Legislative Assembly Hansard 1923
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Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly THURSDAY, 1 NOVEMBER 1923 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy Primary Producers', Etc., Bill. [1 NovEMBER.] City of Brisbane Bill. 2135 THURSDAY, 1 NOVEMBER, 1923. 'fhe SPEAKER (Hon. W. Bertram, Maree) took the chair at 11 a.m. CITY OF BRISBANE BILL. SECOND READING. HoN. F. T. BRENNAN (Toowoomba), (who on rising was received with "Hear, hears !" ), said: It does not often fall to the lot of an Assistant Minister to have Lhe opportunity of introducing a Bill of this importance. Notwithstanding that on two previous occasions attempts have been made to formulate a Bill to provide for an amalga· mation of the local authorities operating for the welfare of the city and metro)Joli t~n areas, so far they have been practically failures. This Bill has been drafted after very mature consideration, and not, as the newspapers would have the public to believe, drawn in a hurry just to meet the requests of a certain section of the community. This Bill has been formulated after seven or eight years of orgamsmg to bring about something that will be of benefit to Brisbane. In my remarks this morning I intend to place before the people of the Hon. F. T. Brennan.] 2136 City of Brisbane Bill. [ASSEMBLY.] City of Brisbane Bill. metropolitan area the whole situation show in the proposed new area, or a quota of 7,4781 ing the liabilities, assets, and the complica· for each electorate- tions which make it necessary that such a STATE ElLECTORA~'ES TO BE CoMPIUSED IN Bill should be put into operation. THE SCHEME. The Bill is simple in its interpretation and Electorate. No. on roll, 12th can be easily understood by any layman who May, 1923. desires to peruse it, and I am sure t'1at £or Brisbane 7,079 that l"eason it will be welcomed by thi< Bulimba 8,297 House. I have had prepared a number of Buranda 7,276 tables which will be of interest to hon. mem Enoggera 7,971 bers, but as they are too lengthy to read I Fortitude Valley 7,081 desire, before proceeding further, to obtain Ithaca 7,337 permission to have them inserted in Kelvin Grove 6,916 " Hansard" without reading them. Kurilpa 6,91& Logan 8,089 Hon. J. G. APPEL: Give us some idea of Maree 7,368 what they are. Merthyr 7,701 The SPEAKER: The hon. member has Nundah 7,429 consulted me in regard to the tables, and I Oxley 7,956 am satisfied that they will be of interest to Paddington 7,025 the House. Saudgate 7,699 South Brisbane 7,199 Mr. MooRE: I do not object to their Toombul 7,559 being printed in "Hansard," but I want to Toowong 8,029 know what they are about. ·windsor 7,667 Wynnum (Wynnum The SPEAKER : Is it the pleasure of the Division only, say) 7,000 House that the tables be taken as read? HONOURABLE MEMBERS: Hear, hear! 149,593 Quota 7,479 HoN. F. T. BRE.:-JNA~: The city of Brisbane was established under the Constitu No. 2 sets forth the population of the pro tion of 1859, and included South Brisbane posec! Greater B,-isbane area according to the and Kangaroo Point. At that time there statistics of the various local authorities, were four wards. At a later date, J1.1r Pugh, which is computed to be 220,451- who was an alderman for Kangaroo Point, POPULATION OF PROPOSED GREATER .BRISBANE brought in a Bill for redistribution and AREA. further representation, and six wards were created. Later, there was a dispute regarding Local Authority. Population. South Brisbane, and South Brisbane refused to remain within the city of Brisbane. Cities of- There was a.n Act passed in 1878 by Sir Brisbane 42,636 Samuel Griffith. The object of the measure South Brisbane 37,172 was, firstly, to provide power to compel the 79,80& institution of local government by localities Towns of- which had refrained from adopting it, pre Hamilton 8,874 ferring to let the State pay for their ser Ithaca 20,919 vices; and, secondly, to extend compulsorily .. Sandgate 6,277 the municipality of Brisbane. It is very 10,008 important that we should appreciate the fact Toowong 18,262 that this Bill of 1878 made it compulsory to Windsor extend the municipality of Brisbane, but in Wynnum 8,357 1879 Sir Thomas Mcllwraith passod the 72,697 Divisional Boards AcL. A number of small Shires of- lo~al authorities were established undet the Balmoral 9,030 D1visional Boards