Dear neighbours,
Last week a major fire engulfed several buildings on Hubert St, Woolloongabba. The fire started at the old Chalk Hotel, making this the third land-banked building within the Gabba Ward to catch fire in the last year.
Most media reports ignored the fact that a number of unhoused people had been sleeping rough inside the building. One person was believed to be unaccounted for, but fire crews later confirmed no one was left inside. Another man was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
It’s disgraceful that our community continues to be put at risk when there are easy steps Council could take to prevent the negative impacts of land-banking. Land-banking is when developers hold onto real estate without actually using it, while waiting for property values to rise.
The Greens have been calling on Council to implement a vacancy levy on residential investment properties and commercial properties left vacant for no good reason. A vacancy levy would make our city safer by making land-banking a bad financial decision. Some likely outcomes would be:
- Several thousand existing residential homes would be brought up to a liveable standard and made available as private rentals, putting downward pressure on rents.
- Commercial landlords with properties available for lease would lower their asking rents in order to find tenants, making it easier for local businesses to afford to lease out premises.
- Developers holding off on development while waiting for land to be rezoned at some point in the future would bring forward construction timelines.
In short, a vacancy levy would put downward pressure on rents and property prices while also increasing the available housing and commercial stock. Any funds raised could be used to build crisis housing, including domestic violence shelters.
We should not have to wait until someone actually dies in one of these fires before Council takes action. Please help me put pressure on the Lord Mayor to implement a vacancy levy now. You can email him via [email protected] and please copy us in at the Gabba Ward ([email protected]).
Local updates included in this newsletter:
- Dockside Boardwalk win
- Queenslanders Let Down By Developer Donations Fail
- Woolloongabba City Planning (PDA) update
- What’s the best use of a million dollar infrastructure grant in Davies Park?
- Riverside Drive mural opening event
- Community Petitions
- Tree Removals
- Community Events
Dockside Boardwalk win - lessee taken to court
Community pressure works! After a year of fighting to get action on the closed Kangaroo Point boardwalk, the state government has finally stopped dragging its feet. Last week the Resource Minister began forfeiture proceedings against the Dockside Marina Lessee.
Court processes are notoriously slow, so it is likely going to be some time until repairs begin on the boardwalk. But at least the state government is finally taking a step in the right direction.
The Labor Minister told our State MP Amy MacMahon he was taking legal action a year ago. If he had followed through on his promise then, perhaps the boardwalk would already have reopened. Our community should not have had to campaign for a year for the Minister to take action over such major leasing breaches.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined our community campaign: whether attending our protest, writing letters, or signing the petition. Your actions made this possible.
Queenslanders Let Down By Developer Donations Fail
It is no wonder neither Labor nor the LNP will stand up against big developers and take meaningful action to address the housing crisis, when they take hundreds of thousands of dollars in developer donations.
It’s a well recognised fact that developer donations have a corrupting effect on politics, especially local government. The book Rigged: How networks of powerful mates rip off everyday Australians by Gabba Ward local Cameron Murray is a great account of how widespread legalised corruption is across Australia.
To address the issue, developer donations were supposedly banned in Queensland in 2018. But experts have warned the ban is failing with the major parties having accepted almost $500,000 in developer-linked donations since January 2023.
Moves like this makes me proud to stand with the Greens, since we refuse donations from developers and from corporations full stop. That means we can keep fighting for the community and what really matters to you, without interference from big business. And as the only candidate not accepting donations from corporations or developers, I will of course be supporting Amy MacMahon MP for South Brisbane in the October 26 State election.
Woolloongabba Priority Development Area (PDA)
In the middle of a housing crisis the state Labor government has approved the Woolloongabba PDA with no binding requirements for public or social housing - even on the 5 hectares (~7 rugby fields) of publicly owned land above the new Gabba Station.
The Gabba Station site would have been the ideal location for a publicly owned developer to build well designed homes available to all. Instead developers can build up to 50 story towers. Sometimes it feels like Labor goes out of their way to prove they care more about developer profits than ordinary people and our community.
For those interested in looking at the plan themselves, you can access it here.
Some of the other key elements of the plan include:
- East Brisbane State School is zoned for 20 stories, with no land set aside for another school.
- No increase to public greenspace. Two new small sections of private open space in exchange for increased height limits.
- Unclear how much of the proposed “Central Park” will actually be parkland. It’s zoned as “open space” which includes pathways, plazas, and space for performances or markets.
- A new multi-purpose community facility that may include a library (location tbd: concerning as no location makes it easier to drop off future plans)
- Minor reductions in some height limits, major increases elsewhere. For example, limits around St Nicholas's Cathedral on Vulture St have increased from 36 to 52 storeys.
The state government has ignored the feedback provided by the community aside from a few minor tweaks. Thanks to all those who made submissions - without your pressure the PDA wouldn’t have included even those small concessions we were able to win.
What’s the best use of a million dollar infrastructure grant in Davies Park?
In 2022 Federal Labor committed $2 million to Souths Logan Leagues Club and Brisbane City Council to plan for the future of Davies Park. Plans were supposed to:
- Ensure Davies Park is retained as a community asset
- Ensure club house is a community space which can be used regularly
- Consider removing fencing to increase park accessibility
In their 2024-25 budget, Council has set aside $1.086 million in their Lifestyle and Community budget for “Davies Park Community Space”, including
- Club house refurbishment including construction of new commercial kitchen
- Expansion of building to future services to support the clubhouse
I am concerned the proposed project may not be the most beneficial to the community. Neither Council nor South Logan have done community consultation, so I am running my own. Let me know how you think these funds should be spent.
Riverside Drive Mural Opening
Residents who use Riverside Drive may have noticed the stunning new mural painted at the end of Hockings St earlier this year by local artist Uncle Duane Doyle. This project was one of a couple of mural projects funded by my office.
Everyone is invited to an official opening and community BBQ celebration this Friday 4 October from 9am to 11am. The much loved Whoopee Do Crew will be providing entertainment.
Congratulations Kurilpa Derby and Laura Street Festival!
September saw two hugely successful community events delivered in West End Community Association’s Kurilpa Derby, as well as Laura Street Festival. Well done to organisers, artists, and the massive teams of volunteers without whom these events would not be possible. Events like these are part of the fabric of community, and I was honoured to be able to support both festivals through our Ward Office Community Fund grants.
Community Petitions
I’ve been asked by local residents to share the following petitions:
- Complete the George Street protected bikeway
- Ensuring urgent weekend and public holiday burials can occur
And a reminder that Amy MacMahon MP and I still have two petitions going:
Check your emails after signing the petition, you’ll need to confirm your email address to make your signature count!
Tree Removals
- A Tuckeroo tree to be removed at 58 Hope Street, South Brisbane due to tree splitting in half after suffering an impact from a truck. Removal is estimated for October, with a replacement planting to occur at the same location.
- A Poinciana tree had previously been removed in Orleigh Park and the tree stump remains. Stump removal will occur in December, with a replacement 200L Poinciana to be planted in the same location as the removed tree.
- A Pink Bottlebrush tree at 12 Carlton St, Highgate Hill is going to be removed due to the tree being in irreversible decline. Removal is estimated for December, with a replacement planting to occur at the same location.