‘No-go zones’: Schrinner wants LNP to make Brisbane safe again

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has labelled some inner-city parks “no-go zones” and called for the election of an LNP government to focus on community safety.

Only days out from the state election, Schrinner has escalated his council’s complaint about public space being used for makeshift housing, making it an issue for the campaign.

“With growing concerns about youth crime, and some parks in the inner suburbs becoming no-go zones, community safety is a top priority for me and must be for the next state government,” Schrinner told this masthead.

Brisbane City Council has cut the power supply to several inner-city parks citing safety concerns.Credit: Brisbane City Council

“Brisbane also continues to grow rapidly, bringing enormous challenges, particularly when it comes to transport and housing.”

His comments came after Brisbane City Council this week cut power to Musgrave Park and Kurilpa Point Park, ostensibly to prevent more fires, violence and anti-social behaviour among people sleeping rough. Electric barbecues will no longer work – units had been broken into, vandalised and hacked – but lights will be kept on.

The incumbent Labor premier, Steven Miles, and his LNP challenger, David Crisafulli, both addressed the Local Government Association of Queensland conference on Tuesday, pitching their case to the state’s mayors.

Miles described councils as “essential” partners of the state in a number of key areas, including the supply of housing, particularly in the fast-growing south-east.

“There is no doubt that one of the key areas where our partnership matters most right now is housing,” Miles said.

“We need more of it, we need different types of it, and we need to make it more affordable.”

“It’s a no-brainer.”

Crisafulli – who has made crime his election focus – promised infrastructure and flood resilience funding, less red tape, and support to provide the services and utilities required for new housing developments.

“However you’ve voted before, however you’ll vote in the future, I’m asking you this time to vote for change,” he told several hundred LGAQ delegates.

“Vote for change for yourself, for your community, for your level of government … for a fresh start in a relationship between the state and local governments.”

While the LNP council has worked with state and federal Labor governments – for example, on plans for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and a proposed Metro funding shift - the lord mayor suggested an LNP government would produce better outcomes.

“Our residents deserve a state government willing to work with us to keep Brisbane moving, not play silly political games to slow vital projects like we saw with Brisbane Metro and the former transport minister,” he said, referring to an ongoing dispute over the role the Metro should play in the public transport network.

Schrinner also called for an end to cost-shifting to local councils.

“For example, just recently Brisbane’s share of a $100 million south-east Queensland infrastructure fund for councils was capped at a miserly seven per cent, despite the fact we have more than 30 per cent of the region’s population,” he said.

“I look forward to a fresh start under a new state government led by David Crisafulli, who is a former deputy mayor and councillor and knows the critical role local governments play delivering for residents.”

The latest Resolve poll, conducted exclusively for this masthead, showed Labor closing the gap on the LNP, with significant variation in the results between urban areas and the regions.

Crisafulli – who had previously acknowledged the need for Queensland to have “a vibrant capital city” – said the poll showed the election would be close.

“This state needs a fresh start, and we are united, we are focused,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“I’m asking Queenslanders, don’t risk a fourth term and 14 years in office.”

Acknowledging the significant variation in results between urban areas and the regions, Miles said voters were taking notice of Crisafulli’s inability to answer questions about his intentions.

“The more people see of David Crisafulli, the less they like him … and I suspect that people in the south-east have seen more of that than people in the regions,” Miles said on Tuesday.

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