Adrian Schrinner says he won’t advertise his face if Labor councillors don’t advertise theirs

Brisbane’s Lord Mayor has struck a deal on ratepayer funded advertising. In response to calls to keep his face off materials about the future of Victoria Park, he’s told Labor he won’t show his face, if they don’t show theirs.

Adrian Schrinner at Victoria Park. Picture: Jamie Hanson

BRISBANE’S Lord Mayor has promised he won’t show his face on Victoria Park advertising or consultation material but only if Labor councillors don’t show theirs on ward newsletters.

Opposition leader Peter Cumming moved an urgency motion to stop any of the $1 million committed to the transformation of Victoria Park being spent on materials with the Lord Mayor’s face on it.

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Only last week, Labor slammed new Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner for spending nearly $100 million on pamphlets sent to thousands of Brisbane homes with his face on it.

Cr Cumming said advertising and consultation materials on the future of Victoria Park should be free of the Lord Mayor’s face.

Cr Schrinner said: “There will be no photographs of me if there are no photographs of you in your newsletters. The power is in your hands Cr Cumming.”

“The reality is we will be consulting with the people about Victoria Park because this is an exciting project.”

The Lord Mayor brandished newsletters from opposition councillors which he said featured up to nine photographs of them.

“It just beggars belief that Labor keeps pushing this ludicrous suggestion that it’s OK for them to do it but it’s not OK on this side of the chamber,” he said.

“The Lord Mayor of Brisbane has an electorate of $1.17 million people. There is a responsibility of office to communicate with people and let them know how we are investing their ratepayer money.”

Labor councillors called out that if the Lord Mayor needed to communicate with his electorate, he should use his budget and not project budgets.

Cr Cumming said the LNP administration had an “appalling” track record when it came to using ratepayer funds for advertising.

“It’s about getting the Lord Mayor elected, it’s not about consulting with the public, they don’t need his face on the document to consult with the public,” he said.