Carbon Neutral Brisbane

We’ve delivered new greenspaces

I am delighted we are creating new greenspace to make our city liveable and sustainable for our children.

We delivered the Two Million Trees program and created large new community parks in suburbs like Tennyson and Coorparoo and Toowong.

Brisbane was twice named Australia’s Most Sustainable City in 2014 and 2016, reflecting the clean and green status of our suburbs and neighbourhoods.

Together we delivered the New Farm Riverwalk and stood firm against the Opposition’s position against the creation of the Howard Smith Wharves precinct. It’s a precinct that is now regarded as one of Brisbane’s premier leisure and lifestyle destinations.

Our team is on track to deliver on our four-year plan to safeguard the city’s important green space and koala habitat for the future with the purchase of 750 hectares of bushland by 2020 as part of the accelerated Bushland Acquisition Program.

Continuing to protect Brisbane’s significant bushland is part of my ambition to ensure the Brisbane of tomorrow is better than the Brisbane of today

Green Future Fund

Strong financial management has allowed this administration to continue to deliver major infrastructure while keeping the city’s books balanced. A prime example is the City of Brisbane Investment Corporation – CBIC

Recently we announced that future dividends from the BCIC would be directed towards an accelerated five-year program to buy and create more parks, sports fields and green space for our city.

We have reconfirming that this Green Future Fund which will be funded by a $20 million dividend from CBIC for the first year.

Brisbane residents have told us they want more greenspace with new places to relax and this five-year program will deliver more land for community sport and recreation.

This is a direct result of the responsible economic management of our Schrinner Administration, our foresight to set up the fund in the first place, and our vision for a cleaner, greener and more liveable Brisbane.

CBIC is the city’s future fund and I cannot think of a better way to plan for the future than by creating more parks, sports fields and green space.

It is an investment in our priceless quality of life that makes Brisbane so popular and so envied. It is the type of investment we need to lock in Brisbane’s place as Australia’s true lifestyle capital.

Victoria Park Vision

The 2019/20 budget also includes initial funding for transforming Victoria Park Golf Course into a world-class public park, creating Brisbane’s biggest new park in 50 years.

Overall, the expanded Victoria Park will be more than double the size of the City Botanic Gardens.

About 26 hectares of land is currently used as a pay and play public golf course, which over recent years has seen a decline in patronage and revenue.

The 18-hole course will close in 2021, when works commence to deliver the Victoria Park Vision. Council’s new public course at Cannon Hill is expected to be operational by this time.

The existing golf course will be transformed into a space that everyone can use, while the popular putt putt course, the driving range and the functions centre – where many wedding receptions and other celebrations are held – will remain open.

During 2019-20, $1 million will be allocated to kick-start the community consultation and design for the Victoria Park Vision, protecting greenspace for future generations and helping to make Brisbane an even better place to live and relax.

The first step in making this vision a reality will be to consult with the community.

Depending on what residents want, it might include water features, gardens, an amphitheatre and play spaces.

Council will involve the community in every step of this planning process and will hold community forums and public consultation to create the best design for this large green space.

Importantly, Brisbane Metro will transport passengers directly to Victoria Park with services from the Metro 2 line at Kelvin Grove and Herston, and Cross River Rail at the Exhibition station.

The Victoria Park Vision will add to the great new lifestyle opportunities that continues to see record numbers of people flocking to our city to enjoy its sunny and laid-back lifestyle.

Delivering clean and beautiful parks

Brisbane people can trust us to keep delivering fantastic parks.

This year more than $300 million has been set aside to create new parks, enhance suburban greenspaces and protect the city’s unique natural wildlife.

We have identified 82 suburban parks that will be upgraded with new playgrounds or park amenities such as park furniture, gym equipment or barbecues, providing opportunities for local residents to enjoy active and healthy lifestyles and high-quality facilities.

Each park precinct is a crucial aspect of what makes Brisbane a great place to live work and relax and I’m committed to ensuring our city has recreational spaces to meet the needs of future generations.

We will also invest $1.7 million specifically to maintain lookouts, like Mt Gravatt and Stephens Mountain, providing residents with ample opportunity to take in the views of Brisbane and the city’s expanse of urban forest.

Brisbane already has more than 600 hectares of urban parkland across the city and this investment will help create new parks at Lutwyche, Upper Mt Gravatt, Woolloongabba, Durack and the Milton Urban Common.

Greening Brisbane’s suburbs

We are not only committed to expanding our local parks but we’re greening Brisbane’s suburbs by increasing tree planting in suburban parks and creating tree-lined boulevards.

The greening of Brisbane’s suburbs includes $2 million for the next year to plant trees in Zillmere, Paddington, Greenslopes and Murarrie to improve the amenity of local shopping areas as well as beautifying busy traffic corridors through plantings in median strips.

Residents love Brisbane for its open green spaces and shady boulevards, and in the coming financial year we have allocated $22.8 million towards planting and maintaining trees across the suburbs, which is an increase of $4.4 million or about 25 per cent.

The Budget also includes a jacaranda planting program with a $107,000 boost to focus on bringing spectacular colour to local parks in Bulimba, St Lucia and New Farm.

Like most people in Brisbane, I love our iconic jacarandas and one of my favourite times of the year is when they are flowering. Once these new jacarandas are planted and start to grow, jacaranda season will become even more colourful.

Funding koala research

Brisbane is a clean and green city and in 2019/20 there is $386,000 to continue to fund a comprehensive koala research program to support a healthy population and re-establish koalas in suitable areas of vacant koala habitat in Brisbane.

The outcomes of the research will be shared with the Brisbane Koala Science Institute at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary as part of a wider effort to protect the koala population.

Everyone loves koalas, and I can confirm that we will have the koala added to the City of Brisbane’s official faunal emblem as part of making Brisbane Australia’s koala capital.