repairs at the Wynnum Manly Seagulls,.
Remediation work at the Kangaroo Point cliffs,car park reconstruction work at the Sandgate Seahawks AFL Club, repair at the Wilston Scouts’building, restoration works of the open drain on Bennett Road in The Gap.Also, item B is the supply of premixed concrete. Now, Councillor CASSIDY and others have onceagain tried to double down and referred to a line in the document which tries to predictfuture demand for this kind of product. Look, the reality is that demand is set each yearin the budget. We are in the process of working on the budget, and this year, obviously, we’vebeen very upfront about our need to reduce spending in certain areas, but what happensfrom here on, obviously, will be a matter for those budget deliberations. So, an officer’sview on what future demand might be might.
Be good from an academic point of view, butit won’t match reality. The reality, obviously, will be set as we go through the budget preparationprocess each year, but as Councillor HUTTON correctly pointed out, we have been spendingand investing far more in footpath construction and maintenance than Labor ever did in Administration.They love to say, oh, it was 20 years ago, it doesn’t count. Well, it does count becausethat’s the only thing we have to measure. Actually, I’ve misled the Chamber. It’snot the only thing we have to measure them by. They have this thing called a SuburbanEnhancement Fund where they can fund footpaths, and they fund bugger all. They literally havethe choice to spend this allocation each year on playgrounds or parks or other improvements,or footpaths, and what they do is they choose.
To spend it on other things and then criticisethe Administration about footpaths. So, they’re the two things we have to measure Labor’scredibility on and by both of those measures, it’s not particularly crash-hot. We’llcontinue to invest in footpaths. We’ll continue to invest in footpath repairs, but also, it’simportant to remember what the process here is.Councillor HUTTON knows this very well. When we get a community report or a Councillorsees a footpath which might be unsafe—and when I say unsafe, I mean, for example, atrip hazard—then Council will come out and inspect that as soon as possible and takeinitial works to make it safe. Now, those initial works to make it safe may includegrinding down raised sections of footpath.
It may include a temporary repair to makethe footpath smoother and not a trip hazard, but effectively, that initial response isall about making sure that people do not trip. That is done very quickly and very efficiently.There should be no impact on that particular service. So, this is something we have a highexpectation on. This is a safety issue. It’s dealt with quickly. It’s dealt with efficiently.We continue to support that, but what we’re referring to is areas that might be old orhave some cracks in them that could use a refresh. These are not urgent, top priorityjobs that will cause someone to injure themselves. Often, it is superficial cracking. Now look,I know my own driveway at home has cracks in it. They had cracks before I bought thehouse. Have I rushed out to replace the driveway?.
No. Why? Because it’s actually not necessary.The cracks don’t impact on a trip hazard. They don’t create a trip hazard. They don’timpact on my ability to use the concrete area. They are superficial cracks.So, Labor will carry on about a cracked section of footpath not getting repaired immediately.We base our criteria on public safety, and they’re the things that we give the toppriority to. Superficial cracks or damage don’t make the top priority list. They aredealt with over time, definitely, but it’s public safety that gets the first response.So, you’ll see Labor always links the two things together. They’ll say, oh, there’sa cracked footpath, it’s unsafe. Not true. Cracked footpaths can be perfectly safe and,in fact, the damage in many cases is superficial.
The other thing is, and this is somethingthat is obviously a concern for me, is the damage caused to our footpaths by others.Often, it is a concrete truck accessing a property, a house being built or a propertybeing built. The truck—and, ironically, it is a concrete truck that often does thisdamage—drives over a Council footpath, cracks it, and then the builders don’t take appropriateaction. So, this is a process that we’re keen to follow up on because a significantpercentage of the damaged footpaths are actually done by people driving over the footpathsin heavy trucks and cracking them. Obviously, other damage is done by trees andthat’s natural. That’s something we accept in a beautiful city that has lots of treecover, but this is something that we continue.
To work on, but public safety will alwaysbe our top priority. It is appropriately funded when it comes to dealing with those safetyissues and we have the highest expectations of public safety. We expect them to be dealtwith immediately and fixed as soon as possible. LORD MAYOR, your time has expired.Further speakers? Councillor CASSIDY. Thanks very much, Chair.Just want to check we’re all right to use the term bugger all in debate. CouncillorCASSIDY, please continue with your— Okay, that’s fine. We can do that. So, the LORDMAYOR in his contribution today on Clause A and B here, contracts and tendering, ofwhich I think there’s five projects, five projects in contracts and tendering, and tothe Stores Board submission for the supply.
And delivery of premixed concrete, the LORDMAYOR went from ranting and raving to rambling. He even got onto the point—so, in his contributionabout the supply and delivery of premixed concrete for basic maintenance on Councilassets, he talked about cracked concrete at his house when he was buying it, God knowswhenever that was. That came after about 12 minutes of ranting and raving about LaborCouncillors— Point of order, Madam Chair. —asking very legitimate questions, Chair.One moment, Councillor CASSIDY. Point of order, DEPUTY MAYOR. Can I ask yourruling on Councillor CASSIDY, who’s not able to go around the world on the committeereports, but speak to the reports? Thank you, DEPUTY MAYOR.Councillor CASSIDY, can you get to the report,.
Please? Thanks very much, Chair. I will talkabout concrete for footpaths. I won’t talk about the LORD MAYOR’s cracking concreteat his house anymore. I don’t need to. He canvassed that enough in his contributionabout the significant contracting plan, talking about the damage at his own home. I stillcan’t quite believe that. It’s quite strange, actually, but item B before us today is forthe supply and delivery of concrete for—and I quote from the report, Councillor ADAMS,for your benefit—the construction of kerb and channel footpaths and drainage projects.Now, we asked questions, lots of questions about broken and damaged footpaths, aboutthe data on those broken and damaged footpaths, the staff Council employs to manage brokenfootpaths, as well as broken park equipment,.
As well.The LORD MAYOR seems to think those questions are illegitimate somehow, that they are notthe kind of questions that Councillors should be asking of Civic Cabinet Chairs, particularlyin the context of us getting this report before us today, which is asking us as Councillorsto endorse a significant contracting plan which the LORDMAYOR tried to distance himselffrom. He tried to say that the Council officers have stitched him up here. That’s what hetried to say in the line here where it says that they expect demand to reduce by up to20% over the next two years, so the supply of concrete for very basic things, includingfootpaths in the suburbs of Brisbane, kerbing and channelling work, and drainage projects.Now, this is a document that the LORD MAYOR.
Is presenting and spoken on, the E&C reportbefore us today, that he and his Councillors, his Civic Cabinet Chairs, sat around a tablelast Monday and discussed and endorsed. So, it’s a bit rich for him to come in heretoday, Chair, and say, apparently, it’s nothing to do with him. These—Councillor interjecting. It is not a lie. Councillor interjecting. Thank you, CouncillorCASSIDY. We can always hear you speaking out aloud to your people, too, so it is difficult,and that’s why I often ask Councillors to take their conversations outside. I thoughtI heard something that I clearly didn’t, so I apologise. It’s okay. Thank you, CouncillorCASSIDY. So, the item before us today confirms what I think we all know in here, and I knowyou know, Chair, I know the LORD MAYOR knows.
This and every LNP Councillor knows that thebudget cuts the LORD MAYOR announced last year are going to stay with us for years tocome. So, we’re not talking about—the LORD MAYOR tried to cover this by saying hisbudget cuts in this current financial year mean there will be less concrete needed forprojects, because he’s cutting back on maintenance, basic services, and projects in the suburbsof Brisbane, but we’re not talking about this current financial year.What this item before us today is for is the two years beyond 2025. This contract comesinto place in February 2025, and what Council officers have identified, based on the directionthat they’re getting from this LORD MAYOR and his Civic Cabinet Chairs and the fundingthat they are going to allocate in future.
Budgets, in the forward estimates that areincluded in the upcoming Council budgets and future Council budgets, that less money isgoing to be spent on footpath repairs, drainage projects, and kerbing and channelling. It’sall before us in black and white today, and it’s very rich for the LORD MAYOR to comein here and say—it’s always somebody else’s fault, of course—he blames everybody foreverything, and today he’s blamed Labor Councillors for the lack of housing supplyand for the lack of footpath maintenance and new footpaths in the suburbs of Brisbane.The LORD MAYOR said, and I quote, that Labor Councillors do bugger all footpaths when itcomes to their SEF projects. Well, my list includes Bartholomew Street, Zillmere, HinchcliffeStreet, Zillmere, Kilpatrick Street, Zillmere,.
Access path to Sandgate Aquatic Centre, SheenaStreet, Geebung, High Street, Geebung, and Queenstown Avenue this year. It doesn’tsound like bugger all to me, LORDMAYOR, through you, Chair. I know Councillor GRIFFITHSis out there just about every day of the week. Councillor COLLIER, I know. Not sure aboutin the Calamvale Ward one, because that was obviously all allocated by the previous CouncillorAngela Owen. I understand most of that SEF—well, 100% of that SEF went on a car park. Nonewent to footpaths. So, I’m absolutely sure Councillor KIM will be able to rectify thatas the new Councillor. What we have before us today is evidence inblack and white that there is going to be a 20% reduction in funding for kerbing andchannelling, footpaths, and drainage projects.
Why do we know that, Chair? Because one, itsays there’s going to be a 20% reduction in the amount of concrete ordered, and two,it says here that 99% of the spending for this contract is being generated from internalCouncil construction activities. So, we’re not talking about major projects. We’renot talking about trimming back on the Metro, trimming back on Moggill Road, trimming backon the Indooroopilly Roundabout. We’re not talking about trimming back on the Green Bridgeprogram here. What the LORD MAYOR is doing when he says cutting back here and there iscutting back on kerbing and channelling work, on footpaths and footpath repairs, and iscutting back on drainage projects. Now, the number one thing that people sayto me when I talk to them about what their.
Priorities are for the upcoming Council budget,for the last two years particularly, but even before the February 2022 flood disaster, hasbeen more funding needs to be put into drainage projects. I did a drainage survey of my communityfollowing that disaster, and of the 500 or 600 responses I got for that, the vast majorityof those were about basic drainage upgrades needing to occur in their suburbs. Whetherthat is upgrading kerbing and channelling to take more water to existing gully traps,whether that’s investing in new drainage, additions to drainage systems, upgrading drainagesystems, bigger pipes, all that sort of thing, the really basic stuff a Council should dowith ratepayers’ money. The LORD MAYOR talked about his Administrationtaking money in rates. I think this year,.
It’s over $1.6 billion coming into Councilin rates. He says, this is his equation, that people want it managed well, sure. What theywant Council to do with those rates dollars is invest them in their communities on thingslike drainage upgrades, on things like new and improved footpaths to make our communitiesmore accessible, and to upgrade kerbing and channelling in our road network, as well.So, for the LORD MAYOR to come in here and say, we have no right to ask questions aboutbasic maintenance and these cuts that he’s bringing for the next two-and-a-half yearsin terms of basic maintenance is okay, it’s not okay. Every single one of those CivicCabinet Chairs that sat around and discussed this last week and every single one of theLNP Councillors that are going to vote in.
Favour of this 20% reduction to concrete todayare doing their communities a disservice. We saw last year—so, this is all comingon top of the cuts that happened last year, as well, the 25% reduction in road crews,so I guess we should have seen this coming. If they were going to reduce road resurfacingby 25%, of course you reduce kerbing and channelling by 20%, and then you reduce footpaths by 20%,and then you reduce drainage projects by 20%. This is clearly just in the LNP’s DNA now,to cut basic services. Sure, the LORDMAYOR said he needed to cut back because of hisdecisions, but we knew then, last year, and it’s being confirmed now, that his numberone target is basic maintenance and services that Council should be delivering in the suburbsof Brisbane. So, we won’t be supporting.
This contract today, given that it’s veryclear this is going to lead to cuts to basic maintenance in the suburbs of Brisbane. CanI ask that item B be taken seriatim for voting, Chair? Any further debate?Councillor GIVNEY. Thank you, Madam Chair. I rise to address item A for the contractsand tendering, specifically regarding the roof repairs at the Wynnum Manly SeagullsJuniors. This roof replacement holds significant importance for the esteemed club, who is thebiggest Rugby League club in Brisbane City Council, boasting a membership exceeding 900,inclusive of approximately 100 women, including five female teams. The original clubhousewas actually built in 1952 at an initial cost of $2,000 and has undergone significant expansionsin 1979 and 1986. The impending roof replacement,.
Planned to commence next month and concludein September, strategically aligns with Brisbane’s drier weather conditions.Council officers are currently collaborating with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls to facilitatethese forthcoming works, valued at approximately $340,000. These aim at ensuring that theirloved community facility at 57 Stradbroke Avenue in Wynnum, affectionately known asKitchener Park, is safer for all. Recently, the President of the Wynnum Manly SeagullsJuniors, Yvette, alongside her dedicated committee of Dan, Kylie, Julie, Jai and Vicki, orchestratedan exciting fundraising event, a pig racing evening, to both engage and gather supportfor the club. Attending this event with my family, I had the pleasure of assisting Kylie,selling raffle tickets for the meat tray,.
And—sorry—and the manner in which thisclub fosters community support among the families is truly commendable. The event raised over$12,000, which is directed to subsiding players’ costs so that more players can play this communitysport. The clubhouse is also home to the Wynnum Darts Club and the facilities are shared withthe Wynnum Manly Touch and many other school competitions.The Wynnum Manly Seagulls Junior Rugby Club serves as a feeder club for the BMD WynnumManly Seagulls, which was once graced by the legendary Wally Lewis. These clubs are thecornerstones to connecting our community and their enduring legacy has continued to rundeep within the Wynnum Manly community for generations.Weekends on the bayside witness locals uniting.
At Kougari Oval, steadfast for their supportof the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. The success of the mighty club is recognised not onlyby the hardworking and talented players but the unwavering dedication of fans, supportpersonnel and numerous volunteers who ensure both junior and senior clubs are adoptingsustainable and successful practices. Local business leaders, including Bartons,BMD, Lipke Motors, and the Wynnum Manly Leagues Club have been staunch advocates for the clubs.Clubs like the Wynnum Manly Seagulls play a vital role in providing our youth with meaningfulavenues for engagement, fostering relationships with peers, mentors, and coaches.The club expresses gratitude to the Brisbane City Council for its support of this project.Enabling them to ensure that their clubhouse.
Remains a safe place for their whole communityand they can continue to provide opportunities for youth participation in rugby league. Thankyou. Further debate? Councillor JOHNSTON. Yes, thank you. I riseto speak on Item A and Item B. Just am very interested in Item 3 of the contracts andtendering, the Hawks Sporting Club car park construction at Taigum. I’m just wonderingif that’s in Councillor CASSIDY’s ward and that’s excellent. Because I’m surehe’ll nod at me if I get this right. I’m just interested on whether this is beingfunded through Council’s capital budget or whether he was asked to do this throughhis SEF, right, so—I appreciate that right around Brisbane there are a number of sportingclubs that desperately need repairs and upgrades.
Many of these are car parks because they arejust in terrible condition. It is fascinating to me today that on thereport that we have before us, some $296,265 is being invested into the Hawks SportingClub car park construction at Taigum. Now I’m sure it’s well deserved, I don’tquestion the fact that it needs to be done. What is fascinating is the way in which Counciltreats other car parks that have been neglected in other parts of the city. I’ll certainlyhave a lot more to say about that as this meeting progresses.But what is interesting to me is that Council does fund car park upgrades through its capitalbudget. They don’t make Councillors on other wards do it out of their trust funds. It’snot been my experience that Councillors are.
Required to do basic maintenance like fillingpotholes, remarking lines, trimming trees back so car parks can be accessed, replacingwooden bollards. Basic maintenance requests. It’s not been my experience that that’ssomething that Councillors are required to do through their SEF funds. I’m not sureof the scope of the works here, hopefully it’s an extension, that’s also somethingthat Councillors don’t normally do. Well apparently Councillor Owen, who’s no longerwith us, that gives a pretty good indication of priorities, I guess.But I’m very interested in what’s happening at this location. I note that Council is investinginto—a capital works budget into car parks on the northern side of Brisbane. I’m justvery curious about why they’re refusing.
To do so in Tennyson Ward on the southernside of Brisbane. I’ll have more to say about this as the meeting progresses.I too want to just speak on Item B. It is very obvious that the budget cuts the LORDMAYORhas wreaked over this city are coming home to roost. It is astonishing that the LORDMAYOR thinks that less concrete for essential maintenance works, like car parks repairs,or footpaths, or drainage, less concrete will be required over the next two years. So thatis an extraordinary situation, I think. Without question it reflects the poor forwardplanning, the poor scoping, and the poor leadership of this LNP Administration. I mean the LORDMAYOR has stood up today—and I agree with Councillor CASSIDY—gone off on a completetangent. I mean his own driveway is irrelevant.
To what we’re discussing about the expenditureof public funding. Although he does get $100,000 in public funding he doesn’t account for.But this is a debate about how public funds are spent in the city.This Council has to be accountable for how that funding is allocated. It’s clear thatprojects are being cut back all over the city, all over the city. It takes over a year, somewherebetween a year and 18 months, to get a footpath properly repaired in Brisbane. CouncillorHUTTON, I think, is living in some kind of fantasy land if she thinks that it’s beingdone quickly. Yes, they might go out and put a bit of asphaltover a bad join, maybe they’ll do that, but not always, maybe. But what then happensis that will sit there for a year or 18months.
And the footpath is not fixed.Now when I started, these things were fixed within a matter of weeks. Even I’d go backas far as last term saying that Council were slow. But you know within a year you woulddefinitely have a footpath that would have been fixed. It’s just a turkey shoot atthe moment as to whether or not you will get your footpath fixed.The idea that this Council thinks that we need less concrete for the next two yearsto deliver on the most important and basic services that this city needs, is astonishing.It shows that the LORD MAYOR’s financial mismanagement of this Council’s budget andthe LNP Councillors blind support of this budget, continues to cause hardship for peoplein the suburbs who can’t get basic repairs.
Undertaken.They’re not getting their drains fixed. We’ve got a park still closed two and ahalf years after the floods in Sherwood, still closed. No work done to fix it. I’m presumingsome concrete will be needed because there was a major stormwater detention basin inthere. Will there even be enough concrete over the next two years to get this done?I don’t know. It is just not good enough that the LORD MAYORthinks that less money is needed for concrete. Because we don’t, sadly, need less concrete,we actually need more. There’s more hard work that does need doing.I think what it reflects, which the Deputy—sorry, which the Opposition Leader raised, is thatthere are more budget cuts to come. If the.
LORD MAYOR knows now he doesn’t need asmuch—20% less concrete, 20%—a fifth less concrete—that means that there are lessprojects that will be delivered. So, this is a damning indictment of this LNP Administration’sfailure to deliver on basic services for the Brisbane community and it’s not good enough.Further speakers? Councillor PARRY. Thank you, Madam Chair.I rise to speak on Item A, specifically the structural repairs being undertaken at WilstonScout Hut in Grange. Built before the Second World War, the Wilston Scout Hut has beena fixture in the Grange cultural precinct for almost a century. Conveniently locatedacross the road from Grange Bowls Club, Lanham Park, and a stone’s throw from the GrangeLibrary. Countless local scouts have walked.
Through the doors of this hut eager to embarkon camping trips, learn valuable skills like first aid and navigation, and contribute totheir community through service projects. I’m told one such project was making bandagesduring World War II to help the war effort. Now home to around 60 Cubs, Scouts, and Venturers,the hut provides a space for our kids to continue their pursuit of leadership, resilience, andmaking the world a better place. However, over time, the building, that was in factbuild by Scouts in the first place, many years ago, has deteriorated somewhat and requiressome structural work to be undertaken. Council has worked closely with Scouts Queenslandin developing the scope to enhance this facility. The $280,000 project includes restumping works,some floor replacement, stairs and a ramp.
Replacement, and new concrete sleeper retainingwall. We have also ensured that the group can be accommodated at other facilities, wherepossible, while the works are carried out. These improvements will begin in mid-May andare set to be completed sometime in early August of this year. Speaking with Tracy,the Scout Group Coordinator, I also know that Wilston Scouts intends to undertake some furtherupgrades at this local facility, once our works have been completed. This includes anew dishwasher, a fresh lick of paint, and potentially improved flooring in the kitchen.I know there’s a few working bees coming up too, so look out.Of course, the priority remains fundraising for the next Jamboree in 2025. Where fivelucky Wilston Scouts are heading to the great.
Queensland town of Maryborough, which willbe very exciting for them. In closing I will mention that we have numerousdens, huts, and halls just like this one across the suburbs in Marchant Ward. You many nevereven notice them when you’re driving past, and you probably won’t until you perhapsgo to vote or take your baby to its first playgroup. Or maybe when your little one becomesa Joey. Or maybe it’s even later when you become a member of the Wilston Windbags andperform your regular cardio sessions within the hall’s walls.Whatever it may be, these facilities are important hubs for our community and I’m proud tosupport the Wilston Scout Hall as local Councillor, so that it continues to serve us well intothe future. Thank you.
Councillors interjecting. Thank you, Councillor.Further speakers? Councillor HOWARD. Thank you, Madam Chair,and I rise to enter the debate on Item A. I’m just a little confused, Madam Chair,because I would have thought that the Leader of the Opposition would have spoken aboutone of the most amazing projects in his ward. But of course it was left to the Councillorfor Tennyson to do that. So, I just wanted to set the record straightand I wanted to provide a brief summary of the works that are set to take place at theHawks Sporting Club at 120 Lemke Road, Taigum. The current scope of works for this car parkreconstruction includes demolition of the current car park asphalt. Replacement withnew asphalt in the same footprint and the.
Installation of 80 car parks with the inclusionof a person with disability car park. We know that this facility was quite heavilyimpacted by the 2022 floods and we hope that these works will deliver a new and improvedcar park for the benefit of club member and supporters. It certainly was something thatCouncil worked very closely with the club immediately after those 2022 floods, to makesure that we reinstated the car park for community use. The works before us today are much moresubstantive. Providing the club with an upgraded car park, which is set to be used for decadesto come. So, Madam Chair, this project is funded bythe Australian Government Local Roads and Community Infrastructure program, Phase 4.Thank you very much. Thank you Councillor.