Act in the metropolitan Belmont 1,361 area in contravention to the Act of 1878, and Coorparou 6,632 theteby created inconvenience" of which Enoggera 3,985 there is such a multiplicity in connection with Kedron 5,843 the metropolitan area to-day. Instead of Btis Moggill 1,097 bane developing under a uniform system, it Sherwood 6,612 has developed with all sorts of prejudices anJ Step hens 11,506 inconveniences, and little parochial jealousies Taringa 5,050 have crept in, making Brisbane the irregular Toombul 13,568 city which it is to-day. There is nothing Yeerongpi!ly 3,262 completed in any of the localities-we can see 67,946' drainage work here and there not completed and improvements only half -done. That is Total 220,451 the result of the chaotic state which exists through a number of ·different local authori That shows that this Greater Brisbane scheme ties operating in thR metropolitan atea of is giga:r;tic in its proportions, because it deal& Brisbane. The tables I have prepared show with really a fourth of the populatiOn of tJ:.e· the number of people on the rolls and the State, and ptoves how important the B1ll rs. numLer of people living in the metropolitan We then have to consider the question of area. No. 1 sets forth the various city the finances. That was the greatest obstacle electorates, and shows that there are 149,593 we met with in arriving at a solution with, persons entitled to vote as at 12th May, 1923, regard to the Bill. At the present time theo [Hon. F. T. Brennan. City of Brisbane Bill. [1 NovEMBER.] City of Brisbane Bill. 2137 local authorities involved have very great A further table which I wish to include financial obligations. Some •ratepayers are shows the indebtedness of the local authorities handicapped and other" are really groan to the Queensland Government. The city of ing under the financial burdens which exist Brisbane has not borrowed money from the to-~lay. We think that relief can be given Government, but most of the other muni by centralisation of administration and uni cipalities involved in this Bill have done so. fication of work, and in this reqpect I think The total borrowing from the Treasury, how the Bill will be for the benefit of the whole ever, does not exceed £750,000, which is a of th<' metropolitan area. Of course, it is very small amount-! think the exact amount not to be Bxpected that this Bill will bring is somewhBre in.the vicinity of £691,000. That about all that is desired by each local autho is owing to the Treasurer by the different rity. Like many other innovations it will be local authorities, with varying rates of attended with a considerable amount of interest and peria.ds of repayment; but I inconv·enience to the people who will have to will deal with that matter later. I wish to come under its operation. have that table also included in " Hansard "- STATE~1ENT SHOWING THE LOAN INDEBTEDNESS OF THE UNDERMENTIONED COUNCILS TO THll GOVERNMENT. --------------~------------~--------~--------~-------- Rate Amount Purpose of Loan. of Present Approved Total. Annual Inter- Indebtedness. but not yet Payment. est. Advanced. % £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ 8. d. CITIES. SOUTH BRISBANE- Reserve at West End .. 4 1,780 8 0 1,780 8 0 146 11 6 Rat-proofing certain 5~ 1,500 0 0 3,722 0 0 5,222 0 0 520 4 10 wharves I 3,280 8 0 3,722 0 0 7,002 8 0 666 16 4 TOWNS. HAMILTON- Forming and metalling 5t 8,813 12 10 8,813 12 10 1,326 13 4 streets, small drainage works, and concrete channelling Repairing road . 4 592 13 6 592 13 6 1,232 18 4 Water channelling and 5l 9,800 0 0 200 0 0 10,000 0 0 996 5 0 footpath works Extensions to electric 5t 6,000 0 0 6,000 0 0 488 15 0 light scheme Electric light and power 5} 14,184 8 4 14,184 8 4 1,221 17 6 scheme Drainage, Oriel road 5! 3,000 0 0 3,000 0 0 206 7 6 Drainage and concrete 51 25,o63 11 o 25,063 11 0 1,788 11 8 channelling 64,454 5 8 3,200 0 0 67,654 5 8 7,261 8 4 ITHACA- Street channelling works 4 1,494 11 11 1,494 11 11 369 17 6 Metalling main roads .. 5! 4,523 14 2 4,523 14 2 796 0 0 Improvements to parks 5k 1,500 0 0 500 0 0 2,000 0 0 162 18 4 Purchase of park land .. 4 1,584 17 8 1,584 17 8 142 11 8 Reconstructing culverts, 4 311 9 0 311 9 0 26 14 8 Baroona road Purchase of land for 900 12 10 900 12 10 81 9 2 parks Part cost of concrete 4 2,629 0 9 2,629 0 9 203 17 10 bridge over Enoggera Creek Ditto .