The outer Brisbane growth areas being left behind on public transport

The news

Households in the four outer urban councils forming Greater Brisbane have less than half the access to frequent public transport than their more central city neighbours.

A new report on urban liveability across mainland Australia’s state capitals has drilled down into the gap between established and growing parts of the greater city regions.

Improved train services were the first priority for Ipswich City Council in their 2024 state and federal budget submissions.

Across six measures of health, walkability, social infrastructure, open space, affordable housing, local jobs, and public transport, one of the starkest Brisbane gaps was on the latter.

While 53 per cent of Brisbane City Council households had access to what was dubbed regular public transport, only 20 per cent of those in Ipswich, Logan, Redland and Moreton Bay did.

Why it matters

Prepared by the RMIT’s Australian Urban Observatory with the National Growth Areas Alliance, the report was launched with a funding push in areas with recent and future population growth.

Greater Brisbane’s growth councils’ population was 1.3 million in 2023 – just shy of Brisbane City’s 1.32 million. Between them, they are set to welcome about that many again by 2046.

The bulk of this growth – according to medium-rate state government projections – will come in Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Logan councils with almost 800,000 new residents.

Not only does this require hundreds of thousands of new homes, but the supporting infrastructure funds from state and federal governments – in a range of safe and marginal seats.

What they said

Bronwen Clark, chief executive of the National Growth Areas Alliance – which counts the south-east Queensland Council of Mayors as a partner – said “people need more than just roofs and walls”.

“They need access to schools, healthcare, employment opportunities, roads and open spaces. They need community.”

Brisbane’s growth and non-growth areas had the largest public school and childcare access gap of the five mainland state capitals, at 27.4 per cent.

With a gap of 53 per cent, the city was also on par with Melbourne (53.3 per cent) for difference in health care access.

Access to frequent public transport was assessed as homes within a 400-metre walk from a stop with an average service running no more than 30 minutes apart between 7am and 7pm on weekdays.

Only 20 per cent of households in the Greater Brisbane growth councils met this. In Brisbane itself? 53 per cent.

What you need to know

The region’s mayors increased their lobbying of the state government ahead of October’s election, securing some initial support from Labor on housing. A federal election is due by June.

During the state campaign, the LNP promised a 100-day review to “map out what infrastructure and transport is needed for Queensland and the Games”.

A reduction of public transport fares to a flat fee of 50¢ was touted by former premier Steven Miles as an effort to stop those in the outer suburbs paying more.

While backing the fares, then-opposition leader David Crisafulli – now premier – vowed to boost frequency, reliability and safety of outer urban and regional public transport.