Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Over the last few weeks I have been contacted by more than 100 residents in my electorate concerning a Brisbane City Council bus depot proposed for the leafy community of Sherwood. The Brisbane City Council wants to spend $90 million to build a depot for 200 buses at 496 Sherwood Road, 500 metres from the Sherwood State School and the thriving retail district of Sherwood. Overwhelmingly, the emails and letters I have received and the people I have spoken to are opposed to this bus depot going in on their doorstep. They also feel like the Brisbane City Council is steamrolling the issue.

Obviously there are concerns about student safety, and the impact on local streets; environmental and noise concerns; and also concerns about Oxley Creek being possibly impacted on by diesel spills. But, putting aside the long list of legitimate concerns that residents in Sherwood, Graceville and Corinda have, it seems that the lord mayor’s community consultation process is nothing more than a speed-bump to his plans to build the depot.

In the suburb of Sherwood, Campbell Newman is acting like the Sheriff of Nottingham. It was reported that a recent community meeting—which was held on Saturday 15 August and which, unfortunately, I could not attend because of an RSL function—was overrun by Young Liberals, or, because it was in Queensland, I should say, ‘young Liberal and National Party members,’ in party T-shirts, who prevented the actual locals of Sherwood from having their say. They were actually wearing party T-shirts at a community meeting.

This is why I have written to the Lord Mayor—here is a copy of my letter—to pass on the views of the local residents and to get their questions answered. It has been said that Lord Mayor Newman will reconsider the proposal if there is enough community opposition. I hope he is true to that commitment and takes on board the concerns of my community. Tomorrow I will be meeting with the Brisbane Lord Mayor—the second most powerful Liberal in Australia—and others when I catch up with the South-East Queensland Council of Mayors. They are in Canberra this week meeting with various ministers and opposition members to advocate for their communities. Rest assured that I will raise this issue again with the lord mayor at this event.

I am a strong supporter of public transport; don’t get me wrong. Obviously, with our CPRS legislation, we are committed to changing emissions, and public transport will play a role in that. However, I hope that more of us on Brisbane’s south side will get out of our cars and onto buses and trains and other public transport options. The Brisbane City Council undoubtedly has a big part to play in ensuring that our public transport network is adequate and meets the needs of our commuters. So I welcome the lord mayor’s efforts to improve the public transport network. However, first and foremost, I will always stand up for my electorate whenever I feel that their views have not been listened to appropriately.

The Sherwood community is a beautiful suburb, in a leafy part of Brisbane, nestled between the Brisbane River and the Oxley Creek Common—a truly significant water course, even though it is right in the middle of Brisbane. I often take my young children to the Sherwood Arboretum, one of the great treed areas of Brisbane. I also go every year to the Sherwood Community Festival, where people like Cameron Miller, Jenny Golden and many others make a significant contribution in organising a wonderful street festival. The festival is held every year in November in the Sherwood shopping precinct on Sherwood Road—the same road on which Councillor Newman plans to house a 200-bay bus depot. There will be 200 buses, and also numerous bus drivers coming in at all hours of the day and night, turning into a busy street, uphill. It is already a busy intersection, as anyone from that area knows.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Moreton has the call.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Over the last 13 years this Sherwood festival has become a community institution, and it is a great way to build social capital, to foster community spirit and showcase local talent and culture. Most importantly, it is coordinated and run by volunteers doing their bit for the community—as I said, people like Cameron Miller. I look forward to again being at the Sherwood street festival in November, and I hope that, by then, we will see some positive community engagement from the Brisbane City Council and that the lord mayor will stop his Sheriff of Nottingham ways on this bus depot proposal. And I will be having a street stall at that intersection on 19 September where the residents will be able to express their views.