City’s Christmas decorations have only increased this year

MAYOR Paul Pisasale has a simple message for anyone who was under the impression the city wasn’t embracing Christmas: Look around.

Christmas lights in the Ipswich CBD. Photo: Contributed. Picture: Contributed

MAYOR Paul Pisasale has a simple message for anyone who was under the impression the city wasn't embracing Christmas: Look around.

The QT approached council this week following several calls and emails from residents claiming there seemed to be fewer festive decorations adorning the CBD this year.

One of the QT's readers said they feared the lack of decorations could be as a result of political correctness gone mad.

When the question was put to Cr Pisasale this week, however, he could barely understand the fuss.

Ipswich City Council has actually increased the budget for Christmas lights this year, with additional lighting at the Top of Town and fairy lights in the mall.

Cr Pisasale said he was yet to find one person of any religion who was offended by the idea of Ipswich embracing Christmas.

"There is no way in the world I am ever going to take Christmas out of Ipswich," he said.

"While I'm Mayor we will always celebrate Christmas here, as well as the Chinese New Year and Diwali."

Cr Pisasale said he believed there was an agenda by "some bureaucrats" in Canberra to scale back Christmas celebrations in Australia, but that he was of the belief that this would only divide the nation.

"These bureaucrats have got to stop telling people that people are offended by Christmas, because it isn't true," he said.

Ipswich City Council said that there were about $115,000 worth of Christmas decorations in the CBD this year.

Most of the decorations have been purchased in previous years, with council slowly adding to the collection.

The display in town includes the new decorations at the Top of Town and the fairy lights in the mall.

There are also banners on poles that are illuminated at night, cross street lighting in the mall, the large Christmas tree at d'Arcy Doyle Place, decorations on the mall rotunda, and LED fairy lights on most trees in Brisbane St from top of town to East St.