Election Promises
People ask what I will do for Logan, these are the ideas, policies and commitments I want to share as part of my election platform.
They won’t all happen in the first 100 days, and this doesn’t mean there is nothing else I will target or focus on. But these are the promises I am confident I can deliver on as Mayor in my first term.
All of these commitments will need the support of Councillors and I will work constructively with them, and interested members of the community, to get the best possible outcome.
Wildlife Hospital and funding for carers
I support the funding and construction of a Wildlife Hospital in Jimboomba to support our incredible wildlife carers. I’ve worked hand in glove with the Division 9 Councillor Scott Bannan to identify a location and funding to get the ball rolling and I can’t wait to see his hard work become a reality.
This commitment will mean I support the work that has begun on this project already, as well as working to secure further funding in the future for this important facility.
I will also support additional funding for our wildlife carers and rescue volunteers. Currently, they are dipping into their own pockets to pay for fuel and medical supplies. I believe we can do much more to support them and the work they do to help vulnerable and injured animals.
Rates Reform
Our rates system isn’t fair. Some people are paying very little, while others are paying more than they can afford.
As Mayor I will support a full review of our rates system to identify areas where we can return savings to ratepayers. This review will not include the removal of the early payment discount.
For the last four years as a Councillor I have been investigating how our rates system can be improved and I have already identified areas that are easy wins, which I’d like to do in the first budget, to provide cost of living relief to ratepayers.
This will need the support of other Councillors. I’m confident we’ll be able to work together to modernise our rates system so the load is shared fairly.
Not everything can be done at once, but I’m hopeful that over successive budgets we will be able to deliver much better value for money to the community than we are now.
Discounted Pet Registration
We have over 60,000 registered pets in our city. Annual registration is time consuming for pet owners and for Council.
As Mayor I will support offering discounts on 3 year pet registrations. In Queensland pets cannot be registered for longer than 3 years at a time.
I will also investigate lowering the cost pets that are getting long in the tooth so that that are very low or free to register.
This will save staff time, lower costs for residents and show compassion to the owners of older pets when they are nearing end of life.
Digital Transformation
Our Council uses an out of date system that wastes time and money. This impacts our efficiency and customer service.
This term I supported the beginning of our Digital Transformation project: an enterprise-wide change to the systems that Council uses for its day-to-day operations.
Modernising our outdated technology and retraining our staff will help Council operate more efficiently and deliver better services for Logan.
While these changes are complex, they are also critical, because they will improve efficiency, security and transparency of how our Council functions.
I have been an advocate for this project long before the work began. It is only in its early stages though and will need strong commitment from an incoming Mayor to make sure this project is delivered.
As Mayor, I will commit to driving this project forward and making sure it has the support needed to be completed so we can bring our Council systems into the 21st century.
Attracting investment that creates jobs
I am Logan’s most experienced councillor in economic development, having been Logan City Council’s Chair of Economic Development for the last four years.
During this time, our Economic Development team has secured $773m of additional investment for our city, retaining or creating more than 2200 jobs in Logan. This includes attracting two new private hospitals to Meadowbrook off the back of a private health investment proposal the Council provided to the industry.
As Mayor I will make sure that investors know that Logan means business. We want to attract investment from industries that will create jobs for the future. I am the best person to do that with my existing networks and deep understanding of Logan’s economy and what we need to do to take it to the next level.
I will support the expansion of the Mayor’s Employment Taskforce to include bringing more local jobs and more higher paid jobs for our residents. This will include targeting investment that brings professional, technology, aerospace and innovative industries to our city.
Every day, around 70% of our workforce leaves Logan every day for work. I want them to be able to work locally, support local businesses and improve their quality of life by getting out of the rat run.
Our city is growing rapidly. Two of our biggest industries are construction and logistics.While that’s good for right now, it won’t be forever.
I want our economy to be sustainable, built on renewable energy, recycling and innovation. That won’t happen on its own, it needs a Mayor who understands economic development and the energy and experience to deliver.
City Identity and Reputation
If you live in Logan you know how great it is but people who don’t live here including mainstream media like to talk us down.
As Mayor I want to change this. I want to talk about our success stories and promote the amazing community we have, as well as the innovative and successful businesses. I will stand up for Logan.
