MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
The 4497 meeting of the Brisbane City Council,
held at City Hall, Brisbane
on Tuesday 31 May 2016
at 2pm
Prepared by:
Council and Committee Liaison Office
Chief Executive’s Office
Office of the Lord Mayor and Chief Executive Officer
[4497 (Ordinary) Meeting – 31 May 2016]
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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
THE 4497 MEETING OF THE BRISBANE CITY COUNCIL,HELD AT CITY HALL, BRISBANE,
ON TUESDAY 31 MAY 2016
AT 2PM
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PRESENT:
OPENING OF MEETING:
APOLOGY:
MINUTES:
QUESTION TIME:
CONSIDERATION OF COMMITTEE REPORTS:
ESTABLISHMENT AND COORDINATION COMMITTEE
AMAJOR AMENDMENT TO BRISBANE CITY PLAN 2014
PUBLIC AND ACTIVE TRANSPORT COMMITTEE
ACOMMITTEE PRESENTATION – LEGACY WAY BUS SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS
BPETITION – REQUESTING A SAFE PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLIST PRIORITY CROSSING WHERE THE KEDRON BROOK BIKEWAY CROSSED SHAW ROAD, WAVELL HEIGHTS
CPETITION – REQUESTING COUNCIL REMOVE NO PARKING LINES OUTSIDE HOUSES ALONG PARTS OF WYNNUM ROAD
INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
ACOMMITTEE PRESENTATION – PEDESTRIAN COUNTDOWN TIMERS
BPETITIONS – REQUESTING COUNCIL INSTALL PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS IN THE WYNNUM CBD
CPETITIONS – SUPPORTING AND OPPOSING TRAFFIC CALMING IN NETWORK DRIVE, WYNNUM WEST
DPETITION – REQUESTING THE REMOVAL OF THE NO PARKING SIGN OUTSIDE 16 GLENCOE AVENUE, TARRAGINDI
EPETITION – REQUESTING CHANGES TO ON STREET PARKING ON LATROBE TERRACE, PADDINGTON
CITY PLANNING COMMITTEE
ADEVELOPMENT APPLICATION UNDER SUSTAINABLE PLANNING ACT 2009 – DEVELOPMENT PERMIT – MATERIAL CHANGE OF USE FOR A MULTI-UNIT DWELLING (14 UNITS), HOTEL, SHORT-TERM ACCOMMODATION, NIGHT CLUB AND SHOP; PRELIMINARY APPROVAL – CARRYING OUT BUILDING WORK FOR MULTI-UNIT DWELLING (14 UNITS), SHORT-TERM ACCOMMODATION, NIGHTCLUB AND SHOP – PRELIMINARY APPROVAL – CARRYING OUT BUILDING FOR BUILDING WORK ON THE SITE OF A HERITAGE PLACE – 1 MUSGRAVE ROAD (LOT 2 ON SP144606), 7 MUSGRAVE ROAD (LOT 3 ON SP144606), 11 MUSGRAVE ROAD (LOT 4 ON SP144606), 17MUSGRAVE ROAD (LOT 2 ON RP41991) AND 17A MUSGRAVE ROAD (LOT 2 ON RP41990) AND 26 KELVIN GROVE ROAD (LOT 2 ON RP10710), RED HILL – TRUDEAU PTY LTD & LMRM PTY LTD
ENVIRONMENT, PARKS AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE
ACOMMITTEE PRESENTATION – A BIODIVERSE BRISBANE
BPETITION – REQUESTING THAT COUNCIL PROVIDE A FENCED PLAYGROUND IN THE WYNNUM MANLY WARD
CPETITION – REQUESTING THAT COUNCIL PROVIDES A PICNIC TABLE IN THE PERGOLA AT RAY STREET PARK, CARSELDINE
FIELD SERVICES COMMITTEE
ACOMMITTEE PRESENTATION – ASPHALT AND AGGREGATES BRANCH OVERVIEW
BPETITION – REQUESTING THE REMOVAL OF A STREET TREE IN KOOKABURRA PLACE, DOOLANDELLA
LIFESTYLE AND COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE
ACOMMITTEE PRESENTATION – BRISBANE SQUARE LIBRARY
FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
ACOMMITTEE PRESENTATION – CODERDOJO
PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS:
GENERAL BUSINESS:
QUESTIONS OF WHICH DUE NOTICE HAS BEEN GIVEN:
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS OF WHICH DUE NOTICE HAS BEEN GIVEN:
[4497 (Ordinary) Meeting – 31 May 2016]
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PRESENT:
