Minutes of proceedings

4. YOUR BRISBANE PROGRAM:

Councillor Krista ADAMS, Chairman of the Brisbane Lifestyle Committee, moved, seconded by Councillor Andrew WINES, that for the services of the Council, the allocations for the Operations and the Projects for the year 2015-16 and the Rolling Recurrent Operations Contracts and the Rolling Projects for the Your Brisbane program as contained on pages 79 to 102, and schedules on pages 173 to174, so far as they relate to Program 4, be adopted.

Councillor ADAMS: Thank you, Madam Chair. As Chair of Brisbane Lifestyle, it gives me great pleasure to stand here today and talk about what we will be delivering through Program 4 this financial year. Your Brisbane contributes to a vibrant 24 hour, seven days a week New World City with opportunities for all residents, workers and visitors to participate in cultural and recreational activities. We aim to foster inclusion and stronger communities and in many ways we are contributing towards this vision through our Festivals and Events program.

Our signature city festival, such as Brisbane Festival and BrisAsia Pacific Film Festival offer world class entertainment and high profile opportunities for our city's creative, which has continued to grow over the last four years, increasing revenue from $12.5 million to $17 million. In his budget speech, the LORD MAYOR noted the increased popularity of our suburban festivals. In response, I’m pleased to say we are increasing our suburban festivals to 72 in the 2015-16 financial year.

The eight new suburban festivals are Halloween on Blackwood Street, which is in Mitchelton, Murarrie Neighbour Day, Easter in Frew Park, the 100th anniversary of the Mount Gravatt Show, Creative3, Art Expo, Brisbane Sings and End of the Line festival in Woolloongabba. That doesn’t include our brand new festivals which we'll be sponsoring this year as well. As a New World City, Brisbane residents also have the opportunity to truly experience the diverse cultures that make our city special. In 2015-16 we have got over $529,000 allocated towards our multicultural festivals, which is an increase from last year.

It enables us to support 40 festivals, with three new festivals; Filipino Barrio Fiesta, Thai Festival and Brisbane Latino Festival. I thank the LORD MAYOR for his commitment to this city's diversity. We support 11 key Brisbane events through our arts and cultural support. By supporting our city's creative and cultural organisation, we aim to develop an innovative sector and through financial resilience and economic viability, help them to drive our creative economy. I’m pleased to add that the budget for our arts and cultural support program has increased from 2014-15 to $356,895 in 2015-16.

Residents and visitors also have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of programs through the city entertainment service. Every weekend there are free concerts in our best loved suburban parks. The BrisAsia Festival showcases Asian culture and promotes Brisbane links with the Asian community. During Youth Week, we will again enjoy the innovative contemporary music program, the QUBE Effect, our new alternative to the Fete de la Musique. We had a fantastic success this year with our bands in the South Bank Parklands and Roma Street Parkland.

20 main stage performances, films, the original song, Into The QUBE, and the general public were able to vote for the People's Choice Award for $4,000. In 2015-16, we're actually see a slight change to the QUBE Effect. Whereas this year it was 15 years and older, we're going to extend it to 12 years and older, to make sure we can get all of our young people involved and also include professional development workshops for the musicians that enter.

Madam Chair, this Administration knows it's important to create opportunities across Brisbane for our creative workforce to develop our creative economy. We offer grants and programs to retain Brisbane's creative talent and contribute to our economy; for example, our one-off $25,000 through the Innovation Award, which directly contributes to creative enterprises. We're looking forward to the development of the app by Brett Leavy, Virtual Meanjin, which is an interactive and immersive virtual heritage time machine that was awarded this year.

Lord Mayor's Young and Emerging Artists Fellowship has supported almost 100 young and emerging artists since its inception. This year, we have the 20th anniversary, which coincides with the Asia Pacific Cities Summit, where we will launch an extension of the program called Sister Cities Network, which will be focused on cultural exchange with Brisbane's nine sister cities. We also are establishing ourselves a vibrant and cultural city through the contribution of cultural icons, such as the Brisbane Powerhouse. A leading arts performance, Brisbane Powerhouse contributes by giving us access to world class art forms and performing arts to the City of Brisbane. They have had over 634,000 visits to the precinct this financial year and this last financial year to date we have seen an increase of 4.43 per cent in ticket sales. Madam Chair, this Administration recognises the role our libraries play, providing a thriving platform to allow Brisbane residents the opportunity to learn, connect and socialise. Libraries play a vital role in strengthening community life and the Administration is proud of our role that they play in our community.

$59.2 million in modern, well-resourced library networks; $3.9 million for library refurbishment and enhancements to make sure that we have modern and vibrant social places and that we have enhancements that meet the needs of the residents right through the suburbs of Brisbane. We completed Mount Ommaney Library this year and started Holland Park Library refurbishment. Planning for Nundah, Corinda and Carina was undertaken, as well as the enhancements for Mount Gravatt Library to ensure that we can provide customer facilities such as a toilet for customers and reliable and safe access to car parking.

In 2015-16, Holland Park Library refurbishments will be completed, together with the construction of the car park and toilet at Mount Gravatt, with Nundah, Corinda and Carina Library refurbishments commencing. This Administration has also made a well-publicised commitment to create a diverse, inclusive and accessible city by implementing several key plans and strategies, including the Access and Inclusion Plan 2012-2017, Senior Strategy 2012-2017 and the Youth Strategy 2014-2019.

This Administration has also committed to supporting and strengthening relationships and connections with our city's indigenous and multicultural communities. We have a dedicated indigenous team that delivers a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement projects and events, including the Indigenous Aspiration Strategy, Black Diamonds program, Black History Month and National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC). The team also engages with a number of different community groups.

The multicultural team delivers number of projects, including partnerships with culturally diverse communities, like our Community Connect Roadshows, which allow Council to connect with those who have newly arrived and from multicultural communities across Brisbane. We support Brisbane seniors and people with a disability through a number of key initiatives. For example, Council Cabs. It's a safe, reliable, cost effective and accessible transport service for Brisbane residents who experience difficulties accessing local community services, particularly people with disability and our senior residents. Council Cabs operates in 180 suburbs and locations across Brisbane to 48 shopping locations. We have now seen an increase of 18 suburbs and localities across Council Cabs in the 2014-15 financial year and continuing that through 2015-16. Personalised Public Transport (PPT) also operates in areas where there are no or restricted TransLink services.

Yellow Cabs is the provider and the passengers pay a flat fee of $1 each way. In 2015-16, we will see the continuation of the PPT service to more than 25,000 one way passengers. I’m pleased to say to date that more than 80 per cent of the Senior Strategy has been implemented. In 2015-16, Brisbane will continue to deliver Growing Old and Living Dangerously (GOLD), our GOLD program for seniors; Council Cabs, as I mentioned; Senior Celebration Donations; Christmas parties for residents over 50; the Lord Mayor Seniors Cabaret Showcase; and the Lord Mayor Seniors Suburban Concert Series.

The Access and Inclusion Plan launched in 2011 is tracking very well on its implementation, with a hundred per cent of the plan's initiatives underway; 75 per cent completed; and 33 per cent of those initiatives are working towards their completion as well. One of the key initiatives in this plan has been the implementation of the partnership grant program to fund community organisations, groups or services to improve their access and inclusion in Brisbane.

