Thank you Chair.
I rise to speak on Item G, the Health, Safety and Amenity Local Law, and specifically in relation to the dumping of shopping trolleys and littering in our suburbs.
The objective of this proposed local law change is in part to provide better clarity around the existing regulations for shopping trolleys and unsightly objects, materials and vegetation.
Mr Chair, for reasons I can’t explain, littering is a bigger issue in my community than it should be.
I am surprised by the number of calls we regularly receive to the Ward office about shopping trolleys left on footpaths or worse, in Moggill Creek, and advertising material and community newspapers dumped on front lawns sometimes for days and weeks before property owners clean it up.
We need to collectively take more pride in how our communities are presented and I’m pleased that the Schrinner Council is showing the necessary leadership to provide more clarity around the relevant laws.
Brisbane is an emerging city on the international stage and now as the preferred city for the 2032 Olympic Games, the world is watching and making judgements on everything we do and say.
These amendments couldn’t have come at a better time. They are necessary steps in ensuring how Brisbane will be perceived by visitors and an international audience of millions over the next 11 years.
We are making some headway, as evidenced last week with Brisbane being named the 10th most liveable city in the world, ahead of both Melbourne and Sydney.
But these rankings can and do change, as we saw with Brisbane moving from 18th position to 10th in the space of 12 months.
Having done the hard work, the Schrinner Council is determined to see this momentum continue and our liveability ranking go higher leading up to 2032.
Mr. Chair, we now have four major shopping centre precincts in the Pullenvale Ward – two at Kenmore / Chapel Hill and one at Bellbowrie, with the fourth opening at Moggill on the weekend.
In regards to the latter, I congratulate Consolidated Properties for recognising the current and potential growth of the Moggill and Bellbowrie communities and investing $45 million in a new centre – the first of its type in the area since 1973.
The centre is underpinned by Coles as its major tenant and is a most welcome addition in my community.
I appreciate that Coles, along with Woolworths and Aldi locally have made genuine efforts over the years to address where shopping trolleys end up, but they still continue to disappear from shopping centre precincts.
As Councillor Mackay will attest, we saw four trolleys come back from creeks and parks at Chapel Hill in the space of a few hours during the recent Clean Up Australia Day.
I don’t know if simply increasing the frequency of collection within their carpark areas will totally solve the problem. Ditto with self-regulation.
The answer might well be having to confiscate trolleys or increase fines. I’ll be keen to see what other ideas come from the consultation, particularly from those with the most to lose – the shopping centres themselves.
The implementation of a self-assessable code for the distribution of printed materials appears to be a good start.
Hopefully, the days of drive-by dumpings are coming to an end and that distributors will be required to place materials and newspapers in letterboxes.
And when it comes to residents requesting “no junk mail”, I hope the feedback from consultation calls on distributors to respect the wishes of property owners.
Mr Chair, the Schrinner Council has a proud record when it comes to delivering the services and infrastructure that foster pride in where we live.
Let’s show through these amendments that we are leading the way in ensuring Brisbane becomes and remains the nation’s most liveable city.
Thank you.