Your five-minute guide to the 2025 Brisbane City Council Budget

From new destination suburban parks to a green bin rollout, better roads and rates pain for new inner-city units, we’ve taken a quick dive into Brisbane City Council’s 2025 budget.

Adrian Schrinner speaks in the council chamber after the 2025 budget was handed down. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Brisbane residents will have to find an extra 3.87 per cent for their rates, on average, as council cried poor after years of underfunding by the state and federal governments.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said costs, particularly construction, roadworks and transport, had soared.

Despite the twin pressures he said stringent savings had kept Brisbane’s rates the lowest in the southeast, from $240 to almost $600 less than other councils.

Here is what’s in it for you.

RATES, CHARGES, REBATES

3.87 per cent average minimum rate increase for owner-occupied houses, an extra $1.14 a week. Maximum rates capped at 7.5 per cent.

Residents about three suburbs will see their rates drop but about a dozen face the maximum owner occupier rates bill.

Inner-city unit owners who buy after October 1 will pay $100 per year more.

Fees are up 4 per cent.

This year’s budget $4.1bn incudes a $298m surplus

85% of spending will be in the suburbs

Debt is expected to decline from $3.6bn to $2.9bn in 2028/29, down 20 per cent

Transport spending (buses, ferries and roadworks) to hit $1.428bn or nearly half of all spending

The extra bins will attract a levy of $49.52 a year.

GREEN WASTE

Green bins will be rolled out across the city, but property owners will have to pay an extra $49.52 even if they don’t want or need the bins.

About half of eligible households, about 170,000, currently have a green bin.

Those households won’t have to pay the extra amount as they are currently charged about $1 per week.

STORY BRIDGE

There is $18m in new cash this year for the Story Bridge including $6.7m for a new decking to be built over existing, crumbling footpaths, $6m for emergency repairs and $6m for a business case into a major long-term upgrade.

Traffic flows on the Story Bridge in Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled

COST OF LIVING

On-time rates payment rebate to continue. Used by 273,000 people, saving $47m in total

Pensioner rebate lifted $50 to $1298

$2 Summer Dips council pool entry scheme to continue

50% rates discounts for 289 not-for-profits to continue

100% kindergartens rebates rebate to continue

GENERAL/SUBURBS SPENDING:

About $733m is allocated for the environment, parks and sustainability

Just over $141m will be spent on the arts, festivals and other community programs

A revamped customer services model will include $226.4m in spending

There is $1.9m for a two-year Olympic Corridors tree planting program

$6.2m has been set aside for safer schools precincts in Kedron, Mansfield, Indooroopilly and Wynnum-Manly

Pools at Newmarket, Runcorn, Parkinson and Fortitude Valley will be upgraded

$5.2m for new district sports parks in Pallara and Ellen Grove

Upgrades to suburban shopping strips in Nundah, Salisbury and Indooroopilly

A new destination playground will be built in Carindale and a new park in Greenslopes as park of $89.4m for better suburban parks

TRANSPORT

About $210m in subsidies have been budgeted this year.

M1 Metro route to come on line late this year after the Adelaide St tunnel is finished.

Council will investigate expanding Metro to the airport, eastern suburbs and there areas.

The new Brisbane bus network starts on June 30, shifting to a “hub and spoke’’ model which will mean many passengers have to catch connecting buses.

Road resurfacing is planned for Ipswich, Waterworks and Toombul roads and Vulture St

LIFESTYLE

A new coffee carts in parks program will encourage coffee and food trucks in 100 park locations