Thank you Chair.
I rise to speak about an ongoing public transport issue in the western part of my Ward.
It seems the more things change with this State Labor Government, the more they stay the same.
Karana Downs residents for years have been crying out for a bus service to the CBD, in lieu of the Personalised Public Transport cab which takes them to Moggill Road to connect with the 444 service, only to be told by the Government that they don’t warrant it.
Its little wonder Labor suffered an 18% swing against them last month and lost the Ipswich West by-election across the river, but that’s another matter.
Chair, I had hoped with the very smart decision by the Premier not to re-appoint Mark “Blowout” Bailey as Transport Minister, that we might start to get some commonsense rather than political decisions coming out of the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
But it would appear not.
Upon his appointment as new Transport Minister last December, I wrote to Bart Mellish congratulating him on his elevation to Cabinet and requested a review of Bailey’s previous snubbing of this area of my Ward.
I reminded him that the reason these communities don’t have access to a direct bus service to the Brisbane CBD was because the State Government’s service area for contracted public transport inexplicably doesn’t include Karana Downs, Mt. Crosby, Lake Manchester, Kholo and Anstead.
In 2022, I was the Principal Petitioner for a State Government petition requesting an extension of the contracted public transport service area which attracted 1,600 signatures.
I told Minister Mellish that if he was able to review this decision that Cr. Murphy and I would be more than happy to work with him to facilitate BCC delivery of this important service.
But Chair, my hopes of a fresh approach under a new Minister were dashed when Minister Mellish replied on 27th March saying his Government has no plans to extend the existing service contract area or provide a bus service to these suburbs.
That is despite him admitting that (and I quote) “Karana Downs itself has an urban community along College Road with density levels similar to many suburban areas of Brisbane”.
Chair, I accept that I shouldn’t have built up my hopes when it comes to this tired and inept State Government.
We on this side of the Chamber know that the only way Brisbane residents will see any change for the better is when Labor is swept from office this October. Bring it on. #Show Labor the Door in 24
Thank-you.