Further speakers?Councillor HUTTON. Thank you, Madam Chair. I rise to speak on Item B, the significantcontract plan for supply and delivery of pre-mixed concrete. This SCP commits Council to continuingto provide this vital material to build the infrastructure our city needs. This item seeksapproval for a public tender to establish a panel of suppliers once the current arrangementexpires in February 2025. In 2003 alone, City Standards utilised animpressive 17,000 cubic metres of pre mixed concrete across various projects throughoutthe city. These projects include drainage rehabilitation works in McIntyre Street, Hendra,construction of new footpaths in front of Wynnum State High School. replacement of theBarr Street pedestrian bridge in Tarragindi,.
Restoration works in the Cobalt Street opendrain in Keperra, and much, much more. As we continue to enhance our city’s lifestyleand develop infrastructure to keep Brisbane moving, re-establishing this panel of suppliersis crucial to ensuring the timely and efficient supply and delivery of pre-mixed concrete.The tender for this panel will be released in mid-June this year. As the Chamber mayknow, pre-mixed concrete is a highly perishable material and has a narrow transport radiusof 40kilometres to 50 kilometres. So, I’m pleased to note that this tenderpresents an opportunity to explore innovation in concrete delivery solutions. We expectthe technology such as truck tracking apps, alternative mix trials, and electronic deliveryof dockets will be put forward for Council’s.
Consideration.Chair, with every project undertaken, from road repairs to drainage enhancements, weare not just laying concrete, we are laying the groundwork for a better Brisbane and moreefficient city. I commend this item to the Chamber. Thank you, Councillor.Further speakers? LORD MAYOR. Thank you. Labor Councillors wereinterested to know what my driveway had to do with our footpaths. It was quite clearthat it was all about the difference between a safety issue and a superficial crack ina footpath. Just as a resident wouldn’t rush out to fix a superficial crack in theirdriveway or at home, the reality is we focus our priority on the jobs that are a safetyissue. That’s always been our priority,.
It continues to be our priority. I think that’sthe priority that people would expect us to have as well.So, we will continue to make sure that we direct the resources of Council to identifyingand repairing and fixing those safety issues. So that the community can move around safelyon footpaths and on bikeways and we’ll continue to invest. Not only to claim that more investmentis required but to actually put our money where our mouth is as well and fund thesethings in the budget. We know that Labor Councillors in the pasthave been caught out when it comes to their own record on footpaths. We know that they’veclaimed for years and years—they’ve made claims for years and years about the needfor more money on footpaths. We’ve called.
Them out repeatedly.So, if you look back to the 2021-22 financial year, Labor Councillor Cook, at the time,built zero footpaths from her fund that was available to her. Councillor STRUNK builtzero footpaths from the fund that was available to him. Councillor Cumming at the time builtone footpath. Councillor CASSIDY built two footpaths and Councillor GRIFFITHS, who’sthe only person who seems to actually—on that side of the Chamber, be building footpaths,built six. So good on you Councillor GRIFFITHS. You’re using—oh, he’s not there—usingthe funding that’s provided for an issue that he considers to be important.The following year 2022-23. Councillor Cook/Councillor COLLIER built zero footpaths in that year.Councillor STRUNK built one. Councillor Cumming/Councillor.
Whitmee, obviously there was a changeover,built zero. Councillor CASSIDY built two, Councillor GRIFFITHS built five. So, as Isaid he obviously considers that to be a priority and invests in it.Councillor CASSIDY listed off a whole range of streets that he’d apparently built footpathsin. I Assume that’s his entire career in Council that he was referring to there. Becauseit certainly wasn’t one year worth of projects. So, they’ve been caught out in the past—Councillor interjecting. Oh, so he’s suddenly found a newfound interest in footpaths—Councillors interjecting. —in one year, that’s good. That’s good. But I thoughtthere was less funding for footpaths available, Councillor CASSIDY.Councillors interjecting. He’s building.
More than ever. LORD MAYOR. But—well no,no I don’t have this year’s but I’m sure—Councillors interjecting. —in the lead up to the election you decided to put your moneywhere your mouth is and good for you, good for you When I’m addressing this, I justwant to, if you will allow me, just raise the issue that was raised by Councillor JOHNSTON.I have a response if you’re interested in hearing that, Councillor JOHNSTON, on VennerRoad. So, the resurfacing of Venner Road is dependent on potentially the need to relocateunderground utilities. So, on 20 May, so later on in the month ofMay, we’ll be doing a road closure and detailed surveys of the underground utilities to determinewhat work will be required prior to the resurfacing.
Under the road we know that there’s notonly water pipes under the road but also a 33 kilowatt electricity cable as well. So,we’re doing the appropriate work in advance to determine what utility relocations willbe required. So obviously resurfacing can’t happen untilthe utilities are identified and relocated, if necessary, and we’re working on thatnow. So, our commitment is to resurface Venner Road. The funding is in place to resurfaceVenner Road and at this point in time the only thing standing in the way is just thatwork that needs to be done on utilities. So hopefully we’ll get a good response andthe work can proceed sooner, rather than later. But obviously one of the things when you startlooking at underground utilities—and Councillor.
WINES knows this—you could discover thingsthat you may not have been aware of. They can become really expensive. We know that—Ithink it was like $14 million with Telstra that we had to spend.Might even be more than that, with the Moggill Road project, just with one utility provider.That didn’t include Energex, that didn’t include water utilities. So, these thingscan be quite expensive and time consuming. If it’s not your utility to move then youare completely at the behest of another agency who will often just take their time to moveit. So, if the cable, electricity cable needsto be moved by say, Energex or one of the providers. They will sometimes just take theirtime to do that and there’s not really a.
Thing that we can do about that, unfortunately.So, the funding remains in place, the commitment to resurface Venner Road remains in place.But we are reliant on utilities to determine the exact timing of that project. If I haveany further news, obviously happy to provide that news. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you,LORD MAYOR. So, we will now put Item A to the vote.All those in favour say aye. Councillors say aye. Against, no.The ayes have it. We will now put Item B to the vote.All those in favour say aye. Councillors say aye. Against, no.Councillors say no. The ayes have it. A Division has been called by Councillor CASSIDYand seconded by Councillor COLLIER. Councillors,.
Ayes to my right and noes to my left. Pleasering the bells. Close the doors. Clerk, please read the results. Madam Chair, the ayes haveit. The voting being 19 in favour and seven against. The motion is carried.Councillors, please resume your seats. DEPUTY MAYOR, Councillor ADAMS, Economic Development,Nighttime Economy and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Committee. Thank you,Madam Chair, I move that the report of the Economic Development, Nighttime Economy andBrisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Committee meeting, held on Tuesday 23 April2024 be adopted. Seconded. It has been moved by the DEPUTY MAYOR, seconded by CouncillorHUTTON. That the report of the Economic Development, Nighttime Economy and the Brisbane 2032 Olympicand Paralympic Games Committee meeting, dated.
Tuesday 23 April 2024 be adopted.DEPUTY MAYOR. Thank you, Madam Chair, and just briefly, because I have spoken aboutit already in Question Time. We did do the economic update last week with the Managerof Economic Development. It is again, as I mentioned, a very upward trajectory and veryexciting of how we’re going in Brisbane. I’ve talked about tourism and I’ve talkedabout the investment. But also, locally we’re seeing the numberof businesses actively trading within Brisbane growing as well. Sp it’s increased 1.9%to 138,801, when compared to June2022. That’s great because what we’re also seeing is97% of those businesses were considered small businesses with less than 20 employees andthree per cent were considered medium to large.
With more than 20 employees. So, we’re reallyseeing those home grown starting and growing, or starting and running. Then we’re hopingto see them grow and step into those larger business over the coming decades.Interesting to see the type of businesses that are really in our local traders gainingtraction in Brisbane. Professional, scientific and technical services, rental, hiring andreal estate services, construction, of course. Healthcare and social assistance, transport,postal and warehouse. So, it’s great to see that we’re also thriving in our localbusinesses and more business are coming online as they see the opportunities in Brisbane.To make sure that they can live, work, and play in this amazing city, thank you. Is thereany debate?.
As there is no debate we will put the reportto the vote. All those in favour say aye.Councillors say aye. No—sorry those against say no.The ayes have it. The report is carried.Councillor DIXON. Point of order, Chair. Chair, I move that Council now adjourn for afternoontea for 15 minutes, which commences only when all Councillors have vacated the Chamber andthe doors have been locked. Seconded. It has been moved by Councillor DIXON and secondedby Councillor GIVNEY, that the meeting adjourn for a period of 15 minutes, which commencesonly when all Councillors have vacated the Chamber and the doors have been locked.All those in favour say aye.
Councillors say aye. To the contrary, no.The ayes have it. The meeting will be adjourned when all Councillorshave left the Chamber. Councillor MURPHY, Transport Committee report, please. Thankyou, Mr Deputy Chair. I move that the report of the Transport Committee meeting, held onTuesday 23 April 2024 be adopted. Seconded. It’s moved by Councillor MURPHY, secondedby Councillor PARRY. That the report of the Transport Committee meeting, dated Tuesday23 April 2024 be adopted. Is there any debate?Councillor MURPHY. Thank you, Mr Deputy Chair. Before I speak to the Committee report. Ijust want to take a brief moment to reflect on the tragic incident that occurred on EdwardStreet last month. As those in the Chamber.
Will know, on 8 March a Brisbane City Councilbus turning left into Edward Street, left the road and very sadly took the life of TiaCameronwho was standing on the footpath. I want to share Transport for Brisbane’sdeepest sympathies with the family and friends of Tia Cameron. This was a truly devastatingincident. The kind of incident that shocks and deeply affects our entire community. Becauseno one ever expects anything like this to occur when we go about our daily lives.You would have seen, Mr Deputy Chair, that the Queensland Police Service undertook someonsite testing as part of the investigation just this Sunday gone. Council is doing everythingpossible to support the QPS through their ongoing investigation. Of course the impactsof a tragedy like this are felt very widely.
That includes our team in Transport for Brisbaneand our bus drivers and I would dare say the entire organisation that wears the Councilbadge. Our bus drivers, of course have a criticallyimportant role in keeping Brisbane moving. So to all of our bus drivers, I want to saythank you, your work is vital and it is appreciated by all residents who rely on our services.We know that it is a difficult job out there on the road, a very, very difficult job. Onceagain, this Chamber is with you every step of the way in that critical service that youprovide to the residents of this city. Councillor interjecting. Last week, Chair,during the Transport Committee meeting, we had a joint presentation from both Transportfor Brisbane and Brisbane Infrastructure.
We had a few newcomers to the Transport Committeethis term. So the presentation provided a comprehensive overview of the impactful workthat Transport for Brisbane and Brisbane Infrastructure do on a day to day basis and across the variousmajor projects that have spanned several years. From the operations of our bus network throughto constructing active transport infrastructure. I’m really excited for what lies ahead forthe Transport Committee this term. Team Schrinner is committed to keeping Brisbane moving thisterm, Chair. Later this year we will launch Brisbane Metroand will transform the city’s entire public transport experience. Along with introducingMetro services, we’ll also switch on Brisbane’s new bus network, delivering 160,000 more tripseach and every year for our residents. With.
The first stage of Brisbane Metro very closeto becoming a reality, we’ve also got our sights firmly set on the expansion of thisproject. As you know, Chair, one of the LORD MAYOR’skey commitments during the 2024 election was to deliver a new Brisbane Metro depot andstation for the north of our city at Fitzgibbon. This depot is essential to expanding the fullyelectric, high frequency Metro services into the northern suburbs from the Royal BrisbaneWomen’s Hospital. Unlike those opposite, we know that delivering Brisbane Metro servicesto the northern suburbs is vital for relieving congestion in this part of the city.We’re also looking at how we can make our ferry network even better as well. We’replanning to go to tender for Brisbane’s.
First electric ferry. Which will help us tomodernise and decarbonise our public transport. This term we will introduce CityCats to HowardSmith Wharves. In fact, actually this will be done before the end of this financial year,Chair. We’re very proud of our how vision for HowardSmith Wharves has come to life and adding CityCats into this terminal will mean hundredsmore services to and from the precinct each and every week. Which will make it even easierfor residents and visitors to our city to enjoy this incredible part of our lifestyleoffering. Earlier this month we welcomed services tothe new Dockside terminal and major works are now underway at Mowbray Park. The Committeereceived an update on that matter this morning.
These upgrades are much needed and for thatcommunity, Deputy Chair, I would say are very much low awaited. So it is a great achievementto have the CityHopper back servicing Dockside once again.While Mowbray Park is closed for its upgrade, we are encouraging e-mobility as an alternativetransport option. Working with our providers, Council has supplemented the area with additionaldevices the residents are able to use. With one of the operators, Beam, on a 33 centsper minute discount rate. Chair, that’s been a great success so far,with an average of 80 trips being taken per day using that offering to and from the MowbrayPark terminal. The average length of two kilometres means that most users are travelling intothe Valley directly or into South Bank via.
The Goodwill Bridge. Sorry, into South Bankor coming into the city via the Goodwill Bridge, I should say.Along with welcoming our new operators on e-mobility, we’ll also be celebrating thecompletion of the Kangaroo Point Bridge, which will provide faster, safer and more directaccess for residents to get from the city to Kangaroo Point or from Kangaroo Point tothe city. We know this bridge will take an estimated 84,000 cars off the road each andevery year and it will save residents seven minutes of travel time when riding from TheGabba to the CBD. But we aren’t just thinking about the city,Deputy Chair, those opposite would lead you to believe. We’re also thinking about thesuburbs. We will deliver the PrebbleStreet.
Bikeway which will provide a vital offroadconnection between Rochedale and Wishart through the Bulimba Creek bikeway, in your ward, MrDeputyChair. We’ll also be delivering a new connectionbetween the Minnippi bikeway and the Minnippi Golf Course. Which will provide a dedicatedlink from Creek Road to the Bulimba Creek bikeway in Councillor ATWOOD’s Ward. Importantly,we’ll be promoting walking, scooting and riding to school with our new Safe SchoolPrecincts program. Mr Deputy Chair, the people of Brisbane gavethis Administration a very strong mandate in March. That mandate is built upon a planto keep Brisbane moving and I look forward on delivering our elements of that plan withinthe transport portfolio this term. I’ll.
Leave further debate to the Chamber. Okay,thank you, Councillor. Any further debate?Councillor JOHNSTON. Thank you, Mr Deputy Chair. I just rise to speak briefly on theTransport Committee introduction, and I note with interest, both the report and the Chair’scomments today about the Brisbane Metro. Interestingly the Brisbane Metro will be delivered thisyear, is what I heard. Councillor interjecting. Now, yes, yes. SoI guess the really interesting part of that is we still don’t know the true cost ofthat project. We don’t know how much it will actually overrun by the end of this.We’re working in the dark. I suspect in the Council budget in June we’re going tosee further cost blowouts associated with.
This as well.But the interesting part of all of this is the Transport Chair has indicated that heknows what’s happening with the Bus Network Review. He hasn’t announced that, he hasn’t—Councillor interjecting. —released the Bus Network review. There’s been no furtherconsultation, as promised, with residents and residents are still in the dark. Now,I saw during the election campaign that there was some announcement. So clearly the LNPknow what’s happening with the Bus Network review and my understanding is Translink hasresponded to Council. But Council has not released the response publicly.So why is that? If the Metro is going to be up and running later in the year and it’snow May tomorrow. Why is it we don’t know.
How bus networks are going to change in Brisbane?We have to do more consultation with residents, because that’s what was promised when theroutes were—when the report went to Translink it was promised there’d be further publicconsultation. So when’s that going to happen? If Council—the LNP is genuine about thisBus Network review and listening to the community, they’ll have to assess that consultation.They’ll have to go back to Translink. This is all supposed to happen—what, in the nextseven months, eight months? So the big question we have here is why isthe LNP sitting on the Bus Network review? Why haven’t they released it publicly soresidents can fully understand and appreciate the bus changes. Many of them were cuts toroutes in suburban areas. Why hasn’t the.
LNP released the Bus Network review? Why arethe hiding it? Why won’t they provide it to all Councillors? Why won’t they releaseit publicly to the community? So there is a really big problem with theTransport Chair’s introductory presentation. Where he talks up the Metro but is hidingthe most—one of the most significant aspects of the Brisbane Metro. Which is the changesto all the public bus routes that this Council has been lobbying for behind closed doorswith Translink. So I call on the LORD MAYOR, who’s absent,or the Transport Chair, to immediately release the Bus Network review response from Translink.To outline the timetable for further consultation with the community and to stop keeping residentsin the dark about one of the most significant.
Changes to residents in their local communitiesthat can happen. Now I remember the last time Council stuffedup the Bus Review back in— Councillor interjecting. —back in 2011-12.The outcry from residents was extraordinary. We can see from the report that was releasedlast year that there is a huge amount of feedback in my ward, in Councillor MASSEY’s Ward,in other wards around Brisbane. But people want to know what’s going on. They wanttheir bus services, their local bus services, improved and they want them protected.We know that this LNP Administration is only interested in cuts. They want to cut routes,they want to cut frequency. We want to know why they are hiding this Bus Network review.So again, I call on the LORD MAYOR and the.
Transport Chair to immediately release theTranslink response to the Bus Network review. To come clean with the public about what isproposed with the changes and to engage in meaningful public consultation and take intoaccount the feedback that residents provide. To make sure we get a better bus service outof a $2 billion project. Not a worse bus service like out in my area.Councillor interjecting. Where they want to cut a local service, the 105. They want toreduce the frequency of other bus services. We’re getting no significant improvementsto 95% of bus services in my ward. So it’s time for this LNP Administrationto come clean with the residents of Brisbane and provide the Bus Network review publiclyfor all to see and to engage in meaningful.
Consultation on any changes that have beenbrought forward. I’m really fascinated to know why Councillor MURPHY is hiding thisinformation from the Brisbane community. Any further debate?Councillor MASSEY. Thanks, Deputy Chair. I rise to speak briefly about the transport—introductorytransport report for Brisbane. Look, I only got my driver’s licence about three yearsago. Which means I spent most of my life on public transport, walking and cycling.So, for me, transport is something I care very deeply about. Because it was really importantto my life. The thing that—like looking through this introductory report, there’sa couple of things that I notice, which I found really interesting. That were thingsthat we heard were really challenging for.
People and were challenging for me also whenI was predominantly—as I am still today—mostly a public transport and active transport user.I mean firstly, the reliability of our buses. I think we talked about the network upgrade,Councillor JOHNSTON did talk about the network update. I do know for the network update,the highest consultation numbers were from The Gabba Ward. The two highest, South Brisbaneand West End. In my ward, some of the things that peopleconstantly talk about is the lack of reliability of the buses. We can see here on Transportfor Brisbane bus performance, that the average running time is about 80%. Which basicallymeans that 20% of buses aren’t running on time. In real life that means one in fivebuses and that has real life effects for people.
That need public transport. People that needto get to work on time. Or people that need to get to their appointments on time.Of course while the Metro is going to be delivered in the end of the year and will move our transportsystem more to a trunk structure as it’s spoke and wheel currently. What is still missingfrom our bus system is actually something radial that connects our suburbs to each other.Rather than, again, even though it is moving towards trunk, rather than a bus system thatleads all roads to the city, When we talk about the buses. Like the busfleet currently—and we talk about how our city is moving toward sustainability. Yetwe can see right now, in 2024, currently less than 1.5% of our bus fleet is either electricor the Metro. What that actually means is.
That we are not transforming fast enough toface the climate crisis that is ahead of us. Noting that there is still—let me just findthe page—953 diesel buses, right. So when we talk about—as often rolled outby the LNP Administration—the Clean, Green and Sustainable slogan, our bus fleet is certainlynot Clean, Green and Sustainable. Even though we will increase Metro buses to 66%, thisstill—if we aren’t moving towards more electric rapidly and as soon as possible—thiswill still mean that nearly five per cent, only nine per cent of our fleet is not dieselor gas. Frankly, that’s just not quick enough for the adaptation that we need to face theclimate crisis. Another thing that I’ll note really quickly,because I found the information and I would.
Love some clarity. Is within this it saysthat there’s over 11,000 passenger daily trips. So that approximately leads to about77,000 passengers on the ferries weekly. I’d love a little bit more clarity on that.Because just a couple of weeks ago, as I think last week, Councillor MURPHY was at a KangarooPoint residents meeting and stated that Dockside Ferry would need at least 15,000 trips weeklyto even be considered as a CityCat terminal, even if temporary. The numbers just don’tseem to add up on that. So I’d love a little bit more clarity because I know that the residentsin Kangaroo Point would love a little bit more clarity,Of course, you know while there is work being done on our active transport network and thistalks about topline figures in our active.
Transport network. I think all of us—andthis includes the Councillors on the other side—know that so many of our bikeways endin dead ends. They are unsafe, on dangerous roads and that we don’t have enough safepedestrian crossings or intersected crossings across this city.Councillor interjecting. We know that deaths happen almost weekly from tragic, tragic accidentsacross the city and people do get hit by cars because it’s unsafe. So look, while I amsaddened to not be on the Committee anymore, as you can tell. I am very passionate abouttransport, very, very passionate about transport. I don’t think the Metro will solve our problems,though it might help a little, but just a little.But without any vision or investment to increase.
The uptake of public transport by making itmore frequent, reliable and low cost. If we do not spend the investment to make our activetransport connected and safe, our city will continue to remain congested and car dependent.We see that every day in The Gabba. I have residents who have moved into The Gabba andare stuck on a bus for 40 minutes and it was quicker for them out in the suburbs.So look, I’m looking forward to seeing what the work of the Transport Committee does inthe future. I also call for more information for the network review and to see where we’reat. I think it’s important the consultation continues because that’s what our residentswere promised. I hope that consultation, the feedback from all the residents across thewards that we represent, is actually seen.
