The Lord Mayor’s
Budget Speech
2015-16
Address to the Council on Wednesday 17 June 2015
By the Right Honourable, the Lord Mayor of
Brisbane,
Councillor Graham Quirk.
Madam Chairman,
I rise today to present the 2015-16 Brisbane City Council Budget.
As Lord Mayor of Australia’s New World City it gives me great pleasure to deliver a
budget that continues to get things done and deliver for the residents of Brisbane.
In last year’s budget speech I spoke about the importance of the G20 summit to our
economy and our future reputation. World leaders, media and international business
left our City knowing what a friendly, clean and welcoming place Brisbane is. I know
we will all reap the future rewards of this safe and successful summit through ongoing
tourism generation and capital investment.
Madam Chairman, I would like to thank all the residents and businesses that
contributed as part of ‘Team Brisbane’ to the success of this international event
positioning us as the Capital City of the world throughout those few days last
November.
Over the years I have experienced many changes and have taken on many
challenges but one thing remains constant, the people of Brisbane value leadership
based upon sound financial management principles in order to prioritise making the
City and suburbs a great place to live.
Madam Chairman, this budget sees the completion of many projects and
commitments made by me in the lead up to the 2012 election. The delivery on these
commitments has made Brisbane a more liveable, vibrant, accessible and sustainable
City. Importantly, it demonstrates the capacity of my administration to tackle
challenges and consistently deliver on its promises to the people of Brisbane. I will
speak more about these commitments and the raft of new projects later.
This budget builds upon a number of my key priorities that will ensure the future
prosperity of our City:
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New Road Infrastructure, Maintenance of our Suburban Streets and measures
that continue to tackle Traffic Congestion;
Improving Public Transport and Cycling;
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A Sustainable City;
A Creative City;
An Accessible and Inclusive Brisbane;
A New World City with superior lifestyle choices; and;
A Strong City Economy characterised by Small Business Growth and Job
Creation.
Managing the city’s finances
Madam Chairman, last year I spoke about the 2011 and 2013 storm events and it
would be remiss of me not to mention the adversity that residents have endured
through storm events over the past year in November 2014 and February and May of
this year.
As a City, these events create additional cost implications to our budget through
infrastructure damage, park damage and road and drainage damage. In addition, we
are the only council which after major storm events, routinely provides free kerbside
collection of waste in a timely fashion to ensure residents have one less headache to
worry about.
In addition, the cost of major storm events in the last year has amounted to nearly 2%
of total rate revenue. As a result of sound financial management, this recovery work
was completed with no impact on front line service delivery.
Madam Chairman, last year I announced an average rates increase in the budget of
3.85% but in the October quarter a rebate amounting to 1.9% of the annual rates bill
was paid to all ratepayers following the announcement of the repeal of the Carbon
Tax. I want to highlight that this means the real increase in rates last year was held to
an average of 1.95% for residential and commercial businesses.
Again, I want to reassure residents that this administration will continue to manage
your City finances responsibly and will continue to promote the economic growth in
our City - all while delivering a balanced budget, a strong credit rating and a
sustainable level of borrowings commensurate with a growing City.
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This year sees the completion of the largest infrastructure and public transport build
ever seen by our City, all while making sound financial principles a priority and
ensuring we did not take the City into unsustainable debt.
I would like to thank my LNP team along with all council officers, contractors,
sub-contractors, unions and residents for the role they have played in delivering these
key projects for Brisbane.
Delivering a fair budget outcome for all
Madam Chairman, today I confirm that in 2015-16 the average increase in rates for
owner occupier residential and commercial properties will be 2.5%.
For owner occupiers, this average rate increase equates to $8.06 per quarterly rates
notice or 62 cents per week.
Madam Chairman, as in past years we are determined to maintain rebates for those
residents on a pension. In this budget, full and part pension rebates will rise to $924
and $431 respectively. We will continue to offer a special remission on water and
sewerage accounts of $472 for a full pension.
The average increase to council’s fees and charges is also 2.5% although I would like
to make mention of two specific areas:
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On-street parking costs remain frozen at the 2013-14 level of $4.40. In today’s
dollars this will be much lower than the previous Labor administration’s $4 per
hour charge way back in 2002; and;
The Rate Account and Services Establishment fee remains frozen at $177,
lower than Labor’s Ownership Transfer fee of $200 in 2004.
