Dear neighbours,

As we mark Homelessness Week across the country, it was great to get down to West End Community House’s regular community breakfast. Homelessness Week is an opportunity to build community support and government commitment to end homelessness - like they’re doing in Finland!

If you’ve ever had a yarn with someone sleeping rough you’ll know that they are ordinary people who’ve just been dealt a bad hand in life. In fact, the fastest growing demographics of people experiencing homelessness are younger people, especially young women.

In a city and country as rich as ours, there is no reason why everyone shouldn’t have a roof over their head and a warm bed to sleep in. The fact people have to resort to sleeping in tents in a park should be a source of national shame.

For some reason governments can’t find enough money to build enough public housing in the housing crisis. But they managed to find $14.5 billion in subsidies for fossil fuel corporations last financial year. If we can intervene to prop up polluting industries, why can’t we intervene to end homelessness?

But even if we start building more public housing today, construction takes time and we need people housed yesterday. That’s why I’m calling on the Mayor to implement a vacancy levy on residential and commercial properties left vacant without a good reason.

Across Australia there were over a million empty homes at the last census. Even if a fraction of the empty homes in Brisbane became available because of a vacancy levy it would go a long way towards keeping people housed.

If you can spare a moment, it would really help my advocacy if you could email the Mayor ([email protected]) and ask him to implement a vacancy levy now!

Future of Kurilpa Hall & Library

Do you have ideas about what kinds of community facilities we need in Kurilpa?

Should a redeveloped Kurilpa Hall and Library expansion include sound-proofed rehearsal space? A maker space? More public computers? A tool library? Family and children spaces?

If you’ve got thoughts or ideas, make sure you come along to the community workshop Amy MacMahon MP and I are organising this coming Tuesday, 13 August.

You’ll learn more about the history of the site and recent changes to Kurilpa Hall’s management. You’ll also have an opportunity to hear what your neighbours think and share your own ideas  about the future of Kurilpa Hall and Kurilpa Library.

Your feedback will shape what kind of upgrades and management style we advocate for.

Date: Tuesday 13 August
Location: Kurilpa Hall, 174 Boundary St, West End
Time: 6pm - 7:30pm

Urban Greening on Riverside Drive

Did you know that heat waves are the deadliest natural disasters? These silent killers claim the lives of more than 100 people every year in Queensland alone.

Heat waves are often amplified in the inner city because there are so many hard open spaces and a relative lack of tree cover - this is known as the urban heat island effect.

These deadly weather events are set to get even worse in the future as global warming accelerates. That’s why I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to plant trees and increase mid-level vegetation.

Come to this community meeting to learn more about our ideas for turning parts of Riverside Drive into an urban greenway. Let us know what you like about the proposal and if you  have any concerns.

Date: Thursday 29 August
Location: The Nest Creative Space, 31 Ferry Road, West End
Time: 5:30pm - 7pm

A CityCat Stop for Kangaroo Point?

Anyone who’s ever tried to catch a ferry in Kangaroo Point during peak hour will know that overcrowding is a serious issue.

The free CityHopper service is often so full that residents have to wait for a return trip to board. With the introduction of 50c fares, the Holman St cross river ferry has the same problem.

With no high frequency buses on the peninsula and the cancellation of the popular 27 shuttle, the ferries have come under even more pressure.

So Amy MacMahon MP and I are calling on Council to amend the CityCat timetable to add a stop at Holman St, Kangaroo Point. Holman St is designed to accept CityCats, so this change could be made immediately.

(Check your emails after signing the petition, you’ll need to confirm your email address to have your signature count!)

Make the Kurilpa Loop (86) a permanent service

By all metrics, the Kurilpa Free Loop (86) trial has been a resounding success.

The service is by far the most popular free bus loop in Brisbane, with almost double the patronage of the next most popular service. On weekends the success is even more apparent, with over 7 times the patronage of the next most popular service.

Despite such positive results, the Mayor has only funded the service until December this year. Amy MacMahon MP and I need your help to pressure the Mayor into funding the 86 and making it a permanent service.

(Check your emails after signing the petition, you’ll need to confirm your email address to have your signature count!)

Grassroots Community Campaigns

So many positive parts of our society only came about because ordinary people helped organise their communities and agitate for change. Check out the following campaigns that I’ve been asked to promote:

• A resident of West End has come up with a creative way to create new greenspace - closing Bailey St to cars and turning it into a long park! You can sign the petition here.
• West End Community House have a community survey going. They want to hear from residents what they would like to see happen in their local area. You can access the survey here.
• The community around Victoria Park in Herston are fighting to protect their greenspace and prevent it being turned into a hardscaped stadium grounds. You can sign their petition here.
• The Asylum Centre Resource Centre is calling on the Australian government to evacuate the people seeking safety from the dangerous offshore detention centres. You can sign their petition here.

Baby Give Back

With both cost of living and housing spiraling out of control many families are struggling to keep up. It’s particularly hard with small children who grow out of their clothes so quickly.

So I’m partnering with Baby Give Back to set up the Gabba Ward Office as a donation drop off location. If you have any children’s clothing (newborn to age 5) that you no longer need, please consider swinging by the ward office to donate it.

Laura Street Festival: Volunteer Callout

Laura Street Festival is only possible when the community gets together and volunteer. They’re not a business, non-profit, or organization—it’s an event for everyone to participate in and co-create! They have a range of volunteer shifts for only 2 hours, with options for set-up, pack-down, kids activities, venue support, meeting and greeting and more. 

Trees removal

• A Weeping Lilly Pilly (Waterhousea floribunda) located at ~15 Merivale Street, South Brisbane was removed to allow Energex to move a power pole. A 45L Ivory Curl (Buckinghamia celsissima) will be planted as a replacement.
• A heavily declining Mango tree with structural issues within the fenced off area of the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge Project will be removed. A suitable replacement will be planted after the project is complete (likely a larger species such as Agathis robusta or Araucaria species).
• A Pink Trumpet tree (Handroanthus impetiginosus) will be removed at 14 Drury Street, West End, due to the tree being in irreversible decline. A suitable replacement will be planted.
• A Semi-mature Queensland Kauri Pine tree (Agathis robusta) has been removed at 212 Vulture Street, South Brisbane after falling over in strong winds. A suitable replacement will be planted.

See you around the neighbourhood!
Trina