In our last round, we helped 18 organisations and groups receive a total of nearly $600,000 and we are happy to see that this budget has continued this schedule of grants programs for 2015-16, and I thank the LORD MAYOR for his vision and continued support for inclusion and accessibility in Brisbane. We have worked hard in this Administration to recognise the existence of the complexity of hoarding and squalor cases that affect some residents, their families and neighbours across Brisbane.

In 2014-15, we implemented a new project, the Hoarding and Squalor Reduction Initiative, and I’m happy to say that we have—the initiative exceeded the year one target to respond to 10 complex hoarding and squalor cases and will be continuing in this next financial year. With the Local Government arena, Council is taking the lead role in the delivery of these collaborative responses, as mentioned very complex hoarding cases, which means we need to do a lot of international and best practice research and approaches.

A dedicated officer provides support to affected residents and also meets the requirements of public health orders that may be needed to remove potential public health risk that are impacting their properties. This year, we responded to 14 squalor and hoarding cases, and we are happy to see the continuation of this important initiative into 2015-16. We haven’t forgotten our city's young people whom we celebrate and support to be engaged, empowered, included and to participate in community life. Our priorities for youth initiatives in 2015-16 have been identified through the plan.

We are continuing the Lord Mayor's Youth Advisory Council, Visible Ink Valley Youth Space, our youth enterprise program, Chill Out, Brisbane Youth Week and Young People and Public Space. I’m happy to update this Chamber that to date 94 per cent of the new initiatives and program extension of the Youth Strategy are either in the process of being delivered or being delivered as business as usual. This means there's only six per cent of new initiative programs that we are yet to commence and we're looking forward to getting to that this financial year.

I have to say too that I am very proud that we are continuing in this budget to sponsor the Mount Gravatt Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) and the Wynnum Youth Hub as part of our core programming for our youth services. Brisbane residents have access to a broad range of well-managed, quality community facilities. The community facility development and maintenance program provides more than $7.5 million to invest in facilities for current and future residents across a range of sport and recreation and cultural activities, while ensuring optimal use of Council's assets.

In line with Council's focus on asset management, we will be committing funding of $1.6 million to support and partner with Brisbane's community groups in maintaining and improving our community facilities. Well, now that the budget has been announced, officers are confirming the schedule of works for our Facility Improvement program. Based on our asset audits conducted over previous years, we will do consultations with lessees and make sure that we maintain our Council's 600 community lease sites to the best of our ability.

In terms of our skate facilities projects, specifically Paddington and Inala Skate Park upgrades, to date, the community engagement activities have been undertaken, with the establishment of the community reference group, representing park users and community events in the parks, skate designers have been commissioned to design and document proposed facility upgrades. Bracken Ridge Skate Park, with the broad site layout and provision of shared facilities with the aquatic centre have been undertaken.

We're getting ready to commission specialist skate designers and design and document the proposed facility, with an engagement in our community reference group, which will be shortly established at Bracken Ridge as well. We are looking forward to developing a high quality, street style skate facility in Bracken Ridge. The budget will further support the development of Brisbane sporting infrastructure and deliver a wide scope of remediation works in 2015 16.

The budget will support the focus on improving our sport fields' irrigation systems, the final stage of the precinct remediation at Cubberla Creek Reserve, along with new projects that have been identified through Council's Sport Fields Testing program in conjunction with land field remediation projects as well. In 2015-16, Council will again increase the number of sites to receive turf remediation works to 290 hectares, up from the 250 hectares of aeration we did this financial year.

Over the last four years, this Administration has shown an unprecedented commitment to upgrading the Planetarium digital and optical projection systems to provide Brisbane residents with a state of art experience. It's now considered the most modern, versatile planetarium in the Australian/New Zealand region. This service provides the operational funding to allow the presentation of both digital and live shows to over 120,000 students and members of the public annually.

These attendances have grown over 18 per cent over the last three years and revenue from the planetarium services have also grown by over 20 per cent in the same period. Over the last four years, the Administration has shown unprecedented commitment to providing Brisbane residents with the state of the art aquatic complexes. We have promised and delivered three new pools in the last term, which is quite an achievement, given that there are only two new pools delivered in the previous 25 years and, of course, the closure of Toowong Pool under the previous Labor Administration.

But this term, we will be continuing to deliver the two new pools, Bracken Ridge Ward and Parkinson Ward. Both these areas have obviously demonstrated a great need in their growing communities that will greatly benefit from these new facilities. As with Council's current commitment, both pools will be fully accessible and the range of the facilities at this pool is really going to be quite outstanding.

In closing, Madam Chair, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Council officers in Program 4, Your Brisbane, for their hard work and commitment to realise our vision, that everyone in Brisbane can access relevant community resources, services and facilities and create opportunities for them to be active, informed and involved in the community. I recommend this program to the Chamber.

Chairman: Further debate?

Councillor NEWTON.

Councillor NEWTON: Thanks very much, Madam Chair. I rise to speak on Program 4 of the Council budget. I wanted at the outset to say that I really appreciated the Chair's presentation of the 2015-16 Budget in the Council Chamber this morning, because when we had the budget information sessions, Madam Chair, we did not have any presentation from the Chair about the 2015-16 budget, because the entire one hour for presenting on the 2015-16 Budget was spent talking about the 2014-15 budget, Madam Chair. So it's refreshing to see the presentation occur here this morning.

I must say, it's extraordinary to have an information session with an hour allocation to present an item in the budget and not have one moment spent talking or presenting on the 2015-16 Budget. So I’m pleased we've had some time today to talk about this. Now, Madam Chair, I'm going to talk about some of the things that perhaps Councillor ADAMS hasn't touched on in her presentation today. But also, if I had some time, I will give some kudos for some of the areas that I think, on this side of the Chamber, I think are meritorious of support.

Madam Chair, I think the first thing that's important to highlight is that there are some re-announcements in this budget, because we have seen carryovers from last financial year to this financial year. It never happens, I know, Councillor DICK. It's a great shock to all of us to see that there are projects re announced in this budget that we're seeing today.

Madam Chair, there are $12.3 million in projects that have been carried over from last financial year to this financial year, so we will be able to see these re announcements around library works, community centres, hall, skate park funding, pool refurbishments and that's what we heard in the presentation sessions in the question time that we had available to us, Madam Chair. But in terms of this year's budget, there have been some changes, because, of course, the Your Brisbane program, I guess it's a bit of the heart of the Brisbane City Council. Heart and possibly a bit of soul as well, Madam Chair.

I believe it is a very important part of the Council budget program. So I think it's important to highlight some of those changes, because we do see—this is an area, I guess, provides an opportunity to work behind the scenes to help grow resilience in our communities and improve community connections and help equip our residents in an equitable manner, Madam Chair. I think this program should provide that kind of opportunity. So there have been some changes and I just wanted to take people through some of the reductions or—in expenditure in this year's budget.

We know that capital funding and expenses are down significantly by a third, Madam Chair, from last year to this year. What was surprising was we're seeing social inclusion, which is an area where Council is supposed to be looking after our most vulnerable being cut by 15 per cent or down by $2 million, Madam Chair. So that's kind of a surprise and indeed arts and culture is even down nearly $500,000. So when you look at some of these changes, the question you have to ask yourself is, has growth gone backwards in the City of Brisbane? Has the need diminished in the City of Brisbane?