Sound financial management
Madam Chairman, I am pleased to report that in keeping with my promise from 2014
that debt levels would reduce over coming years, I am now able to announce that net
debt per person will be reduced to $1,088 in 2015-16, down from $1,411 in 2014-15.
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This equates to a 47.8% reduction in per capita debt since the 2013-14 financial year
and is lower than at any time during the previous Labor administration’s 13 years in
office. Under Labor, net debt per capita exceeded $2,000 per person for 5 years. It is
an undeniable fact that under my administration, debt is lower than it ever was under
the last Labor administration.
Madam Chairman, the City of Brisbane Investment Corporation is the City’s future
fund. This fund has grown its equity from $137 million to $236 million since 2009.
Ratepayers will again benefit from CBIC’s portfolio of revenue producing assets. This
year, the dividend from CBIC to Council will be $20 million, equivalent to more than
2% of rates revenue. Let’s not forget that Labor’s plan is to sell the CBIC assets to
fund short term projects.
A sustainable city – clean, green and energy efficient
Madam Chairman, just six months ago the Keep Australia Beautiful Foundation
named Brisbane as ‘Australia’s most sustainable City’.
This award means a lot to my team, the team at CitySmart and to all council staff. It is
a fitting reward for our ongoing commitment to sustainability since 2004.
Madam Chairman, I would like to make mention again of the Two Million Trees project
completed in our last term of office, along with 100% green power and bus and vehicle
fleet offsets.
CitySmart, the organisation charged with making Brisbane Australia’s most
sustainable City, has launched two new programs:
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Reduce your Juice – will see CitySmart in partnership with the Federal
Government working with young adults and low income families in rental
properties across the City to improve their energy use with a target of saving up
to $285 or 19% off their average annual electricity bill; and;
Live for Less – will see CitySmart work with families and households across
Brisbane by better managing water, waste, energy and transport helping to
reduce their daily cost of living.
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These new programs complement our very successful Ezygreen program which has
saved participating Brisbane households around $170 off their energy bills every year
and our suburban Green Heart Fairs are showing residents how to reduce their daily
energy costs.
Parks, open space and Brisbane lifestyle
Madam Chairman, I want to make mention of three of many open space and park
projects provided for all residents to enjoy now and into the future.
The 3.5 hectare Frew Park at Milton was opened in November last year and is being
enjoyed by thousands of visitors each week.
The re-development of Howard Smith Wharves has been awarded and will deliver a
minimum 80% of the site for parkland, bike paths and picnic and recreation areas.
This new river destination for Brisbane residents to visit will be transformed from a site
that previous Labor governments have allowed to remain as a derelict eyesore for
many years.
The 4 hectare Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens expansion was opened only last month
and includes a new playground, picnic areas, an amphitheatre, forest walk, interactive
kitchen garden and new lagoon for better water management across the gardens.
To support this expansion and in recognising the value of this site to tourists and local
residents, today, I would like to announce that this budget includes $3.4 million for a
new Visitor Information Centre.
This entire precinct including the planetarium, the summit lookout and other scenic
locations and picnic spots is one of the City’s treasures.
In recognition of this, an additional $980,000 will be specifically allocated towards
upgrading facilities at the popular Simpson Falls and JC Slaughter Falls picnic areas.
A new allocation of $700,000 over four years is included to improve the trails and
access on the mountain. Every year 750,000 people use the trails on Mt Coot-tha for
exercise, physical recreation and enjoyment of our beautiful city greenspace. I see it
as an investment in encouraging a healthy and active population.
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Madam Chairman, it is with great enthusiasm that I announce today that we will ‘bring
back the fountains’ that were an unfortunate casualty of past droughts. Operating
fountains currently grace the City in Anzac Square, Queen Street Mall, Southbank
Parklands and Roma Street Parklands.
In this budget, I have allocated over $2 million towards bringing water back to
EE McCormick Place in Upper Roma Street, Emma Miller Place in Roma Street and
Mooney Memorial Fountain located at Queen and Eagle Streets. This allocation will
also include a new fountain to be commissioned within the Central City Area.
This budget will see a commitment towards the commencement of beautification
works on the landmark River Terrace in the Kangaroo Point Park, an area enjoyed by
many wanting to get a great view of the City especially during the amazing Riverfire
display in September each year.