And recognised in that network review.While I look forward to seeing the work of the Transportation Committee, I think we havea long, long way to go for Brisbane. Any further debate?Councillor COLLIER. Thanks very much, Chair. I just rise to speak briefly on the TransportCommittee report before us today. Obviously it’s such a privilege to serve on this Committeeon one of the most critical issues facing our city. That is the fact that in Australia,Brisbane is the most congested city. That is a direct result of the lack of forwardplanning and vision by this current Council. So the opportunity to not only hear aboutwhat is happening, I guess, and the priorities of this current Administration also highlightswhat this current Council is not doing.
What we discussed in the Transport Committeereport was patronage. I think out of context it doesn’t entirely stack up. Because weknow that over the last 10 years Brisbane has seen a huge amount of population growthin our suburbs. What we do know though, is that our bus network and our ferry networkis travelling millions of passengers less. So whilst it’s very easy to spin the numbersto suit yourselves, the reality is that far, far less people are taking up the opportunityto get on public transport. What we need to do, we know the research shows that to incentivisepeople to get on public transport, the services need to reflect what communities want andthey need to be reliable. Councillors interjecting. Absolutely. I guessfrom hearing what the Administration has outlined.
As their priorities, I think we’re goingto fall short yet again. Because for the third Council term in a row, this Council’s solutionto addressing the congestion crisis is a single project.Councillor interjecting. It’s the Metro and sure, that’s fine. But it replaces existingservices and doesn’t actually increase patronage to the network. So I would love to hear morefrom the current Council about how we are going to address congestion. I know that everysingle Councillor would get the complaint or the comment to them all the time. We aresitting in traffic. When you are sitting in traffic every singleday, it means that you are spending less time at home with your family. You’re spendingless time in local parks and playgrounds.
You’re spending less time going out andexperiencing the great arts and culture that our city has to offer, supporting local businesses.Not only does it have a huge economic impact, it has a huge emotional impact on people whenthey are stuck in traffic whether they are in a car or on a bus.You know I could go on and on about the absolute abysmal failure of this Council to investin any really, meaningful active transport infrastructure in the suburbs. The users comeand see me all the time and you now I, myself, having been in a serious bicycle accidentand the reason why I don’t ride a bike anymore, was because of a lack of infrastructure. Iwas hospitalised because of that. You know that’s the very real impact ofnot investing. So they may be numbers on a.
Spreadsheet to this Council. But the impactof not investing in active transport infrastructure in our suburbs mean that children are at risk.They won’t take a—walk or take their bikes to school. So it is disappointing, I guess,to hear that it is just business as usual and on with the status quo from this currentCouncil Administration. But on this side of the Chamber, we will not give up fightingfor what is right. Any further debate? No one is rising.Councillor MURPHY, right of reply. Yes, thanks, Mr Deputy Chair, and appreciate all Councillorswho have contributed to the debate on this report, which introduces the Transport Committeeand describes some of the things that we do. It was a very spirited debate, given thatthe content was actually not that interesting.
In terms of controversial. But I think there’sa few things I just wanted to cover off on. Probably just back where we started this debateand Councillor JOHNSTON. You know just very briefly, Deputy Chair. We will be closingthe loop with Brisbane’s new bus network. We will be going back to the community andexplaining so of the changes that we’ve made to the network that Translink have approved.There haven’t been many changes an ultimately most of the changes that have been, made aresensible and as a result of feedback from the community. So we look forward to havinga discussion with the community about those. That won’t be further consultation in thestrictest sense. That will be more of a—information about the changes as we lead into the Metronetwork being implemented and those final.
Changes being made to the network. So we willbe closing the loop to answer your question, Councillor JOHNSTON.In terms of the cost of Metro. I’ve almost given up on explaining to Labor Councillorsthe costs and how they’ve worked. Because it doesn’t really matter what I say, theywill claim $1.7 billion, $1.8 billion, $1.9 billion, $2 billion, $2.1 billion. They’vemade all sorts of outrageous claims on the cost of Brisbane Metro.So it doesn’t matter, the truth will come out eventually that the cost is very muchthe same as it was when we announced the original cost increase from $944 million to $1.244billion. So that is the cost of Brisbane Metro and things have not changed substantiallysince that time.
In terms of Councillor MASSEY, CouncillorMASSEY raised some issues about bus reliability. One of the major issues that affects bus reliabilityin a mixed or hybrid travelling environment like Brisbane. Is that buses do have to sharethe general road network with traffic. As we know, as Brisbane’s population grows,the traffic in this city grows and buses have to share those roads and buses are sloweddown by the traffic on those roads. We don’t have a problem necessarily withbus congestion on the broader busway, except for in the inner-city core. Which is the entireobjective of Brisbane Metro to unclog the congestion on the busway in the inner-citycore. When it comes to tackling congestion outsideof the busway on the general traffic network,.
Well I don’t think the Greens have the answerfor that, Mr Deputy Chair. Because they oppose any and all road upgrades that would add capacityinto that network to be able to deal with that additional traffic.In terms of the request that Councillor MASSEY had around the radial network. I was interestedto hear that because no doubt, if Councillor MASSEY is a strong consumer of bus productsin this city, then she would no doubt have heard of the Great Circle Line, the 599 andthe 598 which is indeed a radial route. That was not implemented by this Council but bya previous Labor Administration. It travels around the entire city and it isa relatively popular service with some sections of the community who—where the bus travelsthrough that community. But I will say that.
That service is setting the world on firewith its patronage, Chair. It’s been going on for a very long time, there are other citiesthat have radial systems like that, that have split them up and actually made them muchmore successful. I point Councillor MASSEY to London’s Superloop,which is a TfL service, which has a made a very successful radial line. So that is definitelysomething that we would like to see become better. Once again Council doesn’t planthe network, Translink plans the network and—well one of the reasons that we implemented BrisbaneMetro was because Translink has done effectively noting with this network in 10 years and starvedit of growth funding. So you know that is a serious issue.In terms of the issue she raised in relation.
To the 15,000 trips at Mowbray Park. I neversaid, Councillor MASSEY, that Mowbray Park needed to get to 15—sorry, Dockside neededto get to 15,000 trips like Mowbray Park in order to get ta ferry. All I said to the residentswas these are the levels of patronage that support a CityCat stopping there.So Dockside is nowhere near that. So you know we would need to see evidence that Docksidecan support those level of trip numbers before we add a CityCat in. Not that necessarily15,000 people would need to be boarding the CityHopper. Because I think that is a veryunlikely circumstance indeed. In terms of Councillor MASSEY also raisedcongestion on the bus network in and around the Gabba, and I can only assume she’s referringto services like the Blue City Lighter and.
Other buses that run throughout what is oneof the most transport-rich communities in this entire city, the Gabba Ward, with moreferry terminals, more bus stations, more options for e-mobility than any other part of thecity, virtually, other than the CBD. Well, Councillor MASSEY, it is hard to have it bothways. We are working on fixing the issues with the trunk and feeder network at the moment,which is all about Brisbane Metro. We actually need to get that system workingbefore we can work on the radial network. So, you can’t have it both ways. You cannotcomplain about congestion in one of the most richly served transport districts in the cityand say we’re not doing enough there, but also, we want a radial network. You cannothave your cake and eat it too. This Council.
Is already doing the heavy lifting for thestate when it comes to transport, and we are already delivering the most complex projectthat Council have ever delivered with Brisbane Metro, which is a gift to the State Governmentthat they are not grateful for. Now, Councillor COLLIER raised patronage as an issue.This is a very timely issue, Councillor COLLIER. Today in City Hall right now there is a conferencegoing on called PTAANZ, the Public Transport Association of Australia and New Zealand.There are delegates from all around South-East Asia—as far away as London—I met withthe Head of public transport for Transport for London just yesterday—that are cominghere to City Hall to talk about the issues with public transport and, guess what, theyall have this issue in common. Patronage is.
Down since COVID, because we told the publicto stop catching public—sorry, there was some interjections there, Deputy Chair. DuringCOVID, governments all around the world told the public to stop catching public transport,and you know what they did? They listened. So, many of them have stoppedcatching public transport and have not restarted catching public transport. Also, many of theold habits that we used to have—commuting into the city to work—have gone the wayof the dodo with telecommuting and Teams and Zoom. So, this is a shared problem amongstevery public transport organisation in the world. It’s not unique to Brisbane, andthere is nothing that this Administration has done that has caused that. We are alldealing with this, and we are all trying to.
Find a way out. In terms of—one thing thatwill be interesting is, in terms of investment, this year this Council will spend just shyof $700 million on public transport in this city as a combination of capital, CapEx andOpEx. The State Government will spend $400 million in OpEx on Brisbane’s bus network.This is speaking strictly to buses. I know there are investments in Cross River Railand other services. So, what I would ask the Opposition, what more can we do for an organisationof our size without literally robbing Peter to pay Paul and doing the State Government’sjob for them? We already do so much for the State Government. We really need them to stepup and make an investment in transport here in this city, and we’ll be having more tosay about that over the next few weeks, I.
Can tell you that, Mr Deputy Chair. One thingI would like to see from the Opposition is just once, the Opposition get up and actuallycall on the State Government to invest in public transport in public transport in thiscity, in the bus network, in the network that two-thirds of all public transport commutersuse. Because I have yet to see them get up evenonce and criticise their State colleagues who have starved this city of funding whilethey have given money to the Redlands, while they have given money to Moreton Bay, whilethey have given money to Ipswich, while they have given money to Scenic Rim, while theyhave spent God knows how much money on the Gold Coast and on Sunshine Coast, but whatis the city that gets robbed of public transport.
Investment, Deputy Chair? Brisbane. But youwill not see those Brisbane City Councillors ever stand up and point that out. I’ll leavefurther—well, thanks very much. I’ll wrap up there. Well, and I’ll put the reportto the vote. All those in favour say aye?Councillors say aye. Against say no? The ayes have it.Councillor WINES, Infrastructure Committee. Thank you, Mr Deputy Chair. I move the reportof the Infrastructure Committee being held on Tuesday 23 April 2024 be adopted. Seconded.Yes. It is moved by Councillor WINES, seconded by Councillor TOOMEY. Let the report of theInfrastructure Committee meeting dated Tuesday 23 April 2024 be adopted.Is there any debate?.
Councillor WINES. Thank you, Mr Deputy Chair.The Committee, like many Committees, considered and presented to the Committee members anoverview of what each division of our organisation did and what each program area did. So, canI thank our Divisional Manager, Mr Scott Stewart, for providing a presentation to Councillorsand for his overview of what is within the infrastructure program. So, of course, sometimesthere’s some confusion, and when I say sometimes, I mean often, because I see the things thatare laid at the feet of the infrastructure team, of the Brisbane Infrastructure Divisionand the branches within it. They are not within our area, even thoughthis morning’s Committee, I was being asked about where particular bus stops would belocated in relation to the Metro project,.
And of course, Metro has existed within thetransport division for some time. So, I thought it was important that we took time like thisto remind Councillors of where things are, how they work, and who looks after them. So,Mr Stewart provided Committee with an introduction about his division and outlined the strategicframework and operational structure of BI. BI is a division that brings together Council’sassets management infrastructure planning, design, project management, construction servicesmaintenance and transport operation activities. So, Mr Stewart highlighted many roles includingthe principal ones that fall within BI. That’s of course BI generally. Within theCPO, there is asset management and TPO. Within BI there is another group called City Standardsthat has its own program area and its own.
Committee, and I think often that that distinctionis lost to a lot of people, but it’s an important one for the operation and administrationof this Council. Mr Stewart presented the asset management’s role and recognised thatteam for the effort that they make to set standards within the organisation that arethen delivered by other parts of the organisation. Sometimes there’s a view that the AssetManagement Team, which comparatively is a relatively small team, is the group of peoplewho are responsible for the maintenance and delivery of items. They are not, they area policy group who set the standards of the assets owned by this organisation and theninform other groups within the Council of what is it happen within those sections.So, it’s a distinction that may be confusing.
To people because they’re called asset management,but they sit in behind the delivery framework. They set the framework so that other partsof Council can deliver the framework. So, can I just pre-empt, if anyone takes thisopportunity to make a pointless and meandering speech about the standards of footpaths, thatis not asset management, all right? Asset management is not that group, all right? Thatis a different group. I feel that I will say this again tonight somehow. Can I also recognisethat the Transport Planning Operations branch, who a lot of Councillors deal with on a regularbasis—they would present to most Councillors as a team of people who look after signs andlines and other on-street operations. They also have responsibility for minor transportand traffic works, such as our local area.
Traffic management projects and things likethis. Then of course the City Projects Office, which is the large-scale delivery arm of thisorganisation. Within that, there are of course major projects, and then there’s other projectswhich you have, things like Civil and Transport, Civic Projects, and then you have also inthat what some Councillors would recall as City Design, but it’s of course the designcomponent of our organisation as well. So, there was also a moment taken for City Standards,but that is principally a different delivery stream. There were three petitions consideredon a range of matters within the BI area, some on traffic calming, some on intersectionmanagement. They are varied and I look forward to the contributions of local Councillorson those matters. Any further debate?.
Councillor CASSIDY. Thanks, Deputy Chair.I’m going to speak on item C, petition requesting Council postpone proposed changes to the intersectionsof Brighton Road Fourth and Fifth Avenues, but also ask at the outset that C and D aretaken seriatim for voting. So, it would be A and B together, then C and D together. Inspeaking on item C here, this was a frustratingly slow process to see this petition responsecome to Council, and I spent months going backwards and forwards with the Council Officerswho were seeking my feedback on the proposed response, which I ultimately didn’t supportbecause I had one very simple question, which seemed to be almost impossible to be answered,and that was whether this project was still funded, whether there was still money allocatedfor this project to be consulted on or not.
Going forward.I don’t know why it took three or four backwards and forwards emails of me asking the samequestion and not getting an answer until I finally, finally received the answer thatthe funding was cut for this project, in fact. So, it makes the petition response a mootpoint, because the LORD MAYOR clearly used an opportunity to cut funding for this vitalpedestrian safety upgrade. So, what this project is about is upgrading the pedestrian crossingsnear Fourth and Fifth Avenue on Brighton Road in Sandgate, which for Councillors who aren’tfamiliar with Sandgate, Brighton Road is the main street, where the Einbunpin Lagoon frontswhere most of our local businesses’ fronts, the main street of Sandgate.One wombat crossings or raised platforms as.
A safety upgrade to these pedestrian crossingshas been in budget submissions from my very first one as a Councillor, and I know theypredate me to the previous Councillor as well, and I was thrilled to see that funding wasallocated to this project, to see this pedestrian safety upgrade occur two budgets ago now.It was carried over well before this petition was started, from two budgets ago to lastbudget, and now I’ve found out it’s been cut entirely. The petition that we have beforeus today actually followed the formal and official consultation process which Councildid undertake, and I participated in as a local Councillor, and the person who startedthe petition was consulted as a local resident in the local street there, and I accept andunderstand that he didn’t support the project.
Or one element of the project, and decidedto start a petition, even though the consultation was successful.Council was proceeding with this project with my support as the local Councillor. But thepetition presented options that simply were not possible. These are options that I knowCouncil Officers investigated. I asked them to look at it again after I went myself andlooked at other options in neighbouring Councils. I went over to Redcliffe to look at how they’vedealt with drainage issues around raised platforms and things like that. We tried very hard tolook at other options. But in the end, the Council Officers’ advice continued to bethat what was proposed, which included banning a right turn from Fourth Avenue into BrightonRoad, because it would otherwise have made.
The pedestrian crossing non-compliant, wasthe only option going forward. So, I supported the position of Council Officersand had some tough conversations with local residents who were not happy about that action.But given this is such a critical and important safety upgrade, I thought that was the rightthing to do. I myself have nearly been hit on the Fifth Avenue pedestrian crossing. Iknow a police officer working at the Sandgate Police Station, which is—their doorstepis basically at the pedestrian crossing on Fifth Avenue, was nearly hit while she waspregnant. There are countless other people who have nearly been hit on these pedestriancrossings, hence why it received funding in the Council budget at the request of CouncilOfficers and me as local Councillor two budgets.
Ago, finally, and that had carried forward.However, to now find out that the petition response here is that somehow more consultationneeds to occur. On what, I’m not sure. On the option that was presented to the communityon—different options that Council Officers said are simply not possible. I’m not surewho’s carrying out that consultation on what changes need to be consulted on, andwhether that can even occur now that the project has effectively been cancelled. So, that’sthe reason I didn’t support the recommendation before us today. I support the project—I’llput that on record—if we have to make a tough decision.Not everybody in the community is supportive of that, because it’s about pedestrian safety.It’s about making sure that these crossings.
Are compliant and about making sure our communityis walkable and safe for everybody. So, yes, I can’t support the recommendation beforeus today, but I put on record that I do support this project and I’ve continued to callfor it to be funded in the upcoming Council budget, and I just think we need to make adecision to address this critical safety issue once and for all. Any further debate? No.Councillor WINES, right of reply? No. Now I’ll put the vote.Item A and B to the vote. All those in favour, say aye.Councillors say aye. Against say no? The ayes have it.We will now put items C and D to the vote. All those in favour say aye.Councillors say aye. Against say no.
Councillors say no. The ayes have it.Division called by Councillor CASSIDY and Councillor COLLIER. Councillors, ayes to myright and noes to my left. Please ring the bell. Please close the—clerks, do you havea result? Mr Deputy Chair, the ayes have it, the voting being 18 in favour and seven against.The report—the items are carried. Councillor ALLAN, City Planning and Suburban RenewalCommittee. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the report of the City Planning and SuburbanRenewal Committee meeting held on Tuesday 23 April 2024 be adopted. Seconded. It hasbeen moved by Councillor ALLAN, seconded by Councillor WOLFF, that the report of the CityPlanning and Suburban Renewal Committee meeting dated Tuesday 23 April 2024 be adopted.Councillor ALLAN. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Last week’s Committee was provided withan overview of how planning and development are undertaken within Council, and as theother Committee reports have indicated, they all seem to go down this path in the startof the new Council term. I’m just outlining the key functions of each of the portfolios.As many in this Chamber would be aware, the State Government sets out the planning frameworkfor Queensland through the Planning Act 2016, and Supporting Planning Regulation 2017. Anyamendments to our planning scheme, which is City Plan 2014, need to follow the processset out in the Ministers’ guidelines and rules. These guidelines and rules also specifythe sequence of Council and State Government decisions, and any public consultation requirementsdepending on the sections of City Plan being.
Amended.It is our City Plan that provides a strategic framework for planning in Brisbane and specificallydetailed the preferred sustainable growth and services for Brisbane. This frameworkis supported by a range of zones, overlays and neighbourhood plans which set out importantconsiderations and expectations for developments in different parts of the city. Council’sNeighbourhood Planning Program commenced in 2006, and has worked with the community on84 neighbourhood plans. This program ensures neighbourhoods are ready to grow while keepingthe elements valued by those local communities. In the last 10 years, neighbourhood planshave facilitated an additional 62,000 homes. The Committee also received a briefing onthe four key policy documents for program.
Four, including Brisbane, Our Productive City,which is released in October 2022, Brisbane’s Sustainable Growth Strategy, which was releasedin March 2023, Brisbane’s Housing Supply Action Plan, which was released in October2023, and Brisbane’s Inner City Strategy, released April 2023. The Committee also receivedan update on our Development Services Team and several key activities they undertake.In 2023, development services achieved the following. They completed 690 pre lodgementmeetings. They assessed 3,586 development applications. They assessed 1,326 operationalworks applications, processed 588 planned ceiling applications, completed 32,291 plumbinginspections, and approved 7,313 plumbing permits. Our Development Services General Manager alsooutlined to the Committee the two online services.
Council provides, specifically City Plan Onlineand Development. Both services ensure customers can access information on properties and approvedand proposed developments. Development services also assist residents through the PlanningInformation Office, who are a team of Town Planners who are able to assist with generalplanning inquiries. Inquiries typically relate to renovations, traditional building characterhouses, granny flats, home businesses, flood overlay requirements, carports, multiple dwellingsand subdivisions. Council’s 24-hour contact centre is availableto assist customers with simple planning and development applications and development adviceas well as food licensing and advertising sign advice. Development services also deliversweekly Talk to a Planner events throughout.
The year. These events consist of a 15-minuteone-on-one session with a town planner, which helps residents, business owners and communitygroups learn more about City Plan and how it relates to their building and constructionplans. Madam Chair, I’ll leave further debate to the Chamber. Thank you, Councillor, isthere further— Councillor CASSIDY. Thanks very much, Chair.I just rise to speak on the presentation for City Planning Suburban Renewal Committee.It’s been a while since I’ve been on that Committee, so it’s good to be back, andI was very interested in the reintroduction into what’s happening, and we all see someof the things that Councillor ALLAN spoke about come through here. City Plan amendments,the Housing Supply Action Plan, and other.
Documents, and the one that I was most interestedin during the presentation and asked some questions about was the Housing Supply ActionPlan, otherwise known as—and I’m getting that right, aren’t I? The Housing HomelessnessStrategy, otherwise known as Housing Supply Action Plan, which is not the City Plan, obviously,but it’s a strategy document that is to inform changes to City Plan.Now, when it was released with great fanfare by the DEPUTY MAYOR, and I get there are certainprecincts within that that are contained within the Economic Development portfolio, but overall,changes to City Plan as a result of those decisions by the Administration are handledby Councillor ALLAN. So, we saw obviously the first cab off the rank for that was KurilpaTLPI, which then comes into effect. That plan.
Had a whole lot of specific locations forincreased density to help address Brisbane’s homelessness and housing crisis. It was releasedlast year as a document with urgent and immediate actions that this Administration was goingto take as their solution at a Council level to the housing and homelessness crisis thatis gripping our city. They were very quick to get the Kurilpa plan started.The TLPI passed through here up to the State Government through amendments, then adopted.So, I was very interested to find out what the next cab off the rank is. Is it HamiltonRoad at Chermside, which is identified in the plan specifically? Is it the three specificsites identified in Wyndham, in the Wyndham Town Centre? Or is it Lutwyche at Lutwyche,the specific sites that were identified there?.