Are facilities there that don’t need support anymore? Are there vulnerable people no longer living in Brisbane anymore, Madam Chair, that need our help and support or are we just walking away from those, Madam Chair? I just want to take you through some of those details around some of those changes. One of the areas I found surprising is that we've had an 11 per cent reduction in purchasing and managing Brisbane City Council's library collection. I suppose I feel quite sentimental about our libraries.

They were really important for me when I was growing up and I know for many people in the City of Brisbane it's where I spent time accessing source materials and research materials. Now, we all know that there are changes in the format of how this information is available and it really is important for Brisbane to be keeping up and—with those changes and I think that we do find in the library collections that there is access to a broader format than certainly when I was at high school in the 1980s, Madam Chair. But what concerns me is that we've got an 11 per cent drop in our acquisition of items for libraries.

I’m quite surprised to see this. To purchase and manage our library collections is down over the last couple of years and I’m quite shocked and surprised. I know that it's not necessarily in this day and age just about putting books on shelves, although that's what many people come into our libraries still to this day for, but I’m just surprised to see drop in—from 2013-14 where we say $9.175 million spent in the acquisition area dropping to $8.14 million in this year's budget.

So it's kind of a surprise and I think that Brisbane residents deserve an explanation about this reduction in expenditure when it comes to managing the stuff that's in our libraries. In terms of the Active and Healthy program, Madam Chair, again, I’m surprised to see it go backwards again. Our—last year's forward estimates show that we're supposed to have $867,000 spent in the Active and Healthy Parks program, but we're only spending $801,000, so what's the change? Why are we spending so much less than we had previously anticipated?

Active and Healthy Parks program is an important way for Council to help, support and encourage our residents to get out there and perhaps try something new and be active, but I’m really disappointed to see that perhaps we're just treading water when it comes to our Active and Healthy Parks program. But there's a couple of surprises in terms of how we're supposed to be helping our sporting clubs, Madam Chair. I guess when you look through this year's budget, there's a couple of clear ones in the budget.

First of all, there's a grant cut to club costs and I think that for any of us who have community leases in their area, you know, probably the biggest challenges to our clubs are things around our water, electricity costs are big costs. That's for sure. So, you know, this was certainly a good initiative that had our support, Madam Chair, but why is it disappearing after this year's budget, Madam Chair? It is a serious concern and I really hope that it isn't an intention being flagged by the LNP to walk away from clubs in terms of supporting cutting costs.

Another interesting thing, and perhaps it's a clever way of hiding a cut, when it comes to service 4.5.1.2, Community Facilities Management, Madam Chair, this is the area that provides support for our community leases. Again, for many of us who have community leases in our wards, will know that many of those facilities are quite old.

We saw a real surge in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s where community organisations came together and built facilities in our public spaces to help invigorate and activate our communities and provide opportunities, particularly for young people, but people of all ages in our communities. Some of these buildings were built with love by volunteers in those organisations and perhaps don’t—weren't built to today's building standards, Madam Chair. So there is a responsibility on this Council to help support and manage these facilities, Madam Chair.

There are some fundamental structural issues in these buildings at times that are beyond the day-to-day maintenance that we expect our lessees to provide, Madam Chair. So why have we seen a change? In this program we've seen three programs combined into one; around asbestos management, compliance and structural issues, which was a program where expenditure was $2.207 million. But we see those three programs rolled into one and it's a drop down to $1.519. So it's a $700,000 cut in that program.

Does that mean there's less asbestos or no asbestos work to be done in our buildings? I don’t think so, because of the age of those buildings. There's still a lot of work to be done. Have we dealt with the structural repairs and issues like re-stumping and re-roofing some of these structures that require a lot of funding? I can think of a number of buildings in my own area alone—and I’m sure there's many across the city—that are crying out for that kind of support.

I think of one facility in my area where the roof has been leaking so badly that it's damaged the beautiful timber floor, so the job is not just to fix the roof job anymore. Its fix the timber floor. The roof has also leaked into the kitchen and damaged the kitchen. So instead of being a roof repair job, Madam Chair, it's now become a fix the floor job, fix the kitchen job and fix the roof job, Madam Chair.

It's clear that we need to be focusing on these to make sure that our facilities are the best they can be, particularly when it comes to making sure those big ticket items that are way beyond the capacity of our local clubs to be able to achieve through the grants program, Madam Chair. So I think that's a real let down for our community leases and I think that that's somewhere where we should be certainly focusing more and definitely not less, Madam Chair. It's interesting. We heard also about the Skate Park program. I seem to recall two new skate parks were promised this term.

Am I wrong in recalling the two new skate parks promised this term? So—well, there's not—I don’t think there are two new skate parks, Councillor DICK. The only new skate park I’m aware of was the Bracken Ridge one that's occurring and the refurbishment of one in your area, which is Councillor DICK, and the refurbishment of the one at Paddington, Madam Chair. So I’m—anyway, I’m just—maybe I’m recalling this incorrectly, but it's taken a while to get these—to get a new skate park and I—

Chairman: Councillor NEWTON, your time has expired.

Councillor NEWTON: Thank you, Madam Chair.

Chairman: Further debate?

Councillor WINES.

Councillor WINES: Thank you, Madam Chairman. I rise in support of Program 4, Your Brisbane, which is the program that does all of the nice things in our communities that make them really wonderful places to live. In particular, I just want to begin by recognising that this is the longest list of centrally funded and budgeted festivals that has ever been presented in a city budget, presenting a centralised Council support by the LORD MAYOR and this Council. I can say now that from this year, there is a festival in every ward, Councillor ADAMS, because of course Wishart Ward now has one, so well done. Of course, when I began in this place, Enoggera Ward had zero, but now centrally funded we have, with the addition of the Halloween in Blackwood Street, we have four.

Chairman: Order!

Councillor WINES: Four. Yes. So all worthy events that bring in thousands of people to their respective suburbs. All well enjoyed by the community and I know that they—those organisations who receive those grants use them to improve and make their projects—their events much more interesting and better and make them more worthwhile. So—and I know that it is highly valued by them. So I just wanted to recognise that early. It also has a list of the multicultural festivals, which again is the longest list ever in a budget presented to this city as well.

It is a symbol of our commitment to building an inclusive city where different cultures are celebrated, where people are told you’re allowed to be who you are and be proud of who you are and celebrate the things that are unique to you and your culture. So those are listed there. For example, Hanukah in the City is always a great fun event and I always make an effort to try and get down there. Of course, everyone knows and enjoys Paniyiri. We also—but I also want to take a moment to talk about—we talk about inclusion.

When you talk about the libraries, there's a great focus in our libraries on not only being places where we store and read books, but places where the community will come together to do a whole range of things. I was at a meeting at the Grange Library this week, where the meeting had to be ended, because the Kedron Arts Association demanded the room where they had their space to have their community group meeting and discuss the future of their group.

So as you see, not only are they places to keep books, but they're places where key community groups come to meet and share ideas and to enjoy each other's company. But also we talking about inclusion in that sense, but we also talk about people coming to libraries, but libraries also going to people, because the mobile library service is also maintained in this budget and it provides a flexible service for people of all abilities and it goes to eight locations, being Bellbowrie, Forest Lake, Aspley, Brighton, Carole Park, Mt Crosby, The Gap and Manly West.

