Redland City Mayor Jos Mitchell joined a delegation of 11 south-east Queensland mayors who descended on Queensland Parliament this week, calling for urgent infrastructure funding to respond to rapid population growth and the housing crisis.
The Mayor said councils played an important role in delivering infrastructure and services for their communities, but needed more support from both the state and federal governments.
“Local councils, as the level of government closest to the community, manage around one-third of public assets but collect only three per cent of total government taxes to manage these assets,” she said.
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“There needs to be a more equitable approach towards infrastructure funding that appropriately accounts for housing and infrastructure delivered by local councils.”
ShapingSEQ 2023 includes a population projection for Redland City of 211,500 people by 2046, an increase of more than 44,600 people over the next 22 years. It also requires Council to plan to accommodate an additional 19,800 dwellings by 2046, increasing the number of current dwellings by almost one-third.
“While ShapingSEQ 2023 has significantly increased the population and housing that Council is required to plan for in Redland City, we really need to see corresponding new major state infrastructure projects or commitments to expedite delivery of existing state infrastructure commitments that will be necessary to support growth in the Redlands,” the Mayor said.
“With the inclusion of the Southern Thornlands Growth Area within the state’s update to ShapingSEQ 2023, further development will bring with it a need for significant investment by the State Government on infrastructure. I am looking forward to further discussions regarding this issue to ensure Redlands gets what it needs to facilitate that growth.
“Given the rise in costs, the current cap placed on infrastructure charges also needs to be reviewed, to allow councils to secure greater developer contributions to fund the cost of infrastructure for housing developments.
“It will be vital to bring forward the regional shaping infrastructure that supports commuting between local government areas for employment, social and health services, for example the Brisbane Metro network extension, upgrades to state road networks, and the provision of high frequency public transport connections from Redland City through to Logan Hyperdome. This offers an exciting opportunity to improve our connectivity and meet our public transport needs.”
The Mayor said council was appreciative of the state’s $15 million commitment to the Weinam Creek car park and would be seeking further opportunities for support of the public transport hub.
“The opportunity to work together to improve transport solutions while addressing the parking problems would be very welcome and I am looking forward to working collaboratively to find solutions for our residents.”
The Mayor said she would also continue Council’s advocacy for regional status recognition for Redland Coast islands with regards to state and federal planning and funding.
“Our islands are akin to ‘country towns in the water’ and their residents face isolation, limited resources and community infrastructure, social disadvantage, high unemployment, low education attainment and engagement, and concerning health and aged care outcomes,” she said.
“Despite these challenges, our islands are not eligible for state government regional funding because Redland City is classed as part of the metropolitan Brisbane area.
“However, access to regional funding would allow significant planning and infrastructure upgrades for the island communities.”
The Mayor said she had the opportunity to raise some of these local issues during the Council of Mayors (SEQ) delegation on 22 and 23 May 2024, and will write to the ministers to secure further meetings to discuss the issues in greater depth.