There’s a whole lot—or Carindale ShoppingCentre or at other places around the city. The answer I got was pretty puzzling and perplexing,Chair, in that Councillor ALLAN said that, well, work’s going on behind the scenes.But the Administration, clearly, from that response and the slow work that’s been goingon there, don’t actually see that as much of a priority. So, why they were so quickto get Kurilpa out the gate, but then not any of the others seems a bit strange to me,when it’s supposed to be an immediate response to the housing and homelessness crisis thatis facing Brisbane. Probably not so surprising when you really consider the driver behindthe changes that we see coming from through, when we look at the locations that are inthat strategy. So, Kurilpa, obviously, number.
One, we found out through the debate fromthe DEPUTY MAYOR that it was developer-led. So, the changes and the locations and thedensity were largely developer-led, and Councillor ALLAN let slip that’s also the process atwhich they’re going through for other amendments to City Plan that are identified and increasingdensity in the precincts are identified in the Housing Supply Action Plan. So, that’snot a very good way of planning for future growth in addressing our housing and homelessnesscrisis, you would think. That’s the document, that’s the main one that is this Council’sresponse, and I thought, going in last week, that we would definitely have that front andcentre. That would be the first and foremost thing, because we’re here week after week.The last two meetings we’ve had here in.
This term and all the meetings we had towardsthe end of last term, the LORD MAYOR and LNP Chairs get up and blame Labour Councillorsfor apparently stopping development. We hear that week in, week out, but the levers whichthis Administration can pull are clearly being slowed right down. They’re developer-ledto start with to obviously maximise yields and profits, one. But secondly, they’renot about getting a genuine policy response to a housing and homelessness crisis. They’reclearly just a business as usual planning process, that instead of being done all outin the open with the community as the first port of call, they’re now being done largelybehind closed doors with developers as the first port of call, and then the communitysees the draft that is already developed once.
It is released.So, I’m a bit disappointed, I have to say, in the presentation. I get the facts and figuresand what Councillor ALLAN has said about the number of prelodgement meetings. That’sall fine and good, and that’s factual, but in terms of a policy response, I would havethought the very first meeting to come out, out the gate urgently addressing the housingand homelessness crisis our city facing with every single lever that this Council can pull,and it was crickets. It was crickets. There was nothing in the presentation, and evenwhen we asked questions, the information that we received as Committee members was, look,there’s something happening behind scenes, but that’s not for you to know as a Councillor—asa member of the City Planning and Suburban.
Renewal Committee. So, extremely disappointing,and I certainly hope Councillor ALLAN, will lift his game this term. Any further speakers?Councillor JOHNSTON. Yes, thank you. Just briefly on the City Planning and SuburbanRenewal Committee report. It is quite fascinating that Councillor ALLAN talks about the wayin which Council has to work to the control of the State Government, and yet one of thethings he’s left out is the status of the LGIP. Now, where’s that? Just like CouncillorMURPHY, the LGIP has gone missing in action. We don’t know if it’s still with the state.We don’t know if it’s here with Council. What we do know is the LNP Administrationis again hiding a major piece of policy work and has not brought it back to this Councilor the public for consideration. There were.
Major changes in the documents, and this Administrationhas been sitting on them for well over a year now. Where are they? What’s going on? We’rean Olympic City. We haven’t met our planning commitmentsto the State Government. So, yes, seven years, or eight years. Where’s the LGIP? That’swhat I’d like to know. What I’d really like to know is what these Chairs have actuallybeen doing. They’re paid extra to do this kind of work. You never hear from them aboutwhat’s happening. There are massive delays with the timing from what they say will happen,and I’m sure Councillor ALLAN’s going to hop up and blame the State Government,but I will put money on the fact that it’s probably sitting in this Council Administration,like Councillor MURPHY and the Translink reviews,.
Which I understood they’ve had for monthsand months and months and they’ve just chosen not to publicly release it. Point of order,Madam Chair. Councillor ALLAN, point of order. Look, while listening to Councillor JOHNSTONtalk about LGIPs is entertaining, it’s not actually mentioned in the report, and if shewants to take that up as a separate exercise, fine, do it in another situation. Thank you,Councillor ALLAN. Councillor JOHNSTON, it isn’t in the report.Can you please just stick to the report? Thank you. Yes, thank you, and I’m speaking toparagraph 3, which is the Queensland Government planning requirements for Councils, and thatsets out the framework under the Planning Act and the Planning Act regulations, andamendments to the Planning Scheme Brisbane.
City Council, which follows Ministers’ rulesand guidelines. Now, I was only on the Planning Committeebriefly, but it is my understanding it is a State Government responsibility that wehave an LGIP, and it is my understanding, and perhaps Councillor ALLAN had the biggestscare of his life in the last few weeks and he’s forgotten that it’s a State Governmentrequirement— Point of order. Point of order, Madam Chair. Point of order, Councillor ALLAN.References are made in the covering summary of the report about LGIP. Councillor JOHNSTON,could you please have relevance to the report? Yes, thank you so much. I have asked you onceto come back to relevance. Thank you so much, Madam Chair, and again, I’m pointing toparagraph 3, which talks about the State Government.
Planning responsibilities that Council hasto meet, which Councillor ALLAN has referred to here today, and I’m pointing to the factthat the LNP Administration is sitting on one of those reports. Now— Councillor JOHNSTON,I’ll just interrupt you there. That is not relevant to the report. That’s exactly whatwe’re saying. That is not in the report, and I ask you to remain relevant. Please continue,but remain relevant to the things that were discussed in this report. Okay. Just to beclear, paragraph 3 says, the Queensland Government provides direction on planning requirementsat this— Councillor JOHNSTON, I’m not going to debate it, and I’m not going torepeat. If you do not remain relevant to the report, I will ask you to finish. I’m actuallyreading from paragraph 3. Councillor JOHNSTON—.
How is that not relevant? Are you saying thatme reading from the report is not— I’ve made a ruling, and I’ve asked you— I’mreading from the report. —to remain relevant to the report, please. Are you saying thatI can’t read from the actual paragraph 3 of the report, that that’s not relevant?Councillor JOHNSTON, you and I both know that you’re not doing that, and we know thatyou are digressing and talking about other— I’m so sorry— Excuse me, Councillors.You are not to debate with me. I make the decision and I have made my decision. CouncillorJOHNSTON, please stick to what was in the report. Like the $12,000 fundraising— Pointof order, Chair. Point of order, Councillor COLLIER. I’m just seeking your ruling. Whena Councillor is directly referring to the.
Report that is literally before us today,you’ve ruled that out of order on relevance— Councillor COLLIER, I was in the Committeeand I’ve read the report, and yes, I’ve made a ruling that she’s not sticking tothe report. Thank you. Sorry, just seeking clarification, Chair. I just gave it to you.Please take your seat. Point of order, Chair. Councillor COLLIER, what is your point oforder? Just seeking clarification on your ruling, Chair. Is reading verbatim from aCommittee report not relevant? Councillor COLLIER, I’ll say it slowly. The LGIP isnot in the report. She can read number three all she likes, but it is not there in thereport. I suggest you take— That’s not my question, Chair. Councillor COLLIER, I’mnot debating you. I suggest you take another.
Look at the report. Sit down, please. Sorry,Chair, that wasn’t my question. Councillor COLLIER, again, Councillor JOHNSTON can readthat from the report, but she—you can’t call out while I’m speaking and across theChamber, either. Go for it. Go for it. I will. You told me I cannot read the report. It’son the record. You’re telling me I can’t do it. Councillor JOHNSTON, I consider thatyou are displaying unsuitable meeting conduct in accordance with section 21(4) of the MeetingsLocal Law 2001, and I hereby request you to refrain from calling out across the Chamber,and Councillor COLLIER, if you continue, you will be warned as well.Councillor JOHNSTON, do you have any— Point of order, Chair. Point of order, CouncillorCOLLIER. Just, again, seeking your clarification.
On the question that I’ve asked. My clarificationis that you cannot ask a point of order on the same thing that I have just cleared upwith you. Just speaking generally— Councillor COLLIER, I consider that you are displayingunsuitable meeting conduct, and in accordance with section 21(4) of the Meetings Local Law,I hereby request that you refrain from continuing this behaviour. Please return to your seat.Point of order, Chair. Point of order, Councillor MASSEY. I’d just like a clarification. IfI am looking at the report that is within the Council meeting that I’m looking atright now on my computer and it says that it is the City Planning and Suburban RenewalCommittee report which is on my laptop, and I scroll down and I, say, read a paragraphfrom it, in that report, is that not relevant.
To the debate? Councillor MASSEY, I’ve alreadygiven my ruling on this point of order. It was a different point of order. Yes, and—I’mnot debating it. If the Chair forms the view that a Councillor is obstructing the meetingby making excessive points of order during another Councillor’s speech, then I willrule that no further points of order will be made.Are there any further speakers? Councillor JOHNSTON. I’m definitely speakingon the City Planning and Suburban Renewal— Well, I suggest you remain relevant. I wouldhope that I would not be interrupted, but I— Again, I’m not asking for a debate.Continue. In fact, you did invite me to debate the matter, and that’s what I’m intendingto do. Councillor JOHNSTON, you’ve been.
Asked to debate the report. Stick to it. I’mattempting to do that, and you are not letting me. That is the problem here. Now, it’sastonishing to me that this little episode has just happened. This Committee report,if those watching at home, and I hope there’ll be a lot of people at home, understandingplanning in Council, that’s the name of this report before us today, and what CouncillorALLAN has outlined is the policy framework and the legislative framework for how changesto City Plan are made in Brisbane City Council, oh, my goodness, what forms part of City Plan?What forms part of the Planning Act? What forms part of the Minister’s rules and guidance?The LGIP. The LGIP. It is fascinating to me that this Administration,both through the Chair and the Planning Chairperson,.
Want to deny that the LGIP is actually partof City Plan 2014. I think that perhaps they missed the point of their presentation, whichis understanding Planning in Council. My issue here, of course, is one of secrecy and inaction by the LNP. Where is the LGIP? Why has it not been returned? Why is it not beingmade public after a year of waiting or longer? Why is it that this Administration wants tohide it as they’re trying to do here today, and why is it that even reading a line ortwo from this report, that I was doing, apparently is a breach of the rules in this place?What is wrong with this LNP Administration that they don’t want to be accountable forthe policy decisions, for amendments to City Plan, that they are required to make by theState Government? Now, instead of popping.
Up at the end of this speech and saying, well,it’s all the State Government’s fault, and she doesn’t know what she’s talkingabout, I’ve been told I can’t speak about it. Now, just like Councillor MURPHY earliertoday, my question to the Planning Chairperson is, where is the LGIP? Where is it? Are yousitting on it, like Councillor MURPHY is sitting on the Bus Network Review? He’s had thatone for months. How long have you had the LGIP? Where is it? Point of order, Madam Chair.Point of order, DEPUTY MAYOR. I know I’ve just come back in, but we’re not in GB,are we? Are we talking about the Planning report—the report in front of us? Yes, thankyou, DEPUTY MAYOR. Again, Councillor— There’s another formerplanning Chairperson who doesn’t realise.
The LGIP is part of City Plan 2014. CouncillorJOHNSTON, there are many elements to it. Yes, there are. But that is not what we are talkingabout in this report. Yes, it is. And if you continue to fail to comply with my requeststo stick to the relevance, I will ask you to sit down, please, and call for any furtherdebate. So, can you please tell me where in the rules you can tell me to, quote, sit down?Councillor JOHNSTON— Could you please advise me under the Meetings Local Law, Madam Chair,where it said you can tell me to sit down? I hereby make an order reprimanding you foryour conduct. Your conduct and this reprimand will be noted in the minutes of this meeting,and you have been given ample time in which to speak to the report, and you continue tofail to do that, so I do ask you to take your.
Seat and allow another Councillor to speakif they are going to speak to the report. Madam Chair, no, I’m sorry. I would liketo know where it says in the Meetings Local Law that you have the authority to tell meto, quote, sit down. Councillor JOHNSTON, I can make a ruling to ask you to finish speakingand take your seat, and I have done that. Can you please point me— So I ask you to—I’m sorry, can you please point me to the rules that says you can tell me to sit down.Councillor JOHNSTON, you can—stop speaking over the top of me as I’m— I’m seekinga procedural clarification. Councillor DIXON. Madam Chair, I’m seeking a procedural clarificationabout where you can tell me to sit down. DEPUTY MAYOR, can you please call for a motion for10 minutes so that the Chamber can calm down?.
I move that we recess for 10 minutes untilthe bells ring, so the Chamber can calm down. Seconded. Thank you. DEPUTY MAYOR has movedthat we take recess for 10 minutes, seconded by Councillor DIXON.All those in favour say aye. Councillors say aye. Against say no.Councillors say no. The ayes have it. A division has been called by Councillor—wasit JOHNSTON, and seconded by, who was it? Councillor MASSEY. Can you please read thenumbers? Madam Chair, the ayes have it, the voting being 17 in favour and eight against.The motion is carried. Councillors will vacate the Chamber for 10 minutes. Thank you, Councillorsand I will read out section 35(7). During debate on the motion, the Chair may rule outof order any aspects of the debate which do.
Not relate to the specific subject matterunder debate and may direct that the issue be raised during General Business.So I do request, Councillor JOHNSTON, that you raise it during General Business please.Point of order, Madam Chair. But you do have further time to speak if you would like tocontinue. Point of order, Madam Chair. Point of order, Councillor JOHNSTON. Madam Chair,you’ve issued an invalid ruling to require me to sit down on multiple occasions and warnedme, without the authority to do so, which goes into the official record and on to mydisciplinary record, which the LNP then uses against me in the OIA. How are you going toremove your mistakes from this meeting with respect to your previous rulings about me?Councillor JOHNSTON, the reason that you were.
Warned was because you continued to speakover the top of me and continued to go back to speaking in—not speaking to the reportand that is the reason that you were warned. But you still have, I believe, a good minutein which to continue with the report, so I ask that you please do that— Point of order.—and then raise your—in General Business. What’s your point of order? Point of order,Madam Chair. Point of order, Councillor JOHNSTON. Madam Chair, what you’ve just said thenis actually not what you warned me for. You were very clear. You have warned me for somethingyou had no authority to do. You requested me to do something you had no authority todo and I would like to know how you are going to change the official warning that you’veput on my record, because what you’ve said.
Now is not what you warned me for. CouncillorJOHNSTON, I do not uphold your point of order. Thank you, I move dissent in your ruling.Seconded. Dissent in my ruling has been moved by Councillor JOHNSTON and seconded by CouncillorMASSEY. Those in favour say aye.Councillors say aye. Those against say no. Councillors say no. The noes have it.A Division has been called by Councillor JOHNSTON and seconded by Councillor MASSEY. Councillors,ayes to my right and noes to my left. Ring the bells.Clerks, please read the results. Madam Chair, the noes have it, the voting being eight infavour and 17 against. The motion is lost. Councillors, please resume your seats.Are there any further speakers?.
Councillor MASSEY. Thank you, Chair. I riseto speak on the report. I sat into the meeting last week and we went through the report forthe City Plan and various other things that were connected to the City Plan and of coursesome of the strategy that was used. What I found really interesting about the City Plan,especially the Housing Action Supply Plan and also connected to the TLPI Kurilpa, wasof course a question that was actually asked during that period, which was connecting tothe other areas of priority growth that was included into this plan, I think Councillor—sorry,Councillor ALLAN—well previously DEPUTY MAYOR ADAMS had referred to MountGravatt,Chermside, Newstead and other areas. Councillor CASSIDY actually asked a questionduring the meeting about how do these plans.
Get created. Is it within the department ornot? Of course the answer was really interesting and I know Councillor CASSIDY touched on thisearlier. That it was the department itself looked at some of the precinct plannings andlooked at the feasibility, or a large development application would actually lead it and leada feasibility study. Of course I found that incredibly interesting because last week inthis Chamber I asked about the TLPI and the lack of developments and its planning. CouncillorALLAN stood up and said that you’ve directed the question to the wrong person. However,it is actually his department that—and it became clear from that meeting it was hisdepartment that actually said we investigate precinct plans similar to the TLPI.So the reason I’m standing here today to.
Mention that, after we saw what just happenedbeforehand, is clearly this Council does not want to answer questions. This Council doesnot want to give information. This is something that is constant, we’re seeing this moreand more and more as we only start—remembering this is only our second meeting. What we’reseeing here is a stifling of debate, a stifling of information and an unwillingness to answerquestions. This is a pretty terrible start to what is four years and to me that’s completelyconcerning. What I understood in this presentation and also through the answering of questions,through that Committee, was that it was—that Councillor ALLAN’s department’s responsibilityfor the investigation of precinct planning and yet Councillor ALLAN was unwilling toanswer the question publicly last week.
What we just saw beforehand was a stiflingabout the Local Government Infrastructure Plan, which is undeniably a part of the planningscheme and under the department. So to me—and I just want to put this on the record, especiallyfor people at home—we are seeing the erosion of debate, we are seeing the erosion of informationtransfer where Opposition Councillors are being stifled and stopped and this is a problem.Any further speakers? DEPUTY MAYOR. Thank you. I speak on the reportabout what is dealt with in the city planning portfolio and to refute the absolute rubbishwe just heard from the Councillor for The Gabba, who obviously does not understand howCouncil works, even though we’ve tried many times to explain this. Councillor MASSEY stoodhere and said we are stifling debate, we won’t.
Answer questions, we’re hiding it all, youdon’t know where it is. Point of order, Chair. Point of order, Councillor MASSEY.Relevance to the report. I believe you did talk about the DEPUTY MAYOR and she’s respondingto your—what you actually said. Please come round to the report, DEPUTY MAYOR.Thank you. I will speak about, as I said, what is in the City Planning Committee andthe responsibilities. I know Councillor MASSEY hasn’t been here for a very long time, butlet’s be very clear about how Council works. There are many areas with many portfoliosand those areas work across portfolios. Urban, planning and strategy sits under CPED. CPED,Councillor MASSEY, as was mentioned in the report last week, CPED is city planning andeconomic development. CPED has urban strategy.
In it. Urban strategy reports to CouncillorALLAN if it is suburban renewal and reports to me if it is urban renewal.We have now said this three times since we went through portfolio roles in the last month,so I do not want to hear again this nonsense that we’re stifling debate and we won’tanswer questions, because we are told again and again to stick to the rules. The rulesare the Chairs answer questions in their relevant portfolio and as was in the report last weekfor the city planning area, Councillor ALLAN does suburban renewal, urban planning reportsto me for urban renewal. Very simple, no tin foil hats required here for the conspiraciesof stifling debate. Point of order, Madam Chair. Understand how Council works. Pointof order. Point of order, Councillor JOHNSTON.
Yes, thank you so much, Madam Chair. I don’tsee where any of what Councillor ADAMS is saying is actually in this report about herresponsibilities. This is about Councillor— Councillors interjecting. This is CouncillorALLAN’s area of responsibility and his report. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor JOHNSTON.So I’m just wondering whether what Councillor ADAMS is saying about her areas of responsibility,which are not in this report, are relevant. Thank you, Councillor JOHNSTON.DEPUTY MAYOR, can you speak to the report please. Okay, I’ll say it again. The reportbefore us is about CPED, about the city planning portfolio and what is actually managed inthe city planning portfolio and what is managed is the suburban renewal, not the urban renewal.I was just rebutting, through my debate and.
Comments on the city planning, that CouncillorMASSEY was wrong. Thank you. Are there any further speakers?Councillor ALLAN, right of reply? We shall now put the motion to the vote.Councillors interjecting. Councillors. All those in favour say aye.Councillors say aye. To the contrary no. Councillors say no. The ayes have it.Environment, Parks and Sustainability Committee, Councillor DAVIS. Madam Chair, I move thereport of the Environment, Parks and Sustainability Committee meeting of Tuesday 23 April 2024be adopted. Seconded. It has been moved by Councillor DAVIS and seconded by CouncillorMARX that the report of the Environment, Parks and Sustainability Committee meeting datedTuesday 23 April 2024 be adopted.
Councillor DAVIS. Thank you, Madam Chair.Last week’s Committee presentation was an introduction to the environment, parks andsustainability portfolio, with a focus on our water, energy and environmental systemssection in NEWS. As you are aware, Madam Chair, from your time on the EPS Committee, it isa very big and complex portfolio. The presentation is the first in a three-part series to providean overview of all things EPS for the benefit of the new Committee members. The water, energyand environment systems team within NEWS has a broad remit, including everything from waterwayhealth to emissions reduction and I’d like to thank the officers for a very informativepresentation. Madam Chair, we also had a number of otheritems of business, a park naming, three petitions.
And an approval for expenditure from the SuburbanEnhancement Fund. So I’ll leave further debate to the Chamber, thank you. Is thereany debate? Councillor JOHNSTON. Yes, I rise to speakon item A and item B and I’d ask that item B is taken seriatim for—E, E for egg, istaken seriatim for voting purposes. So just clarifying, Councillor JOHNSTON, only itemE taken seriatim for voting? Yes, thank you. Thank you. I’ll start with item E. ItemE is a petition requesting Council allocate funding to refresh and extend the car parkat Dunlop Park, Corinda. I want to start by reading from paragraph 1 of the report, incase anybody is concerned and I’m sure it will be interesting to some Councillors, particularlyI think Councillor ALLAN. These petitions.
Were tabled in August 2021, that’s nearlythree years ago, approximately 1,000 days ago, 1,000 days ago these petitions were tabled.Now we heard Councillor ALLAN get up and go nuts at the State Government for 75 days,like terrible that they’re spending 75 days thinking about something. Well CouncillorDAVIS and her NEWS team have spent 1,000 days thinking about a petition which is prettystraightforward. It’s fix a car park in a major park that services a pool, a schooland a major sporting field. Now you would think that perhaps there wassomething new or complex about it and maybe that’s why it took three years to be consideredand brought back to Council, but sadly no. This is the third time that my community havepetitioned to have this car park at Corinda.