In addition:
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We are now funding 19 grass cuts per year for our parks - up from 17 last year
and compared to 14 when Labor were last in office. Grass cuts on major roads
will be 16 times per year compared with Labor’s 12 cuts, and 14 cuts on minor
roads will be undertaken compared to 9 cuts when Labor were last in office;
We will continue with the Lord Mayor’s Sustainability grants and the Native
Animal Ambulance program;
We completed the Anzac Square refurbishment in time for the Centenary of
ANZAC and we will complete the internal refit in this coming year;
We will finish the Karawatha Environmental Centre which is currently under
construction;
We will spend $5.5 million on neighbourhood park upgrades in addition to
Councillor’s individual investments through the ward footpath and park funds;
We will complete the iconic Shorncliffe Pier project which I do note, Labor did
not promise to fund at the last election;
We will increase expenditure by 11% for local drainage construction and 2.5%
for major drainage construction works.
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Council’s Annual Kerbside Collection will continue with an allocation of $6.2 million in
this budget, as will Council’s subsidising of the growing Green Waste Recycling
Service and the Tip Shops. Our popular Green Bin service which now has around
69,500 users will continue to support our clean, green agenda. Following the recent
opening of the Chandler Resource Recovery Centre, we will also complete works at
the Resource Recovery Centres in Ferny Grove and Nudgee.
To ensure we continue to keep our streets clean we have also allocated over $20
million for cleansing initiatives, such as street cleaning, road sweeping, gum removal
vehicles, litter collection and awareness programs.
Keeping Brisbane moving – an ongoing challenge
Madam Chairman, it is that time of the year again when I cannot help but remind all
those present how this LNP administration has delivered much needed road
infrastructure and what is now Australia’s most modern public transport fleet.
Whether we are speaking about major congestion reducing projects, suburban road
improvements, road maintenance, new buses, CityCats or bikeways, keeping
Brisbane moving is an ongoing challenge but one that I know the residents of
Brisbane understand we have been and always will be committed to.
Under a Labor administration, it is frightening to think where their roads and bus diet in
the late 1990’s and into the early 2000’s would have ended up. Undoubtedly it would
have been a disaster for all residents trying to move around our City.
And, Madam Chairman, only recently have we seen councillors opposite, including no
less than the deputy opposition leader, supporting a ‘congestion tax’ to impose
additional costs on those people who choose a car as their form of transport. These
people are from all walks of life and in a lot of cases need to use a car to do their job
or to manage family commitments.
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Our commitments over past years have seen many new projects delivered including:
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the 2004 Transapex tunnel and bridge network incorporating:
o the Clem7 Tunnel;
o the Airport Link Tunnel;
o the Go Between Bridge; and;
o the newest addition to our network, the Legacy Way Tunnel;
new open level crossing projects in Geebung and Bald Hills;
1,090 buses purchased since 2004 and I am happy to say that our fleet is now;
o the most modern bus fleet in Australia;
o 100% air-conditioned; and;
o 100% low floor disability accessible – an achievement I am especially
proud of;
13 new Citycats taking the fleet to 21 cats in total;
an increase in the public transport subsidy for buses, ferries and CityCats from
$65 million under Labor to $114 million in this budget;
our free CityHopper service bringing new life to the historic fleet of city ferries;
the very successful ‘CityGlider’ and ‘Maroon Glider’ services;
the ‘left turn on red’ rollout;
our successful pedestrian timers at key intersections; and;
many other suburban road projects focused upon our vision for easing traffic
congestion across the City.
Major road projects, suburban congestion reduction and maintenance
Madam Chairman, the infrastructure race is one that has no finish line. This budget
allocates funding towards more congestion busting projects. The job is never complete
but we will responsibly manage our finances to deliver now and into the future years:
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With several property acquisitions now complete this budget and forward
budgets provide a commitment of more than $600 million towards the Kingsford
Smith Drive upgrade. This project is now out to tender and we look forward to
the awarding of these works and commencing construction in the coming
financial year to create a new entry statement into our City;
$80 million getting on with Stage 1 of the Wynnum Road Corridor over the
coming four years;
$14 million over three years for the Wolston Creek Bridge upgrade;
$37 million over three years for Progress Road Stage 4;
$16 million over three years for Stage 1B of the Telegraph Road corridor;
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$15 million over two years for Boundary Road, Wacol;
$16 million over two years for Paradise Road, Larapinta;
$9 million this financial year for Stapylton Road, Pallara; and;
$3 million for the signalisation of Glen Road and Brisbane Street, Toowong.