The Right Honourable the LORD MAYOR (Councillor Graham QUIRK) – LNP
The Chairman of Council, Councillor Angela OWEN (Calamvale Ward) – LNP
LNP Councillors (and Wards) / ALP Councillors (and Wards)Krista ADAMS (Holland Park)
Adam ALLAN (Northgate)
Matthew BOURKE (Jamboree)
Amanda COOPER (Bracken Ridge)
Vicki HOWARD (Central) (Deputy Chairman of Council)
Steven HUANG (Macgregor)
Fiona KING (Marchant)
Kim MARX (Runcorn)
PeterMATIC (Paddington)
Ian McKENZIE (Coorparoo)
David McLACHLAN (Hamilton)
Ryan MURPHY (Doboy)
Kate RICHARDS (Pullenvale)
Adrian SCHRINNER (Chandler) (Deputy Mayor)
Julian SIMMONDS (Walter Taylor)
Steven TOOMEY (The Gap)
Andrew WINES (Enoggera)
NormWYNDHAM (McDowall) / PeterCUMMING (Wynnum Manly) (The Leader of the Opposition)
Jared CASSIDY (Deagon) (Deputy Leader of the Opposition)
Charles STRUNK (Forest Lake)
ShayneSUTTON (Morningside)
Queensland Greens Councillor (and Ward)
Jonathan SRI (The Gabba)
Independent Councillor (and Ward)
Nicole JOHNSTON (Tennyson)
OPENING OF MEETING:
The Chairman, Councillor Angela OWEN, opened the meeting with prayer, and then proceeded with the business set out in the Agenda.
APOLOGY:
528/2015-16
An apology was submitted on behalf of Councillor Steve GRIFFITHS, and he was granted leave of absence from the meeting on the motion of Councillor Shayne SUTTON, seconded by Councillor Peter CUMMING.
MINUTES:
529/2015-16
The Minutes of the 4496 meeting of Council held on 24 May 2016, copies of which had been forwarded to each Councillor, were presented, taken as read and confirmed on the motion of Councillor Kim MARX, seconded by Councillor Andrew WINES.
QUESTION TIME:
Chairman:Are there any questions of the LORD MAYOR or a Chairman of any of the Standing Committees?
Councillor RICHARDS.
Question 1
Councillor RICHARDS:My question is to the LORD MAYOR. We have heard how the Brisbane Metro will provide a modern metro subway system for Brisbane. Can you outline the other benefits of large infrastructure projects that build the local economy while creating new jobs?
Chairman:LORD MAYOR.
LORD MAYOR:Thanks very much, Madam Chairman, and I thank Councillor RICHARDS for the question. It is certainly true that major projects have the far greater benefits than simply the delivery of a piece of infrastructure in itself. As we all know, investment in infrastructure creates a long-term benefit for a city. It provides a benefit in terms of extra capacity, be that a capacity in the road network or, as is the case with the Brisbane Metro Subway System proposal, capacity within the public transport network. It is about making a functional city that is easy to get around.
But beyond that, it is also true that the major projects through infrastructure create an economic stimulus. They do create jobs. As we saw with Legacy Way, it was over 9,000 jobs that were created during the course of that major project. This Administration over the last decade has built billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure. It has, at timeswhen there has been perhaps not enough happening in the broader economy, provided a stimulus to keep our city’s economy ticking over. That has certainly been the case we have seen with the building and construction industry when the edge came off the mining and resources sector, and so it is with infrastructure; it does provide good, long-term benefit to a community as well as the short-term outcomes.
