Moreton Bay lobbies for more State funding

A new campaign urging the State Government to invest more money in the City of Moreton Bay has launched ahead of October’s state election.

Mayor Peter Flannery says independent analysis prepared for Council, which shows the city is one of the lowest funded South East Queensland councils per capita, is behind the Moreton Bay Matters campaign.

Late last year Council commissioned an independent report to examine State Government funding issued to the largest South East Queensland councils.

The report considered a range of data published by the Queensland Government in the context of population size, workforce and geographic area to evaluate the equity of expenditure between councils.

Inequitable expenditure

The report found Moreton Bay appears to receive a reasonable share, but when examined on a per capita basis, the city consistently receives one of the lowest levels of funding across key portfolios.

“Compared to Ipswich, Logan, Redland, Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, with Brisbane excluded due to its sizeable population and funding, there was an obvious inequity of expenditure per capita in City of Moreton Bay,” Mayor Flannery says.

“This discrepancy in funding against our peers means City of Moreton Bay is being overlooked for key investment, and critical projects are being delayed.”

The State Investment Data Review used data from the Queensland Government Investment Portal, the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program, State Budget capital statements and State Government media statements.

Urgent need

Mayor Flannery says the trend of underinvestment is confirmed by two separate reports - Queensland Audit Office’s Major projects 2023: (Report 7: 2023-24) and Suburban Futures’ response to the draft Shaping SEQ 2023 Update.

“The data proves there is an urgent need for a more equitable distribution of State Government funding to address City of Moreton Bay’s critical needs and challenges,” he says.

Mayor Flannery says the issue runs deeper because Moreton Bay is undergoing a population boom and will experience similar growth to Ipswich and Logan, based on population projections to 2041.

“There is no doubt that the official under estimation of our population growth over the past decade or more has fed this under investment.

“We’re still playing ‘catch up’ to support previous growth and this widespread inequity has considerable repercussions for our residents and the future of South East Queensland.”

In the lead up to the state election on October 26, Council has five main priorities with 15 election actions and wants the next Queensland Government to address them.

“City of Moreton Bay needs its fair share of funding so we can future-proof our city and ensure it’s a place where our community, economy and environment grow and prosper together,” Mayor Flannery says.

Council’s five priorities

• More homes and services for people doing it tough
• More connections and better roads
• More community infrastructure
• More safety in Moreton Bay
• More care for wildlife