Dear Neighbours, 

This week in Chambers the LNP introduced new measures to erode what little transparency, accountability, and political discourse exists within Brisbane City Council.

Council Chambers were already little more than political theatre. All the big decisions are pre-made behind closed doors by the Lord Mayor and a select few LNP Councillors. Debate was allowed, but only to keep up the democratic façade. After these changes are introduced all pretences will be dropped, with the LNP’s authoritarian style of rule made clear for all to see.

The changes are being made to the Meeting Local Law 2001 which governs how Chambers meetings function; they are a combination of state government statutory changes and changes instructed by the LNP council administration. Opposition Councillors were only briefed on the proposed changes hours before they were pushed through Chambers.

Behind the pretext of creating family-friendly hours, these changes are a clear attempt to stifle accountability, robust debate, transparency, and the recording of political stances. This affects all parties involved, including the LNP, Greens, ALP, Independents, and most importantly, our community.

I'll share one (of many) clear examples of the erosion of our democracy at a local level.

The LNP administration has instructed a change to limit the time for debate across all nine committees on the agenda from unlimited to three hours only. 

On Tuesday, the Establishment and Coordination Committee report was debated for 2 hours. Had the new Meetings Local Law 2001 changes been in place, there would have been only 1 hour to discuss the eight remaining committee reports. 

If the 3 hour limit is reached before every item is debated, each remaining committee will immediately go to a vote – removing any discussion or opportunities for amendments. This will reduce the transparency of council decisions, the opportunity for robust debate and an understanding of why Councillors voted the way they did.

This is one of many changes to the Local Meeting Law instructed by the LNP administration. 

Some other draconian changes include:

• A 1-hour limit for debate of opposition Motions. Any 'leftover' motions would move to the week after, then the week after and so on until…. it would disappear if the motion isn’t added to the agenda within 30 days.
• New limitations on debate and general business speaking times reduced from 10 mins to 5 mins. 
• Changes to moving emergency motions.

And that’s just a few examples. It is a gross misuse of power.   

All 18 LNP Councillors and the Lord Mayor voted YES to change the Meetings Local Law.

All 8 Opposition Councillors, Greens, Independent and ALP voted NO.

Once again, the real victims of this LNP Administration are the residents. These very people have elected all of us to be their voice, advocate for them, and work to maintain accountability, discourse, and debate.

Brisbane City Council Budget

On Wednesday this week the Brisbane City Council Budget for 2024 - 2025 was released. To my shock and surprise, the budget book contained only top-line figures. 

There are no details about specific budget allocations within Items across the council's business.

There is no information on new Projects within the Budget.

In some areas of the Budget, there is no information on the actual projects that will be delivered, where they will happen, and how much they will cost.

This Budget is a stark departure from previous years' budgets. It's crucial to recognize the significant erosion of transparency that the LNP Lord Mayor is overseeing right now!

I am fully committed to gathering the missing budget information. Over the next week, I will be attending budget estimate meetings and Chambers, working diligently to obtain this crucial data to share with you all. 

Story Bridge Underpass is open!

For decades the main pedestrian and cyclist connection under the story bridge had stairs that made it inaccessible to anyone using a wheelchair, people pushing prams, and many cyclists. I’m delighted to announce that the new accessible underpass has finally opened!

This project is part of the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge, which is on track to open to the public towards the end of this year. A raised pedestrian crossing will be installed to connect people to the bridge, with another speed platform installed on Main St to slow approaching traffic.

While the new underpass is a massive improvement, the new protected cycleway ends abruptly on Deakin St. I am working closely with our state member Amy MacMahon to secure state and local funding to complete the riverwalk from Dockside to Mowbray Park. Connecting the new underpass to the completed riverwalk would create an active transport corridor connecting residents to the eastern suburbs. Without this network thinking the green bridge won’t live up to its full potential.

Click here to sign Amy’s petition calling on Council and the state government to just get the job done and complete the riverwalk.

West End SS Pedestrian Crossing

Almost half a decade after it was initially promised, the state government has finally delivered a new pedestrian crossing across Vulture St. Huge thanks to my state colleague Amy MacMahon for getting this project across the line.

Grey Street Bikeway

For years the Gabba Ward Office has been raising safety concerns about Clem Jones Promenade, particularly the high risk of collisions between commuter cyclists and ambling walkers. A safe, protected bikeway down Grey St would greatly improve matters by providing an alternative for commuter cyclists and leaving the promenade for pedestrians and slower leisure cyclists.

Moving towards this goal, South Bank Corporation has released a draft preliminary design for a new protected bikeway down Grey St. I was pleasantly surprised to see the design included slower speeds, more footpath space, and multiple pedestrian crossings - all things the Greens have been calling for for years. While not perfect, it’s a great example of how we could be redesigning streets all across Brisbane to be more people friendly.

The feedback survey is now open and closes on Sunday 23 June. Some feedback you might want to include: the bikeway connection to Russell Walk needs improvement (used by many to reach West End); the section between Russell St and Victoria Bridge needs protected bike lanes to ensure commuters feel safe; possibly too many car parking spaces have been retained; the new public space needs to be protected against commercialisation.

Kangaroo Point Public Transport update

A huge thank you to the 600+ residents who signed my petition calling on Council to reinstate the 27 bus service. I presented the petition in Chambers this week and used it as an opportunity to ramp up the pressure on the LNP administration. 

In the meantime I have been meeting with Transport for Brisbane who confirmed they are currently reviewing the frequency and reliability of the 234. This shows that our pressure is working. I’ll continue working closely with my state colleague Amy MacMahon to advocate for better public transport for Kangaroo Point.

Gabba Priority Development Area (PDA)

Public submissions are now open for the Gabba Priority Development Area (PDA). The Gabba PDA is being implemented by the state government and will overrule the City Plan, giving the state government almost total control over development within the area.

PDAs are undemocratic tools used to push through often controversial projects; they remove what little community consultation is usually required including revoking the right for third-parties (e.g. residents) to appeal decisions.

The Gabba PDA will significantly upzone the area, with 75 storey towers allowed in some parts. There are no binding requirements for affordable housing and it is likely the majority of the new dwellings will be unaffordable for the average person.

There is some additional open space being provided, but it’s entirely possible we end up with another concrete hardscape heat sink like King George Square rather than genuine parkland and greenspace.

Residents have until 5 July to make a submission. After this, there will be limited opportunities for genuine community consultation. Our state member Amy MacMahon has done up a handy submission template which makes it simple and easy to lodge your own submission.

Burning coal in South Brisbane?

The Mater Hospital at South Brisbane is polluting the air we breathe with a coal burner.  The hospital has been burning coal for energy for almost 100 years. The smokestack spews out high levels of climate wrecking carbon and toxic chemicals.

For an institution purporting to be concerned with health, the Mater Hospital has a moral duty to cease this polluting practice. 

Friends of the Earth Brisbane has had no response from the Board of Directors of the Mater Hospital, and is now mounting a campaign to have this coal burner shut down. 

You can assist by signing the petition and getting involved.  

See you around the neighbourhood!

Trina