It has a full range of materials and arrives on either a weekly or fortnightly basis as scheduled throughout the year and can also go to a number of festivals as required. You’re able to use that library, if you notify them in advance, to collect and return specific books, because we in the city have a, what is called a, one collection policy, where an entire collection of books in the city can be accessed by any time through the internal transfer service, which is maintained and available through the mobile library service as well as the normal libraries.

I also am looking forward to the library upgrades named at Holland Park, Carina and Nundah and Corinda and also there's a number of others still to come, but I also noticed—Councillor FLESSER and I were at the Delstar last year and I did note that Nundah was due a library upgrade and I’m sure that when it occurs, it's going to be—well, it's going to be better than the ones we've already done. Because the one thing that I always note and admire in our library upgrades program is that each library we do is incrementally better than the one before it.

I think that's an excellent attitude to have and I think it's a great way to be. So I look—I very much look forward to seeing what is put forward in the Nundah Library. I think it's going to be excellent. There's going to be some issues, I think, around the stairs internally, but—for access inclusion issues, but broadly speaking, it's in a great location and I think upgrade is going to be great as well.

The Carina Library also will be commencing this year and there will be revised floor plans, additions to community meeting rooms, the new children's area, furnish and joinery, carpeting and paint, new paint, which always—the children's areas are always really quite popular and I noticed in the Grange, when that would have occurred, they had the circus theme. At Mitchelton, we have a cafe theme and the kids really do get into the spirit of those, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the theming is for the future on libraries and the ones to come at Carina, Holland Park, Nundah and the others.

We also see an improvement to the self-checkout service, which is being rolled out mainly across the larger libraries, but also the other thing is—about these is it allows our librarians to be able to provide a better personal service to those people who need to be in the libraries and it also gets the checkout moving more quickly, because a person can do it in their own time, separate and it—separately from a staff member and it releases the staff member to be able to do their job as librarians and help assist the people out on the floor.

In Mitchelton, Mitchelton Library is one of a number of libraries that offer the home library service. They have a special room out the back of the library where essentially they collate and collect the books that they will then deliver to people in the home library—in their homes from our libraries I should say. So it is again a demonstration of how we are working to create an inclusive city, a city for all people because not everybody can leave their homes. Some people are housebound and just because they have those mobility problems, doesn't mean they're not allowed or shouldn't be able to access our library services.

So between Wynnum, Chermside, Mitchelton, Banyo, Holland Park, Indooroopilly, Inala, Bracken Ridge and Coopers Plains, a grid spread across the city, the home library service is available from those locations to provide an access to our service for all the people who cannot leave their homes for health or usually for health reasons.

Again in the libraries we continue to see the Writers in Residence program continue, an extremely popular program inside here that has international and local authors come and address often in Brisbane Square; sometimes depending on popularity, in City Hall, but also in the suburban libraries, address the residents of Brisbane to talk about their experiences as authors, their ideas for stories but often one of the more fun parts is when they take a number of questions from the audience to talk about what they, the audience want to hear about. So I know that they're very popular and always well attended when I do go along to see those.

The program also includes a whole range of the preservation of the city's historical records, is also included and continued on here which many of us got a bit of a kick out of seeing the very first minute book of the Council meeting in Committee some months ago, but those items and many others will continue to be maintained through our library services. The wonderful thing about Your Brisbane is that so much can be said about this program and about how particularly through our libraries which I spent much of this discussing, how they make our city a better place where the experience of life here in Brisbane is improved through the works of this Council. I strongly support this program and encourage all Councillors to support it today.

Chairman: Further debate?

Councillor JOHNSTON.

Councillor JOHNSTON: Yes, Madam Chairman. I rise to speak on Program 4 Your Brisbane and welcome to the carryover capital of the 2015-16 Budget. Program 1? I thought there's $12.3 million in Your Brisbane, are you saying Councillor FLESSER—I win, I thought so. I mean not all Chairmen fessed up to what they're carrying over and to her credit Councillor ADAMS did. There's a lot else she didn't want to say but this is the carryover capital of the Brisbane City Council budget. I don't agree with Councillor WINES. I would say this is the program that used to do nice things because we used to do a lot of good things.

I'm sure Councillor KNAPP sitting back there and I'm sure she's thinking in her mind I could have done it differently if I was still doing it. Krista is trying hard but she's not quite there because there's no way in a million years Councillor KNAPP would allow a $12.3 million underspend on the nice things that we do in this city. Now I know that Councillor KNAPP would have wanted to see every cent spent as much as possible. She would have wanted to see it go to all of the groups particularly the multicultural and Indigenous groups that she used to care about.

Madam Chairman, it's just sad to see the way Councillor ADAMS cannot manage efficiently and carefully a Council budget program about the nice things we do in the city, not the hard things by the way, the nice things that we do in the city. Madam Chairman, I'm quite disappointed with so many aspects of this program and particularly the leadership of this program by Councillor ADAMS. Now I too like Councillor NEWTON was not particularly impressed about Councillor ADAMS's failure to address the actual budget in her budget presentation.

I though however on three occasions at 10 minutes to the hour, five minutes to the hour and two minutes to the hour mentioned to Councillor ADAMS that she had not actually spoken about anything in the 2015-16 budget. Councillor ADAMS warned me, told me I'd be kicked out, I moved dissent. She said I couldn't move dissent. There was a whole discussion about that, Madam Chairman.

Councillor KING: Point of order, Madam Chair.

Chairman: Point of order.

Yes, Councillor KING?

Councillor KING: This has got nothing to do with the budget. This is just a vicious attack on a Chairperson.

Chairman: Thank you, yes. Thank you, Councillor KING.

To the actual budget.

Councillor JOHNSTON: I'll take your point, Madam Chairman, and move on.

Chairman: Thanks Councillor JOHNSTON.

Chairman: Councillor KING!

Councillor JOHNSTON: Come on, give us your best. Now there are a few items I want to talk about. Now just about the carryovers I particularly want to mention one item in here and that is the LORD MAYOR's signature program, his major, every year in the budget he mentions it, it's so important and that's the Access and Inclusion program. Now there is a $1.536 million rollover in the Access and Inclusion program. Now by any means that is not good enough. I don't know if it's a resourcing issue internally. I don't know if it's a people issue; I don't know if it's a project management issue because you're not going to get any answers from Councillor ADAMS.

Madam Chairman, it's not good enough that we are underspending and having to roll that funding over. This is what happens year after year with Councillor ADAMS. It happens budget review after budget review. In my book that is not good enough. I'm also disappointed to note that there are what appear to be some cuts to some important program areas. I'm just thinking perhaps in the budget debate she lost out with Councillor COOPER getting extra money for lighting and a few extra things, but Councillor ADAMS has got less of her programs in our parks and less for the libraries. That really troubles me that she seems to have been done over in the budget process.

What I particularly want to mention though is a couple of things that is the Corinda Library. I note that the Corinda Library was one of my election commitments. I note that at the last minute, the last year in the four year cycle they finally announced that the Corinda Library project will be funded this year, well this year and next year, which is interesting in itself because I guess she's setting the bar low. She can't spend all the money in one year; she'll spend it over two. So let's hope there are no rollovers because it's already going to take two years to upgrade.