Many other suburban road projects and critical intersection upgrades will continue to
be identified and funded in this budget including those identified by the Congestion
Reduction Unit.
Madam Chairman, I want to single out two major new announcements that will
significantly improve the way we get around our City:
Firstly, this budget allocates $80 million over three years to undertake the ‘4-laning’ of
the Inner City Bypass between the Legacy Way portal and the RNA Tunnel. This
project will increase the capacity on this very important inner city link and will
compliment the success of the Go Between Bridge.
Secondly, road resurfacing has always been a priority for this administration. I am
pleased to announce that I have allocated $100 million this financial year and
$65 million each subsequent year on road network resurfacing projects. This is an
increase of 66% this year on my current $60 million per year commitment and
compares with the $35 million spent in Labor’s last year in office.
To complement this smoother suburban streets program, I am now able to announce
record spending on:
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Kerb and channel works - $9 million;
Pavement design and construction - $5 million;
A refresh of lines and road markings - $5 million;
New footpaths and ongoing maintenance - $29 million.
These items represent a total increase of $5 million or 11% on last year’s budget.
Madam Chairman, managing parking across our City and balancing the expectations
of all stakeholders is ongoing. Today, I am announcing an allocation of $7.1 million
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across four years, including $3.4 million this financial year, towards the
implementation of the all-important recommendations from the Parking Taskforce
headed by Deputy Mayor, Councillor Adrian Schrinner with input from residents,
businesses, community groups and several independent bodies including
P&C Queensland and motoring organisation RACQ.
One such example is the Schools Parking and Traffic Management Plan. The safety of
our children especially in school zones is paramount. This budget includes
$1.3 million to work with schools to improve school zone safety by the creation of
specialised Traffic Management Plans reducing illegal parking, managing traffic flows
and installing high visibility signage.
Madam Chairman, we will also expand existing safety programs in our suburbs.
Following the success of the portable speed warning signs in reducing speeds on our
suburban streets by an average of 10%; each local ward Councillor will receive an
allocation under this budget of $30,000 and the discretion to spend this by rotating
their existing signs to their chosen locations or purchasing additional signs.
Buses, CityCats and bikeways
Madam Chairman, my commitment to public transport is again evident in this budget.
Gone are the days where Labor thought it was okay to deliver only 240 buses over an
eight year period.
This budget is very focused on public transport infrastructure, building an environment
where it is easier for public transport to operate and in turn making it more reliable and
efficient for the travelling public.
As part of my commitment to making bus stops disability accessible, $7.6 million will
be allocated towards this project. This will go towards an overall commitment that will
see the upgrade of more than 2,500 bus stops over the next three years making public
transport more accessible for all residents.
Madam Chairman, as I have said in past years, Brisbane City Council does not have
responsibility for pricing of fares. However, commuters are telling me that this is a key
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factor influencing their decision on whether to catch public transport or drive their car.
In an effort to help those commuters who do want to choose the public transport
option, I will continue to advocate for fares at an affordable level.
But what is indisputable is that despite this key influencing factor, Council is doing its
share on behalf of ratepayers. This budget will see the ratepayers subsidy towards the
bus network increase to a record $81.9 million - this is up from $60 million under
Labor, a 36% increase. On top of this is a combined capital improvement program
which, excluding flood recovery work, has totalled $59 million over the last three years
with a further $11 million included in this year’s budget.
Madam Chairman, you would have seen recently that the 21st Citycat was launched. I
shared this honour with the Queensland Firebirds whose logos are displayed as livery
on this vessel. It is my pleasure today to announce that $5.2 million has been
allocated over three years towards re-life of the older Generation 1 Citycats. Some of
these vessels have now been operating since the 1990’s transporting commuters and
visitors around our City. This funding will ensure they can undertake many more years
of service. As these refurbished Citycats are rolled out they will have livery designs
featuring Brisbane and Queensland sporting teams to make them more vibrant and
attractive on our river.
In addition to the new Citycat terminal at Park Road, Milton delivered in the past year,
commuters would have seen other refurbished and upgraded Citycat terminals being
rolled out at Bulimba, the Regatta at Toowong and the University of Queensland over
the past year. These new terminals and, where possible, existing terminals are being
converted to be disability friendly. The new terminals are also being delivered as
‘double headers’ which makes it easier and faster for our growing fleet to service our
passengers.
