CityCats to Howard Smith Wharves – Budget 24/25 – Election Commitments Delivered 

The 2024-25 Budget confirms our Schrinner Council’s commitments to keep Brisbane moving while taking pressure off household rates and rents.

The $4 billion Budget incorporates Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s suite of election commitments, including the return of $2 Summer Dips, new safety cameras and suburban congestion-busting initiatives.

The commitments made by Cr Schrinner and his team at the election were modest and affordable to prevent forcing unnecessary costs onto Brisbane households during the cost-of-living crisis.

The new commitments are funded while still delivering a balanced Budget that maintains the cheapest residential rates in south east Queensland and continues to deliver the most generous pensioner rebate scheme in Queensland.

The Schrinner Council’s election commitments were in stark contrast to the Green/Labor Coalition of Chaos which made $3.5 billion worth of unfunded promises that would have driven Council spending up by 20 per cent, guaranteeing significant rate rises for years to come.

The first $500,000 round of the Safer Suburbs Community grants to fund security improvements at Council-leased sports and community clubs will be awarded this year, with applications to open soon.

The first cameras as part of the roll out of more than 35 new suburban safety cameras will be installed in high-priority public spaces at Forest Lake, Boondall, Mt Gravatt Outlook, Moorooka and the Caxton Street precinct in the 2024/25 financial year.

In the coming financial year works will begin on the major upgrade to Brisbane’s traffic management system with a global search to get underway for the best traffic management technology to move as many people as efficiently as possible.

The Budget will deliver the promised community storage facilities at Edinburgh Castle Road Precinct at Wavell Heights and Moggill District Sports Park at Moggill next financial year.

The Budget allocated funding to deliver the four-year Safer Suburbs Lighting Program with Kelvin Close Park in Forest Lake, Springfield Street Park in MacGregor and Childs Road Park in Nudgee to receive new and improved lighting in the 2024/25 financial year.

Community consultation and initial design work for the first new Safe School Precincts will commence in the next financial year in Kedron and Mansfield, encompassing six different schools.

The 2024-25 Budget funds the extension of the successful $2 Summer Dips which led to pool patronage doubling during December and saved residents almost $2 million last summer.

The commitment to bring CityCats to Howard Smith Wharves has been delivered with services starting on 27 May and already proving incredibly popular.

The Schrinner Council’s 2024/25 Budget includes funding for:

  • Community storage facilities
  • Delivering a sustainable ferry
  • Extension of $2 Summer Dips
  • Kedron Brook revitalisation
  • Koala recovery, resilience and vaccinations
  • More coffee carts in parks through reduced fees
  • New Suburban Safety cameras
  • Planning work for a new northside Brisbane Metro charging station and depot
  • Protecting and boosting platypus populations
  • Safer School Precincts
  • Safer Suburbs Community Grants
  • Safer Suburbs Lighting Program
  • Sporting club lighting upgrades
  • Suburban congestion-busting plan
  • Taking CityCats to Howard Smith Wharves
  • Upgrading Brisbane’s traffic management system

 

We have been able to deliver new and exciting opportunities for Brisbane without passing unnecessary costs onto Brisbane households through Budget 24/25 – Election Commitments Delivered.

I promised residents I would be a responsible financial manager and I have delivered on my commitment to hand down a balanced and sensible Budget that delivers the cheapest residential rates in south east Queensland.

With 89 per cent of spending in our suburbs, we’re investing in all corners of our city and continuing to make Brisbane an even better place to live, work and play.

Brisbane residents had a choice between an experienced team with a strong track record of making Brisbane better or a radical and risky Green/Labor Coalition of Chaos.

Brisbane residents chose to put downward pressure on rates and rents and to keep Brisbane moving.