Fixed. Now you wouldn’t know that by readingthe report before us today, because the report before us today says a couple of things andI’ll outline what Council is suggesting it’s going to do. Firstly, Council has listedfor consideration to have detailed design which will bring the car park up to currentAustralian Standards and formalise the unsealed section of the car park as part of Council’sfuture capital works program. Do you know when the first time was that Council put thatin a petition response in this place? Councillor DAVIS wasn’t here. Would anybody like toguess which year? Anybody want to guess? Councillor interjecting. Yes, Councillor MASSEY,well done. The first time this request was made to Council and this Council said it hadcapital listed the car park repairs was in.
2010. That is 14 years ago. At that time I’mlike okay, that’s fine, we’ll list it, that’s the process, it will get funded indue course. I don’t usually vote against other people’s stuff, you know, everybodyneeds to have things done, so that’s why I was so interested in the Hawks car parkup there at Taigum a little earlier today, because I’ve been waiting 14 years for thiscar park to be funded. Here are some of the problems with the carpark. Failed patched, repeated failed potholes, bays that are less than two metres wide, youcan’t fit cars in them. Trees that drop huge branches, trees in the middle of thecar park. Bollards that are broken and fall over, signage that is missing and then wehave the major unsealed section of the car.
Park. Now this car park services the DunlopMemorial Pool, which is a very busy pool. It services Corinda State School and it servicesthe Dunlop Soccer Club and also Wests Cricket who play on the fields, as well as all therecreational sport that happens in this area. Now 14 years these residents have been waitingfor capital works funding to upgrade this car park. Now we haven’t just sat and donenothing, the community tried again in 2017 and 2018 and guess what the response was atthat time as well. Yes, we will list this car park for capital works funding. That wassix years ago Council listed it for capital works funding. Now, when a new petition isdone in 2021 calling for essentially the same thing, to fix the broken parts, to repairthe damaged parts and then to extend the car.
Park, things that are apparently being donethere at Sandgate at the Hawks. What does this Council say it’s going to do yet again?Council has listed for consideration detailed design. How do you list something that waslisted in 2010 and 2017-28, how do you list it? That’s what I’d like to know, CouncillorDAVIS. You can’t, you’ve already listed it.Does this report mention the history of this situation of abandonment of the people ofCorinda at all? Does it mention the history anywhere? No. You know what it goes on todo though, petitioners—it meets the requirements of the SEF and the request will be referredto Councillor Nicole JOHNSTON, the Councillor for Tennyson Ward, for her consideration.Then it says ring Councillor JOHNSTON and.
Puts my phone number in there. Ring CouncillorJOHNSTON and put my phone number in there. I’ve never seen that ever and I’ve beenhere 16 years and I will be formally taking this up with Council. Because what has goneon with this is that residents in the community are publicly being told that I’m now responsiblefor undertaking maintenance works in a car park.Councillor interjecting. That Council owns, that Council is responsible for, that hasbeen capital listed since 2010. This Council has put my phone number in there and toldresidents to call me. I’ve never seen it with anybody else, so it is fascinating tome that after three years Council does—three years remembering this was tabled in August2021, three years ago, Councillor DAVIS. You.
Won’t put me on the Parks Committee andI know why now, because if I ask questions there this kind of appalling neglect and badbehaviour by you and your department would have been exposed. A three-year delay on apetition response is not good enough in anyone’s terms.To then ignore the fact that this serious safety issue has a long history, and not evenmention the fact that we have petitioned repeatedly for this to be fixed, is appalling. It isdeceptive, is what I would call it. It makes it seem like this is the first time the issuehas been raised, it’s the first time it’s been listed. This is deceptive behaviour byBrisbane City Council, who want to hide 14 years of inaction by our—for our community.this is fixing a car park, it’s one of two.
In the agenda today and the other one’sjust as bad, its history is just as bad. But let’s say this, for 14 years this hasbeen capital listed and now Council’s saying it’s going to capital list it. How do youdo that, Councillor DAVIS, through you, Madam Chairman? I would like her explanation. Didit drop off the capital list? Did someone take it off when they shouldn’t have? Didthey forget it was on the capital works list? Why isn’t it mentioned in here it’s alreadycapital listed, either in 2010 or again in 2017-18? Where’s it been for three years?Don’t blame me because I can tell you, I’ve commented and responded every time it’sbeen sent to me. So there’s been a massive stuff-up, no explanation from Councillor DAVIS.I’m sure she’s going to hop up and bag.
Me, but the only people she should be thinkingabout are her, her staff and her officers, who have categorically failed the residentsof Corinda, Oxley and other suburbs in the south-western suburbs of Brisbane who usethe pool, the school and the soccer fields and are dealing with dangerous situationsthat have been ignored for 14 years. Even if there’s only two or three car park projectsdone every year in Brisbane, after 14 years you’d think that one in Tennyson Ward wouldhave got up, but no, it hasn’t. Not only that, this is the most deceptive report thatI have ever seen. So with that, I’m moving an amendment. Imove that on page 7, paragraph 53, recommendation, attachment A, draft recommendation, add anew paragraph 3. Council acknowledges that.
The community has petitioned in 2010, 2017-18and in 2021 the current petition and the car park upgrade and extension has already beencapital listed for 14 years, is in a terrible state and is a high priority for repairs andupgrade. As such, Council will prioritise the car park project in the 2024-25 Councilbudget. Seconded. It has been moved by Councillor JOHNSTON and seconded by Councillor COLLIERthat the motion be amended. I’ll just read that. That Council acknowledge that the communityhas petitioned in 2010, 2017, 2018 and in 2021 the petition and the car park upgradeand extension has already been capital listed for 14 years. It is a terrible state—itis in terrible state and is a—sorry, Councillor JOHNSTON, something— High. High, thank you,high priority for repairs and upgrade. As.
Such, Council will prioritise the car parkproject in the 2024-25 Council budget. I’ll now put the amendment to—Councillor interjecting. Sorry, Councillor JOHNSTON, I didn’t give you an opportunityto speak to that amendment. Councillor JOHNSTON. Yes, thank you. Look,I’ll be brief, this is very straightforward. Three years of not actioning the petitionis bad enough, but 14 years of no action is appalling. This car park is in a terriblestate, it needs to be properly fixed. Every few years Council comes along when we complainand they fill the potholes and in another year’s time it’s bad again. People cannotfit into the spaces, the line markings are appalling. Council in its own report acknowledgesit doesn’t meet any disability standards.
It is just in a shocking state. It servicesa huge community in the south-western suburbs and the level of neglect by successive LordMayors has been appalling. Councillor DAVIS has been the Chair now forquite a number of years and the fact that this report is trying to hide the truth ofCouncil’s inaction is appalling. So this amendment makes it clear to the communitythat Council has failed to act over and over again. It says to the community that thisproject will be prioritised in the 2024 25 budget, so maybe after 15 years of waitingfor some car park repairs and an extension, that maybe people in the south-western suburbsof Brisbane can get some action. Now I know Councillor HUTTON will vote forthis and if she doesn’t I’ll make sure.
Her community is aware of this. I know thatshe came into my ward on several occasions with the LNP candidate and supported him andtalked up Council’s actions in Tennyson Ward. Now her community are major users ofthe soccer field and the pool and yet Councillor HUTTON won’t support an upgrade to thisarea, unless they’re going to vote for it, perhaps it’ll surprise me. But I’ll bemaking it very clear to the Oxley community and the surrounding communities that the LNPCouncillors will not vote for an upgrade to this important community sporting facility.It services a huge area and it is absolutely outrageous that after 14 years Council can’teven acknowledge that it’s been capital listed for that long. It can’t acknowledgethere have been multiple petitions and then.
It says ring Nicole Johnston. Well guess what,I hope they do because I will give them this speech, I will tell them Councillor HUTTONvoted against fixing up their local pool car park and she’s a Chairperson of this Council,she voted not to do this. I will tell them that Councillor DAVIS, the Parks Chairpersonvoted not to do this. I will tell them all the Councillors in the LNP side who won’tsupport our local community. I know Councillor HUTTON’s sitting overthere thinking she’s all safe and fine, her vote went up. When the community in herarea that use this pool and sporting facility know that she does not support the upgrade,I think they’ll start asking questions about why. Why? I’d like to know why she’s votingagainst something that’s been waiting 14.
Years for funding. Why is the Chairpersonof Council—she thinks a project that is beneficial for her area doesn’t deserveto have any funding. Well guess what, I hope they ring me.Please encourage them to do so, because they’ll be told the truth about what’s happenedhere, about this Council’s three-year neglect of this petition, where it sat on somebody’sdesk and it was hidden away and everyone’s going it’s just Councillor JOHNSTON, wedon’t care. Three years, three years, is there an apology from Councillor DAVIS? No.So let’s get some truth into this report, let’s tell the community that it was capitallisted 14 years ago and let’s make sure that they know it’s a priority in the nextCouncil budget. I urge all Councillors, including.
Councillor HUTTON, to vote for this. Is thereany debate? As there is no debate we’ll move to thevote. All those in favour say aye.Councillors say aye. Against say no. Councillors say no. The noes have it.A Division has been called by Councillor JOHNSTON and seconded by Councillor MASSEY. Ayes tomy right, noes to my left. Please ring the bells.Clerks, please read the results. Madam Chair, the noes have it, the voting being eight infavour and 18 against. The motion is lost. Councillors, please resume your seats.Councillors, we’ll now resume the debate on the report. Are there any further speakers?Councillor GRIFFITHS. Yes, thank you, Madam.
Chair. I rise to speak on two items in thisreport. Firstly, in relation to item E that we just did division on, I just want to saythat I agree with Councillor JOHNSTON that I’ve never seen—I’ve never in my 22years here seen where a Councillor’s office is put into a petition report and that it’sseen as acceptable that you contact that Councillor. So I think it’s very unprofessional of theofficers and very inappropriate. I hope the CEO or whoever’s standing in for the CEOis on to that, because I just don’t believe that is professional or appropriate.I know Councillor JOHNSTON very well and Councillor JOHNSTON represents her ward extremely well.I understand that the city and Council operates separately to the political side of things,that if that’s the case then each of these.
Car parks should be looked at on their ownmerit and should be done on their merit, not done on the affiliation of the Councillorsin this Chamber. We have all— Point of order, Chair. Point of order, Councillor HUTTON.Chair, I unfortunately think that Councillor GRIFFITHS is imputing motive about our Councilofficers taking the side of the Administration. I think that he should be really consideredabout what he is saying about these officers, because they do a really great job and theyactually take a lot of time to scope these projects. So I would just ask you to drawhim back to the report. Thank you, Councillor HUTTON.Councillor GRIFFITHS, please do— I won’t withdraw what I’ve said and I maintain thatit is highly inappropriate for the officers.
To—whoever’s written this and this ismeant to have come from an officer. If an officer’s written this it is very inappropriateto be taking a political stand like this in this Chamber. I maintain that and I wouldask the Administration to look at what you’re doing, because you approve this through yourChairperson’s office. So I think that it’s not appropriate for that to be happening.Now also I would say that—and the way Council is meant to be running is that we are meantto be allocating resources based on need across the city, that’s been the whole spin ofthe way Council has been running for the last at least three or four years and it’s nothappening, it is grossly not happening. So I just—the spin doesn’t match the rhetoricand it also doesn’t match what’s being.
Presented here. I think that if this car parkneeds to be repaired, repair it, that’s your job. Stop defending the undefendable,the indefendable, it’s just not good enough. I also congratulate Councillor JOHNSTON onyour result. You got a magnificent result, residents support you hugely, 76%, 76%. Soa lot of people will be very envious of that, Councillor JOHNSTON and keep representingyour community and keep doing what you’re doing because you’re doing well.In relation to the petition here, in relation to a petition in my ward, that is that hasto do with park naming, a local Neighbourhood Watch group has come up with this name, TheMeat-ing Place. It’s for a placename in Nyundare-Ba Park. Nyundare-Ba Park was namedlast year, after work and consultation with.
The local Indigenous people of the area. It’sa great name, we had the Premier out there too for the launch of the name of the park.This picks up on a previous use of the park, which was a meatworks, hence the pun in thename Meat-ing, as in M-E-A-T rather than M E E T. I support this going forward, I supportwhat the residents are requesting and I think it will be an improvement here. Thank you,Madam Chair. Are there any further speakers? Councillor MASSEY. Thank you, Chair. I riseto speak briefly on item E. When this petition was brought to the Committee last week, Ivoted no to it and that was actually without the historical knowledge. Some of the reasonsthat I voted no to it were literally based on the response, which is basically we’lllist it again or contract Councillor JOHNSTON,.
Which I thought was incredibly—it flaggedfor me as something that was not usual. The reason why I said no to it is there—evenin my ward there are non-DA compliant car parks, especially around Dutton Park StateSchool. There are non-DA compliant car parks and areas across all these wards. Accessibilityis incredibly important to residents in our wards and prioritising making sure that carpark becomes DA compliant is actually some of the work that we should be doing. Notingthat, you know, people use these areas and people need to use these areas.I know for my ward and the car park, the Brisbane City Council car park near DuttonPark StateSchool, there’s been challenges with children that have disabilities being able to safelyaccess the car park there. When I spoke to.
Council about that they told me that it wasjust too expensive to fix it. Here we don’t get that, we don’t get that clarity thatit’s too expensive to fix it. Instead we get an answer that we know the result of,which is it will be listed but will not get funded and so that’s why I said no to it.Since then, finding out the information that this has actually been a very long journeyfor these residents, since 2010 and that it was listed multiple times, I am thankful thatI said no to it, because I think that full information was missing and that full informationis actually really needed for us as Councillors to review petitions and the information aroundus and make decisions. So with this amendment, look, I voted no then,I’ll vote no now. I think residents deserve.
An answer when they ask for petitions. I thinkwe should be transparent with it, if we’re not going to do it we tell them, without themfinding out in July when the budget is done. I think these residents have waited too longfor this and it should be a priority. Making sure car parks, pedestrian crossings, makingsure footpaths are DA complaint, especially bus stops also, is an incredibly importantpart of the job that Councillors should do and we should make priorities in them. Thankyou, Chair. Any further speakers? Councillor DAVIS.Sorry, Councillor COLLIER. Thanks, Chair. I wasn’t actually planning on saying anything,but I think just given the circumstances to have some brief comments on the record. Justto be very clear what has transpired over.
The debate today is this Council outliningthat their priority is to not listen to local communities. We can talk about the inappropriatemanner in which they continue to target female Councillors who don’t comply and don’tagree with the Administration’s agenda of not listening to their local communities andhow inappropriate that is. The precedent is there not to have a localCouncillor’s phone number as the contact point and you can read through other petitionsbeing—petition responses being presented in not only this Committee report but acrossthe board and quite often they are, as appropriate, relevant officer contacts. So it is extremelystrange to me and out of the ordinary, I certainly don’t recall ever seeing that. I guess tothe point of this today, this report and the.
Way in which the debate has transpired, itshows an extreme lack of respect. Lack of respect for the basic services that localcommunities are crying out for, for years and years and years, and a lack of respectfor the Councillors who are elected to represent those communities and advocate on their behalf.I think that’s really disappointing. So to sit on this side of the Chamber, lookingover there, I’m seeing other Councillors that will happily agree and vote yes for whatis evidently a poor decision. So I urge any Councillor on the other side of the Chamberto speak up and actually speak up within your own group and say this is wrong, this is awrong way of going about business. I do recall the last time a local Councillor maybe onthe Administration side did that and the appalling.
Treatment, that is not okay, that is not okay.While we are having a national conversation about the way that women are treated, I havewatched in this place— Point of order. —the way that women are treated and it is outrageous.Point of order, Madam Chair. Point of order, Councillor HOWARD. I’m just wondering wherethis is in the report, just— Point of order. Yes, it would be in the— I haven’t calledyou yet, Councillor JOHNSTON. Sorry. Point of order, Councillor JOHNSTON. Yes, it wouldbe in the Committee report where the Deagon Ward Councillor’s phone number is not includedand yet—he’s a man and my number is included and I’m a woman. I think that bears somescrutiny. Councillors interjecting. Councillor JOHNSTON,that’s not a point of order.
Councillor COLLIER. Yes, back to item E andthe debate surrounding it, I do just want it read on record that I think the way thatthis whole thing has transpired has been absolutely atrocious. Absolutely atrocious the way thatthe Administration has disrespected this local community on the content of the response andthe inaction, but also the way in which they have disrespected the local Councillor. Isthere any further debate? Councillor DAVIS?If there is no further debate I shall move to the vote.Item A, item B, item C and item D, all those in favour say aye.Councillors say aye. Those against say no. The ayes have it.Item E, all those in favour say aye.
Councillors say aye. Noes, against say no.Councillors say no. The ayes have it. A Division has been moved by Councillor JOHNSTONand seconded by Councillor MASSEY. Councillors interjecting. Councillors. Ayesto my right, noes to my left. Please ring the bells.Clerks, please read the results. Madam Chair, the ayes have it, the voting being 16 in favourand eight against. The motion is carried. Councillor ADERMANN, City Standards Committee.Yes, thank you, Chair. I move that the report of the City Standards Committee meeting heldon Tuesday 23 April 2024 be adopted. Seconded. It has been moved by Councillor ADERMANN andseconded by Councillor DIXON that the report of the City Standards Committee meeting datedTuesday 23 April 2024 be adopted.
Yes, Councillor ADERMANN. Yes, thank you,Chair. Members of the City Standards Committee last week were treated to a presentation onthe compliance and regulatory services branch, most commonly referred to as CARS, by officerKirsty Cronin. This presentation provided a comprehensive overview of the vital workcarried out by the CARS officers on a daily basis within our community. The branch isorganised into three key areas, all collaboratively working together to ensure compliance anddeliver the highest level of value to the Brisbane community.Kirsty delivered a high level briefing on each of these work areas, shedding light notonly on the opportunities Council has moving forward, but also on the regulatory challengesposed by other levels of government. I’d.
Like to take this opportunity to express myappreciation for the hard work and dedication demonstrated by our compliance and regulatoryservices officers. It is your dedication—or their dedication that upholds the high standardsvisible to our residents across Brisbane every day.Petitions, Chair, the Committee considered two petitions during the meeting. The firstpetition requested that Council resurface Yeronga Memorial Car Park, Yeronga, adjacentto Frederick Street, Annerley. As the petition response notes, Council officers completedan onsite investigation and have listed the project for consideration in a future capitalworks budget. The second petition requested that Council seal or provide regarding—sorry,regrading to Lake Manchester Road, Kholo.
The local Councillor, who just happens tobe me, was supportive of the recommendation to list for consideration a project to sealthe unformed section of Lake Manchester Road at the intersection of Kholo Road and CameronsCrossing Road as part of Council’s future road construction program. These responsesreceived unanimous support from the Committee and I’ll leave further debate to the Chamber.Is there any debate? Councillor JOHNSTON. Yes, I rise to speakon item B, the petition regarding Yeronga Memorial Car Park and it is version 2.0. Idon’t think it really will surprise anybody, it’s not quite as bad as the last Committee,so I’ll be brief. But this is the second time that we have petitioned here and about14 years ago Council resurfaced half of the.
Car park between the bridge club and the WarMemorial in Yeronga Memorial Park, but they did not seal the eastern end of the car parkthat leads up towards the croquet club. So half the car park, or about three-quartersof the car park is sealed and the other half becomes a boggy mess every time it rains.It’s a hugely busy car park, it is for the bridge club, the croquet club, the War Memorialand Souths Rugby, as well as community events. Now this is the second petition, the otherone being I’d say 10 or 12 years ago, where ago this was capital listed, so it’s notthe first time it’s been capital listed. It is incredibly important because the peoplewho use this car park are elderly veterans. We’ve just had Anzac Day and I don’t wantto see anybody fall over or trip. I want to.
See vehicles not trashing the park becausethey have to park in the mud or partially on grass. The car park, it says—this reportis just also woefully inadequate. I mean I take Councillor COLLIER’s comments on theearlier matter. It is disrespectful for our community when you say the car park is utilisedby the Stephens Croquet Club. I mean the 1,000 rugby people who come forevery home game use the car park, use the car park. The 200 people who come and playbridge use the car park. The 5,000 people who came to Anzac Day use the car park. Imean you’d think this car park was for a tiny little croquet club and never got usedif you read this. This is just appalling work, I just—I just—yes. This one’s a yearold, this one’s a year old, a year old.
It also does not respond to the previous requestthat we’ve made, there’s no history. I should be thankful, I guess, that my phonenumber is not in there. My poor staff don’t have to get these phone calls and have toexplain to people over and over again, so I should be thankful that that’s not inthere. But what is appalling and Councillor HUTTON’snot here, I don’t know why she’s not here, I don’t know why the Chair is not here.You know, early on in her, you know, term and she’s not here to explain why it’staken a year to respond. (2) Why this says the car park is utilised by the croquet cluband no one else. I mean does this Council— Councillors interjecting. Do you know, wesat through Councillor MARX—through you,.
Madam Chair, we sat through that review threeyears ago, where we said that we were going to create sort of these big super agencies.There’d be no more local asset services here and there and everything would lift becausethere’d be central control. Apparently the people in town don’t even know where thisis and they don’t even know who uses the car park, how often, how many people, whereit is. The only response that is in here is the car park is utilised by the Stephens CroquetClub. Yes, yes they do use it several times a week, but they would be one of the smallestusers of this car park. Now when this matter was first listed sortof, you know, 10, 14 years ago and I think it was around 2010, 2012, I was actually presentedwith plans, when we had local parks officers.
Maybe 10 years ago, they came in to see meand they said here, Councillor JOHNSTON, here are the design plans. We’re going to upgradearound the War Memorial, we’re going to upgrade around Souths Rugby, which is adjacentto the War Memorial and we’re going to upgrade the pool car park on Park Road, on the otherside of Yeronga Memorial Park. So they got some plans drawn up back then, when it wasfirst capital listed. Not now; when it was listed 10 years ago, the plans got drawn up.Again this has languished through neglect. This is one of the oldest memorial parks inAustralia. Not Brisbane, not Queensland; in Australia. It is a magnificent park with areally significant history. It services thousands of sporting and recreational users every week.Not just the Stephens Croquet Club, of whom.