In relation to bikeways, the cycling public whether for leisure or commuting should
have noticed the significant investment over the past three years. My commitment to
spend $120 million on bikeways during this term of office is well on track to be
completed this financial year and the networks are now seeing more cycle traffic. In
fact the 8% growth per year in cycling is in no small way attributable to the improving
network opportunities.
Major new bikeway projects to be constructed as part of the $28 million allocated in
the 2015-16 year will include:
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Logan Road to Woolloongabba Rotary Park;
Deshon Street to Burke Street;
Burke Street to Bennetts Road; and;
Continuation of the CBD to Wynnum Manly Corridor which includes the Norman
Creek pedestrian and cycle crossing.
Madam Chairman, these investments quadruple the spending of past Labor
administrations, are important to the travelling public and deliver the infrastructure for
Brisbane’s future sustainable growth.
An important omission from this budget however is the Kangaroo Point Pedestrian
Bridge. This is a worthy initiative and one that Council will continue to explore however
over the last financial year it has become clear that to complete this project in an
iconic way estimates have ranged up to $120 million. This is due to the size of the
span across the river and the challenges involved in river based construction.
Unashamedly my priorities have in the short term led me to move away from such a
large spending inner city project and focus instead on the suburban projects we need
to undertake to continue to tackle traffic congestion and improve our suburbs.
This project was of course originally proposed some years ago by a previous Labor
State Government and given that pedestrian river crossings have traditionally been
undertaken at that level of government, I will continue to explore partnership
opportunities with them.
Living in Brisbane
Madam Chairman, recently Lonely Planet labelled Brisbane as ‘Australia’s Hippest
City’. To get a feel for how one of the largest travel websites in the world views
Brisbane, the following excerpt will ring true with many Brisbane residents:
“….Brisbane is an energetic river town on the way up, with an edgy arts scene,
pumping nightlife, and great coffee and restaurants. Lush parks and historic buildings
complete the picture….”
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Madam Chairman, I said earlier that sound financial management has always been a
focus for my administration and building the quality of lifestyle for Brisbane residents
has always been a priority during my time in Council.
Residents tell me they love the opportunities that Council offers throughout the
suburbs, like movies in the park, like Wi-Fi in the parks and libraries, like the skate
parks and swimming pools or the many suburban festivals happening throughout the
City each weekend. Let me just make mention of a few of these programs:
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Our popular Wi-Fi in the parks and libraries program throughout the City and
suburbs is used extensively in parks in Calamvale, Everton Park, Forest Lake,
Seventeen Mile Rocks, West End and Sandgate just to name a few;
Madam Chairman, while we are on this subject, free Wi-Fi in the Queen Street
Mall, Victoria Bridge and Southbank was introduced prior to the G20 summit. In
this budget I am happy to announce free Wi-Fi across the CBD will become a
reality. We will join other world cities in their quest to keep residents and
tourists connected to their family and friends;
As I travel around our City I notice that suburban community festivals grow in
popularity. Each year we hear about the bigger events like Paniyiri, Einbunpin
and Buddha Birthday supported by Council. This year I wanted to mention a
few events that council continues to support such as:
o Wynnum Illuminations festival;
o Nundah Village festival;
o Sherwood Community festival; and;
o The Vietnamese Children’s Moon festival.
Two things that continue to be so popular with residents are our pools and
libraries offering endless hours of education and entertainment opportunities.
$10 million is allocated towards new pools, refurbishments and aquatic
playground upgrades. $59 million will be spent on our libraries.
Madam Chairman, during this past year we have partnered with the Sunnybank Rugby
Union Club to plan the construction of the Performing Arts Centre. This facility will
include a 300 seat theatre, rehearsal and studio spaces, kitchen and entertainment
facilities. This centre will provide community and multicultural groups a purpose built
facility to celebrate and display their cultural diversity through a range of events.
As I mentioned earlier, storm events have challenged our residents and I want to
make mention of the SES who are always on hand to help during these times of need.
Funding of $3 million is allocated in this financial year along with $400,000 towards
new depot construction. I also acknowledge the $500,000 of ongoing funding from the
State Government towards the operations of the SES.