This isn’t just to make us feel good. When we change our reputation it will allow us to bring more investment into our city. This means new industries and jobs, but also investment in the night time economy: restaurants, entertainment and sport.
Logan has so much potential, but we won’t achieve it if we simply remain the gap between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Renewable energy, recycling and innovation
My vision for Logan’s future is an economy built on renewable energy, recycling and innovative industries. I would love to see investment in data centres, advanced manufacturing, aerospace and technology businesses that will create jobs and put Logan on the map.
We are already working towards being a Net Zero city, with our waste-to-energy initiatives using renewable energy to transform wastewater and food organics into biochar and hydrogen. These projects will attract interest from other cities and private businesses who want to use these products.
I will support the construction of the new regional recycling facility at Browns Plains and work to attract investment from businesses that see waste as a way to recover resources and create jobs.
We are already the home of innovative businesses in the technology, recycling, advanced manufacturing and aerospace industries. As Mayor, I will maintain and increase our focus on attracting, incubating and supporting innovators and entrepreneurs who have the potential to redefine how we work and live.
Meaningful Community Consultation
Despite the best of intentions, Logan City Council has struggled to do meaningful community consultation. There are a number of reasons for this, but I believe that we can do better. It is clear from my time speaking with Logan residents that our community wants to be more involved in decision making.
In 2020 we formed a group of around 60 community members from all over the city who volunteered their time to do training about local government and then worked together to form the Logan Community Vision. This group was very keen to provide more advice and feedback on major Council policy and decisions. But we have never engaged with them again.
I believe we make the best decisions when we include members of the community as our trusted advisors. Doing this may slow down the decision-making process, but I’m confident we’ll get better outcomes.
This is the government equivalent of measuring twice and cutting once. As Mayor, I will support additional community engagement being introduced into our decision making. That includes activating the community advisory group again.
Restore, protect and enhance our environment
This term I have served as the Chair of the Planning, Economic Development and Environment Committee. I have seen how important it is to balance the needs of the community, the economy and the environment to create a wonderful place for us all to live.
I will continue to make that a focus as Mayor, seeking to protect the pristine environmental land in our city, restore areas that have been degraded over time through farming or development and enhance our wildlife corridors and conservation areas for our community to enjoy and appreciate.
Focus on delivering infrastructure
Delivering infrastructure is a core responsibility for local government. No matter where I go in the city people talk to me about infrastructure. One of the great challenges of being a city that is growing rapidly is making sure our infrastructure keeps up.
Doing proper planning and delivery of infrastructure will always lag behind the building of new houses. I believe that with better long term planning we will be able to deliver the infrastructure that our community expects and take advantage of opportunities for private investment that we are currently missing.
This would include much better (and earlier) communication with residents whose properties are intended for resumption.
As Mayor I will make sure that our Council remains focused on delivering infrastructure that our city needs and our community expects.
Deployable Covert Cameras
Our CCTV network in Logan is state-of-the-art, but the fixed cameras are becoming more expensive to install and while they are an effective way to provide valuable information to QPS and our local law officers they often just move problems to other areas once they are installed.
Residents regularly raise concerns about very localised issues with hooning, illegal dumping, drinking and other anti-social behaviour in parks where there are no fixed cameras.
Last year Cr Teresa Lane suggested a set of deployable covert cameras for her electorate. This is a great idea that I think could be offered across the whole city.
As Mayor I will support providing our Community Safety team with deployable covert cameras that can be shared with police to address amenity, safety and crime issues.
Logan Car Show
Council used to partner with PCYC to have an annual car show, but this ended in 2018.
I know that there is a huge car scene in Logan, with enthusiasts who invest their time and money modifying and restoring cars.
As Mayor, I will support the return of the Logan Car Show. I know that Moss Streets and Allgas Street used to host major car events and I think these would be perfect locations. I would like to see Council supporting our local car clubs to make this event a community-driven success.
Flood model risk mapping review and flood forum
Council has supported my motion for a review of our flood mapping. It’s an issue that is affecting people’s property values and it’s too important to play politics with. Irrelevant of who wins this election, the flood maps will be reviewed, particularly the risk rating and other policies.
If I am Mayor I will commit to hosting town hall meetings in areas of the city that have been impacted by the flood mapping so that Councillors and staff can hear directly from residents about their concerns.