I am their patron and very supportive of whatthey do. But the neglect by this Administration not only in Councillor DAVIS’s area, butCouncillor HUTTON who can’t even be bothered to be here for the debate, is extraordinary.It does not reflect the history of what’s happened with respect to this matter. It doesnot reflect the lack of action by Council. It simply says, as per usual, that Councilhas listed a project. Well it did that 10 years ago, how do you list, Councillor ADERMANNplease tell me, how do you list a project that’s already listed? Because this is theproblem. This is again a deceptive document becauseit does not clarify or record what has actually happened. Neglect, inaction, failure to fundfairly across the city. Failure to respond.
To all the community groups, including thosefrom multiple different sports and multiple walks of life. That’s this legacy of theLNP Administration. That’s why no one wants to run, no one wants to make an effort andthe best you can do is send Councillor HUTTON out to promise a dog park in Oxley with anLNP candidate who you don’t look after. I don’t know why you are doing this, I donot know why. The level of neglect now in Tennyson Ward is extraordinary. Even if anLNP Councillor came in next term, you could not do in one term the work that needs doingbecause of the level of neglect by this LNP Administration.Councillor COLLIER is right particularly on one thing and this is how I feel about it,I use that car park, it is disrespectful to.
Me. But more importantly it is disrespectfulfor the community when you treat their petitions with such low regard, so little thought andso little recognition of the situation that is occurring. Thousands of people use thiscar park every weekend. It has been in a terrible state for a long time and back then, whenwe did have local parks officers, they promised they’d come back and do the second sectionthe next year but they never did, because I was no longer a member of the LNP. That’smy view on why it happened. So I just say to the LNP Councillors, your behaviour hereby failure to include— Point of order. Point of order, Councillor MURPHY. Madam Chair,on relevance. Councillor KIM’s family are waiting up in the gallery for her maiden speechand we’ve heard Councillor JOHNSTON ranting.
And raving for the last 30 minutes. Thankyou, Councillor MURPHY. It’s not a point of order. Now we’re hearing about her timein the LNP, it’s not in the report. Thank you, Councillor MURPHY. Can we just move on?Continue, Councillor JOHNSTON. I thank Councillor MURPHY for the mansplaining, to people whoare watching at home, where he stands up and says no, no, that woman over there can’tspeak about these issues in her portfolio. She shouldn’t be allowed to speak aboutissues in her portfolio. Point of order, Madam Chair. Point of order, Councillor HOWARD.The Councillor did not say that at all. Please let the record show that Councillor JOHNSTONis misrepresenting what was said. Thank you, Councillor HOWARD.Councillor JOHNSTON, please go back to the.
Report. I was speaking to the report, thanksvery much, until Councillor MURPHY decided he wanted to mansplain and to interrupt meand to make it even longer, Councillor MURPHY. I’m aware that—Councillors interjecting. Councillors. So Madam Chair, point of order. Yes, point oforder. Point of order, Councillor JOHNSTON. Councillor MURPHY has just been shouting acrossthe Chamber, grow up. Councillor MURPHY is the one who decided to interject, CouncillorMURPHY’s the one who’s making inappropriate comments across the Chamber and I would askthat you rule his behaviour out of order. Councillor JOHNSTON, I would ask you to getback to the report and finish your speech. There’s a lot of people in the room thathave been calling out during the meeting,.
As you know, including yourself. Can you pleasego back to the report. So just to be clear, Madam Chair, my point of order is CouncillorMURPHY has been calling out grow up across the Chamber, which is inappropriate conductand I would ask that you rule his behaviour as disorderly and take appropriate action.Councillor JOHNSTON, I am asking you to finish doing your report and if you would like meto call out every single Councillor every time they call out the Chamber, I will startdoing that. Madam Chair, I’ve raised a procedural point of order under the rules and I’m entitledto a ruling on it. What you’re telling me is to get back to what I was saying. You havenot addressed my point of order and the inappropriate conduct is telling another Councillor to growup. Now I am grown up, I am making relevant.
Debate, that is inappropriate behaviour and,Madam Chair, I am asking that you take action as it’s inappropriate behaviour. Thank you,Councillor JOHNSTON and I advise Councillor MURPHY and I just advise all Councillors infact in this room that they will not call out across the Chamber, or I will every timethey call out bring them to their—I will let them know that they are not to call outacross the Chamber. Okay, thank you. Point of order, Madam Chair. So just to be clear,a man shouted— One moment, Councillor JOHNSTON, I haven’t asked you for your point of order.Point of order, Councillor JOHNSTON. Just to be clear then, Madam Chairman, a male Councillorshouting grow up to a female Councillor on the other side of the Chamber is appropriateconduct, in your view, under the Meetings.
Local Law? Councillor JOHNSTON, I’ve mademy ruling already. You asked me to make a ruling and you are continuing on the samepoint of order. I have made my ruling and you heard it. Would you like to continue withthe report, thank you. Yes, Madam Chairman. Yes, I would and I can see very clearly thatthe behaviour of men in this Chamber is not changing at all. Perhaps now Councillor Mackayhas gone, but perhaps Councillor MURPHY is about to take over. Point of order, MadamChair. Point of order, Councillor HOWARD. It is very inappropriate for Councillor JOHNSTONto be referring to Councillors who are no longer in this Chamber. Thank you, CouncillorHOWARD. Councillor JOHNSTON, can you please just stick to the report, thank you. Thankyou and I know Councillor Kara Cook would.
Have called out this kind of behaviour, asCouncillor COLLIER has as well. I know that the LNP Council like to refer to CouncillorCook, as they have tonight on many occasions as well. So I thank Councillor HOWARD fordefending the double standard of the LNP in this Chamber here tonight. Now I won’t sayany more, I’m sorry to the family of the new Councillor and friends up there.It should not have gone like this, that’s for sure, but the community I represent areappalled at this Council’s inaction when it comes to fixing important community facilitiesin our ward. As you can see here tonight and I’m sure this will happen to your belovedfamily member and friends, they will try and shut you down at every opportunity, but wehave to be strong for our communities. Thank.
You for supporting her and I hope you enjoyher first speech. Are there any further speakers? Councillor ADERMANN?I will now put it to the vote. All those in favour say aye.Councillors say aye. To the contrary no. The ayes have it.Councillor HOWARD, Community and the Arts Committee. Well thank you, Madam Chair. Imove that the report of the Community and the Arts Committee meeting held on Tuesday23 April 2024 be adopted. Moved by Councillor— Seconded. —by Councillor HOWARD and secondedby Councillor ATWOOD that the report of the Community and the Arts Committee meeting datedTuesday 23 April 2024 be adopted. Councillor HOWARD. Well thank you, Madam Chair.Madam Chair, I know it’s been quite a while.
Since I’ve been able to do an around theworld so that the Chamber can be aware of the most fantastic things that happen in andaround Brisbane with my portfolio. I thank Councillor Lisa ATWOOD for seconding my report,because she’s a fantastic Deputy, as were you, Madam Chair. I know that not only youbut every Councillor in this Chamber loves all of the fantastic things that happen inand around Brisbane. So I think that it’s very important that we talk about those amazingthings that have been happening recently. The first one I want to mention is the QUBEEffect Live and that was held on 7 April at The Tivoli in Fortitude Valley. We had 19finalists who performed back to back sets across one afternoon, showcasing their performanceskills and battling it out in the hopes of.
Impressing the expert panel ahead of the allocationof awards and prizes. Now more than 650 people attended the event and it was a great opportunityfor me to do a bit of fangirling with Worm Girlz. Now I know that you’ve heard me speakin the Chamber of another band that is my favourite and I’ll come to them shortly.But Worm Girlz were amazing and it’s fantastic that we now have a new group that I can talkabout in the Chamber, because they truly are superb.Madam Chair, through you, everyone will now have the opportunity from 1 to 13July tovote in the People’s Choice Awards and that will be fantastic and of course the QUBE Effectawards nights will be held in August. But I have to share with all of you that there’sgoing to be a QUBE Effect wedding. Now there’s.
No date set for the wedding yet, but excitinglythe QUBE Effect program has welcomed its first ever announcement of an engagement of HayleyMarsten, the QUBE Effect 2019 alumni and Dan Sugars, the video production crew from JMC,who produced the videos that year. Isn’t it wonderful that romance can be found atthe QUBE Effect? Hayley and Dan, we wish you all the very best for the future.Now, Madam Chair, just moving to a few of the other events that have happened acrossthe city this week. Of course everyone in this Chamber attended many, many Anzac Dayservices and what a fantastic opportunity it is that we can really commemorate all ofthose who gave up their life for this wonderful lifestyle that we all enjoy. It’s very reassuringto see so many services now across our city.
And also the parade, to get so many peoplewho are now attending that so eagerly, it’s fantastic.I also want to mention a new Indian tradition New Year celebration that I attended justrecently and represented the LORD MAYOR at Roma Street Parklands and yet again, it’swonderful to see all of the multicultural communities come together so that we can celebrateall that this wonderful City of Brisbane has to offer.We also had the Brisbane Comedy Festival. That was launched just on 26 April, and again,fantastic to see that not only are we using our wonderful Powerhouse, but we’re alsoactivating The Tivoli, we’re activating The Princess Theatre. It was, again, fantasticto get a taste of what the Brisbane Comedy.
Festival will have to offer. I encourage everyoneto get along and support this homegrown festival. As we all know through you, Madam Chair, festivalsare doing it pretty tough and so for a homegrown Brisbane Comedy Festival to be doing so well,it’s just brilliant that that is still happening. Oh. One of the things that I most enjoyedwas going along to The Arts Collective exhibition opening night called Red, on 24 April. I wasable to purchase, yet again, just a small offering of a local artist to go into theward office. Just so you all know, and on the record, I paid for it myself because it’sso fantastic. But I love it. It’s wonderful, again, to see emerging artists being on displayat the Royal Queensland Art Society, yet again, one of the oldest art societies that we havein Brisbane.
I also was absolutely privileged to attendon behalf of the LORD MAYOR, the Queensland Music Awards on 17 April. Again, a fantasticway that we can make sure that our emerging artists are being put on display in the beautifulFortitude Music Hall. Wonderful event, fantastic talent, and we are just so proud of all ofour homegrown talent here in Brisbane. I also attended the GOPIO Dinner on behalf of theLORD MAYOR. We had a Spring Hill Community Day, and again, that is what this city isall about. It’s about supporting those who are less fortunate than we are and the SpringHill Community Day was bringing together many of the organisations around the city thatdo so much good work for everyone. Then finally, in my around the world, I wantto talk about the Apple-MAQ Lions Club 20.
Year-anniversary. I think Counsellor HUANG,you might know some of the wonderful people that attended that—their 20 year anniversaryof helping people all over the world. Everything from all about Pacific countries. We had representativesthere. We had the Consul from Tonga that was there, Curits, who was an amazing speaker.It was fantastic, yet again, to recognise the work of a Lions Club doing so much workin this particular area. So, Madam Chair, it has been quite a whileand I apologise that that was perhaps a little long but there is just so much that happensin and around Brisbane, so we just love everything that we see and do. All right. I’d liketo move the report of the Committee meeting held on 23 April. That report had one petition—awonderful presentation from the Divisional.
Manager providing an overview of the Lifestyleand Community Services Division for the benefit of our new Committee members. It was greatto have our Branch Managers in attendance as well and I’d like to take this opportunityto thank each of the officers within our division who worked tirelessly to deliver the manyimportant services they do for the residents of Brisbane. I will leave debate to the Chamber.Thank you, Councillor HOWARD. Is there any debate?As there is no debate, I’ll put the report to the vote.All those in favour, say, aye. Councillors say aye. To the contrary, no.The ayes have it. Councillor CUNNINGHAM, Finance and City GovernanceCommittee. Thanks, Madam Chair. I move that.
The report of the Finance and City GovernanceCommittee meeting, held on Tuesday, 23 April 2024, be adopted. Seconded. It has been movedby Councillor CUNNINGHAM and seconded by Councillor HUANG that the report of the Finance and CityGovernance Committee meeting, dated Tuesday, 23 April 2024, be adopted.Councillor CUNNINGHAM? Before I get to the Committee report, which I’ll keep very brief,Madam, Chair, I’d like to respond to the question asked by Councillor COLLIER of CouncillorHUTTON in Question Time regarding the real time data. Last year, as many of you wouldrecall, this Chamber agreed to publish real time data on its website as part of the inprogress website and digital upgrade projects. I can advise the Chamber that the websiteand digital upgrade projects mentioned in.
The motion still do indeed remain in progress.Turning to the report, Madam Chair, like other committees, we have new members on our Committee,so we took the opportunity to give a brief to Councillors on the remit of the Financeand City Governance portfolio. I’ll leave the rest to the Chamber. Is there any debate?As there is no debate, I put it to the vote. All those in favour, say, aye.Councillors say aye. To the contrary, no. The ayes have it.Councillors, I draw your attention to the notice of motion at item 6 on the agenda.Councillor HOWARD, would you please move the motion? Yes, Madam Chair. I move that thisCouncil notes its deep disappointment with the Federal Government’s decision to usethe 500-bed Pinkenba facility as a parttime.
Training facility rather than temporary crisisaccommodation that Council unanimously called for 645 days ago and calls on them to reconsidertheir position. Seconded. It has been moved by Councillor HOWARD and seconded by CouncillorATWOOD that this Council notes its deep disappointment with the Federal Government’s decision touse the 500-bed Pinkenba facility as a parttime training facility rather than temporary crisisaccommodation Council unanimously called for 645 days ago and calls on them to reconsidertheir position. Councillor HOWARD? Thank you, Madam Chair.I will be brief because we have heard from the LORDMAYOR earlier this evening and Ithink that it just needs for me to say that it has been two years now since this sideof the Chamber called on both the State Government.
And Federal Government to put the $400 million500-bed Pinkenba quarantine facility to good use. Now, Madam Chair, it’s just astonishing—thenews that we received earlier this week. There really is so much that I can say aboutthis motion because, ultimately, the decision is so disappointing. I just want to say therecent announcement by the Federal Government is a really demoralising decision for thehundreds of people that are living in tents and cars and a severely disappointing outcomefor the community support providers who were willing and able to assist in the activationof this facility. I ask all of you to deeply reflect on this recent decision proposed bythe Federal Government and urge you all to support this motion. Is there any debate?Councillor CASSIDY? Thank you, Chair. I rise.
To speak on this motion and note our supportfor it. I’ll say, at the outset, we support it. We know we are facing a housing and homelessnesscrisis in this city, and we supported the motion that Councillor HOWARD talked aboutpreviously. While we recognise this is not an ideal location for housing of any kind—crisisor long-term, it is there. It was sitting there. It could have been used. It shouldhave been used. We do note that decision. We support the calls for that to be reviewed.But I also think Council can and should be doing more as well in this space. We shouldn’tjust, as we talked about the housing and homelessness strategy earlier in the meeting tonight, leavethat at just one action on the homelessness side and one action on the housing side—housing,being Kurilpa, and homeless, being Pinkenba.
So, to that end—and I’ll do this veryquickly—I’d like to move an amendment. The amendment—it’s a current motion beforeus today. I’d like to insert the words after, reconsider their position, insert the words,Council also resolves to increase its support for crisis accommodation, including increasingthe Pathways out of Homelessness Grant to $5 million annually for the next four years,investigate lowering rates for properties held by registered community housing providers,and audit all Council owned land for suitability to partner with community housing providersto deliver more housing. Is there a seconder? Seconded. Thank you. It has been moved byCouncillor CASSIDY and seconded by Councillor COLLIER that the motion be amended to read—tohave after the words, reconsider their position,.
Insert the words, Council also resolves toincrease its support for crisis accommodation, including increasing the Pathways out of HomelessnessGrant to $5million annually for the next four years, investigate lowering rates forproperties held by registered community housing providers, and audit all Council owned landfor suitability to partner with community housing providers to deliver more housing.Councillor CASSIDY? I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. I’ve been on the recordsuggesting these very things last time we had this motion here to Council. We’re oftenasked for ideas, suggestions, actions that we are proposing. Well, here is some thatI think we can all support, particularly leading into the budget that this Council will considerin June. There are real and practical actions.
That this Council can take to assist communityproviders whether they be crisis accommodation or community housing providers to deliverroofs over people’s heads. Is there any debate?Okay. I will now put the amendment to the vote.All those in favour, say, aye. Councillors say aye. To the contrary, no.Councillors say no. The noes have it. Division has been called by Councillor CASSIDYand seconded by Councillor COLLIER. Councillors, ayes to my right, noes to my left. Pleasering the bells. Okay. Clerks, please read the results. MadamChair, the noes have it, the voting being seven in favour and 15 against. The motionis lost.
Is there any further debate?Councillor ATWOOD? Thank you, Madam Chair. Sorry. Let me just find my speech quickly.I, too, rise to speak on this motion. Because, quite frankly, I am not sure how this happened—howanyone thought a parttime training facility was more important than providing safe accommodationand support for our residents when they needed it the most. On behalf of so many children,women, and men who are not sure where they will sleep tonight, who are not sure wherethey will eat tonight, I am frustrated, and I am sad. Because if we choose to accept this,what kind of society are we? Now, everyone in this Chamber knows Pinkenba was not theperfect solution but it was pretty close. Over the past—sorry—640 days, we had manyexcuses as to why Pinkenba won’t work. But.
The LORD MAYOR has said in the past, we needto find solutions and he did. The former Premier said, it’s too far away from public transport.The LORD MAYOR said, we’ll help with buses. The former Premier said, it’s too closeto the airport and people won’t sleep. The LORD MAYOR debunked this and said, the roomsare soundproof. The former Premier said, the rooms don’t have kitchens. The LORD MAYORhighlighted, it has a huge commercial kitchen which is an improvement from the parks, carparks,and car and hostels and dodgy hotels where the current State Government is happy to houseour Brisbanites. Pinkenba has safe, lockable rooms, interconnectingbedrooms for families with their own bathrooms. It has health facilities, carparking, greenspace.We had a charity organisation who were ready.
To run it and Minister Scanlon recently announcedit would only cost $550,000 to make some modifications to make it fit for temporary accommodation.I wonder how much the Australian Federal Police will spend converting it into a parttime trainingfacility? Pinkenba would have provided a safe space for those who needed it most. We knowthis city and country has a serious rental crisis. We know professionals who earn goodwages can’t find accommodation, like Mr Stapleton who was a forklift driver for 20years and recently lost his job due to his company downsizing.Now, let me read a little excerpt from a recent Courier-Mail article, and see if you wouldlike to endure what he has. The 59 year old male has been living in the park since October2023, after he was unable to find accommodation.
“I left the tent for a few hours, and whenI returned, all of my possessions had been thrown out, covered in dirt, and damaged”,Mr Stapleton said. “My t-shirt had been smashed with eggs, my barbeque had been broken,and the string on my special guitar had been snapped and a knife was hanging out of it”,he said. Mr Stapleton’s tent and personal belongings were completely destroyed. Histent has been slashed through, leaving him unable to use it. This is the second timein six months this has happened to MrStapleton. The last time, everything was destroyed aswell. More homeless residents like Mr Stapletonare trying to find a job but it’s hard when your belongings are constantly destroyed.It’s hard when you don’t have a bathroom.
It’s almost impossible to get Centrelinkpayments when you don’t have an address and it’s impossible to find a rental whenyou don’t have a job. Other residents spend months in their car or a tent. It is so muchharder to help them return—sorry—to help turn their situation around. We need thatPinkenba facility. We need to help 500more Brisbanites right now because there are noother ideas on the table. But if we don’t stand up and act now, it will only have effects—sorry—itwill not only have effects on residents right now. It will affect generations to come.Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs sums it up very simply. At the base of this hierarchy, ourpsychology—sorry—our psychological needs like food, water and shelter. The essentialfor survival. Without these three basic necessities,.
Individuals struggle to progress to higherlevels of fulfilment and their mental health, employment start to see cracks as they oftenturn to fight or flight mode. In such circumstances, it’s difficult to focus on anything beyondmeeting the immediate need of a safe place to sleep and your next meal.Now, looking past humanity and trying to help our community, homelessness extends far beyondthe individuals that experience it in our communities, posing significant challengesto public safety and the wellbeing of vulnerable populations, especially our children. Whenpeople are pushed into these situations, they may resort to desperate measures to survive.This can lead to an increase in petty crimes, theft, and even more serious offences. Addressinghomelessness isn’t just about providing.
Shelter. It’s about creating safer communitiesfor everyone. Now, let’s turn our attention to our youngestvictims of homelessness—children. Imagine being a child without a stable place to callhome. Every night becomes a struggle for safety and security. Homeless children are exposedto violence, substance abuse, and a lack of access to education and healthcare. The traumathey experience can have a lasting effect on their physical, emotional, and cognitivedevelopment. As a community, we cannot afford to ignore this plight for our children. Theyare our future and they—sorry—and their wellbeing is intertwined with the health ofour society as a whole. By addressing homelessness, we are not only proving individuals with achance to rebuild their lives, but also create.
An environment where children can thrive andreach their full potential. Being homeless is more than just a lack ofshelter. Homelessness represents a profound failure in our society to meet the basic needof our fellow human beings. As a Council, we are pulling every lever we can to helpencourage more homes. Our Council officers are out there every day, working to connectpeople sleeping rough with the services they need. We have removed infrastructure chargesfor community housing providers to create future supply, but we cannot solve this problemalone. Housing is a responsibility of the State Government and Federal Government.Ending homelessness requires a multifaceted approach. It is not an easy task, but it isone that we must undertake, so I will call.
On the Federal Minister to reconsider herdecision and approve and support Pinkenba for a temporary accommodation facility. Becauseusing a 500-bed facility for a parttime training facility for the Australian Federal Policeis not the best use of Pinkenba. Thank you, Madam Chair. Point of order, Chair. CouncillorDIXON? Chair, I move that Council now adjourn for dinner break for one hour, which commencesonly when all Councillors have vacated the Chamber and the doors have been locked. Seconded.It has been moved by Councillor DIXON and seconded by Councillor GIVNEY that Counciladjourn for dinner for a period of one hour, which commences only when all Councillorshave vacated the Chamber and the doors have been locked.All those in favour, say, aye.