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An accessible and inclusive city
Madam Chairman, as part of a total package of $18 million towards creating an
Accessible and Inclusive City, we will invest $5.9 million in the ongoing delivery of
practical projects, such as PWD Toilets, ramps and facilities for vision and hearing
impaired people at Council facilities, such as pools, libraries and community halls.
We will also continue to support the Personalised Public Transport program and the
Council Cabs project for residents aged over 60 years of age assisting them to
maintain their independence by providing flat fares to local shopping centres.
A growing city
Madam Chairman, there is no doubt that in recent years Brisbane has become a more
vibrant and energetic city. In this budget the New World City Lighting project will look
to make Brisbane a City of Lights. The public has embraced the LED lighting projects
on City Hall and the Story Bridge with their variable displays. We have seen the green
colours for Wicked, the pink colour for Breast Cancer Week and recently the rainbow
colours for IDAHOT. And, following on the from the very vibrant light displays on City
buildings during the G20 Summit, Council buildings and private building owners will be
encouraged to Light Up Brisbane on a permanent basis.
Public artworks on key infrastructure is a program that will build on the vibrant new
‘Cirque du Soleil’ installation at Coronation Drive unveiled last month and we will see
more over the coming years.
City artworks are an expression of our City’s culture and creativity and plans are in
place for more to be rolled out over future years.
I am especially pleased this year to announce the transformation of Edward Street into
a showcase street that will complement the new retail precinct that has emerged over
the past few years. This budget allocates $11 million over three years towards
resurfacing, kerbside, footpath and beautification works between the Queen Street
Mall and Charlotte Street. Council’s Urban Renewal team will work with Edward Street
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traders, owners and the precinct management group to ensure we get the best
possible outcome for residents and visitors to this exciting area of the City.
This coming year, we will continue with our award winning and consultative
neighbourhood plan process. Three new plans will commence in this coming financial
year and will include the rapidly growing Newstead/Bowen Hills area, the
Coorparoo/Holland Park area and The Gap.
In relation to Suburban Centre Improvement Projects Council has delivered
44 projects to date and this coming year will see works commence with an allocation
of $3.75 million at Graceville and $5.3 million in Alderley. I acknowledge the
contributions of property owners that assist in boosting the amenity of these small
business precincts.
A digital city
Madam Chairman, it is Brisbane’s day for accolades and I want to remind all those
present that Brisbane is now ranked in the top 15% of cities worldwide for nurturing
innovation and has jumped 25 places from 85 to 60 out of 445 cities ranked in the
2014 innovation cities index.
I am reminded of a quote from Mr Bill Gates at the G20 in France in 2011:
“I believe innovation is the most powerful force for change in the world. People who
are pessimistic about the future tend to extrapolate from the present in a straight line.
But innovation fundamentally shifts the trajectory of development.”
Madam Chairman, I mentioned earlier that small and medium businesses are great
contributors to the City’s economy and job generation.
I would like to assure everyone that the business forums that currently traverse the
suburbs will continue. These forums assist businesses to directly engage with Council
and hear from inspiring business mentors.
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Increasing competitiveness, a digital presence, communication and education is the
key to business growth and I intend to ensure Council delivers on our part for Brisbane
business.
Madam Chairman, to cut red tape, we have been working on an online smart forms
rollout which has been embraced by businesses and residents. It enables customers
to lodge information or seek approvals quickly for more minor items, such as small
events permits, advertising signs, food and drink outlet permits. We will invest
$439,000 in this budget towards accelerating the rollout of this red tape busting
project.
The award winning Council Call Centre ‘3403 8888’ along with the Business Hotline
‘133BNE’ continues to service the residents and businesses of our City.
I am pleased to announce that funding of $25.5 million will be allocated this year to
service the call centre customer focus. We are also experiencing a dramatic growth in
enquiries through online and social media contact and resources have also been
allocated towards servicing this growing sector.
To gauge how a quality customer service attracts growth we have received 41,000
calls to 133BNE and 53,000 enquiries on social media compared to 35,000 and
40,000 respectively in the previous year.
I will continue to work with organisations, such as the Open Data Institute and Spatial
Industries Business Association for collaboration and sharing of information to develop
the City’s economy. The Open Data Institute has reported that for every $1 the
government pays to make data open, $5 is returned to the economy.