The issue however though is the scope of the project. I did ask Councillor ADAMS to give me a total amount for the Corinda Library which she was unable to do, even though the budget before us today we are being asked to approve this year's budget and forward estimates for the next three years, Councillor ADAMS has no idea what's in the forward estimates. I mean these figures she's just plucked out of the air and she's plonked them down in the budget. We're all supposed to approve it today on the basis that Councillor ADAMS has no idea what's in the future budget allocation.

She knows that Corinda Library is going to be funded over two years and she knows this year it will be $585,000 but she's got no idea about how it's going to be funded next year. The reason she said was the scope of the project hadn't been finalised. Madam Chairman, that's good. She did rattle off quite a few things so it did seem to me she had a pretty good idea of the scope and I'll mention just some of those things. There was going to be some new self-service desks, a smaller service desk, Wi-Fi, an upgrade to the toilets, an internal reconfiguration, some mobile shelving and maybe some new furniture.

So that's the scope of the works that have been announced by Councillor ADAMS. I want to put on the record today that that does not go far enough. In 2000 and—when was the election—2012—I called for $3 million to be invested into this library. What is needed at Corinda is an extension to the rear of the library into the existing Council car-park. Now, this is a heritage listed School of the Arts building but this Council undertakes significant heritage projects on a daily basis and we're standing in one.

So if Councillor ADAMS wants to stand up and say we can't touch that building because its heritage listed, Councillor ADAMS you're standing in a place that disproves that comment without any problem whatsoever. It is critical that we see an extension to what is a very small space. Corinda Library is much loved by my community and I know that Councillor BOURKE last year did not support a petition to extend the opening hours of the library even though he has some Corinda residents. That disappoints me because I think the library is an excellent space as are the other libraries in my ward.

I want to see a bigger space. I would like to see a dedicated function room so that we can have events at Corinda Library that cannot be held there now because there is literally no space. If we have to have an event in that library you've got to move everything out of the way and in the middle of the main hall; basically you take over. If you're trying to look for a book or read it's very difficult if there's an event on in there. I have seen in other libraries some very good new libraries and some extension and I am confident that Council can deliver an improvement project and an upgrade that provides the additional space that is desperately needed at Corinda, and a small extension to the rear of the building is critical.

Also critical, an upgrade to the toilets and the opening hours of the toilets need to be independent of the opening hours of the library. One of the reasons people want the library open longer is those are the only public toilets up in the Corinda precinct. If you're an elderly person shopping there and yes, it's fair, there are less now because they cancelled the 101 and the 102 bus service so they can't get to Corinda anymore. Perhaps this is part of a cunning plan between the Public Transport Chair and Councillor ADAMS but they do still come up to Corinda. I think what people really want is a facility that's open every day and they want a facility that has public toilets they can access.

These are critical projects and I'm going to take Councillor ADAMS at her word the scope's not finalised, Madam Chairman. She said it on the public record so there's room for improvement. I'll certainly be writing to her. I've already done some consultation with the Corinda residents; they've provided me with excellent suggestions about what they want in Corinda Library. I'll be memoing Councillor ADAMS and our head librarian I can see up in the gallery, to let them know the views of our community. Because like every other new and improved library in this city, the local Councillor has had some input.

I'm certainly presuming that that will be the same process with me. Now, Madam Chairman, I look forward to seeing this project completed. As there is no allocated funding for next year I'll be pushing for greater funding in the second half of the year when we know what the scope to the project is. So I thank Councillor ADAMS for being so vague in the presentation, it really was quite useful.

However there is one last Item I would like to mention and that is Councillor ADAMS's lack of knowledge about the budget itself. In particular I'm referring to Item 4.5.2.1 which is largely all the improvements—

Chairman: Councillor JOHNSTON your time has expired.

Further debate?

Councillor McKENZIE.

Councillor McKENZIE: Thanks, Madam Chairman. First of all I'm pleased to speak in support of budget Expenditures and Projects contained in Program 4 of this Administration. I'm pleased to see the previous speaker speaking so highly of Councillor KNAPP and her administration of the portfolio. I will agree with that and I can tell you Councillor ADAMS is continuing on in exactly the same vein doing a marvellous job. The previous Councillor was concentrating mainly on libraries but I can tell you this is a very broad ranging portfolio. It covers a diverse and varied range of activities. I'd like to speak on a few selected areas if I could.

Brisbane is a city that's come of age since we've been a city backwater. I remember back in the '70s when it wasn't a very nice place to live but now it's wonderful—under Clem yes. It's truly a New World City. Now it comfortably accommodates a thriving arts environment, and active and well-funded sporting and recreational sector, with strong recognition of social and ethnic inclusion; $3.8 million allocated out of the budget for cultural and ethnic festivals illustrates the diverse range of interests and communities that thrive in our city.

This year there is a record total of 128 events supported by Council consisting of five signature festivals, 72 suburban community festivals and events, 40 multicultural festivals and 11 creative and cultural organisations funded, in part, by this Council. The result of this is a city which offers the residents a broad range of entertainment in both recreational and intellectual challenging activities throughout the year. The Council Museum of Brisbane is an important repository for the history of Brisbane and an essential learning facility for residents to appreciate how we reached our stage of development.

Expenditure of $3.6 million in the coming year is indicative of how vital this is to our residents who are telling us they are eager to—

Councillors interjecting.

Chairman: Order.

Councillor McKENZIE: —preserve our important social activities, arts, craft and design. The music is free for all who visit our City Hall. Performing arts are actively supported in this budget with expenditure on the iconic Brisbane Powerhouse being $4.5 million returning a revenue of $600,000. Perhaps the most recognisable and loved facility as has been mentioned before, are our network of 33 City Council libraries plus a mobile library throughout our city and suburbs. With a proposed $25 million being spent and a revenue of $665,000 on our libraries, they are constantly being improved either through building and infrastructure or through electronic updating, updating the latest in state of the art technology through checkout facilities.

The LORD MAYOR has continued funding to the Writers in Residence program which provides library users with the opportunity to meet authors and experience their personal commitment of their works and the process of writing in the comfort of your own local library; $112,000 spent on this program provides an appreciation of literature and exposes residents to an aspect of the arts which is otherwise very difficult to come by. I'd recommend attending one of these meetings with an author to see what they go through in writing their books.

The expanded use of Wi-Fi in the library precincts and other free use of computers with faster internet connection, continues to be a popular social and educational facility. Free Wi-Fi is being rolled out into more public spaces and places which is in line with Brisbane's New World City identity. Of course the libraries are more than just the repository of knowledge and entertainment. They represent a safe neutral area where residents and especially our new migrants, can inform themselves about the new country which they have adopted. Translation of important communications into languages other than English is in addition a capacity of the library service.

Our libraries provide a program for those unable physically to visit the library. There is a home library service and a postage service for the visually impaired. I'd like to thank Councillor ADAMS and the Council staff for the wonderful refit of the Holland Park Library which is currently underway and will be completed this year. Our residents are very much looking forward to the improved facilities in that library.