Councillors say aye. To the contrary, no.The ayes have it. The meeting will be adjourned when all Councillorshave left the Chamber. Is there any further debate?Councillor MASSEY. Thank you, Chair. I rise to speak onto this motion. In the midst ofthe worst housing crisis since the Depression, we are here playing with people’s lives.The Pinkenba facility has been stated by numerous organisations working on the ground with roughsleepers as a quick fix that is inappropriate. I understand when the LORD MAYOR and otherpeople speak about the facility that they are suggesting that it’s not for the mostvulnerable with the highest needs and the largest challenges. But anyone who is facinghomelessness or is currently rough sleeping.
Is highly vulnerable. The facility in DamascusBarracks has no support services or amenities near it.The closest shops for groceries are 6.4 kilometres away. It would take 49 minutes to get thereby bus, about an hour and 20 minutes by foot. The closest health centre is 3.5 kilometresaway, about 50 minutes’ walk, about 40 minutes on the current public transport. The siteis 15 kilometres away from the city, and even any increase of frequency in buses would bea challenge for some of these highly vulnerable people, particularly when we talk about thethree things that were mentioned earlier by Councillor ATWOOD, shelter, food, and safety.Most importantly, the Pinkenba facility would only be an addition to crisis and temporaryaccommodation, and people get stuck in it.
Or much worse.Had this Council had any connection or trust with rough sleepers, they would’ve heardthis immediately on the ground, as I’ve heard time and time and again when I’m inMusgrove Park and Kurilpa Point, and most recently, which is new, very new for the roughsleepers in Kangaroo Point. The reason why rough sleepers, grassroots organisations,and non-for-profit organisations have stated that Pinkenba is not the solution is becausePinkenba isn’t a place where people would like to live long-term, medium-term, or evenshort-term because it is isolated with no services and no connection to local community.It’s hidden away. The reality is today that rough sleeping,which is often a hidden symptom of our Government’s.
Failures, is now today present across ourcity, and we need to face this head on. What people need is homes, permanent homes. Weneed major investment from the ALP State Government, who have failed for decades, and major policyintervention from the LNP Council. Some examples of this intervention include a vacancy levy,which is present in cities like Vancouver and Barcelona. Currently, there’s approximately10,000 vacant homes in Brisbane. Other things that Council could look at, which I’ve mentionedpreviously in this Chamber, are stopping rezoning caravan parks.Brisbane City Council could lead the way or lead the advocacy for inclusionary zoningfrom a State Government level. Of course, last year the LORD MAYOR mentioned the conversionand refurbishment of city buildings, which.
I’m incredibly supportive of, and is a movementthat is happening worldwide as the housing crisis continues. We haven’t had an updatewith that, but I am hopeful of an update on that soon. Of course, the other thing thatCouncil has decided not to do is invest in social housing—and I’ve talked about thisbefore—actual investment in social housing, whether it’s through housing providers orotherwise. The Greens stand firm in highlighting Council’sinaction in a worsening crisis, and the use of quick fixes in inappropriate spaces assolutions. I believe we can do more than pass this motion. I believe it’s appropriatethat we should talk about doing more, and challenge in different ways and in differentsolutions how we can find new solutions to.
What is visible in our street. We can do morein this Chamber. We can be more proactive, but only if we’re all willing to do so.Are there any further speakers? Councillor HOWARD. Well, thank you, MadamChair, and I thank those who entered the debate. Through you, Madam Chair, our Council officerswork every day, every single day to connect people sleeping rough with the services andthe accommodation that they need. We know that Pinkenba might not be the perfect solution,but it is better than a family having to sleep in a tent. In late 2022, the LORD MAYOR andI toured the facility with community service providers to assess the suitability of thefacility for short-term crisis accommodation—I’m just going to repeat that—short-term crisisaccommodation.
Now, obviously there are some people who don’tthink that it’s the right solution. But the people who toured with us felt that withsome adjustments, with some minor modifications, and the presence of wraparound support services,this 500-bed facility had the potential to be used to give residents a dignified housingoption to allow them to get back on their feet. So, Council subsequently committed $1million for any state-led activation of this facility, just for that purpose. Numerousmeetings were held between Council and the State Government representatives to determinehow this funding support would be called upon. Brisbane City Council was also not alone inits belief that this facility had the potential to assist those sleeping rough across thecity.
Numerous community support organisations echoedour long-held belief that the facility had the immediate potential to support our city’smost vulnerable. In fact, the Salvation Army even went as far as to put their hands up,and said that they were willing and able to operate this facility to provide respite forthe residents who so desperately needed it. Voices across the city have, for almost twoyears, called on something to be done with this facility to assist those who need itmost. So, through you, Madam Chair, I support this to the Chamber. Thank you, CouncillorHOWARD. I will now put the motion to the vote.Those in favour say aye. Councillors say aye. To the contrary, no.The ayes have it.
Are there any petitions? I did have a petition,but I think I’ve taken it off my desk. I’m so sorry. Can I submit the petition next week?Yes, that’s fine. Apologies. Apologies to the residents. Any other petitions?Okay. Councillors, are there any statements required as a result of an Office of the IndependentAssessor or Councillor Ethics Committee order? There being no councillors rising to theirfeet, are there any matters of General Business? Councillor KIM. Chair, I would like to startby acknowledging the Traditional Owners, and pay my respects to their Elders past, present,and future. I rise to speak in this Chamber today to first thank the voters of Calamvale.It is such a great honour to represent local families before Brisbane City Council. I promisethat I’ll always be your faithful servant.
I want to thank the former Councillor forher 16 years of service. I also thank all the Councillors who were successful at theelection, and have the privilege of representing their wards. Chair, I’ve always found theair quality to be better on the south side. I love the south side, and I love our localcommunity. This area has been my home for as long asI can remember. I was born at Sunnybank Hospital 23 years ago, and I’ve lived in and aroundCalamvale ever since. I have great memories playing just outside this Chamber in KingGeorge Square as a child. Each Sunday, my grandma, or halmeoni, would take me to theKorean service at the Ann Street Presbyterian Church, where I was baptised. Afterwards,she would buy me balloon animals. There were.
Penguins, flowers, and even swords. My favouritething to do as a kid was to go for walks in the local parks with my grandparents, my harabeojiand halmeoni. They came to Brisbane from South Korea in1987, looking for a better life for our family. I want to thank them and my parents for allthe sacrifices that we could grow up in Australia, the most beautiful country on Earth. It isreally special to me that I will now be able to look after the very same parks in whichI played with my grandparents growing up. My family still live here today. I saved andsaved to get my first home just 10 minutes away from them. A local Calamvale residentactually just stopped me recently, and he asked me if I was the little girl walkingwith her grandpa, Mr Kim.
I want to protect and preserve these specialplaces so that more kids can grow up with beautiful family memories like this. Our localarea is the most diverse in all of Queensland. I’m conscious of the fact that many localfamilies grew up in places where even something as simple as a walk in the park or ridinga bike was an unimaginable luxury. I know that’s the case for my friend and formerStretton State College Captain Fahima Ahmadi. She’s actually up here in the Gallery today.As a refugee to Australia, she grew up under the shadow of the Taliban and the regime inIran. When she moved to Calamvale, it was the firsttime in her life she felt that she could control her own destiny as a human being. I’m hereto represent Australian families from all.
Walks of life, no matter their background.Ordinary families working hard to get by to pay the rent or pay the mortgage, local policeworking to keep our community safe, firefighters and nurses and frontline workers without whomwe couldn’t function as a society. Chair, I stood for Council because, out of all levelsof government, it’s Local Government that has the most direct impact on the daily livesof Queenslanders and residents of Brisbane. The practical decisions we make as Councillorsgo to the very heart of what it means to live in our city. If you go to your local parkwith your kids, you’re going to a park maintained by Council. If you catch a local bus, you’rejumping onto Council public transport. If you’re driving down a local road, there’sa good chance you’re driving on a Council.
Road. This is particularly acute for growingareas like Calamvale. A growing area requires growing services, and Council needs to payspecial attention to the growing outer suburbs of our city. Calamvale is home to some verybig schools, Stretton State College, Calamvale Community College, Islamic College of Brisbane,and the growing Pallara State School. These large schools face growing challengeswith pick-up and drop-off zones and parking. Council-approved developments in these catchmentzones, so it’s not okay for us to simply say it’s a school issue. We need to improvepick-up and drop-off zones, and promote active transport. Chair, there’s another criticalissue facing all levels of Australian Government. It’s recently said that Sydney faces a futurewith no grandchildren. I fear Brisbane will.
Head this way if we don’t act as Councillorsto make sure enough housing exists for young families to start their lives. During my campaign,so many young people would come up to me and ask, how will I ever afford my home? How willI ever be able to afford a family, and start to raise kids?I say this to the people of Calamvale, as your Council candidate, I pledge to work forour local area. As your elected representative, I will work every day to ensure that our localarea gets our fair share of resources. I will work every day to make sure that our localarea has a future with children and grandchildren. Chair, my family never discussed politicsat the dinner table. Growing up, Australian politics seemed inaccessible to me. It seemedlike something that happened in distant offices.
It seemed like something that everyday peoplewatched but didn’t participate in. Then, at the age of 17, I walked into theoffice of my local State Member, the late Duncan Pegg. I was there to ask more questionsafter doing a Model UN competition. But I walked out of the meeting with Duncan’soffer of a summer internship, and then a part-time job. Over the years, Duncan looked out forme, and helped me to understand that everyday people like us can have a say. A year anda half after I first walked into Duncan’s office, he took me aside, and shared the newsof his diagnosis. It’s been almost three years since his passing, and we miss him everyday. He was our guardian angel in the campaign,and I know he’s watching down on us now,.
Doing the numbers from heaven while sippingon endless strawberry milkshakes. All these years later, I still keep in touch with thePegg family. His brother Graham baked cookies for our campaign volunteers. Every month,I still find myself heading out to the windswept beaches of Surfers Paradise, where I lay aKitKat bar by the spot where his ashes were scattered. I’ll just have a drink of water.I can’t wait to hang a picture of him in our office and I just wanted to thank hisparents, Lindsey, Graham Senior, Graham Junior, Cameron, Grant, and Lachlan. I didn’t thinkI’d get so emotional. What I appreciated most about Duncan’s advicewas his practical nature. He wanted to empower people but he never did so in a tokenisticway. He got straight to the point, never fluffing.
His words. He actually lived his values andthis is true of the entire Griffith Labor University crew he built up. I owe my gratitudeto JamesMartin, Clinton de Bruyn, Merric Foley, David Shaw, Monique Bielanowski, andKerry Carwin. Like me, they all graduated from the Duncan Pegg school of hard knocksand tough yakka. It meant never giving up when the going got tough. It meant endlessdoorknocking and road siding with Krispy Kremes and it meant strategising with him in thehospital when he got sick. I know that the next generation of the schoolis already on the rise. I particularly want to thank everyone in the room here today,Fahima Ahmadi, the Ahmadi sisters, Semisi Manu, Aryan Sharma, Hudson Denning, Joel Krattinger,Nick Trin, Nick Schlobohm, Juan Dugue, Diya.
Bijoy and Sam Sole. Many of these young Labormembers came doorknocking with me every day on the campaign and also Hudson Denning.I also need to make a special shout out to Tang and Michael Murray. They were there formy first Stretton ALP branch meeting when I was 17 and Tang still makes the best chillipaste in Queensland. They were out for me every single day on this campaign and whenmy grandpa passed away shortly before the passing of Duncan, I told Tang I didn’tknow what to do with his Frank Sinatra vinyl albums because I didn’t own a record player,so she bought one to give to my grandma. Tang and Michael, like the rest of our Strettonbranch, you’re all family to me. Thanks for burning incense in our new office, feedingme every day on early voting and giving me.
A big melon for good luck. Also, just duringour dinner break, she’s given me a dragon fruit that she’s grown from home, so thankyou very much. I was particularly lucky to also have significantsupport from our local Labor-elected members. I want to thank Treasurer Jim Chalmers andspeaker, Milton Dick, Graham Perrett as well as two local state members, Minister LeeanneEnoch and James Martin MP. A big shout out to Jared, Lucy, Steve, and Charles as welland all of our Brisbane Labor Council team. Thank you also to our Queensland Labor PartyPresident John Battams and State Secretary Kate Flanders, United Workers Union’s GaryBullock, Greg Moran, Connor Wood, Jake Araullo and Tom Smith and Jess Pugh. When Duncan passedaway, he tasked Greg with making sure I didn’t.
Fall out of line. Thank you Greg for all yourhelp. The support I received from party membersand friends across the city was overwhelming. I particularly want to thank my campaign manager,Adam Chappell, Katie, Lucinda Chappell, my organiser, Hayden Shepherd, branch presidentSharif Kouakis and his wife Guarda, David Parse, Ali Kadri, Thalia Edmonds, the Manufamily for all their generosity and all their fruit, Gail MacPherson, Adrian Cremman, JoseChristensen, Courtney Talbot, the McDoner family, the Glaris family, the Pavlu family,the Ansari family, Scott Taylor, Tony Morris KC, his beautiful wife Alice Hampson, andtheir lovely daughter, Violette. Their two dogs Victor and Vixen were very importantto us on the campaign and I’m sorry I broke.
Your dog lead by trying to fix a Vote 1 EmilyKim badge on it. I also thank my brother Ben Kim. I’m sureas a software engineer he never thought he’d be handing out a how to vote care on electionday. To Troy Spence, Conor Rutherford, Matty Sellars, Goerge and Zander Addison, SachinLadd, Andrew Landyu, Sandy Thomas who used to work for the former councillor for ourarea, Kevin Bianchi, Sandy Luk, Nick Thachi, Yui Singh, Seb Paige, Yuen Tionen, Alex Smock,Riley Bowman, Tim Page, Sajinda Singh, Hardy Barglar, Terry Gobetz, Troy Reeves, Pat Ruthieand Lucky, Tari Dambo, Nora, Ariana and Phil Mansell Clarke, Porsha Alison, Martin Boga,Sarah McDonald, Kate Allaway, Lisa Wada and Penny. Thank you Jas Singh as well, RTBU delegateWill Cragh and the Van Dieren Road locals.
For your help. I’m nearly there.I also want to thank our community leaders. So, we had Turat Acharl, Ben Chen, SharjiThekanath, Esther Stewart, Professor Vicky Browning, Lewis Lee OAM, Calamvale Wines Club,Paula from Karawatha Forest Protection Society, Master Jet Lee, Jitandra Dayo, Johnny Shin,Philso and Jolyn, for all of their help and advice on the campaign. In the past few weekssince I’ve been declared, I’ve met lots of wonderful people, like Steve and Harryfrom Forest Lake RSL and Sunnybank RSL. I look forward to working with everyone andonce again, I thank the people of Calamvale for their support. As I said before, I willalways be your humble servant. Chair, I want to finish my speech to a littleshout out to an Australian girl in the Calamvale.
Ward by the name of Chloe. Chloe is a Grade4 student at Pallara State School. Her dad, Ben, is from Singapore and mum, Emmy is Vietnamese,who is here in the audience today. Chloe gave me a very sweet handwritten card on electionday explaining that she and her group of friends at school had all asked their parents andgrandparents to vote for me. I was so touched by this and Chloe told me that she and herfriends were really excited to see somebody that looked like them running for election.I hope that in some small way my election can inspire other young Australian girls likeChloe to know that they too can go grow up to have a say in the future of this country.Thank you. Thank you, Councillor KIM. Are there any further items of general business?Councillor GIVNEY. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I rise to commend the Anzac Day commemorationsheld within the Wynnum Manly Ward last week and I wish to share these significant eventswith the Chamber. It was my privilege to be invited by three local schools to participatein their Anzac Day services. Each service displayed a profound level of respect andindividuality. Notably, Iona College orchestrated a dignified ceremony uniting the entire schoolcommunity, a highlight was the haka performed by the New Zealand students, symbolising theenduring camaraderie between Australian and New Zealand soldiers.At Bayside State College, retired capital Colin Strachan shared a touching narrativeof his involvement in identifying fallen soldiers found in the Fromelles mass grave. This actof remembrance brought closure to families.
Decades after the war ended. Equally inspiringwere the thought-provoking questions posed by student leaders at the morning tea regardingCouncil and the Brisbane City. Wynnum State School orchestrated a touching service featuringa moving performance by bagpiper Vicky alongside handmade wreaths, a thoughtful gesture promptingreflection on sustainable practices for future remembrance services.On Anzac Day these tributes were echoed by the Wynnum RSL and Manly Lota RSL subbranch,each hosting two services and a march. Noteworthy was a dawn service at Darling Point, hostedby the Nashos Bayside branch, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the sunrise overMoreton Bay. Special thanks to President Wayne Norris and padre Thomas Andrew OAM, for theorganisation of this service.
Gratitude is owed to the Rotary Club of WynnumManly and the Quota International Wynnum Manly for their early morning preparations and hospitality,ensuring that over 400 were fed for breakfast at 4.30am and more than 100 for morning teaafter the 8.00am service. Over 2,500 attendees gave their respects at the midmorning servicesthis year. It was heartening to witness the growing involvement of school students atthis annual event, alongside community groups such as the Bayside Brass Band and GumdaleState School choir and the talented bugler, school student Camillo Suarez. Special thanksto Ness Noble, Rex Coombes and Harry Pragnell and the committee for their tireless efforts.The predawn service at Wynnum illuminated by the full moon was a profoundly moving experience,enhanced by the Moreton Bay College’s choir.
Rendition of Abide with Me and the nationalanthems. The midmorning march and service attended by local business leaders—sorry,by numerous school groups, community groups and sporting clubs, underscored the enduringsignificance of Anzac Day within our ward. The Wynnum RSL Pipe Band ensured the servicewas one to remember. My attendance as a special guest at the Wynnum RSL and annual Anzac lunchwas a humbling experience surrounded by veterans, community leaders, and volunteers united inpaying respect to our fallen heroes. In closing, I extend my heartfelt gratitudeto the dedicated volunteers whose tireless efforts ensured a seamless execution of thesecommemorative events. Their unwavering commitment embodies the spirit of remembrance cherishedby our community. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor.
Further speakers?Councillor COLLIER. Yes, thanks, Chair. I just want to talk on two items of generalbusiness. First, just also want to mark on the record my appreciation to the Bulimbaand Districts RSL subbranch and the Norman Park National Serviceman subbranch as wellfor their efforts in commemorating Anzac Day as a, I’m sure many other people in thiscity and even in this Chamber, I am the granddaughter of a World War II veteran and he served andcame home and never spoke a word of it. So Anzac Day to me in particular and having volunteeredwith the Bulimba and Districts RSL for more years than I can remember, is an importantway to continue to tell the stories of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice of course,but those who came home and paid that sacrifice.
Too.So as a Local Councillor, I, like others in this Chamber, have the immense privilege ofrepresenting our community at local services, whether that’s on the day or the week leadingup to local school services and I do just really want to commend all of the young childrenlocally who will continue on that legacy and keep telling those stories. We have to tellthem so that we never forget and remember the importance of the decisions that we makewhen we have positions of power. I think that is an incredibly important segueinto the next thing that I will talk about, which is just the general conduct of us heretoday in the Chamber and as local elected representatives. I for one have found it veryconfronting and as many of you know, I am.
Not a stranger to politics, I have been aroundit for a long time, but when I step foot into this place sometimes, it makes me feel verydisappointed on behalf of everyone’s community in the way in which we behave and I thinkthat we can do a lot better than that. We negotiate with each other in good faith Ifeel and tonight I feel like that was not respected. I’m really disappointed. We havea new Councillor whose voice matters and her story matters. We are here to hear that tonightand as you can—as we have just heard, I just said to Councillor Kim, was there anyonein the community who didn’t support her, because that was an incredible list of notonly party people, her family, but her community who helped her be the strong community voicethat she has ultimately been elected on to.
Deliver for her area.So, to have her family here tonight and be disrespected by the Administration, you know,we could do so much better, we really could. Our voices in this place are an incrediblypowerful thing and to have your family and friends here tonight to witness you becomingthe new Councillor for Calamvale and put your remarks read onto the record, Emily—CouncillorKIM, sorry, deserves respect and on this side of the Chamber we will respect and I guessfrom the events not only just earlier tonight, but throughout the course of today, we arehaving a national conversation about the way that we treat each other as people. I hopethat everyone here tonight will consider that very deeply. Are there any further speakers?Councillor WOLFF. Thanks, Madam Chair. I rise.
To speak of the Anzac Day spirit in the WalterTaylor Ward, with many significant events occurring throughout April in the leadup toAnzac Day. Beginning early April, I attended an event at the Toowong Cemetery for the Stoneof Remembrance and the Cross of Sacrifice. Special thanks to Peter Collins, the convenorof the Stone of Remembrance Centenary Committee and also to Toowong RSL. We were joined byHis Excellency Governor-General the Honourable David John Hurley and Her Excellency Mrs LindaHurley, marking the centenary of the official unveiling of Australia’s first nationalANZAC memorial. Additionally in the Walter Taylor Ward, BrisbaneCity Council has delivered the National Defence Chaplains Memorial Grove in Toowong’s AnzacPark. This memorial grove, for the first time.
Ever in the Commonwealth, honours the gallantry,dedication to duty and sacrifice of those who humbly serve the fighting men and womenwho keep Australia free. In the Walter Taylor Ward, I’m also fortunateto have a family business called National Medals in Taringa. I popped in to visit Gregto have my grandfather’s service medals replicated to wear for the upcoming ANZACservices throughout my ward. Anzac Day, through stories of times past, connects us to ourcommunity in so many meaningful ways and for me personally, my grandfather, Cecil Kroll,served in the 2nd 14th Battalion in Papua New Guinea and Borneo until the war ended.On his return from World War II, he served as president and secretary for 28 years forthe Redcliff RSL subbranch and he was awarded.