Maintaining our commitment to being one of Australia’s most transparent local
governments, Council will invest $243,000 in a more interactive open data portal to
ensure local businesses and start-ups find it easy to utilise Council data to come up
with innovative new products and applications.
Madam Chairman, a recent Start-up Economy study undertaken by PwC projected
that high growth technology companies could contribute 4% of GDP and add 540,000
new jobs into the Australian economy by 2033 from a base of approximately 0.2% of
GDP today.
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Start-up businesses both in the technology sector and other critical growth sectors
have an important part to play in creating the jobs of the future for Brisbane.
As part of the Brisbane 2022 plan which I will cover later, we will embark on meeting
some of the challenges in this industry. These will include working with the start-up
sector in the creation of a Brisbane Start-up hub, leading the entrepreneurial attraction
and exchange program, doubling the visiting entrepreneurs program and creation of
an Asia Pacific Region Start-up event. I look forward to playing our part in this
important future building initiative along with State and Federal governments.
Growing jobs and youth unemployment programs
Madam Chairman, along with our small business and digital programs this budget is
designed to drive growth in jobs through economic development and creating
opportunities for our younger residents, the future leaders of our City. I want to help
Brisbane residents get ahead and provide greater capacity to make decisions about
their future which is why this budget is good for our young job seekers and small
business.
I am happy to announce that $5.6 million has been allocated in 2015-16 as part of the
total allocation of $21 million over the next four years towards employment programs
including new traineeships, scholarship positions, new apprentices and town planning
cadets. This represents an increase on our ongoing investment of more than
$1 million every year.
I have also allocated $1.3 million for our commitment to increase engagement with
young people. Initiatives such as the Valley’s Visible Ink, Mt Gravatt PCYC, Wynnum
Youth Hub, the Lord Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council and Youth Week will continue to
be a focus.
Investing in Brisbane’s younger generation is not only good for their future but it is
good for the future of our City.
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Brisbane 2022
Madam Chairman, we started our journey on the ‘Brisbane, Australia’s New World
City’ vision in 2008. Economists have since used the term to benchmark a range of
cities worldwide that have similar traits and assets to Brisbane.
Brisbane now sits alongside 23 other New World cities that compete for talent, capital,
innovation, students, visitors and major events. As a City we are trending in the right
direction to become one of the world’s top 100 cities for investment, for visitors,
innovation or brand and being globally recognised in key industries.
Madam Chairman, just last month I had the pleasure to receive the ‘Brisbane 2022
New World City Action Plan’ from my Economic Development Steering Committee.
I acknowledge the hard work of the committee members, the leadership from
Chairman, Ian Klug, CEO, John Aitken and all Brisbane Marketing staff. I would also
like to acknowledge the 1,000 people representing more than 500 local, national and
international organisations who were involved during the development of the plan.
This action plan will continue our quest for the economic growth of our City and will
help create and deliver the jobs of the future for Brisbane’s residents.
Before I outline a number of the visionary actions being funded in this budget, I would
like to note a few of the significant achievements from the ‘2011 Window of
Opportunity’ report:
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Our foreign direct investment strategy has attracted $522 million in capital
investment and created 800 new jobs;
As mentioned earlier, the 24 hour business hotline ‘133BNE’ has been
introduced with great success;
With the appointment of the Chief Digital Officer, our digital strategy has been
implemented with delivery into small and medium businesses well underway;
800 young people trained in coding, also through the digital strategy; and;
The Hotel Strategy has seen an influx of new 4 and 5 star hotels that have
added more than 1,000 new rooms in just three years.
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The 2022 plan has identified eight growth sectors which can accelerate productivity
and create jobs:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Knowledge based and corporate services;
Creative and digital;
Higher and international education;
Accommodation and visitor economy;
Energy and resources;
Food and agribusiness;
Advanced manufacturing; and;
Property and construction.
We will commence work on the attraction of Asia Pacific headquarters, leading
education institutions, student accommodation, tourism infrastructure and building
more Brisbane based businesses in the eight key growth sectors.
I will never underestimate the value of the conventions and business meetings market
with a significant investment by attendees at these events. The average daily
expenditure by delegates is $600. Over the past five years delegates have spent
almost 2 million days in Brisbane contributing $1.2 billion into the City’s economy.
Importantly, 60% of these delegates and their families are likely to visit Australia again
within two years.
