Three days left to show that City of Moreton Bay matters

Published 22 October 2024

On the eve of the State election, City of Moreton Bay has published the commitments made by the two major parties.

The election commitment tracker sees a mix of support from both parties, with only one ask committed to by both the Labor Party and the LNP, that of further investment in license plate recognition technology and the City’s  CCTV network.

Mayor Peter Flannery said in the lead up to the state election, Council called on all parties and candidates to address five main priorities and 15 election asks. 

“It’s not too late, with three days before the state election, for the major parties to show that Moreton Bay really matters.

“We’ve put a lot of effort in to our advocacy, briefing all Members of Parliament and candidates on our Moreton Bay Matters priorities. Additionally, I personally met with the state secretaries of both major parties. 

“We welcome the LNP’s commitment to a new Advanced Manufacturing Hub and TAFE at the Mill as well as a Wildlife Hospital on council land at Dakabin.

“While we also welcome the funding that has been committed by both major parties particularly towards a lot of local parks, sporting clubs and council infrastructure, there has been little commitment made to major road and transport infrastructure.

“We welcome the Labor Party’s announcements around infrastructure to review one of our seven open level crossings at Strathpine and to fund the next stage of investigation on Bay Cats for water based tourism and transport opportunities.

With three days left, Mayor Flannery is still calling on the major parties to show that Moreton Bay matters to them when it comes to infrastructure funding.

“There is still an urgent need for a more equitable distribution of State Government funding to address City of Moreton Bay’s critical needs and challenges.

“In the final days, both parties need to look at our infrastructure asks - committing to deliver the Moreton Motorway by 2032, funding the business case for Buchanan Road, committing to investigate treatments for our level crossings that are hampering east-west movements and to fund a study in to a Moreton Bay Ferry Service.”

City of Moreton Bay asks:

• More homes and services for people doing it tough. We have fewer social housing dwellings per 10,000 people than Ipswich, Logan and Redland and ranks 4^th for communities and housing funding per capita.¹
• More connections and better roads. Planned major public sector infrastructure investment from 2021 to 2033 is $2.7 billion and lags behind comparable areas despite a larger and faster-growing population. By comparison, similar regions like Ipswich and Logan-Beaudesert are projected to receive investment of $6 billion. Gold Coast is set to benefit from a staggering $8.3 billion in investment. ² City of Moreton Bay is the lowest funded SEQ Council in terms of local road networks.³
• More community infrastructure. We have one of the highest unemployment rates in SEQ but receive less than half the SEQ average in funding per capita.¹ City of Moreton Bay has the 3^rd highest proportion of school aged children but State funding for education is lower than the SEQ average.¹ City of Moreton Bay has the highest proportion of residents affected by a long-term health condition but ranks 3^rd for health funding per capita. ¹
• More safety.  Further investment in Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) and CCTV can help reduce crime. Need a commitment to the ‘no cash for scrap’ law related to copper theft.
• More care for our wildlife. We need a dedicated wildlife hospital and an increase in state funding allocation to whole network of at least $1million per annum.

The trend of underinvestment in City of Moreton Bay has been confirmed by two separate reports, namely Queensland Audit Office’s Major projects 2023: (Report 7: 2023-24) and Suburban Futures’ response to draft Shaping SEQ 2023 Update.

City of Moreton Bay needs its fair share of funding so we can future-proof our city and ensure it’s a place where our community, economy and environment grow and prosper together.