Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner rules out Cyclone Alfred levy, promises lowest SEQ rates in 2025 budget

There is some good news for Brisbane ratepayers struggling with the affordability crisis.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and Deputy Mayor Fiona Cunningham will hand down the 2025 Brisbane City Council budget on June 18. Picture: David Clark

Brisbane ratepayers will continue to pay the lowest residential rates in southeast Queensland and there will be no Cyclone Alfred levy, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner revealed on Friday.

Mr Schrinner made the promises after Gold Coast City Council on Friday morning confirmed rumours that it would be forced to introduce a special levy after the cyclone ripped apart beaches.

“I can confirm Brisbane rates will remain significantly cheaper than the Gold Coast and the lowest in southeast Queensland in our 2025-26 Budget,’’ he said.

“The difference between Brisbane’s cheaper rates and the Gold Coast is already almost $400 a year.

“I can also rule out any new levy to pay for the significant impacts on Brisbane from Tropical Cyclone Alfred.’’

Erosion on beaches after Cyclone Alfred has forced Gold Coast City Council to impose a cyclone levy. Picture: City of Gold Coast

The Labor Opposition said numerous parks and other infrastructure had not been repaired since the cyclone, but council claimed it was still waiting for federal assistance.

Last year average owner-occupier residential rates rose 3.8 per cent, or $100, despite huge spending cuts which Mr Schrinner said had kept a lid on rates rises.

Fees and charges rose by 3.8 per cent and commercial rates were also more expensive than in some other SEQ councils.

The average rates bill in 2024 was about $1800.

Mr Schrinner last week hinted that the June 18 budget would be austere after telling council’s weekly meeting that spending so far this year had been cut by about $470m.

He said that was necessary to deliver a buffer in case of unexpected events, such as the pandemic and cyclone.

The March quarterly update revealed the surplus was on track to hit 10 per cent, roughly $400m, compared with a wafer thin $1m surplus at Logan City Council which had a $1.2bn budget.

Debt would also start to peak before declining 7.7 per cent, in contrast to the state and federal governments which were both grappling with ballooning debt.

But the Labor Opposition said the cuts had come at the expense of basic maintenance including the crumbling Story Bridge, as Mr Schrinner continued to push his case for funding from all three levels of government for a major upgrade of the bridge.

Southeast councils will reveal their budgets over the next three weeks.

They included: Moreton, June 13; Redlands, June 23; Logan, June 25; Ipswich, July 1.