The Schrinner Council’s latest financial results confirm it has delivered a balanced budget while continuing to improve services across Brisbane’s suburbs.
The result reflects Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s commitment to keeping costs down while delivering better services for residents.
Brisbane households, continue to pay the lowest rates in south-east Queensland, despite the city recording the third-highest inflation of any Australian capital city.
The Schrinner Council’s latest quarterly budget update confirms:
• Operating surplus of $211 million to act as a buffer against unexpected cost increases
• Reduction in net debt of almost 4 per cent or $135 million, with net debt forecast to reduce by another 22 per cent by 2029-30
• Increase of $1.3 billion in net community assets to $38.3 billion.
• No new borrowings, saving residents $115 million in interest costs
• Strong credit rating for the 13th consecutive year
• $1.2 billion spent with Brisbane businesses, exceeding our Buy Local target of 80 per cent
The Schrinner Council has delivered these strong financial results while continuing to deliver more for the people of Brisbane, including:
· 10 million more bus and Metro trips and 1 million more ferry trips than the previous year
· Filling 2,000 more potholes than the previous year
· Saving the average commuter 5 hours in travel time over the year by reducing congestion across the city
· Supporting more than 41,000 pensioners through QLD’s most generous pension rebate, saving pensioners $27.9 million
· 250,000 more free trips for seniors
· 120,000 more visits to libraries than previous year
· Delivering more than 100 additional First 5 Forever sessions than the previous year
· Delivering more health and fitness sessions than the previous year
· Rolling out more than 400 new CCTV cameras, taking our CitySafe network to over 4,450 cameras.
· Resurfacing 276 road locations last year
· Increasing the number of green bins in service by 160,000, diverting more than 67,400 tonnes of green waste from landfill
More than 85 per cent of Brisbane’s budget was invested in the suburbs.
Brisbane residents continue to pay the lowest rates in south-east Queensland, despite recent record high spends on infrastructure including Brisbane Metro and new bridges, which have traditionally been the responsibility of other levels of government.
People living in standalone homes in other council areas paying between $348 and $821 more each year and people living units in other council areas pay between $159 and $693 more each year.
Brisbane also has the most generous pensioner rebate scheme in Queensland, with full pensioners receiving up to $1350 per year, which is $481 more than the next closest rebate offered in the region.
The Schrinner Council’s balanced Budget stands in stark contrast to Labor and the Greens, whose $3.5 billion in election promises would have driven up spending by 20 per cent, forcing up rates and rents for every Brisbane household.
Quotes attributable to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner
“Our balanced Budget has helped us maintain the lowest rates in south-east Queensland while investing in the infrastructure and services our growing city needs.
“We’re spending less where we can so we can invest more where it counts, whether that’s better roads, better public transport or better infrastructure in the suburbs.
“Our record investment in infrastructure has delivered the incredibly successful Brisbane Metro, new bridges and better roads across Brisbane.
“Labor and the Greens continue to demand billions in additional spending without explaining how they would pay for it, which means Brisbane households would ultimately be left with the bill.”
