‘Should be worried’: Schrinner’s warning over ‘desperate’ Greens-Labor coalition
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner is “deeply concerned” about a “desperate” coalition ahead of the council election – and says every resident should be “very worried”.
Brisbane City
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Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner is “deeply concerned” about a desperate coalition between the Greens and Labor ahead of the March 16 council election – and says every resident should be “very worried”.
Kicking off his campaign for re-election on Monday, Cr Schrinner said the city did not need politicians who have indicated they would cut road funding, reduce speed limits, jack up rents and stop the expansion of the Brisbane Metro bus network.
“We should all be deeply concerned about what it means if the Greens and Labor were to be running the largest council in Australia,” Cr Schrinner told The Courier-Mail.
“It has an annual $4bn budget and things can go downhill quickly when there is a change in direction and administration.
“When you drill down into what Labor and the Greens are proposing, people should be very worried.”
Mr Schrinner said of particular concern was the Greens’ lord mayoral candidate’s “soft” position on crime.
“Jonathan Sriranganathan supports shoplifting, telling people it’s fine (for low income people) to steal from major supermarkets, he has (appeared to have) encouraged people to illegally squat, and suggests reducing funding for police – in a crime wave,” he said.
“The reality is Labor councillors and candidates will only get elected on Green preferences and it’s the same for the Greens, they need Labor – and they are already working together on similar policies.”
The LNP needs to claim 14 of Brisbane’s 26 wards to retain the Lord Mayoralty but Cr Schrinner said he was “not going to speculate on the chance of winning or losing”.
“Now more than ever, Brisbane needs an experienced team who will stand up to other levels of government on issues like transport planning, a fair share of funding, overpriced Olympic stadiums and (to) ensure crime is taken seriously,” he said.
Pundits point to the possibility, given the 2022 federal “greenslide”, the Greens will pick up more wards – at the 2020 council election the party held only The Gabba but placed second after the LNP in Coorparoo, Paddington, Walter Taylor, Pullenvale and Central.
With Labor holding just five and appearing incapable of a majority on its own, an alliance with the Greens is considered obvious.
Labor’s candidate Tracey Price has not ruled out a vote-preferencing deal, saying on radio she was “not sure what they (the party) do behind the scenes”.
In December, Ms Price put forward a green-leaning plan for Brisbane, which included free food and garden waste collection and more 10c container recycling bins.
In November, Greens lord mayoral candidate Jonathan Sriranganathan said he would freeze rents for two years by penalising landlords who raise them, increasing their rates by 750 per cent.
Cr Schrinner slammed the proposal as a “knee jerk reaction” that would force out investors, resulting in fewer available properties and even higher rents.
At his campaign launch at Victoria Park, Cr Schrinner described the Greens’ policies as “dangerous and destructive”.
“Brisbane needs an experienced team with a proven track record of keeping costs down – not the Greens who will jack up the rates and rents of every resident.”
Cr Schrinner, who succeeded Graham Quirk in 2019 after being deputy mayor since 2011, said Brisbane was facing an unprecedented period of growth and the challenge was to balance it with maintaining the city’s enviable lifestyle.
As well as supporting critical road and public transport projects, he said his team was committed to building new parks and playgrounds, keeping suburbs safe and delivering new lifestyle precincts, such as Howard Smith Wharves and Victoria Park.
“We’re committed to doing all this while keeping costs down by keeping the budget balanced and ensuring our residential rates are the cheapest in south east Queensland,” he said.
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