Brisbane subtropical climate lends itself to outdoor sports and leisure activities and Council is responsible for providing much of the outdoor infrastructure which is required even through these expanded activities. The budget recognises the importance of community health and wellbeing and is contributing to this through Active and Healthy Parks program and the LORD MAYOR's grant to Cut Club Costs. Community based sports and recreational clubs benefit from these grants by keeping the costs low to participating families. Community groups and Council have a long-term vested interest in fully utilising these grants and keeping them well maintained. They are community owned and when well-maintained they will be enjoyed for future generations.

Other areas which I wish to touch on are community halls and sporting complexes including pools. Community halls are an important part of the fabric of our neighbourhood. Many of them have been utilised for generations and are still in demand. It is proposed that $3.6 million be spent on these halls in the budget and some $600,000 will be spent on maintenance and rehabilitation. The importance of these halls cannot be underestimated. For as well as being a link to the past, they represent important community infrastructure usually now located on convenient and very expensive real estate, which can be rented out to community groups at reasonable costs.

Expenditure on these halls is proposed to be $4.2 million under which, under this budget with a revenue of $383,000. As with community halls, the complex of Council swimming pools which goes back over 50 years and which continues to provide a full and essential public facility. I think I recall the Langlands Park Pool was one of the first City Hall pools, one which I swam in for many years. Council will continue to deliver two new fully accessible pools in Bracken Ridge and Parkinson Wards at a cost of $9 million, in addition to continued operating all the established pools. Income from these pools is proposed to be $638,000 with future pool refurbishment at $1.1 million.

In conclusion I'm pleased to support this far-sighted inclusive budget program. This Council has a great responsibility in Brisbane and as Brisbane is frequently the focal point of Queensland with the largest population grouping. Program 4 Your Brisbane epitomises the coming together of community groups and community funding for all sectors of our city.

Chairman: Further debate?

Councillor GRIFFITHS.

Councillor GRIFFITHS: Yes, thanks, Madam Chair, and I rise to speak on Program 4, on all areas of Program 4. Madam Chair, this I believe and I've heard other Councillors speak about this program, is one of the key programs for our city because it's actually where we deliver for our residents and where we seek to build the social capital of our city. With my background in social work I believe that what we can achieve through this program is exceptional and that we can be a leader in terms of a city in Australia. So I do welcome that the Hoarding and Squalor Reduction initiative is continuing and I hope in years to come that it will become part of the core business of Council as one way of dealing with that issue for our city.

I do note, Madam Chair, with regards to this program that there have been some areas of cuts between 2014-15 and this year. In particular the budget for thriving arts and culture has been cut and community sport and recreation has been cut. Included in those cuts are the expenses for the Museum of Brisbane. Another cut into the future is for library enhancements. So we'll go from $1 million down to $483,000 by 2018-19. Madam Chair, just in relation to what Councillor ADAMS was saying I was interested to hear her talk about the Toowong pool being closed by Labor. Madam Chair, it surprises me that Councillor MATIC is sitting next to Councillor ADAMS and in 10 years has failed to do anything to resolve this obviously huge problem for the LNP.

The LNP have done—

Councillors interjecting.

Chairman: Order!

Councillor GRIFFITHS: Madam Chair, they obviously see it as a joke.

Councillors interjecting.

Chairman: Order.

Councillor GRIFFITHS: Obviously, Madam Chair, they say they have a history with building and building new pools. Well if there's such a problem with the closure of the Toowong pool then why hasn't the LNP replaced it? Madam Chair, I'll just put that in their laps fairly and squarely. They remind us how they've got the ideas and they're in power, let's see what you're delivering. It's interesting, Madam Chair, that the area that's really of significance in terms of social change in this particular budget, that is the ability to build communities—

Councillors interjecting.

Chairman: Order!

Councillor GRIFFITHS: —or community capacity building has actually been reduced. That's actually the area of our workers, the area of this program that improves our city. It builds the links between Council and the community. It's about innovation. It's a vital area for developing our city, be it with the multicultural community, with young people, with any number of groups that we want to include in our city. So that was sad that we're actually seeing a drop in expenditure in that particular area.

The other area I was a bit concerned about and I had some issues with and I'll leave these as I suppose statements that potentially the Chairperson might like to answer. But in relation to community sport and recreation facilities we have 600 community lease facilities. How many people, how many groups do we still have on our waiting list for community facilities? It would be interesting for this Chamber to know that. How many of those facilities are still not up to scratch? How many of those facilities are we still waiting to meet the target in terms of bringing them to a reasonable level of facility?

It has been 10 years that the LNP have been in power and I wonder why this hasn't been achieved as of yet. At some stage you've got to stop blaming other levels of government or in fact the Opposition. Madam Chair, some areas such as community hall upgrades, sports precinct planning and development, sports field and hard court rehabilitation; some of these areas the Chairperson wasn't able to tell us where future work was going to be done. The Chair did not know but the Chair did advise us it was based on need.

My understanding of the budget process is that budget bids are put up by the departments based on need. Surely, in terms of developing a budget we know as a Council what our priorities for the city are. So basically—yes.

Councillor GRIFFITHS: Like parks, like roads, surely then the message here is, everyone in this Chamber should get their bids into Councillor ADAMS so that she can actually help determine the needs for those particular areas. It should have and I believe it should have been done and in the past I know Councillor KNAPP was able to give us that information. I do also have a concern about community facilities management. This is really about clubs structural repairs and maintenance. This year in this coming budget we're spending $1.5 million but by 2018-19 we're dropping it down to $1.1 million. Why?

Is all the maintenance going to be done? Are we having a spend up this year? What is the issue? In terms of community facility management, Madam Chair, on page 97, it's interesting that the expense for this area is up and revenue is also up. I was contacted by a local group in my area who received this bill from our community services management team and actually they haven't received it they tell me for 10 years, asking them to pay up. So obviously we've got our fingers in the pie there, looking to get as much revenue out of our community facilities as possible.

Madam Chair, I hope that Council's about actually and this area of Council is about making it better for our communities and about assisting them, not just being seen as the money collectors for Council. Similarly, Madam Chair, expenses are down for our community halls but revenue has gone up. Madam Chair, community halls are a feature of our city that should be affordable for the community. I really believe, Madam Chair, that this, as I said before, this is a vital area of our budget and it does a lot of good work across the city. I do believe and it's a philosophical belief, that we should be targeting those most in need in our communities.

So to have some component of justice or social justice to what we're doing, I think should be built into this program as was in the past, so if we do have areas of more need in the community we try and service those needs. I bring an example a group of people at Acacia Ridge, families on lower income. There are a higher proportion of Aboriginal families and a much higher proportion of refugee families. Now we don't have a library service down there and I did notice the Councillor talk about where the mobile library service is. But it's certainly one community that would benefit from having access to a mobile library service that would assist the very groups that we purport that to want to work with.

Just in relation to my ward, Madam Chair, I was pleased to hear that there's a 90 per cent satisfaction rate with the renovations to Coopers Plains Library, that attendance is up and I'm happy to congratulate the Administration on the work they did for Coopers Plains Library and also that lending is up. This year to reinforce the work that we did in terms of putting the playground in, there will be new shade cover for that playground and I'll also look at doing footpath connections to the local park so that we further enhance that great facility that is for Coopers Plains. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Chairman: Further debate?

