New neighbourhood centre for Bribie

Bribie Island will soon be home to a new, purpose-built neighbourhood centre, with the current centre at Bellara to be demolished and replaced as part of a $3 million commitment from the State Government.

State Member for Pumicestone Ali King says the Bribie Island Neighbourhood Centre has been serving the community well for many years but needs an upgrade to meet growing demand for support.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that the Palaszczuk Government has committed funding to build a brand new, fit-for-purpose centre on site here in Bellara,” Ms King says.

“This is a huge win, and an exciting new development for the Bribie Island community, opening the door for more services and supports for local people in need.

“Not only will this new centre deliver better services for locals, it will also provide good job opportunities during construction.”

When is it happening?

A tender is currently out for the centre’s design and the tender for construction will be issued mid-year.

Minister for Communities and Housing Leeanne Enoch says demolition of the existing centre is expected to begin later this year, with construction of the new centre forecast to be completed next year.

“During construction, neighbourhood centre services will be delivered from an alternative site in the local area, ensuring people are still able to access the services and supports they need,” she says.

“The replacement of the Bribie Island Neighbourhood Centre forms part of our commitment under the Communities 2032 strategy to build new neighbourhood and community centres and upgrade existing centres across the state.

“In the 2022-23 State Budget, I announced a $39 million investment to build new centres and make significant improvements to existing centres, as part of our record $115.8M funding boost to the Neighbourhood and Community Centres sector.

“Neighbourhood and community centres are the cornerstones of their communities, and we are committed to ensuring that these centres are well equipped to continue to meet the needs of Queenslanders, supporting connected communities and local responses to issues such as social isolation and loneliness.

“This is another boost for the Bribie Island community, following our record uplift in operational funding for the neighbourhood centre in the 2022-23 by more than $100,000 to $238,000.”

Welcome news

Bribie Island and District Neighbourhood Association President Anne-Louise Williams says: “The committee, employees and volunteers have received the news we had been waiting for, for years… that our long-desired purpose-built neighbourhood centre was to become a reality.

“The news of the development of a new centre was like music to our ears as we could finally envision that we could have a centre that would meet the needs of our growing community demands.

“Having a purpose-built centre will benefit our community at large in a broader service delivery as we will have the room to deliver more services to those in our community who require our support”.