This was published 10 months ago
LNP, Greens clash over competing plans for new CityCat terminals
By Tony Moore
A second CityCat terminal will be built in West End if the Greens win, or are in a position to influence, Brisbane City Council after the March 16 election.
But to do so, council would have to strip funding already set aside for a new ferry and CityCat terminal in the CBD slated to support the $2.5 billion Waterfront Brisbane project.
Competing proposals for CityCat terminals are being debated in the Brisbane City Council election campaign.Credit: Tony Moore
Greens lord mayoral candidate Jonathan Sriranganathan said the developers, Dexus, should be forced to pay for the facilities, not ratepayers.
“They have been granted very generous exemptions and relaxations, which significantly increase the profitability of their project,” Sriranganathan said.
Sriranganathan said the Greens would have council spend $10-15 million to build the West End terminal at Victoria Street or Davies Park.
He said a second terminal in West End had been on the council agenda since 2011 but never built. In that time, the population of the suburb had doubled, and there were three terminals across the river at Milton.
LNP campaign spokeswoman Fiona Cunningham said the council budget set aside $33 million for three terminals, including one planned for Eagle Street. The Dockside and Mowbray Park terminals were already being rebuilt.
“His proposal to cut funding for the busiest terminal in the network would massively disadvantage the tens of thousands of Brisbane residents and visitors who use it,” Cr Cunningham said.
“This own-goal policy demonstrates how risky a Green-Labor coalition of chaos would be.”
Labor would not be drawn on the issue, instead planning to make their own announcement on Wednesday.
Srirangathan said council struck a deal with developers to build a terminal at Howard Smith Wharves but should not favour the private sector over local residents.
“Back in 2011, the LNP promised residents this CityCat terminal to support major development along Montague Rd at West End, but 13 years later it still hasn’t been constructed,” he said.
Srirangathan was the councillor for West End for two terms before he stood down to run in the mayoral race.
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