Councillor MARX.

Councillor MARX: Thank you, Madam Chair, yes, and I rise to speak on Program 4 Your Brisbane. Councillor WINES is quite correct; it is the portfolio that delivers things for the residents of Brisbane. I often wonder when I'm standing here or sitting here in this place thinking, am I in the same meeting as everybody else? Am I reading the same book as everybody else because sometimes it just doesn't seem to make sense? I do want to mention that apparently the top librarian Council officer is here in the gallery so I googled Mrs Google to make sure I was quoting correctly from Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist who always said, “please sir, I want some more.”

Now that reminds me on the other side except for one marked difference, they never say please. They just say, ‘just give me more’ all the time. Now I don't know about you but I run my own household budget. There's a money—

Chairman: Councillor JOHNSTON!

Councillor MARX: —and there's—you know it's interesting—

Councillors interjecting.

Chairman: Order!

Councillor MARX: I pride myself on never interjecting when someone else is speaking because that's what I was taught by my mother. When someone else is speaking you sit there and listen and that's just the reality but anyway. I will keep moving on.

Councillors interjecting.

Chairman: Order!

Councillor MARX: So I just want to say there is a lot in this budget and if we all go to page 81 and 82 of the 2015-16 Budget book which we should all have here by now, it quite clearly states 112 festivals, 112. Now my calculator or my iPhone because once again I don't rely on my brain, says 4.3 festivals per ward. I don't know. I think that's fairly good. The other thing that was mentioned by another Councillor, 600 community leased facilities within Brisbane. Can I say don't get me started on community leased facilities in the Karawatha Ward.

I inherited that ward from a Labor Councillor who had been there 16 years, 16 years. Now I'd like someone to tell me how many community leased facilities did she leave me? Anyway—zero; nothing, none, nada, so there you go so don't talk to me about fairness. Anyway the other thing in this budget is the LORD MAYOR's Suburban Initiative Fund. We all have access to the LORD MAYOR's—

Chairman: Order!

Councillor JOHNSTON!

Councillor MARX: —Suburban Initiative Fund.

Chairman: Councillor JOHNSTON if you want to have a conversation, go outside.

Councillor MARX: How many other elected representatives can turn there and say to their community I have $50,000 that I can give out to whomever I want, whenever I want, however I want. It's just really—

Councillors interjecting.

Chairman: Order!

Councillor MARX: —it is such a great facility for us to have.

Councillors interjecting.

Chairman: Councillor ABRAHAMS!

Councillor MARX: I'm obviously doing something right, Madam Chair, to get so many interjections for the first time. So the other thing I want to keep going on about is back to the festivals, Karawatha Family Fun Day, thank you very much to Councillor ADAMS for once again funding that and Sunnybank Hills State School fete again, funding for that. I know they're particularly keen to get the LORD MAYOR out there to show them what that funding goes towards and how much they appreciate it. Hopefully Councillor ADAMS can make it as well.

I just want to say thank you to all the Council officers. I know they worked very hard in this particular program. It is one of the fun programs and they do work very hard on it. Thank you very much.

Chairman: Further debate?

Councillor DICK.

Councillor DICK: Thanks, Madam Chair. Look I have to rise to follow on from Councillor MARX to correct a few things from what she said and also talk about Program 4 which is Your Brisbane. As Councillor WINES said it is the nice, where the nice things are or where we do nice things. Well I only wish we did nice things instead of just talking about them we actually delivered on the nice things. I can appreciate you don't rely on your brain Councillor MARX but when you go through and look at how many facilities that have been delivered under your term that's zero. So you've delivered nothing as well. She's—okay—

Councillors interjecting.

Chairman: Order!

Councillor DICK: She's only had three years but on her own admission today she's delivered nothing okay? How many other levels of government have discretionary funds? Heaps. So if you've got Google up and not relying on your brain, Google other Queensland councils and you'll see plenty have a discretionary fund so I'm not sure. While I'm on that this was the Suburban Initiative Fund which the LNP opposed and now is somehow being rebadged but that's nothing surprising from what we see from the LNP, completely rewriting and reinventing now history.

What I'd like to do is talk about some of the cutbacks and some of the programs. One of the areas we haven't spoken about today was the Multicultural Performing Arts Centre. Now, this is Karawatha part two, because we're seeing this announced time and time again. We saw it in the budget speech last year and then quietly, quietly in the third budget review we saw $3.4 million in capital under 4.5.2.1 in the third budget review. We've seen this project being yet again delayed time and time again. So I don't want any lectures from the LNP about delivering community facilities. I don't want any lectures about closures or openings.

What Councillor ADAMS has never admitted and apologised to the people of Inala when she shut down the customer service office. That was leaked in the last minute of one budget years ago. They didn't admit that until she was exposed. Remember all that? Then she says well tell that to the residents who had to suffer at the hands of Councillor ADAMS's cutbacks. But we know that when it comes to cuts, this is an area where the LNP has always outdone themselves. We've seen record carryovers from last year to this year either through poor project delivery management or just the fact that they don't know what they're doing in this portfolio.

I speak from experience when we talk about projects in my own ward where the LNP like to go out and get publicity surrounding these projects, namely two major projects, the upgrade of the Inala skate park. Now I have lost count of the amount of times I have spoken about this project time and time again. I calculate it's around five years for when I put this on the agenda for this Council. Year after year, and I only met with Council officers two weeks ago about this and we were joking about the fact that how long this project has taken.

Initially all I wanted was a drainage problem fixed. I had to petition the Council to get that. I was then told the money would finally be allocated years after that was allocated. Then promised year after year that we'll roll that money into an upgrade. Last—

Chairman: Councillor DICK this program is not about drainage.

Councillor DICK: Drainage of the skate bowl, Madam Chair.

Chairman: Sorry?

Councillor DICK: Drainage of the skate bowl.

Chairman: Okay.

Councillor DICK: It was a maintenance issue and I'll return to the service—

Chairman: Yes, it's still not this program.

Councillor DICK: I'm sorry?

Chairman: It's not this program.

Councillor DICK: It is, Madam Chair.

Chairman: No, maintenance on a skate bowl, I think, would be part of Councillor McLACHLAN's area, Program 1.

Councillor DICK: Well this is about the Inala skate project.

Chairman: I have said the maintenance of drainage at a skate bowl is not part of Program 4.

Councillor DICK: Madam Chair, I correct you. Part of this project is—

Chairman: No, you don't.

Councillor DICK: Well I bring to the Chamber's attention that part of the upgrade is to improve the Inala skate bowl which is to fix the drainage problems.

Chairman: Right.

Chairman: Continue.

Councillor DICK: $747,000 is allocated for the two projects, one which is a brand new skate bowl for Bracken Ridge and the other is for an upgrade including improvement for maintenance and drainage works. So I move on. From that period where I lobbied the Council and got that funding we've seen year after year, delay after delay. Now we were promised that this would be finished this financial year. I met with the project officers. I was told and interestingly the latest upgrade after I requested it, report, showed that Council was at fault. Council is at fault because we didn't interpret the design that the community wanted.