We have seen, with the development of projects like the Clem Jones Tunnel, the GoBetween Bridge, Legacy Way that I mentioned, the Airport Link—all of these projects created significant growth and job opportunities.
It is true also that we very recently had an industry briefing for the Brisbane Metro Subway System. That briefing saw over 250 industry participants come along to hear more about what this project was all about. It was held in the Ithaca Room in this building, and it was a very full Ithaca Auditorium—no, it wasn’t, it was in the Brisbane Room.
Councillor interjecting.
LORD MAYOR:It was Ithaca. Sorry, I am confused. I have been dealing with a few of these different types of things lately, but it was a full room, so that in itself indicated the level of interest that existed in the business community.
One of the things about these projects is that it is not just in the construction phase but also in developing the design and business case around these projects. We need people that are skilled in engineering, obviously; people that are skilled in design, acoustics, noise, transport modelling, in the geotechnical aspects as well as that of civil engineering, and then there’s the financial aspects—the finance and commercial advisory services. All of these things are very, very important in the development of a project.
We have seen some absolute benefits in terms of the infrastructure we have built—a 70% improvement in travel time through Legacy Way, and an offset to that, a 31% improvement in travel time on Milton Road. Clem 7,a 60% travel time saving for those using the tunnel; a 70% travel time saving for those using the Go Between Bridge; and a 40% travel time saving for those using AirportLink. All of these are significant improvements in terms of the network, but they do very much, CouncillorRICHARDS, give a broader benefit, a broader stimulus to our economy.
I cannot say at this time how many jobs might be involved in the development of the BrisbaneMetro. But what I can say is that as our business case is developed over the next year, we will see a much clearer picture as to the scope of works, the level of detail of works that will be needed to complete that project. As I have said with the Kingsford Smith Drive project alone, there will be 3,000 people that will be engaged in that.
When you take into account the Metro, Kingsford Smith Drive, the InnerCity Bypass upgrade, Telegraph Road, Wynnum Road stage 1 upgrade, all of these projects amount to a very, very significant job stimulus in our city.
Chairman:Further questions?
Councillor CUMMING.
Question 2
Councillor CUMMING:Yes, thanks, Madam Chair. My question is to the LORD MAYOR. At your BrisbaneMetro industry briefing held on Wednesday 25 May, you confirmed that Brisbane ratepayers would be picking up a majority of the bill for your BrisbaneMetro. There have been some estimates that this project will in fact cost up to $3 billion. You said at that briefing, “It will stretch Council’s resources; there’s no question about that. It comes with a bit of financial pain.” Will you confirm today how much financial pain you are going to inflict on Brisbane ratepayers to pay for the Metro?
Chairman:LORD MAYOR.
LORD MAYOR:Well, Madam Chairman, I thank Councillor CUMMING for the question. I am not about today to be speculating on what figures might be in relation to the Metro. What I have said from the outset, when it was announced in January, is that as a Council we would be the major funder of this project. I said that because this needs to happen.
It is all very well to say, well, what is this going to cost and what is that going to cost? I would ask the question; what is the cost of not doing this project? That is a very significant cost. It is a cost on a number of fronts, because it is a cost whereby we are going to see many, many more people get out of public transport and get back into cars, simply because of that extended travel time that they will experience as a growth in demand for public transport to the CBD increases with what we know will be about a 105,000 person increase in people working in the CBD by 2031. So we have to do something.
Even Labor, Madam Chairman, were out there. They had a different proposal to what I had on the table. They had a light rail proposal, you might recall. That wasn’t going to be financed by fairies at the bottom of the garden. They would have been required to undertake funding of that project if they were going to make it happen. I can tell you now, and I think all the media talk at that time was that there was a similarity in price tags between the two. I think there are a number of arguments that would suggest that there would be an even more expensive outcome with a light rail project versus what we are proposing. With light rail, you would have had to rebuild the Victoria Bridge as one example to get it across the river—those types of things.
Councillor interjecting.
LORD MAYOR:Well, there’s all those other side issues, but purely on the financial aspects, which is the basis of Councillor CUMMING’s question today, they would have been stuck with a very, very significantly greater cost.