Unlocking properties in the Moderate Risk flood overlay
Our new flood mapping limits what residents can do with the properties if the property is in the Moderate Risk flood overlay or has Moderate Risk flood access to the property.
It may not be safe for houses to be built in these areas but it doesn’t make sense to lock this land away completely.
As Mayor I will seek to amend our planning and flood policies to allow non-residential community and place of worship uses on these properties. This will support a reasonable sale value for the owner and allows the land to be enjoyed for the benefit of the community in a safe way.
These uses would still have to comply with all of the other amenity, traffic, engineering and planning requirements, but flooding would be one less hurdle to overcome.
Low cost and free activities for families
I know that many families are doing it tough at the moment. When budgets are tight it’s hard to find affordable activities.
As Mayor I will support significant increases to the Council’s KRANK school holiday program and the introduction of regular movies in the park.
These will be run in partnership with community organisations and local businesses.
Local Laws: Derelict houses
Derelict houses attract graffiti, anti-social and criminal behaviour and squatting. They have a huge impact on how people feel about their neighbourhoods.
They can be left vacant for a variety of reasons, but Council does not have any powers to have them demolished or made safe.
As Mayor I will support the introduction of local laws that allow Council to demolish derelict houses in the interests of amenity and safety. The cost of this demolition and make good will be added to the rates of the property.
Local Laws: Unregistered cars
When large numbers of unregistered cars are stored on a residential property it creates amenity and safety issues.
These vehicles are often in varying states of disrepair, sometimes being stored as part of a home business that buys and sells car parts. These uses are not suitable in our resident areas of the city.
As Mayor, I will support the introduction of a local law that limits the number of unregistered vehicles that can be stored on a property. This will not include vehicles that are stored in a shed or workshop.
Travel Assistance Grants for Kids
About a third of our population is under the age of 18 and many of them are incredibly talented athletes.
With the Olympics only 8 years away we want to give young people who are passionate and talented to compete at the highest levels across the State, Country and Internationally.
Council’s Travel Assistance Grant funding is limited, and generally runs out in the first 5-6 months of the financial year.
As Mayor, I will support an additional $100,000 of funding to be injected into this program.
Review of our sports club leases and funding
Council changed how leasing worked and what funding was available for clubs in 2015.
This model improved a lot of areas, but also put a lot of pressure on clubs to do significant fundraising (or increase charges) to cover the significant costs of maintenance and field management.
80% of young people play a sport, getting this right makes a huge difference for how affordable and accessible our facilities are.
As Mayor, I commit to a review of these policies to see if we can learn from other cities about how they support their sporting clubs.
Disaster Preparation
We know that our city struggles with floods, storms and heat waves. Council has an important role to play during these natural disasters. Our staff go above and beyond, and our community rallies together to support each other. But I believe we can do better when it comes to preparing for and supporting the community.
As Mayor, I will make disaster preparation a priority. When the next disaster strikes I want our Council to be there to support people when they need us most.
Advocacy Commitments
One of the most important roles of a Mayor is to go into bat on behalf of the City of Logan. We have a one-off opportunity coming our way due to our rapid growth and the looming deadline of the Olympics.
We need a Mayor who will fight for Logan to get more than our fair share. We are doing the heavy lifting when it comes to housing availability and affordability. It’s time we were rewarded for that effort.
As Mayor, my advocacy priorities will be:
- Public Transport: Especially for our growth areas.
- Digital Infrastructure: Better mobile phone and internet coverage
- Insurance Industry Price Gouging Inquiry: Premium hikes are sending families and pensioners to the wall, I will call on the State Government to hold an inquiry just like they are for supermarkets.
- Infrastructure cost assistance for Councils: Logan is doing our part to help with the housing crisis, but we aren’t getting supported by adequate infrastructure.
- A Stadium for Logan: If we don’t ask, we don’t get.
Investigation Commitments
During this election campaign I have been listening to suggestions and ideas from residents.
There are some that are good ideas but require further investigation to see if they are viable.
As Mayor, I will investigate the following projects and policy ideas:
- On demand Kerbside Clean up
- Motorsport Complex / Skid Pad
- Designated Graffiti and Mural Walls in parks
- Multicultural Community Centre
- Surf Lake – Artificial wave park tourism precinct
- Lifetime pet registration