Life membership.I wanted to recognise the importance that RSL plays on Anzac Day above all days, torecall those who have served in war and who did not return to receive grateful thanksfor our nation. Toowong RSL subbranch dawn service was heartfelt and well attended. Specialmention to Leila Coulter, a Year 6 student leader from Indooroopilly State School whowrote and shared a very personal and moving poem, The 25th of April.I also witnessed the incredible support of the community who attended the Sherwood IndooroopillyRSL subbranch commemorative service at Keating Park in Indooroopilly. I was delighted toalso attend the West Toowong Bowls Club service with thanks to Ros and Lieutenant ColonelBrian Venz, Retired, for his significant address.
And sharing stories of Coastwatchers likeArthur Reginald Evans and Ruby Boye, who was the only female Coastwatcher.In addition to the services attended on Anzac Day and across the week, I attended many schoolcommemorative services including Brisbane Boys College, Indooroopilly State School,QASMAT, being Queensland Academy for Science, Maths and Technology and Indooroopilly StateHigh School and I had a representative also attend at Fig Tree Pocket State School. AnzacDay in 2024 I witnessed so many come together to honour our brave servicemen and women whocontinue to protect our country while also remembering the fallen soldiers for theircourage, sacrifice, and legacy. Thank you to all who helped commemorate Anzac Day inthe Walter Taylor Ward. Thank you. Further.
Speakers?Councillor CASSIDY. Thanks very much, Chair. I rise to speak on three items tonight. ANZAC,the ANZAC spirit, the Deagon Ward, Council’s support for homelessness services and badfaith negotiations. Giggles over there has already started. I might start on that actuallyand I guess— Councillors interjecting. I guess the lessonI’ve learnt tonight, Chair, is that you don’t negotiate with a bloke that won’teven look you in the eye and won’t do it in good faith. A very strange experience inthe leadup to our dinner break tonight in that Councillor COLLIER approached the LNPwhip and asked a simple question, whether we thought Councillor KIM would speak beforethe dinner break or after the dinner break,.
Simple question and no reflection on whatCouncillor DIXON did, she went and asked the question and I was approached. I didn’tapproach Councillor MURPHY, but Councillor MURPHY approached me, Chair, with a deal thathe had decided to offer in that if Labor Councillors didn’t speak in general business, that CouncillorKIM would get to speak, given that your family and friends are all here, would get to speakbefore dinner. Given what he had said earlier in the meeting,that he thought it was disrespectful for Councillor JOHNSTON to have been speaking, I took himat good faith, Chair. So I spoke for—and he said to me, the other important bit, Iguess, Chair, in all of this and I want to put this on record, is that one of three thingswould happen with the motion that Councillor.
HOWARD moved, either the LNP would move throughit very quickly, is what he put to me, they would pull it entirely or delay it to anotherweek. None of my suggestions, they were Councillor MURPHY’s suggestions and I said, sure, noworries, we won’t speak during general business and we proceeded to the motion. I spoke forone minute and 23 seconds on the motion, cut short my comments significantly in good faithand then all of a sudden we go to dinner. So, whatever, if that was always their intention,Chair, that’s fine. Councillor interjecting. But just don’tlie about it. I think that’s the— Councillor interjecting. That’s the issuehere. I guess I take what Councillor COLLIER said earlier in her remarks in general business,that this meeting in particular but when we.
Reflect about how this Council has operatedwith this LNP majority for a long time, it’s not been in good faith. I’ve never soughtto negotiate the closure of a meeting early with the LNP, I’ve always been happy togo to dinner if that’s in fact what we want. We asked a simple question about that andthen to have Councillor MURPHY concoct this sort of deal that he proposed to us and thenpull the rug and send us to dinner, whatever, it’s no skin off our nose. But it’s justvery bad faith negotiating and something—and disrespectful to Councillor KIM’s familyand friends who came along tonight to witness what is quite an amazing, amazing achievementfor you in being elected and to be able to make that contribution and demonstrate toall of us here what your community already.
Knew as to why you should have been electedthe Councillor for Calamvale, given your significant community support.So terribly disappointed. We’re always often disappointed about decisions are made in herein this place and I really don’t—you know, I’ve been in here for nearly nine yearsnow and I’ve seen how Councillor MURPHY operates, Chair, and he does treat this likehigh school politics. But for a lot of us in here, for a lot of us in here, we seekto make a bigger contribution than just ourselves, our own personal enjoyment in getting oneup on other Councillors. I’ve often talked about the need for us having a higher purposein here than our own self advancement. I’m sure a lot and I do think a lot of LNP Councillorsthink that way as well, but what is for sure.
And certain is that Councillor MURPHY is notone of those. So, I want to expand on Labor’s ideas thatI put forward in my amendment to the moment we had prior to general business. As I saidvery briefly then and I’ll say it now, we’re often accused of coming in here and complainingand not having ideas and not putting things on the table. Well, we did that tonight, weput some ideas on the table and they’re not our ideas, these are ideas that have comefrom service organisations working in the community housing and homelessness sectorhere in Brisbane. They’ve come from organisations that toured the Pinkenba site with the LORDMAYOR and with Councillor HOWARD. Now they had some face-to-face time with these people,as have I, in seeking out these solutions.
In the community so we can bring them hereto Council to try and address these issues. Funding for the Pathways out of HomelessnessGrant is critical to these organisations. It’s been stagnant now for years and yearsand years at about $1 million or so a year. Those community organisations are crying outfor more support to be able to deliver more services immediately, to deliver more crisisaccommodation immediately. That’s something this Council can do. We could have supportedit tonight, but the LNP chose not to. The LORD MAYOR has an opportunity to fund thatin his budget and I certainly hope that he will. Investigating lowering rates for propertiesheld by registered community housing providers, having discussions with organisations likeQ Shelter who represent, are the peak body.
Representing community housing providers,one of the big issues that they face in being able to invest in more stock, invest in buildingmore stock and taking advantage of those infrastructure charge discounts, of which we have supportedin this place, is lowering the rates burden that those organisations have.So, in any given year, that goes up and down, that discount, but in recent years it wasabout five per cent. So sure, that’s a generous five per cent that these organisations weregetting on their rates bill from this Council, however anything more than that, every dollarthat is saved in these organisations paying rates to Council means more houses are built.More houses are built, our rates base is expanded as well, this pays for itself and what itdoes is support affordable housing here in.
Brisbane. That’s another idea, an auditCouncil-owned land for suitability to partner with community housing providers. This issomething that we see in councils all around Brisbane. We’ve seen the Moreton Bay Councilnot only lead the way in terms of financial support packages, but also in gifting land,whether it’s through long term leases or freehold transfer of land to community housingproviders, because turns out that’s a council that prioritises homes and prioritises housingfor vulnerable people much more than this Council does.So, there’s just a couple of ideas. If we had a fulsome debate, if we didn’t haveCouncillor MURPHY concocting some fake deal to try and stop us from talking, we mighthave had a more fulsome debate about that.
But there’s some ideas, I’ll throw themover to Councillor HOWARD and the LORD MAYOR to think about and to talk to Q Shelter andto talk to community housing providers because they are screaming out for more support. Mymessage to them and I’ve had some great conversations with Fiona and Jackson at QShelter and will continue to, we will continue to support you on this side of the Chamberand bring your issues to Council and fight for you.In summing up this contribution to general business, I just want to talk about AnzacDay in my community. So, in the leadup to Thursday, we had an amazing display of thatANZAC spirit at our schools right around the Deagon Ward. I was lucky enough to attendhalf a dozen or more, I think, services at.
Schools which were all student led from primaryschools, with contributions from Preppies right through to our high schools in the DeagonWard. When you hear those veterans or serving personnel talk about what the ANZAC spritmeans to them and those key elements of that, of service and of mateship, of the fair go,we see that spirit that they talk about and they hold so dear coming through in that nextgeneration of residents here in Brisbane. I think that’s a wonderful thing.To culminate that amazing display of community spirit on Thursday for myself at the dawnservice at Sandgate, which was simply amazing, the largest crowd certainly since 2014, sincethe 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli, with thousands of people flooding into MemorialPark and paying their respects for those people.
That not just serve, but particularly thosethat made the ultimate sacrifice, the 100,000 Australians over the last 100-plus years whoserved our nation. Then to see both at Zillmere and Sandgate the thousands of students, ofveterans, of community organisations and everyone from every walk of life marching very proudlyto pay their respects, not just to those that served, but also the community that they love,was a very special thing, not just to witness, but to be part of as well. Thank you. Thankyou, Councillor. Further speakers?Councillor MURPHY. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just rise to respond to Councillor CASSIDYin respect of deals and negotiations. Councillor CASSIDY has once again misled the Chamberin this place. We did not approach him to.
Offer any deal in respect of Councillor KIM’sfirst speech. Councillor COLLIER approached Councillor DIXON to ask that we prioritiseher speech, that it be done before dinner and that we get through the business of themeeting so that we could do that before dinner. We offered to do that on the proviso thatthey breeze through with no further speeches to get to that first speech and we said wehadn’t, it’s true, we said we hadn’t decided on what we were going to do with themotion. Councillor interjecting. Councillor COLLIER,you were heard in silence, I expect you to do the same for other people in general business.Point of order, Chair. Point of order, Councillor COLLIER. I just—under what standing orderin the Meetings Local Law is it for you to.
Pass judgment and make commentary to me directlyon matters that Councillor MURPHY is speaking to? Councillor COLLIER. Could you please provide?Yes. Where? I can. You are not supposed to be speaking while other Councillors are speakingand that is what I am pulling you up on. Okay? You were heard in silence when you did yourgeneral business and we expect Councillor MURPHY to be able to have his say. It’snot open for you to debate it. Councillor MURPHY. So do you think, MadamChair, that if Councillor CASSIDY was very keen to move an amendment on the motion thatwas coming, a notified motion, that he would have said at that point, actually I’m reallykeen to move an amendment to that motion which requires a speech and a vote, so we probablycan’t agree on this, we’ll have to go.
To dinner, do you think he said that? Or doyou think he said, yes, I agree, let’s do the deal and then just went and did the amendmentand now is trying to retcon things, blame us, you know, all the personal attacks onme, which I don’t mind by the way, Councillor CASSIDY, I’m used to that from you. Do youthink any of that was disclosed? No. No, it wasn’t and so that how we arrived at dinner,because Councillor CASSIDY, unlike you, who often leave the Chamber and go away, our Clerkswho are here cannot, they have to stay there and they require breaks. So, we were willingto move 15 minutes for them and then when you moved an amendment, you clearly went backon whatever deal you thought we had and so we went to dinner.But I’ll say again, the only reason that.
We went to dinner is because your side ofthe Chamber continually enables one Councillor to disrupt the business of this place.Councillors interjecting. One single councillor, constantly seconded, constantly enabled tojust waste hours of all of our time on pointless speeches and personal attacks that do nothingfor her community and go nowhere. So maybe you want to consider how you waste that timerather than coming in here and attacking me. Further speakers?Councillor STRUNK. There it goes. I’ve got a big enough voice, you’d probably hearme anyways. Anyway, I rise to speak on a couple of items, two events and I want to reflecton a petition that I wasn’t able to speak to because we had a deal. But then CouncillorMURPHY says he doesn’t do deals, but then.
He just said he does deal, so anyways, I’mconfused, but anyways, I’ll let that go. Right, in regards to—I’m wearing a Vietnameseheritage flag, or something that represents the Vietnamese heritage flag because I wantto speak about the day of mourning that occurred at 2pm at the Freedom Place at Inala. Pointof order, Madam Chair. Point of order, Councillor MARX. Sorry, just there’s some roadworkshappening just out the window here, which is why I actually can’t necessarily hearwhat Councillor STRUNK’s saying, just interested what this was meaning and I can’t hear you.Sorry. Sorry. Councillor, yes, use that big voice that you said you have into the micplease. I’ll try to overcome that. Thank you. The jackhammers. Okay, yes, Madam Chair,I rise to speak on the day of mourning, an.
Event that happened out at Inala at FreedomPlace and I’m wearing a scarf that actually represents the heritage flag of Republic ofVietnam. Anyways, I got permission from my leader to attend the day of mourning and therewas three levels of government that were there, Senator Scarr from the Federal Government,Margie Nightingale, the new Member for Inala, her first mourning day service and I’m surewill be many more to come and myself on behalf of—well as a Local Councillor. So, thisis my eighth day of mourning and of course it’s to commemorate the horrendous lossesof the Vietnamese people after 1975 where they had to flee Vietnam because of the Communistregime that was taking over and over three million fled over a period of time. Of those,one million perished, which is just phenomenal,.
When you think about it.As I say, this was my eighth service that I attended to as a Councillor and it was wellattended, even though it was on a Tuesday. It’s a working day for a lot of people,but there was a great turnout from community leaders and organisations and community leaders.We had three serving inspectors of police there, which is the most inspectors I’veactually seen there at the service, which is really good. So, the police service turnedout in numbers as well to pay their respects to the Vietnamese people who lost their livesfleeing Vietnam to other countries like Canada, United States, obviously Australia, and others.I’m very fortunate to actually look after a ward that actually has a substantial Vietnamesecommunity because they’re some of the hardest.
Working and some of the most generous peoplethat you will ever come across. They fundraise on a regular basis for floods,famines, they did a huge fundraiser for Ukraine back about 12, 18 months ago and they continueto do that work because I think they appreciate the fact that they live in a very safe andtolerant country now, one that they can thrive and they just show their respects for thoseother cultures that are doing it tough as well. I just want to pay tribute to also thechapter who runs the event every year on 30 April every year, no matter what day it’son, Dr Cuong Bui who is the president of the chapter who is an icon in my community andI’m sure is very much so right across Australia as well. He’s very well known and very wellrespected.
Turning to Anzac Day, it was my turn to attendthe Forest Lake Anzac Day service. I normally alternate between the Inala service and theForest Lake service because they do them at the same time every year, even though we tryto convince one of them to maybe change it a little bit, anyways, they still do it andboth of them have parades as well as a service, which is really challenging to the local constabularybecause they’ve actually got to obviously manage people moving up and down roads andcars and vehicles and all that sort of stuff a well while people are trying to get elsewherethat may not be participating in the services. So, I do thank them very much for what theydo. Now this is the first year that Forest LakeRSL subbranch undertook a dawn service, five.
O’clock or so, 4.30, five o’clock dawnservice. They also did the morning service as well and then they do a dusk service aswell over at Dogs Queensland to commemorate the dogs of war. The first service, they didn’tknow it was going to be like, it was their first one, the dawn service, there was near400 or 500 people there, which was quite amazing. Then of course they then, at about 9.30 whenthe morning service took place, it was packed. Literally, I don’t think there was a squareinch of space left, it was standing room only in a lot of cases and it was just so wellsupported by the community, I was just so proud to be part of that. It’s been bigbefore, but it has never been as big as it was on Anzac Day this year.Then of course the dusk service over at Dogs.
Queensland as well, again was very, very wellattended. It’s in the Moorooka Ward actually and thank you for the—Councillor interjecting. Yes, I represented the Councillor for Moorooka I think. No, itwas, anyway, so you can imagine three big services for a small volunteer group in theRSL that actually pull it all together and sadly the president and the secretary, SteveFord and Sharon Ford, had a bereavement, a close family bereavement the night before.They just nailed it anyways, they just sucked it up and then they pushed through and theygot there and I just pay tribute to them because this is their last year as president and secretary,they’re stepping down for the next generation, as they say and we’re looking forward tothat transition as well. But they’ve really.
Done an enormous amount of work with the RSLover the last six, seven years now, establishing a facility at Boundary Road at Wacol thereand where the Nashos are. They’ve just done some tremendous amount of work over the lastfive or six years as a couple, along with of course a great supporting group as well.Now finally, I want to talk a little bit about this petition that actually I didn’t speakto during the committee reports and this was the library and community centre that thepeople from The Gap were looking for support to actually establish a new library and acommunity centre at The Gap. Now we know within The Gap Ward there is one library, which isnot a huge library, it’s about a bit over 700 square metres, which is a little bit smallerthan my Inala library, considering that some.
Of the libraries can be up to 3,000 squaremetres, so that just gives you an idea. Yes, the current library, which as I say, is inThe Gap Ward, is at one end of the ward and if I can paint a picture, The Gap Ward isa very elongated ward and the library that’s currently there, that’s currently been servingthe community for years, is at one end of Waterford Road, or Waterworks Road and ofcourse at the other end is some kilometres down the other end of Waterworks Road as well.So, it’s a fair distance and of course that road is a very congested road at times. So,it’s not easy to traverse from one end to the other, especially during peak hour, soI thought it was a fair request that the community ask in their petition. I would just hope thatthe Local Councillor may take this on board.
And maybe in his budget submissions, mayberequest a new library and community centre to be established within his ward. Interestingenough, the comments at the end of the Council Officers, they talked about the library—Councillor STRUNK, your time has expired. They didn’t talk about the community centre.Thank you, Chair. Are there any further speakers? Councillor GRIFFITHS. There’s no one onthat side? Thank you, Madam Chair. I just rise to speak on four issues. One is congratulations,second one is in relation to issues, third one is about accessible footpaths and fourthone is about the RSL. I just want to first off congratulate CouncillorKIM. Well done. It’s good to have a new person on the team and you’ve certainlygot a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm.
And I hope you have a fruitful career of servicegoing forward. It can be a really rewarding job and I hope you find it that way, althoughmaybe after tonight you won’t think that. So, I wish you all the best.The second thing is, I want to talk to a number of issues related to field services and Iraised issues above field service last time and surprise, surprise, one of the issuedI raised was about four seats, public seats on footpaths that haven’t been able to getaction for a long time. They got fixed, like that, this week. So, thank you for gettingthem fixed. It’s amazing what a little spotlight will do on an issue and it gets resolved orfixed. So, I’m going to try again for another issuethis week and just see if we can get some.
Magic happening. Councillor HUTTON, I knowthat you’ve got a big job ahead of you, I know it’s a big job restructuring andlooking at what’s going on there, but this issue concerns me, it’s about lighting ofa bus stop outside the Princess Alexandra Hospital on Ipswich Road. You would thinkthat this was a remarkable request, two sides of Ipswich Road have bus stops, people regularlyuse them who use the bus stops, I regularly drive past there and see people sitting inthe dimness of these bus stops. I put both requests in, I’ve also had residents raisethe issue of the lighting at these bus stops, put both these jobs in, one got done likethat, one outside Target, new light. The one outside the hospital remains dim. It’s veryhard to see people there, but you can see.
Their shadows and the response I’ve pushedit back to Council three times is no it meets acceptable standards. It’s like the Officersare saying to me, to us, it makes sense to upgrade this light.To me, I drove past it last night, looked at it again, it was dim. A lot of rubbishunder the seats, maybe the Council Officer can’t see that, but the fact that I’mhaving to raise in this Chamber that we have a dimly lit bus stop on Ipswich Road outsidea major hospital is just stupidity. It is just stupidity. It should be a service thatwe just provide and fix up and if the organisation was running well, it should just happen, likeit happened outside Target on the opposite side of the road. So, I will hand that overto the Administration and see whether you.
Can get the light outside a major public hospitalon the southside upgraded, the electricity is there, you’ve just got to change thelight so that it’s brighter for the people at the bus stop. We’ll see, see what a weekwill deliver. I need to also raise the issue of accessiblefootpaths. I didn’t mix this up with the debate earlier today, but I don’t know ifmany of you are aware of it, but I certainly haven’t heard any LNP Councillors raiseit, but it’s certainly, I’m told, an issue right across the city that we went and upgradedall our bus stops, but we actually didn’t connect our bus stops to the footpaths andwe didn’t provide ramps at those bus stops because the legislation didn’t require usto. So, the commonsense approach didn’t.
Click in and we’ve upgraded these bus stopswith no ramps and no connections to the footpaths. Now in a council that operated on common sense,I would say that is crazy, that is bizarre and I don’t understand how we have all theseexecutives sitting up in—I call it Qantas House, they’re all sitting up there havinga lovely time, but how they can allow this craziness to happen.So, I am requesting in the upcoming budget that we put money aside for accessible footpathsto connect our accessible bus stops to the nearest footpath. I had a lady come and raisethat with me. The Officers came back to me and said, you have to pay for it. Can I tellyou, I am—the only footpaths I build now and the LORD MAYOR did, he was fair in whathe said before, I do build footpaths, the.
Only footpaths I’m building at the momentare accessible footpaths. They are only for people with mobility devices. I’m not doingit because someone wants to walk, I’m doing it because someone needs to get their accessibledevice somewhere. So, I think we actually need to look at our footpath funding. I agree,the funding we have for footpaths and parks is for stuff you want to do, but stuff thatpeople require, we should be doing it just as a right. I think we should be doing itas a right and that fits, I had a look at our accessibly plan, it actually fits withCouncil’s accessibility plan. So instead of me having to choose which disabledperson gets a footpath next year, I actually think I should be able to go to Council andgo, look here’s the need, here’s the proof,.
We actually need an accessible footpath here.I have to say, in my area I’ve got a lot of working class area, but I’ve got a hugeamount of industry and let’s face it, the State Government, the Federal Government,we all want people to be at home, living at home, doing more in their homes, being accessibleat home, we then need to back that up with the service. Many of those people also work,so they work in industrial areas, they actually need a footpath to be provided from the busstop to where they work. So, I really would plead with the LORD MAYOR and plead with thedevelopment of the budget that we put some money aside for fixing this problem and haveit as an ongoing issue into the future. I’ll certainly be working with my residents onthat because I think we need to catch up with.
The times there.The final thing is I just want to raise, I was at an RSL event and I really enjoy them,it’s good to hear other Councillors talk about it. At Salisbury there’s a very largeevent there, that land is held in trust by the State and as part of the draft MoorookaSalisbury Nathan plan, it is proposed to become a park. I mentioned that at the event thatwas there. The RSL are very keen to work with Council to ensure that they have continuedinvolvement with that site. So, when the Moorooka Salisbury Nathan plan comes up, I think I’dlike to have a meeting between the Administration and myself and the RSL so we can find a wayforward so that they don’t feel like they’re being pushed out of this park by Council.That’s all I have, thank you very much,.
Madam Chair. Thank you, Councillor.Are there any further speakers? As there is no further business, I declarethe meeting closed.
