Dear Neighbours, 

As the summer continues to unfold, we are experiencing the escalating effects of climate change. From what was predicted as a dangerously hot and dry summer, our city is now experiencing an ongoing cycle of brutal heat waves, dangerous storms and heavy rainfall. The traumatic events of the 2022 floods undeniably remain fresh for many residents across the ward. In this time of unpredictable extreme weather events, it is important to be prepared and aware now more than ever. 

Flood Awareness Tips

Do you live in an apartment?

Large numbers of residents in the Gabba Ward live in apartment dwellings. Community organisation Resilient Kurilpa have prepared an Apartment Toolkit for flood preparation. This Toolkit is a valuable resource that has been led by local experts, residents and engineers.

Be Aware

• Register for the Brisbane Severe Weather Alert
• Download the Bureau of Meteorology app to receive warnings
• Check Council’s Flood Awareness Map
• Visit Council's Disaster Dashboard during emergencies 

Be Prepared

• Ensure you can listen to local radio stations via a battery-operated radio.
• Pack an emergency kit - these should contain valuables, backups of critical computer files, warm clothing, important documents and any needs for children and pets
• Plan your evacuation route! Do not drive through floodwaters. If you plan to evacuate, do so early, as roads may become flooded or congested.
• Connect with neighbours and offer mutual support to keep one another prepared - strong communities have the best response when disaster strikes, and will always react more quickly and more effectively than relying on the government (as 2022 demonstrated!)
• Collect sandbags - our closest depot is Morningside - Balmoral Depot, 9 Redfern Street.

Residents should not have to drive across town to access sandbags, creating congestion and crossing potentially already flooded creeks. I have been advocating for Council to create a local collection point on the Kurilpa Peninsula.

In December you would have received tips to be prepared for heatwaves - you can access these tips via my website.

Invasion Day Reflections 

It was incredible to see such a huge turnout at this year’s Invasion Day rally, with some 15,000 people marching for First Nations justice.

As a proud migrant, I am incredibly grateful to have been able to build a life on this country. Part of that gratitude includes connecting with, listening to, and learning about this land’s original custodians. Any migrant understands the importance of showing respect to and learning the history of the land they have been welcomed to, just as any guest would in another person’s home.

That’s why I always attend events on Invasion Day, where we are all invited to deepen our understanding of the rich history of Indigenous people, and to pay respect to all the peoples native to this land by witnessing and hearing the truths that the government is too afraid to tell. 

Despite what the mainstream media would have you believe, Invasion Day rallies are places of community building and radical love. Working together to end systemic racism and build a better future for all of us is the only path towards real unity.

I am always taken aback by the incredible generosity, solidarity, celebration of culture and community shown by First Nations people on this day of mourning. Of course speakers called out the ongoing racism and violence carried out in the name of Australia. Many speakers also called for relationship building between people and communities so we can work together to replace colonial institutions with more life-affirming structures.

Solidarity was a particularly strong theme this year, with many speakers linking their experiences of Australian colonisation with Israel’s ongoing colonisation of Palestine. Only one non-Indigenous speaker was invited to the stage, a Palestinian person who spoke out against the unfolding genocide in Gaza.

If you are looking for ways to support First Nations justice, you may wish to donate to a local grassroots group. I’ve compiled a list at this link.

School traffic = planning fail

Have you ever wondered why congestion is so light over the school holidays and traffic chaos inevitably ensues when school returns? Because a lack of safe alternatives mean the vast majority of students are driven to school. Studies show that roughly 40% of cars on the road from 8-9am and 3-4pm are due to school traffic.

Most students live within walking or cycling distance from their local school, but many parents are understandably hesitant to let their kids walk or cycle to school. Our narrow footpaths often lack trees to provide shading. There are dozens of dangerous streets across the ward that lack safe pedestrian crossings. Our bike network is full of missing links, leaving students to mix with cars on busy arterial roads like Vulture St.

To address this issue Council needs to stop wasteful road-widening projects and instead build safer streets. Over the next four years I am calling for Council to build 200 pedestrian crossings, 100 traffic calming projects, 200km of new footpaths, 35km of protected bike lanes, and a whole lot more. You can find more information at this link.

Public Transport Update

86 Kurilpa Free Bus 

In October 2023, I delivered an extension to the trial period (July 2024) and a timetable change to the 86 Kurilpa Free Bus. Since this shift, the data has been explicit in the increase of usage, awareness and, subsequently, the importance of this critical bus service for the Kurilpa area.

27 Kangaroo Point - City Bus Shuttle

In 2022, the devastating floods caused severe damage to Holman St and Dockside Ferry terminals. With insufficient public transportation in Kangaroo Point, the 27 Kangaroo Point - City Bus Shuttle began its service. The service was funded to operate until the completion of both ferry terminals. However, with the increasing density of Kangaroo Point and the shift to a free tourist focus for the Kitty Kats, the 27 has become an invaluable amenity for residents in Kangaroo Point.

In recent months, I’ve gained the support of Brisbane City Council’s Transportation Committee Chairperson, Cr Murphy, for the continuation of the 27 beyond completing the Dockside Ferry Terminal. However, I have received no formal confirmation outside of this Committee.

Ensuring the retention of these services remains a crucial priority for Brisbane City Council and State Government. South Brisbane Greens MP Amy MacMahon and I have recently written to:

The Lord Mayor and Cr Murphy (Chair of Transportation)

Minister Melish (Minister of Transportation) 

You can find our letter here.