That's what Council officers admitted to me, that they said we botched it and we got it wrong. They said please don't raise this publicly but what I need to—I won't name the officers who, of course I said I wouldn't, I'd protect them because I know sometimes they need protecting and they're not part of the political debate. However what I was concerned about is that we have misled the community as a Council and as the Administration they have said one thing and now we're seeing money allocated in this. I can set my watch by this. The official opening for the Inala skate bowl will be held in the first week of March. What's the bet? What's the bet?

Just like the Richlands State Emergency Services (SES) depot will be held in the second week in March. What's the bet? That will be right on track. Now the Richlands SES depot has been a long time coming. That's a project that I have supported but has been utterly a failure under this Chairmanship and also the LNP Council. Those SES volunteers have had to be working elsewhere under difficult circumstances. They were promised at the old Richlands State School site that that would be developed and it's still not open. Well I say that's not good enough.

We need to do better when it comes to delivering on that project. I know that the funding for that is in Program 5 but it's important when it comes to the comparison on delivering projects and in delivering how this is the nice to have or the nice things. Well we talk about them but we don't actually deliver on them. So that's my concern regarding project delivery. Also the cuts and the big area that Labor Councillors are most upset about is of course the social inclusion. Now we hear lecture after lecture about the LNP and we're seeing this program cut to vulnerable residents of around $2 million. So last year's budget—

Councillor ADAMS: Point of order, Madam Chair.

Chairman: Point of order against you, Councillor DICK.

Yes, Councillor ADAMS.

Councillor ADAMS: Will Councillor DICK take a question?

Councillor DICK: Of course, Madam Chair.

Councillor ADAMS: Can you show me where social inclusion has been cut $2 million? I cannot see it in this budget. He has said it three times now. I would like to see what page and where.

Chairman: Thank you.

Councillor DICK: Well, Madam Chair, last year's budget had $13.83 million for a program compared to $11.733 million in this budget.

Councillor JOHNSTON: Point of order, Madam Chairman.

Councillors interjecting.

Chairman: Order!

Councillor JOHNSTON: Point of order, Madam Chair.

Chairman: Yes, Councillor JOHNSTON.

Councillor JOHNSTON: Will Councillor DICK take a question?

Councillor DICK: Of course.

Councillor JOHNSTON: Thank you. I'm sorry I didn't hear that. Could you repeat that for me please?

Councillor DICK: Thank you, Madam Chair. Look, the reason I know—

Chairman: You should pay attention Councillor JOHNSTON.

Councillor DICK: I'll be brief, Madam Chair. I'll be brief. I will be brief because that cut represents a 15 per cent reduction. While we're on it, arts and culture is down from $18.764 million to $18.306 million in the budget documents, in the budget papers, that is less than we were spending last year which equals a cut, a cut in anyone's language. Now Councillor ADAMS will spin it and say that they're saving, they're all huddling around her now trying to help her out so in the summary she'll know what to say because this wasn't in the prepared speech. This wasn't in the lines from the LORD MAYOR's office so she's going to have to now try and think on her feet—

Chairman: Just get on with it Councillor DICK.

Councillor DICK: Thank you, Madam Chair. She asked the question, Madam Chair, she asked the question but I'm always happy to help the LNP out. So we know when it looks to—also library collections—certainly she's not going to argue that we're not seeing cuts here because the spending and the purchase and management of library collections is down by 11 per cent over the last two years. So less being spent in this vital area of service delivery for ratepayers, not just in my ward but right across the city. So we know that $9.17 million was spent in 2014 and in the 2015-16 Budget it's dropped to $8.184 million. Now that's an 11 per cent drop in buying books whether in e-book format or paper copy.

So, Madam Chair, all of this says to me is it's all very well wanting the LNP to get up and talk about the nice to haves or the nice things, I only wish that Council would do the nice things that they say they want to do.

Chairman: Further debate?

I think probably 12.30pm is the lunch break so I think probably we—okay.

Councillor HOWARD.

Councillor HOWARD: Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chairman, because I really am delighted to rise to support Program 4. I want you and the Chamber to know that this Administration's commitment to the arts goes right to the top. I thank Councillor ADAMS and the LORD MAYOR for continuing to invest in our program outcomes in Item 4.1 in this year's budget. This Administration celebrates our culture, our creativity and all that makes us Australian and Queenslanders. We could not be prouder to reiterate as it says on page 80 that we will be a leader, partner, and advocate working with a range of businesses within the cultural and creative sectors to develop our creative economy and to further Brisbane's cultural profile.

Our aim is to encourage excellence in and access to all areas of the arts in Brisbane and to encourage all residents to celebrate our culture and creativity. In order to realise this we must strive for excellence in training, excellence in artistic endeavour, and excellence in promotion and presentation of artist's work. That's primarily where we as an organisation come in, Madam Chairman, as the partner and promoter of an artist's work through our various festivals, our buildings, museums and other spaces. Perhaps the most iconic events where we promote and partner are through our signature city festivals outlined in 4.1.1.1.

They offer world class entertainment and high profile opportunities for Brisbane's creative workforce. The Brisbane Festival, Queensland Music Festival, Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival, the Valley Fiesta and Brisbane Writer's Festival as our signature festivals are the heavy lifters of our sponsorship spend. These iconic events help us identify Brisbane as a vibrant and creative place. They will utilise and activate public spaces such as the Powerhouse in Central Ward and at the city's other outstanding arts precincts.

These festivals bring the best of the world to Brisbane. As well as create opportunities for local talent to stand tall alongside of them. Again as 4.1.1.1 indicates these events are major economic contributors to the local Central Ward and wider community through employment of artists, art workers, technicians, engineers and hundreds of local small and medium businesses. Central Ward residents know what a multiplier effect these festivals have on our local Central Ward economy. If you work in hospitality, retail, accommodation, you know that these festivals in particular get more people spending in our Central Ward precincts so I am delighted that our investment in these big productions continues.

It's not just about the big events though, Madam Chairman. Here on this side of the Chamber we work consistently to broaden the reach of arts and culture in Brisbane through audience and market development, and a strong focus on the arts across our city and our suburbs. Just as I've said about footpaths and streets, everyone, artists and audiences in this instance want to participate in our suburbs as well. Culture and arts are for everyone not just the lucky few. You would struggle to find a community that is not captured by the depth you see on pages 81 and 82 of the budget book, as part of our suburban community festivals and our multicultural festivals investment.

Just like the Administration Councillors, and I imagine a couple of those opposite, I get to as many of these festivals in my area as I can because I know they want our support. Whether it be supporting the organisers like Alessandro Sorbello of Italian Week in New Farm Park, Murray Sutherland and his hard working gang at next weekend's Teneriffe Festival, or Jonny Ruddy over at The End of the Line or the fantastic talent of Ellen Reed at the Brisbane Cabaret Festival and of course Monica Fusion at Pride. I support them all because I know how hard they work to deliver suburban events to make all our wards shine.

We on this side of the Chamber recognise that for the arts to thrive the environment in which they operate needs to provide the right type of support. This means the right structures and targeted support. So I'm very happy to see that there is 72 suburban community festivals and 40 multicultural festivals that will be provided with assistance this year. All of the projects and programs in program outcome 4.1 support our economic encouragement imperative and I am delighted that Councillor ADAMS and her various teams have once again helped us to deliver for this city.

Chairman: Councillor MURPHY.