Editorial: Brisbane River finally getting the attention it deserves

While Brisbane finally now fully embraces its river, many are looking for new ways to celebrate it, writes the editor.

The Brisbane River is the pulsing lifeblood of the city.

Brisbane’s relationship with its namesake river has, fittingly, been one of ebbs and flows.

The city of course owes its very existence to the river.

When the penal settlement at Redcliffe struggled to secure a reliable freshwater supply in 1824, it relocated up the Brisbane River to North Quay, in the present-day CBD.

Of course the local Indigenous people already knew the area well, and the river provided an abundance of food.

For decades after white settlement the river was the lifeblood of the colony, with ships docking along its length, bringing in settlers and taking out the wool, gold, sugar, fruit and meat.

This story is part of The Courier-Mail’s annual Future Brisbane series that advocates for a better city and region. Read all the stories in the series here

And while the river provided a highway to the outside world, it could also turn deadly, with regular floods claiming human lives as well as livestock, a phenomenon only partially alleviated by the opening of the Wivenhoe Dam in 1984.

The upgrading of the Port of Brisbane saw the end of big ships making their way up the river, and for decades the former industrial sites lay dormant.

While World Expo 88 transformed South Bank and changed attitudes about the river, it wasn’t until 2018 that the vast potential of Howard Smith Wharves was finally realised.

Just think of that. An incredible precinct on the edge of the CBD literally rotting for decades in plain sight. Now it’s hard to imagine Brisbane without it.

And while Brisbane now fully embraces its river, many are looking for new ways to celebrate it.

Today in our Future Brisbane series we report on tourism identity John Sharpe, who is behind popular attractions including the Story Bridge Climb, Riverlife and the Powerhouse’s Vertigo restaurant, calling for more tourism offerings on the river.

He’s been testing water-scooters, and there are plans afoot for a flying fox from the Kangaroo Point cliffs to the Botanic Gardens.

He’s also looking at accessible boats that will make the river wheelchair accessible.

They are all great ideas, and the good news is Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner is up for it.

It’s a great development, and one that shows that Brisbane’s relationship with the river has never been stronger.

APPEAL A POSITIVE STEP

Judges and magistrates often bear the brunt of community outrage over youth crime in this state, but the Court of Appeal must be applauded for overruling a decision that never passed the pub test.

Attorney-General Deb Frecklington should also be given credit for appealing the sentence handed to a teenager who stabbed 50-year-old army veteran Chris Sanders in the chest – just centimetres away from his heart at a shopping centre in Alexandra Hills in December, 2023.

During the terrifying, unprovoked attack, the teenager chased Mr Sanders as he ran into the shopping centre to alert security, stabbing the older man in the leg and upper back after he fell.

The 18-year-old, who was 17 at the time, was sentenced in March to a year in detention – but it was immediately suspended after he had served 189 days behind bars. No convictions were recorded.

Gallingly, he then walked outside court and smugly declared: “I’m famous”.

At the same time, Mr Sanders was still battling numbness on his left side from the violent attack.

Yesterday, the Court of Appeal drew a line in the sand. It decided the teen should serve time in custody – nine months of an
18-month sentence – and that a conviction should also be recorded on assault and wounding charges.

Tellingly, the court said in its decision that the “correction of the sentence imposed on the respondent is necessary to establish and maintain adequate standards of sentence for crimes of the present nature, even when committed by children.”

“Failure to intervene in the present case would undermine public confidence in the administration of justice,” the court added. And that has been at the heart of the issue – the community, rightly or wrongly, in some cases lost confidence in the administration of justice.

And frustration at children being handed what many thought were inadequate sentences was why David Crisafulli’s “Adult Crime, Adult Time” slogan was so effective during last year’s election campaign, helping the LNP win government and eventually enact the legislation.

The youth crime crisis is not solely on our judiciary to solve. There needs to be serious conversations about rehabilitation programs, earlier intervention from the Department of Child Safety in some cases – and, of course, parents need to step up.

But Queensland’s judges and magistrates now have more tools in their kit to make a difference – and make the public feel safer.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here