Amy and I will continue to work to ensure these bus services are retained for Gabba Ward residents and could really use your help in advocating to Minister Melish - please take 30 seconds to write in support of keeping the 27 bus here: [email protected] 

Victoria St Ferry Terminal

West End was promised a second ferry terminal way back in 2011 to help accommodate our growing population. The LNP Council backflipped in 2017 and removed the new terminal from their “priority infrastructure” list. After strong advocacy from both myself and former Councillor Jonathan Sriranganathan, we have been able to add the ferry terminal to the priority infrastructure plan once again.

The upcoming Council elections mean that now is a critical time to pressure all Lord Mayoral candidates to commit to building the Victoria St Ferry Terminal within the next 4 years. To learn more, join our community forum hosted by South Brisbane Greens MP Amy MacMahon next weekend.

BRISBANE CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS - Important Information for Residents

The Brisbane City Council Elections have been called for Saturday, 16 March.

Brisbane is at a crossroads. Cost of living challenges and the impacts of the housing crisis are visible across our streets. The Council administration blatantly disregards resident input and refuses to follow its City Plan. Critical infrastructure like parks, public transport, and pedestrian safety are lagging while the Mayor cuts the city budget and dishes out discounts to developers. The future of a local school and beloved park are on the line.

This election matters, and every resident deserves a say. 

So please ensure you are enrolled. The deadline to update your enrolment is Monday 5th February.

Follow this link to update your details.

Register here for a postal vote.

Pre-Poll 

The pre-poll location for The Gabba Ward is 42 Manning Street, South Brisbane. 

Pre-polls will be open from Monday, 04 March 2024. It will be open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm except for Friday, 15 March, where Pre-Poll will be open from 9 am to 6 pm.

My election campaign

Serving as the Councillor for the Gabba Ward has been a privilege and honour. It’s a big job, and some days are more challenging than others. I’ve taken a roll-up-my-sleeves approach and am proud of the work I and the Gabba Ward Office have delivered over the past 9 months.

I am proud to have secured many wins for our community, including opening West End Library on Mondays and Tuesdays, extending and changing timetables for the 86 Kurilpa Free Bus, new bus stops, multiple new community gardens, murals and park upgrades, and upcoming renovations to the People’s Park Kiosk on Boundary Street and the West End Skate Park.

I also feel great joy in the genuine new and old connections I have made with residents across the ward, from joyful and meaningful moments at Rise Up Festival, Laura Street Festival and Kurilpa Derby; to connections at meetings, P&Cs, pop-ups, workshops and on the streets across the Ward. 

There have been challenges with the Labor State and LNP Council’s Kurilpa Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI), and Labor’s Gabba Stadium Demolition, where I’ve stood alongside and advocated with residents and the community. It has also been a challenge responding to the housing crisis, but the amazingly supportive community response to support unhoused people has been incredible. I’ve truly witnessed the passion and power of our community in these moments.

Together, we have - and will continue to make - a real difference to the lives of Gabba Ward residents. 

I’ll only update this mailing list with my continued local work as a Councillor during the upcoming caretaker period until the election. So, If you want to keep updated about my election campaign, help out or volunteer, please join this campaign mailing list. 

Celebrating our Thriving Communities

Over the course of my ward-wide consultation project, Thrive, my office received over 500 ideas from residents through a series of pop-up stalls, community workshops, and an online survey. From this we’ve put together a community vision for the future of the Gabba Ward and we want to hear what you think about it.

The number one reason residents loved living in the Gabba Ward was because we have a thriving community with a vibrant arts and culture scene. But distance to community facilities was the number one barrier to using them - especially in Woolloongabba.

So rather than a standard community meeting, we’re organising a special event that puts the results of our engagement into practice. Not only will you learn more about the community vision, but you’ll also be treated to an evening of arts, culture, and community. Free food and non-alcoholic drinks will be available.

Hampstead Road community workshop

Hampstead Road is an excessively wide local street that could be redesigned to create more greenspace and improve active travel connections without impacting traffic flow. This proposal was first raised by Kurilpa Futures in their Green Space Strategy which was produced through a series of community engagement projects.

I’ve secured funding to kick this project off with a concept design to be produced by Council later this financial year. The goal of this workshop is to determine what the community’s priorities for this project are. I will feed these results back to the Council designers to try and ensure they deliver a concept design that is in alignment with community expectations.

Come along to hear more about this project and bounce ideas with your local community. We will provide tea, coffee, and morning tea snacks.

Tree removals

51 Ferry Road, West End: residents will likely have noticed that the grand old hoop pine on the Riverside Drive frontage has slowly died over the past several months. The arborist’s report has confirmed that the tree died due to a fungal infection. My office has facilitated the attendance of a state government tree pathologist who has taken soil samples and is in the process of confirming the specific cause of death. This information is important to ensure the fungus does not spread and infect the other two significant trees on the block. A permit has been issued to remove this tree, however a specific timeframe for the removal has yet to be confirmed.

104 Hill End Terrace, West End: a poinciana was removed in December last year without first informing my office. I have now been advised the tree had a large crack in its trunk and there were large amounts of internal decay. The arborists determined tree props/bracing was not suitable for this particular tree and it was removed. Soil remediation works are currently underway and a new poinciana (200L) will be planted after March.