In addition to the conventions market, we will continue to grow our major events
calendar with a goal towards attracting one significant drawcard event per month to
stimulate business and create local jobs. A few examples in our current calendar
include the Brisbane International Tennis, Brisbane Racing Carnival, Brisbane Festival
and Christmas in the City.
To capitalise on the G20 and maintain momentum we will roll out a bold New World
City international campaign targeting global decision makers, investors, conference
organisers, tourism operators, airline executives, students and their families primarily
through the use of JC Decaux’s outdoor advertising and billboards across the world
coupled with a Brisbane Marketing and Brisbane City Council social media strategy.
We will continue to support and work with Brisbane Airport Corporation to pitch and
secure new direct flights to and from some of our most important markets, such as
China, Korea and the United States.
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We will also pursue opportunities to attract more cruise ships and passengers to
Brisbane and Queensland. We will leverage our climate, strategic location in the Asia
Pacific region and the attractions of Moreton Bay as part of this strategy.
Madam Chairman, another priority within a knowledge economy is talented people.
The majority of focus groups suggested Brisbane’s lifestyle is a core advantage to
attract and retain skilled people to the region.
To build upon our ‘Study Brisbane’ strategy, and the priority on attraction and retention
of students and talent from Brisbane, interstate and globally we will create several
programs. These will include an international talent repatriation program, global
student internship program, next generation engagement program, city education
showcase program and we will increase the number of Coderdojo graduates from 600
to at least 1,200 per annum.
We will always strive to support the many small and medium business enterprises in
our City. Brisbane City Council, Brisbane Marketing, CCIQ and small business groups
will work together to coordinate education, networks and development opportunities.
Council and the Chief Digital Officer will work with key stakeholders to create an SME
focused business matching website helping businesses to access funds, resources,
expertise, advice, staff and importantly new markets.
Brisbane identity
Madam Chairman, each year I speak of the importance of global identity and the
events that help in achieving these goals.
This July the Asia Pacific Cities Summit will be held in Brisbane. Representatives from
over 110 countries, more than 75 Mayors and Deputy Mayors and over 1,000
delegates will attend. The popularity of this event has grown significantly in its
20 years and has become the leading cities summit in the Asia Pacific region.
These delegations will bring investment opportunities to our City and region.
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The Asia Pacific Screen Awards will continue to grow in prominence and I
acknowledge the board and staff for their efforts. This event is a long term strategic
identity play into the burgeoning worldwide film market taking the ‘Brisbane’ name
along with it and attracting future talent from this industry to our city.
The Australian Performing Arts Market will again grace the Powerhouse in February
next year bringing arts investment and collaboration.
TeamBNE
Madam Chairman, I encourage all Brisbane residents to become part of Team
Brisbane, helping us to sell the message of why we are such a great city. We will
continue to promote this initiative at suburban events creating a sense of pride within
our City.
I acknowledge a few of our Team Brisbane brand ambassadors like Darren Lockyer,
Easton Pearson and the award winning band ‘Sheppard’ just to name a few. Our local
champions out there in the suburbs going about their daily business, thank you for
being part of what Team Brisbane is all about.
Madam Chairman, I cannot finish without thanking our great team of ‘Brisbane
Greeters’. Since 2012 the team has grown from just 12 volunteers to 200 today. They
have welcomed more than 25,000 visitors, speak 25 different languages and their
work in the media has secured more than $30 million in publicity for Brisbane.
Conclusion
Madam Chairman, I stated at the outset of this speech that this budget builds upon my
key priorities for the future prosperity of our City.
This budget delivers key projects required in a growing City, it delivers on the basic
services expected by ratepayers and delivers upon initiatives for economic
development and job creation.
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This budget delivers on our Access and Inclusion agenda making Brisbane a diverse
and accessible City to live in.
It delivers a sustainability program which complements our parks and greenspace
commitments for a healthy City.
Madam Chairman, this budget has been prepared with the assistance of many people
within this Council.
I want to acknowledge my LNP team, in particular Councillor Julian Simmonds, for his
dedication to managing the finances of our City.
My appreciation also goes to Chief Executive Officer, Colin Jensen, Greg Evans,
Paul Oberle and his budget team and all the other staff involved in the budget
process.
To all council staff, I say thank you for all that you do in delivering the services and
projects for the residents of Brisbane. You truly are dedicated to a better Brisbane.
Madam Chairman, I commend this budget to the chamber.
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