I just say this again; we ought not be doing this project as a Council. But what are we to do? Are we to just sit around and blame the State Government? I can do that, if you like. But that is not going to address the problems facing this city, MadamChairman. We both know that; we all know that.
So, in light of the fact that there is only one form of public transport being addressed, that being rail, under the State Government’s proposal, and knowing that we are a city that lacks rail corridors, I don’t think we’ve got much choice in this. We have to get on and do it.
The Suburbs 2 City Bus Link report, produced a few years ago, indicated that very, very clearly. It said very clearly that Cross River Rail was not going to be sufficient in this city to address our public transport needs. So, MadamChairman, I am not going to be a Lord Mayor that just sits back, does nothing, and criticises others for not doing something, and watch this city crumble. I am not prepared to watch this city crumble on the back of that. I say it again; this is a must-do project. It is a project which was always envisaged when the busways were built. They were always built with the intention of there being higher order mass transit systems, and so this is fulfilling what was the original intent.
Like all things, they do cost money. There is no easy way around that. But if it means that we have to step up to the plate and do it for the long-term interests of this city, for the commuting public in this city, to prevent people abandoning public transport and going back into their cars, then I am prepared to do that, and I think we all have to get on and make sure it happens.
Chairman:Further questions?
Councillor MARX.
Question 3
Councillor MARX:Yes, Madam Chairman. My question is to the Chairman of the Field Services Committee, Councillor MATIC. Residents of Brisbane know this Administration is committed to keeping Brisbane clean, green and sustainable. Can you please inform the Chamber about some of the innovations that we are implementing that also allows for community engagement opportunities?
Chairman:Councillor MATIC.
Councillor MATIC:Thank you, Madam Chairman, and I thank Councillor MARX for the question. Waste collection is an important task that Council undertakes, and does so effectively and efficiently. But one of the important aspects of that work also is how we engage with our community collectively to do that job. How do we as a community take pride in our city to make sure that, when we dispose of our waste, in whatever form it is, that we do it properly. That is one of the most important things that the branch does in this space as well.
Working together as a team is an important campaign that Council is running, because it is about working together as a team to keep Brisbane clean. It is about recognising civic pride and making sure that the decisions we make as residents are as effective and efficient as those decisions that we make as a Council when we collect our waste and dispose of our waste.
This is done in a number of innovative ways for the organisation. There is the opportunity for education, so information is a pivotal part of how we work. Being able to provide that information to groups across the city in what they do is a very important step. There is the Little Book of Litter, for example, that the branch provides to those different community groups that are out there doing their work, whether it be in habitat groups or environment groups, whether it be in local groups that are focused on cleaning certain parks or areas across our city, knowing how to deal with it, knowing the most efficient way to deal with it, knowing which branch to talk to and able to dispose of it is an important part of the education program that we provide through our ward offices, through the call centre and through our website as well.
But it is also about waste minimisation, and that looks at the recovery centres, the enormous amount of investment that Council has undertaken in this space for all of Brisbane residents around our four new resource recovery centres that are an important part of how residents can deal with their waste effectively. We have all experienced it. We all go out to our different recovery centres. We have all gone to the recycling sections. That service continues to become more and more popular. It continues to expand to not only the basics of paper and steel, electrical wiring and ewaste, but also paint andStyrofoam—all of those key things.
Also the work we do with the Endeavour Foundation at those particular centres where we can recycle old items that take up space in our cupboards that we don’t want any more that are so desperately needed by those people in economic hardship, for example, that the Endeavour Foundation works so closely with.
Our partnership with the Endeavour Foundation is also in the area of the tip shops; there they have continued to become more and more popular over time, clearly showing that there is a growing need out there, and a very effective way of being able to recycle old items and clothes as well. The work that we do in landfill, the gas to energy production that we have at some of our landfill sites has been an evolution that we have worked in conjunction with industry and universities with, to make sure as those gas emissions come from those old landfills, that they are used in an innovative and productive way to produce more energy. For example, there were 32,548 megawatts of energy generated last year, which is enough to power 5,794homes every day.